PMP Certification Renewal: A Step-by-Step Guide for 2024

If you are a Project Manager or aspiring to become one, you must know the importance of PMP Certification to become a PMP certified Project Manager. PMP is the acronym for Project Management Professional. Having a PMP Certification alleviates your profile against others competing for the same job. With PMP Certification, Project Managers get PMP jobs in their desired companies along with high pay grades. According to the PMI Earning Power survey, PMP-certified professionals earn 16% more income than other non-certified Project Managers.

PMP certificate is offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI). This exam is also considered one of the most challenging professional exams. To stay connected with the industry; you must ensure that you do not let your PMP certificate expire.  It is required that you renew your PMP certificate regularly as per PMI guidelines to be valued as a PMP.

In this blog, we will discuss everything about the PMP Certification Renewal. Read this blog to understand the complete PMP Certification Renewal process:

Table of Contents:

1) PMP Certification Renewal – Overview

2) When does your PMP Certification Expire?

3) Understanding the PMP Certification Renewal Process

4) What is a Professional Development Unit?

5) How can you Earn the Required PDUs?

6) What is PMI’s Talent Triangle?

7) How to Check the Status of your PMP Certification and PDUs?

8) Conclusion

PMP Certification Renewal – Overview

The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBoK) emphasises continuous process improvement. the PMP Certification is also based on the same principle. 

The Project Management Institute (PMI) regards that you should remain active in this professional field. However, this is the primary justification for why the PMP renewal procedure is followed periodically. Moreover, PMI advises that you stay updated with the current trends and follow the best successful practices employed by Project Managers throughout the globe. 

You must thus renew your PMP Certification every three years starting from the date you are certified. To get your position reflected as a "PMP with good standing".
 

When does your PMP Certification Expire?  

After you have passed the PMP exam, PMI requires you to have up-to-date skills through the Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR). You need to fulfil the CCR in order to maintain your PMP Certifications. This will help you stay updated with the latest trends and best practices of Project Management.

Even though a PMP Certification does expire, you should immediately take action once the Certification expires. Everyone can maintain their PMP Certification for as long as they like, thanks to the numerous options offered by PMI. You should keep in mind the following points to determine when the PMP Certification expires:

a) The certification is valid only for three years from the day you pass the exam; and

b) If you fail to meet the PMP renewal requirements in the three-year CCR cycle, then your certificate will not be valid and you will not be a PMP Certified Professional

During these three years, PMI requires you to earn a minimum of 60 Professional Development Units (PDUs) as an eligibility criterion for renewing your PMP certificate.

Understanding the PMP Certification Renewal Process
 

Follow these steps to renew your PMP Certification:

Step1: Login with your account at PMI

Start with logging in to the PMI 

Step2: Obtain/Earn 60 PDUs

Remember that you should have earned 60 PDUs before starting the process of renewing your certificate. Also, ensure that you meet all the CCR requirements.

Refer to the next section to understand how to obtain the required educational PDUs and submit PDUs for PMP Certification Renewal.

Step3: Submit PMP Renewal Application

The next step will be to fill out the online application. You must fill in all your credentials and contact information in this application before submitting it.

Step4: Confirm your faith towards the PMI Code of Ethics

You will then accept the PMP renewal agreement and reaffirm the PMI-mandated Code of Ethics. This confirmation states your responsibility, obligation, dedication, and respect to drive your decisions as (following the PMI ethics) a PMP Certified professional.

Step5: Renewal Fee Payment

Next, you must pay the PMP Renewal Fee to renew your PMP certificate.

The PMP Renewal Cost is as follows - As a PMI member, you must pay about £49, and non-members must pay about £122 to renew the certificate.

The payment of PMP fees can be made online when you submit the renewal application. Also, your pay cycles will not vary even if you make payment at earlier dates.

Step6: Acknowledge Confirmation from PMI

Finally, you will receive a PMP Renewal confirmation from PMI as your application gets approved. The information will include

An approved email from PMI

A digitally updated PMP badge

Your next PMP Renewal cycle due dates

This PMP Renewal approval from PMI affirms that you can continue using the PMP certified title next to your name.

Obtain a certification that will demonstrate your Project Management skills and experience! Sign up for PMP Certification Training! 

What is a Professional Development Unit?

A Professional Development Unit (PDU) is a unit of measurement used by the Project Management Institute (PMI) to quantify the approved professional development activities related to project management.

PMI requires certified professionals, such as Project Management Professionals (PMPs), to earn a certain number of PDUs to maintain their certification.

One hour of involvement in a recognised professional development activity equates to one PDU. These can be obtained/earned through several activities, including attending conferences, courses, or webinars, volunteer works, reading books or articles, and partaking in self-directed learning.

PDU reporting and earning is a way for professionals to show their dedication to ongoing learning and professional development while keeping up with the newest project management trends and methodologies.

How can you Earn the Required PDUs?

PMI allows you to earn from two kinds of Professional Development Units (PDUs). You can make a maximum of 35 PDUs under this section. They are:

Educational PDUs

This PDUs section covers 60% of the PMI Talent Triangle:

a) You must earn a minimum of 8 PDUs in Technical Project Management

b) You must earn a minimum of 8 PDUs in leadership

c) You must earn a minimum of 8 PDUs in Strategic and Business Management

Giving back PDUs

Comparatively, the total number of PDUs to be earned in this section has been reduced. However, the subjects remain the same. They are:

a) Volunteering

b) Creating Knowledge

c) Working as a PMP 

In this category, a maximum of 25 PDUs should be earned:

a) Working as a Professional with a Maximum of 8 PDUs

b) Creating Knowledge and Volunteering to complete the rest of the PDUs

Even after the changes to the PMP certificate renewal process, you can still do these below-mentioned activities to complete PDUs:

a) Taking courses from institutions of higher learning, your employer, or PMI-approved institutes. 

b) Participating in educational programs and events provided by PMI chapters or other organisations

c) Reading, going or participating in a webinar, or doing self-guided learning exercises

d) Creating new information on Project management or the industry

e) Volunteering

f) Working as a Project Manager

What is PMI’s Talent Triangle?  
 

Once you pass the PMP exam, your CCR cycle starts and it ends on the third anniversary day of passing the exam. Therefore, you need to ensure that you have renewed your certification a day before the expiry. As the subsequent CCR cycle also starts on the day of the third anniversary of passing the exam or the expiry date.  

PMI designed the CCR program to assist Project Managers in staying updated with the latest development and skills required in their profession. With the advancement in businesses and management styles, PMI decided to bring in some needed changes to the PMI CCR program.  

PMI decided to bring the ideal skill set called PMI Talent Triangle, which will provide employers with desired skills in a candidate. The skill sets will include leadership and business intelligence. The PMI Triangle is a set of technical, leadership, strategic, and business management skills. 
 

a) Understanding Technical Project Management 

Technical Project Management skills are having the understanding, skills, and abilities related to specific domains in the project, program, and Portfolio Management. More than 66% of employers around the world say that it is the hardest to find Project Managers with Technical project skills. However, many among them also believe that these skills can be taught.  

Technical project management examples include: 

1) Advanced project management 

2) How to enhance your WBS 

3) How to collect and document requirements 

4) Portfolio risk management 

b) Understanding Leadership 

Leadership means having the understanding, skills, and abilities to perform as a team leader or to lead project teams efficiently. More than 75% of companies around the world rank leadership skills as the most essential skill required for the successful completion of projects, especially complex ones. More than three-fourths of organisations believe that leadership skills are the most important if an individual wants to be a successful Project Manager.  

What you have to do as a leader: 

1) Negotiating 

2) Problem-solving 

3) Communicating 

4) Motivating 

5) And conflict resolution   

c) Understanding Strategic and Business Management 

Strategic and Business Management includes expertise in increasing performance and delivering successful business outcomes in the industry or organisation you’re working. The average project success rate is higher in organisations that align their talent to organisational strategy than in those that do not. 

Examples of strategic and business management skills include: 

1) Product knowledge 

2) Industry knowledge  

3) Business acumen  

4) Innovation strategy alignment 

5) Market strategy alignment  

6) Differentiation strategy alignment  

7) Customer strategy alignment 

8) Finance and marketing 

Secure your future with Project Management! Check out our Project Management courses! 

How to Check the Status of Your PMP Certification and PDUs? 

If you want to stay updated about your PMP Certification and PDUs, you must use the Continuing Certification Requirements System (CCRS). It is a dashboard provided by PMI where you can monitor -

a) How many days is your certificate is valid

b) How your PDUs align with CCR program requirements

c) How many more PDUs do you require

d) And the summary of all the PDUs you have gained so far

Along with tracking the status, you must be aware that you’re also responsible for recording all your PDU activities using the online CCR system. Using this PMP tool, you can search for the activities that will help you gain the required PDUs, and you can also view your PDUs transcript to be sure that they have been posted.  

Additionally, though you can use the CCR system, PMI allows you to download, complete and send electronic or paper copies of the online PDU Activity Reporting Form. Do this after the completion of each activity. Submit only the PDU activity reporting form, and you do not have to submit any supporting paperwork for the activities you have reported; however, you should keep it in case you are audited.   

To check the status of your PMP Certification and PDUs (Professional Development Units), you can follow the steps below:

1) Go to the Project Management Institute (PMI) website at www.pmi.org.

2) Log in to your account using your PMI username and password.

3) Once you log in, click on the "myPMI" tab in the top right-hand corner of the page.

4) From the drop-down menu, select "Certifications".

5) Under the "Certification Dashboard", you will see the status of your PMP certification and the number of PDUs you have earned.

6) To view your PDUs in detail, click the "Report PDUs" button.

7) You can then view your PDUs by selecting the appropriate category.

Conclusion 

In this blog, we have given you nearly all the information you will require for the PMP Certification Renewal.

Start your preparation from here – sign up for the Introduction to Project Management course!