Why & How to Record your PDUs

One of the benefits of a PMI credential is that the credential itself is designed to retain its value and to be up to date even years after the exam has been passed.

The method selected for ensuring that the credential holders are proactive in developing their skills and knowledge is the use of Professional Development Units (PDUs). A PDU is earned for each hour of relevant professional development activity.

For example, holders of the PMP must earn 60 PDUs per three-year certification cycle.

 

How do I earn PDUs?

There are many ways to Earn PDUs with a wide variety of activities from different categories, all supporting the PMI concept of retaining knowlede and contributing to the Project Management Community, amongst others:

  • Attending courses from PMI Chapters or REPs
  • Continuing Education
  • Self-directed Learning
  • Creating New Project Management Knowledge
  • Volunteer Services

 

For example, participation in an event organized by a local committee can be worth 1.5 PDUs. These small increments make it possible to reach the target in small steps, however this increases the administrative effort.

An efficient solution is the complete automation of the process, after data entry by the credential holder. A fully automated system could not cover all possible situations, for example participation in an event, where the individual sessions do not last exactly one (or more) hours or the participant did not stay for the entire duration. For this reason, the system allows individually tailored solutions, the correctness of which must be confirmed by the credential holder. Allowing users to make individual adjustments reduces central administration.

The generation of participant certificates for Chapter events is totally automatic: the organizer enters the event in a special database and the certificates are automatically generated in pdf format and distributed electronically to the participants.

For events from external organisations, such as the Congrès du Management de Project (Lausanne), the PM Training Forum (Zürich) or the PMI Global Congress, the procedure is slightly different. Firstly, a special number is assigned to the event and a  maximum number of PDUs is defined. When claiming the PDUs, participants who did not attend the entire event and who therefore are not entitled to the maximum number of PDUs, can manually adjust the selection to the appropriate number of PDUs.

 

How do I prove my PDU Activity?

The PMI performs random audits to ensure that the PDU data recorded is correct. If you are selected for such an audit, you will need to provide documentary evidence of the PDU activities:
  • If you have a certificate, for example from a PMI Component (e.g. Chapter) Event or if you have attended a training course from a REP, no further documentation is required.
  • For self-study or smaller events (e.g. up to 2 hours), you may not have a certificate, so you must keep auditable records, e.g. notes of a formal discussion on a Project Management topic or self-directed learning.

 

How do I record my PDUs?

This is fully described in a series of PMI videos. PDUs are recorded as follows:
  • Log on to the PMI global website.
  • Download and read the document CCR Handbook then identify the category of PDU which you wish to claim.
  • Navigate to the page Report PDUs

    1) Select the PDU Category from the drop down list

    2) Select the Activity Type (if it appears; depends on the category)

    3) Click NEXT.

  • If you selected "Find an Activity" under the Activity Type, some search fields will appear. For events organized by the PMI Swiss Chapter, the Provider Number is C261. Alternatively you may have the activity number or name. Then click SEARCH.
  • From now on, follow the on-screen instructions to select an activity, enter number of PDUs you are claiming and log your claim.
  • If everything is done correctly, you will receive two e-mails: the first one acknowledges your application for recording PDUs and the second one confirms that the PDUs have been added to your account.

Should you require additional information or guidance, you will find a comprehensive guide under the heading Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) System, on the PMI global website.

 

For technical questions, please contact  us using the contact-us button.