What is it?
The most widely recognized project management certification,
the Project Management Professional (PMP) credential, recognizes
an individual for a combination of formal study and practical
project management experience.
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Typically, PMP certification equates to a college degree, three
years of project management experience, 35 hours of formal project
management training, and passing a four-hour test focused on
competency in project management principles. Those who don't
have a college degree can become PMPs if they have five years of
project management experience, plus all the other requirements.
The PMP program was designed by the Project Management
Institute (PMI) and tests knowledge of a set of best practices
known as the Project Management Body of Knowledge. The core
text is known as the PMBOK Guide. PMI also offers an entry-level
certification, the Certified Associate in Project Management, and
recently introduced a Program Management Professional certification
covering skills related to coordinating multiple projects.
Other certification programs include CompTIA's IT Project+ and
the British government's PRINCE2, which is more widely recognized
overseas (like the set of best practices enumerated in the
Information Technology Infrastructure Library, PRINCE started out as
an initiative to improve the management of computer systems—
the acronym stands for Projects in Controlled Environments).
What does the PMP test cover?
PMPs are required to have a thorough knowledge of the phases
and aspects of project management covered in the PBMOK
Guide, from initiating and planning a project to managing scope,
time, costs, quality, hiring, communication and procurement.
How much does it (or should it) count for?
Freelance project manager Tom Welch lists a string of credentials
after his name, including an M.B.A., but PMP is the one
he lists first. "It opens quite a few doors," he says, "although it
doesn't hold as much weight as it did five or six years ago, when
it was new and very few people had it." Where specific expertise
is required—for example, in implementing SAP systems—"that
trumps not having a PMP," Welch says.
"As a hiring manager, when I look at an individual with that
PMP behind their name, that gives them an edge on a candidate
who does not have that," says Sue Stuefen, director of project
management for Forsythe Solutions Group, an informationtechnology
consultancy. "It gives me some assurance that they
understand the underlying project management processes and
have proven work experience."
On the other hand, Stuefen herself does not have a PMP
certification. But she has been through what she considers to
be equivalent training in the context of working for companies
certified under the Software Engineering Institute's Capability
Maturity Model, which assesses the competency of the organization
rather than the individual. In fact, she worked as an auditor
evaluating CMM capabilities.
Although Stuefen respects PMP certification, she believes it
shouldn't be an absolute requirement for hiring a project manager.
"If you do that, you're discounting individuals who have exposure
to other industry standards, such as CMM or a Big 5 [consulting
firm] project management approach," she points out. "Certainly,
if you have someone coming to you with 20 years or more experience,
why would you want to discount those kinds of candidates?"
Similarly, if a candidate studied project management as part of
a Stanford M.B.A. program, "I'm not so sure I would be forcing them
to get a PMP if they didn't want to," says Gartner analyst Matt Hotle.
Then there is the question of book learning versus experience.
"I know PMPs who couldn't manage their way out of a wet paper
bag," Hotle says. "There's a big difference between knowing what
to do and knowing how to do it."
What else should you look for?
Ideally, someone who has both the theoretical grounding in skills
such as estimating costs and schedules, and the experience
putting them into practice, Hotle says. "They have to be able to
demonstrate success at delivering projects."
There are plenty of other questions to ask, agrees Welch: "I'd
look at the complexity of the projects they've managed, and the
budget levels, and relevant experience to the project at hand."
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Projects: Management 
