Professional Development Units (PDUs)

Have you heard about PDUs before?

What are PDUs?

PDUs are abbreviations for Professional Development Units, which are one-hour blocks of time spent learning, volunteering, or tutoring; in another term, one PDU is one contact hour. Collecting these PDUs is required to maintain your certification status. Different certifications have different requirements for accumulating or maintaining their PDUs.

We can categorise PDUs into two categories as following:

• Education PDUs: These can be earned at professional project management seminars, webinars, classes, or self-directed learning, which allow the project professionals to enhance their project management skills as PMP exam candidate requires 35 PDUs to be able to apply for the exam and PMP certification maintenance requires 60 PDUs every three years to keep the PMP certification active after getting it.
• Giving Back PDUs can be earned by volunteering, mentoring, working with professional groups, and more. They allow project professionals to use their knowledge and skills to build the profession, maintain their certification, and stay updated with the latest trends and practices in this field.

Why are PDUs important for project managers?

Obtaining a Project Management certification is a significant achievement for any project manager, demonstrating an essential level of knowledge and expertise in this field. As the profession of project manager grows and changes quickly, continuous improvement and maintaining relevancy is necessary to keep your ongoing commitment to your professional development. By investing effort in sustaining your certification, you have booked a seat as a candidate to compete vigorously, with a significant advantage for any vacancy.

You can raise your professional resume to get a better position and move forward in your career, where you have a higher chance to provide your skills and knowledge to any organisation, solve problems, and move toward its objectives. Moreover, PDUs are units that measure the professional advancement of certified project managers and guarantee that they keep their knowledge up to date to continue providing the best services and results, each one in their domain.

What are the ways to earn PDUs?

To stay certified, you must get the required PDUs for project management certifications. You can earn PDUs by performing many various activities such as:

1. Through Education

• Attending a project management course or training in person or online where could provide a structured and interactive learning experience. Each one attending hour corresponds to one PDU.  
• Self-paced learning is conducted online or through various forms of digital media and platforms, such as online courses, videos, and webinars, where you can engage yourself in learning on your own schedule.  
• Attending meetings or local events could provide valuable opportunities for learning and expanding the network. These kinds of activities include an educational component about project management topics such as presentations and workshops.  
• Reading project management books, articles, whitepapers, eBooks, or blogs related to your certification as the eBooks and blogs provided by the institute of project management, in goal to stay informed and updated to support your ongoing professional development. 
• Learning informally by having educational opportunities focused on structured discussions with mentors and colleagues.

2. Through Giving Back

• Work as a practitioner in your certified role where you could apply your skills and knowledge in project management.  
• Create content such as authoring books, blogs and articles or creating presentations for a large public use by practitioners. 
• Deliver presentations within the organization or outside, as in project management professional conferences.  
• Volunteering with an organization that practices project management activities where you can support and help its team by practising your knowledge and skills.  

To be a certified project manager, you must make a lifelong commitment to your ongoing professional development. You must renew your certificate every few years, starting when you pass your exam.

PDU Requirements For Certification

1. IPMA

To renew your IPMA certification, you must show that you've been actively developing your skills and contributing to project management. This process typically involves documenting your participation in relevant training, workshops, or professional activities.

Those holding an IPMA certification must complete the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programme and earn a minimum of 175 Professional Development Units (PDUs) within each five-year certification/CCR cycle. IPMA mandates the following for re-certification:

Please visit our IPMA Certification Renewal page for detailed instructions and submission guidelines.

2. PMI

As per the Project Management Institute, PMI, to maintain your PMP certification, you must earn 60 PDUs, of which at least 35 must be education and a maximum of 25 must be giving back PDUs, as per the table below.

3. PRINCE2

Prince2 certification holders need to demonstrate their ongoing proficiency and commitment to best practices through PDUs. For PRINCE2 certification renewal, you can retake the Practitioner exam or accumulate Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points. You can earn CPD points by engaging in relevant learning activities or joining the PRINCE2 Membership Programme. The total number of PDUs Required is 20 PDUs annually or 60 PDUs over three years. For more details on how to renew, please visit the PRINCE2 Certification Renewal page.

Suppose you cannot earn the required PDUs within the years specified of getting your certification. In that case, your status may be suspended for one year until you choose to renew your certificate during this period, or you will lose your credentials.

Ultimately, earning your project management certification is one of your excellent and challenging achievements in this rapidly transforming world. Maintaining your versatility and professionalism through ongoing development is a priceless advantage and asset. You can earn PDUs by taking our project management courses and submitting your membership with the Institute of Project Management (IPM).