How to maintain your PMP certification | How to earn 60 PDUs

In order to renew your PMP certification, you are required to complete more than 60 hours of professional development activities (earn PDUs) over a three-year period. This can be quite a time-consuming process, which may cause many people to give up on or suspend their certification renewal.
In addition, there are many opportunities and ways to earn PDUs, so many people may be wondering which is the most efficient way to earn them.

In this article, I will discuss all 10 types of ways to earn PDUs and recommend the best plan for earning PDUs based on my own experience.

Overview of PMP renewal

To maintain the PMP certification, you must renew it every three years. The renewal fee for PMI members is $60, which may seem cheaper, but there are additional costs to become a PMI member, as listed below, so in terms of cost alone, non-members will save you money.

In addition, if you are an employee, your company may subsidize the PMP renewal costs.
Unfortunately, the company I work for did not provide any assistance, but it might be a good idea to check with the general affairs department or similar.

PMP certification renewal requirements

PMP certification holders are required to complete 60 hours of professional development activities every three years to maintain their certification.
This professional development activity is called PDU (Professional Development Unit).

I will explain them in order.

Education (35 PDUs minimum)

PMI has a concept called the Talent Triangle, and by taking courses and reading, etc., you need to acquire a balanced amount of knowledge and skills in the three skill areas of the Talent Triangle. (Ways of Working, Power Skills, and Business Acumen)
A total of 35 PDUs or more is required.

1) Ways of Working (8 PDUs minimum)

It’s about learning the methods, skills and how to apply them to get winning results.
A total of 8 PDUs or more is required.

2) Power Skills (8 PDUs minimum)

It’s about learning interpersonal skills such as leadership, communication and empathy.
A total of 8 PDUs or more is required.

3) Business Acumen (8 PDUs minimum)

Learn about organizational strategies and global trends for effective decision making.
A total of 8 PDUs or more is required.


A minimum of 8 PDUs is required in each of the above three areas (24 PDUs in total).
The remaining 11 PDUs (35-8*3=11 PDUs) can be earned in any of the three skill areas listed above.

Former Talent Triangle (Before April 2022)

Please note that the three skill areas in the education area have been updated as of April 2022.

Giving back to the Profession (25 PDUs maximum)

This is an activity for utilizing and sharing project management knowledge and skills through your daily work and volunteer activities.
This activity is up to 25 PDUs, so zero PDUs is acceptable.

All 10 types of ways to earn PDUs

There are 10 ways to earn PDUs (5 in the education category and 5 in the giving back category).
Based on my experience, I have rated them a three-point scale (Highly Recommend, Recommend, Neutral) according to the level of recommendation. The recommendation level was determined based on a comprehensive assessment of the following:

• Ease of earning (convenience)
• cost
• Ease of application
• Ease of obtaining documents required for audits
  
  

Please refer to the following article for examples of how to fill out your PDU application.
(Japanese page only. English page is under construction)

Education

1) Course or Training (Recommend)

This is the most popular way to earn PDUs. It is possible to learn systematically by attending courses. If you attend the course, you will also be issued a certificate by the institution where you took the course.
If your company offers courses, you may be able to take them at a discount.

Contents:	Instructor-led formal education courses or classes held in-person or online
PDU Rules:	1 hour of instruction equals 1 PDU
Documentation required for audit:	Registration form, certificate of completion or letter of attendance

2) Organization Meetings (Neutral)

Contents:	Meetings, activities and local events related to the profession
PDU Rules:	1 hour meeting time equals 1 PDU (Typically limited to 1-2 PDUs)
Documentation required for audit:	Registration form, letter of attendance of other form of documentation confirming participation in event

3) Online or Digital Media (Highly Recommend)

Like “Courses or Training”, this allows you to study systematically. And with on-demand learning, you can study according to your own schedule and needs. I also use it.

Contents:	Self-paced learning conducted online or through varied forms of digital media
PDU Rules:	1 hour of learning equals 1 PDU
Documentation required for audit:	Evidence supporting your reported learning, including notes from and dates of activities conducted

4) Read (Highly Recommend)

It’s the easiest and most cost-effective way to learn, and you can do it at your own pace. I earn PDUs mainly through reading.

Contents:	Self-directed reading that is relevant to the certification you hold
PDU Rules:	1 hour of learning equals 1 PDU
Documentation required for audit:	Evidence supporting your reported learning, including notes from and dates of reading

5) Informal Learning (Neutral)

Contents:	Educational opportunities focused on structured discussions
PDU Rules:	1 hour of learning equals 1 PDU
Documentation required for audit:	Evidence supporting your reported learning, including notes from and dates of activities conducted.

Giving back to the Profession

6) Work as a Practitioner (Highly Recommend)

If you still manage projects professionally, you can also earn PDUs through this activity.
I also perform project management tasks on a daily basis at work, so I am earning PDUs through this activity as well.
There is no cost to earn PDUs, but if you are selected for an audit, you will need to have your company provide you with a written verification of your employment. This takes some effort.
Please note that you can only apply once per renewal cycle, with a maximum of 8 PDUs.

Contents:	Each day, your work in a domain area related to the project management allows you to apply your knowledge and skills in a practical setting
PDU Rules:	1 hour of working equals 1 PDU
Documentation required for audit:	Proof of employment ( job description)

7) Create Content (Highly Recommend)

I also earned PDUs from this activity. I created content related to PMP and shared it within my company. It didn’t cost me anything.
You can also earn PDUs by writing articles about PMP on blogs, etc., so this is a good option for bloggers.

Contents:	Creating new knowledge resources for use by practitioners and the public at large
PDU Rules:	1 hour spent creating content equals 1 PDU
Documentation required for audit:	Copies of publications, sample educational materials or course agendas

8) Give a Presentation (Neutral)

Contents:	Presenting on topics relevant to the profession
PDU Rules:	1 hour spent presenting equals 1 PDU
Documentation required for audit:	Copies of presentation

9) Share Knowledge (Neutral)

Contents:	Sharing your domain knowledge to help others learn and grow
PDU Rules:	1 hour spent sharing knowledge equals 1 PDU
Documentation required for audit:	Evidence supporting your coaching or mentoring arrangement, including notes from and dates of discussions and activities

10) Volunteer (Neutral)

Contents:	Providing volunteer services to non-employer or non-client organizations
PDU Rules:	1 hour spent sharing knowledge equals 1 PDU
Documentation required for audit:	Evidence supporting your coaching or mentoring arrangement, including notes from and dates of discussions and activities

Future Cycle PDUs

If you earn more than the required PDUs in your renewal cycle, you may apply a portion of the PDUs to your next cycle.
The conditions for carryover are as follows:

• up to 20 PDUs
• Only PDUs earned in the final year (12 months) of your certification cycle can be applied to a future cycle
• 6) Working as Professional PDUs only apply to your current cycle and cannot be transferred
  
  
  

PMI Audit

PMI conducts an audit of some applications for the PMP renewal. PMI says a specified percentage of applications are randomly selected for audit. The criteria used to select audit targets has not been in public. If you are selected for an audit, you will be required to submit appropriate evidence (supporting documents).

I was fortunately not to be selected for the audit, but it seems like collecting evidence will take a lot of effort.

The best plan for earning PDUs

Below are some recommended plans for those who want to earn PDUs easily and at the lowest possible cost.
I also renewed my PMP mainly using this plan.

Work as a Practitioner (8 PDUs) & Read (52 PDUs)

1) Work as a Practitioner (8 PDUs)

Those who have earned the PMP certification likely engage in project management in their daily work. Project management activities carried out in your daily work can be claimed as PDUs as “Work as a Practitioner.” You can claim up to 8 PDUs.

2) Read (52 PDUs)

Read one well-known business book per season (approximately four books per year).
If it is calculated that roughly 40 pages = 1 PDU, each book will be worth 4 to 10 PDUs. To earn 52 PDUs, you need to read about 6 to 13 books over a three-year period. This means you only need to read about 3 to 5 books per year (one book per season).

According to information on the Internet, it is believed that non-American books require new understanding from PMI personnel, and therefore there is a higher possibility that detailed information will be requested.(Increased possibilities of being selected for audit)
It is considered a good idea to read mainly famous books published in the United States. For example, P. F. Drucker, Stephen Covey, Dale Carnegie, etc.. Also, it is best to avoid books that seem questionable in common sense.

For recommended books for earning PDUs through reading, please also refer to the following article.
(Japanese page only. English page is under construction)

If you are not good at reading, you may want to incorporate “7) Content creation” into your activities. If you still need more PDUs, try using “1) Course or Training” or “3) Online or Digital Media“.

udemy-PMP Certification: 35+PDU Project Management Course For PMP

udemy-Ultimate PMP renewal, get all 60 PDUs approved by PMI

Conclusion

Thank you for reading to the end.
Finally, I would like to summarize the main points of this article.
In my experience, PMP is one of the most useful qualifications for work. I would be really happy if I could be of any help to you.