FEATURED PAPER

Project Management Credentials Compared - A Preliminary Analysis

By Dr. Paul D. Giammalvo

Jakarta, Indonesia

INTRODUCTION

Have you ever wondered what professional level credentials are available for project/program managers to choose from, and how these various project management certifications compare against one another? 

This was the subject that evolved from a lengthy and sometimes heated debate on one of the Linked In discussion pages relating to Project Management. While the original topic was “PMP: Does it assure you a job?” the debate quickly got off topic and centered around the relative value of the various credentials.

What became clear is that while everyone THINKS (or at least would like to believe) the credential they hold is the most valid and appropriate measure of project management knowledge, skills and competency, a quick on line review of published literature showed little or no peer reviewed research on this topic to provide any guidance or insight.

Another problem in making any comparison is while nearly all of the major professional organizations offer multiple levels of credentials, one cannot tell from the names of those credentials exactly what they represent vis-à-vis one another. (i.e. does holding the Project Management Professional (PMP) from PMI really mean that the holder is a professional project manager?)  Or what is a “Certified Cost Engineer” and how does that relate to project or program management?

This lack of any meaningful comparison was the driving force behind this exploratory research effort. 

To read entire paper (click here)

About the Author Paul D. Giammalvo, PhD Author Dr. Paul D. Giammalvo, CDT, PMP, CCE, MScPM, is Senior Technical Advisor to PT Mitratata Citragraha www.getpmcertified.com , an Adjunct Professor of Project/Program Management at Lille Graduate School of Management, Paris, FRANCE. www.esc-lille.com, and a curriculum development specialist in Asset and Project Management for the University of Western Australia, www.blendedlearning.ecm.uwa.edu.au . For over 15 years, he has been providing Project Management training and consulting throughout SE Asia, Middle East and Europe. He is active in the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering International, (AACE), www.aacei.org and the Construction Management Association of America, (CMAA), www.cmaanet.org. He is also a member of the Board of Directors, Global Alliance for Project Performance Standards, (GAPPS) www.global-mstandards.org. Paul is based in Jakarta, Indonesia and can be reached at pauldgphd@gmail.com.