The Beneficiaries of Project Management Certification
Who benefits from project management certification? The simple answer is an individual whose qualifications have been authenticated by an independent process, where the process is directly related to the project management discipline. However, a broader answer would be any person or organization that receives value from such certification. This includes, at a minimum, six groups:
- Individuals
- Organizations
- Customers
- Professional Societies
- The Project Management Community
- The Public
Let's explore the value of certification for each group.
Individuals
Individuals value certification as a career-enhancing move; it provides goals for building on one's professional capabilities, and the opportunity to gain social and monetary recognition from employers, peers, and the professional community. For example, with certification, an individual can expect to be recognized as someone who:
- Meets professional project management standards
- Is a stakeholder in project management
- Is positioned within their current organization for advancement and increased salary opportunities
- Has improved access to potential employers and job opportunities
- Can confidently demonstrate superior knowledge and competence to prospective employers
- Commits to high standards of ethical conduct; increasingly important today
- Should be better paid than someone who is not certified.
For the individual, better pay for better service is the key point required to justify submitting to the cost, time and process of certification. According to a cover page article, Solving the Cert Puzzle, by Jeff Moad in eWeek 3/17/2003, the differential may be anywhere from five to twenty percent or more.
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Introduction
