Introduction
“The worth of a thing is what it will bring.”
--Proverbs
“Certification, degrees, and other qualifications are just
hunting licenses. They do not guarantee anyone work, but give a person
the right to hunt for that work.”
--Dr. David I. Cleland, Professor Emeritus, University of Pittsburgh, c.1986
Our goal with this paper is to assert the
value of project management certification by considering who
benefits from it, who provides it, and the standard upon which it is based.
Anyone giving even slight attention to project management
knows that certification is a “big thing”. Between 1996
and 2000, as PM certification became popular (and companies had
money to spend), few people seemed to question its cost, ROI,
or the basis for evaluating competence.
Today, companies are rightfully challenging these and other
value factors, as are individuals, professional societies, and others
who might benefit from properly certified project managers.
As the two quotes above suggest, the value of project management
certification depends on the perception of its worth from different
perspectives: those who are buying the skills of a competent
(certified) person, and those who are paying for the “I’m
certified!” credential.
At this point, it’s worth reminding ourselves of
the basic definitions. From The American Heritage Dictionary,
Second College Edition:
- Value is “An amount considered to be a suitable equivalent
for something else; a fair price or return for goods or services.”
- Certification is “The authentication of one’s qualifications
or the act of certifying.
- Certify is “To guarantee as meeting a standard.”
- Standard is “A degree or level of excellence.”
The next part uses these definitions to cover three factors affecting
the value of project certification: the beneficiaries, the certifiers,
and the standards.
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Beneficiaries of 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 profession.
Perhaps, a better answer would be any person or organization that receives
value from project management certification. This includes, as 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 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 the project management profession.
- 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 paid better than someone who is not certified, perhaps from five to twenty percent or
more (see eWeek 3/17/2003 cover page article, Solving the Cert Puzzle).
And what about Organizations who need independent assessments of
the staff they currently employ or plan to hire? In this case, there
are at least six ways that certification can provide value; namely
the organization should be able to:
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