1. PM Certification
SMACKDOWN:
Which Offers The
Most Bang For
Your Buck?
CSM? PgMP? PMI-ACP?
PRINCE2? ITIL? PMP?
(Huh!? LOL!)
softwareDevelopmentManager.addName(“Dan Monahan”).worksAt(“Amazon Japan”);

2. Why bother getting a certification anyways?
“I have a solid track record as a project manager. I don’t need
a certification to prove I’m a good project manager. My
results speak for themselves. Experience trumps
certification anyways.”
-Dan Monahan, circa 2010

3. • Project Management Professional (PMP) – September 2010
• ITILV3 Foundations – November 2010
• PRINCE2 Foundations – December 2010
• PRINCE2 Practitioner – December 2010
• Program Management Professional (PgMP) – June 2011
• Certified Scrum Master (CSM) – December 2011
• PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) – March 2014
Dan’s Certifications

4. Why bother getting a certification anyways?
• A certification makes your resume more attractive.
• Certified professionals earn higher salaries.
• Certification helps you learn a common language.
• Certification helps you cash in on demand for project managers.
• Would you hire a doctor who wasn’t certified?

5. Let’s Begin!

6. Project Management Certification (PMP)
• PROS
• The gold standard of project management certifications!
• Lots and lots of study materials out there.
• CONS
• PMBOK is always being revised. How many PMBOK versions do we really need?
• 60 Professional Development Units (PDUs) required in a 3 year cycle.

7. ITIL Foundations
• PROS
• Goes hand-in-hand with a PMP or other certification.
• Introduces you to concepts like service value, service continuity,
strategy and portfolio management.
• Took me two weeks to prepare for the exam.
• No prerequisites to sit the exam.
• CONS
• Difficult to pursue further certifications, unless you can afford the big $$$$.
• Not many companies look for this certification, in my experience.

8. PRINCE2 Foundations and Practitioner
• PROS
• Easier to understand than PMBOK, IMHO.
• The standard in the UK.
• Foundations requires no experience in PRINCE2 – just study and sit the test.
• Practitioner requires CAPM, PMP, or PRINCE2 Foundations.
• Requires a retest every 3 – 5 years.
• Teaches you to think in a fluid, flexible approach towards project management.
• CONS
• Not so much in demand if you don’t work in the UK.
• Requires a retest every 3 – 5 years.

9. Program Management Professional (PgMP)
• PROS
• Second to the PfMP (Portfolio Management Professional) certification, one of
the highest PMI certifications.
• Learn to think strategically as opposed to just pure execution.
• Large chunks in “The Standard for Program Management” are similar to what is
in the PMBOK.
• CONS
• 60 PDUs in a 3 year cycle.
• Requires a lot of experience managing programs.

10. Certified Scrum Master (CSM)
• PROS
• Guaranteed certification after a 2-day course. Woo hoo!
• Recently very popular – Scrum is must-have knowledge for today.
• There will never be a “Scrum” 2.0.
• Lots of learning resources available.
• Introduces you to other concepts like Kanban, Lean Management, etc.
• CONS
• Even though you’re a Scrum Master, you’re not the master of anything, really.
• Scrum is like learning chess: easy to learn, a lifetime to master.
• If you’re coming from theWaterfall world, some concepts will be difficult to
learn.

11. PM Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)
• PROS
• Easy, didn’t require much study – IF you have Scrum experience.
• Based on actual agile development experience vs. just theory.
• Easy to maintain – only 30 PDUs are required in a 3-year cycle vs. 60 PDUS for PMP,
PgMP.
• Introduces you to other concepts like Kanban, Lean Management, etc.
• CONS
• Study materials are a bit light as it’s a new certification.
• No Body of Knowledge for this, unlike the PMBOK.
• Easy, didn’t require much study. So is this actually worth anything?
• Covers lots and lots of topics – again, no Body of Knowledge. Who uses the Crystal
Delivery Method?

12. The Winner Is?
Project Management Professional

13. Why Project Management Professional?
• The most requested credential for a PM position.
• PDUs are not fun to obtain, but not that difficult either.
• Covers most of the concepts a project manager needs to know for
most projects; it covers a lot of theory.
• Adds the most business value to your resume.

14. Q&A?
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