HomeBlogProject ManagementIs PgMP Worth it? Understanding the Pros and Cons
Certifications are a great way for IT professionals to differentiate themselves in the ever-complex and bustling job market, pursue a lucrative career path and also exalt career advancement opportunities wherever possible. IT Certifications are proven to go to a large extent in enhancing knowledge, credibility, and subject matter expertise while also meeting any business requirements from time to time.
One such advanced credential offered by PMI is the PgMP - Program Management Professional certification which is a visible sign of advanced level experience, practice, and abilities to help aspirants ace their dream role/career path. In today's article, let us delve deep to understand everything about PgMP and find out the answer to an important question - "Is PgMP Worth It?"
To understand who is eligible to apply for the PgMP exam, let me first tell you what a program is and what the scope of understanding a program manager must carry.
By PMI's definition, a program is a cluster of intricate projects that are managed in a coordinated fashion to derive benefits that are not available in managing them individually. Program management aims to advance the strategic objectives and goals of the organization and supersedes the project management role. Now, with this foundational understanding, it is evident that only professionals who have senior expertise or who manage several connected projects will find value in applying for the PgMP certification.
So, it is now evident that professionals who are senior-level practitioners and have at least over 3-4 years of core experience managing programs subject to the education and experience eligibility requirements (detailed in the requirements section below) can only apply for and pursue this prestigious certification.
Undergo the PgMP certification training course and understand the world of program management by way of engaging workshops and a sharp focused training experience.
While the answer to this question can be very subjective and situational, it is widely known that the PgMP certification gives a unique edge to the practitioners to traverse from the organization's operational activities to understanding and managing the strategic objectives, thereby enabling them to ace leadership roles, assume larger responsibilities and go beyond merely defining benefits to actually realizing them. Here are some noteworthy instances of how valuable this credential can be:
Not only these, I have gone through a lot of instances of professional testimonials posted on popular professional networking platforms, on the rising importance and popularity of the PgMP certification. It is evident that for whatever the PgMP cost, the certification holds a strong credential which opens up a lot of avenues for professionals.
To qualify for the PgMP certification, the candidates need to carry certain education and experience requirements outlined as follows:
Education Background | Program Management Experience* | |
Secondary degree (High school diploma or associate or global equivalent) | 48 months or more unique non-overlapping project management experience or PMP certification | 84 months or more unique non-overlapping program management experience |
Four-year degree (Bachelor's degree or Higher or global equivalent) | 48 months or more unique non-overlapping project management experience or PMP certification | 48 months or more unique non-overlapping program management experience |
Bachelor's or PG degree from a GAC-accredited program [Global Accreditation Center] | 36 months or more unique non-overlapping project management experience or PMP certification | 36 months or more unique non-overlapping program management experience |
*It is important to note that the above experience criteria for both project and program management must be fulfilled in the last 15 consecutive years of experience.
While the above education and experience criteria serve as a prerequisite for the PgMP qualification, it does not necessarily mean that all candidates can directly appear for the certification. Due to the nature of activities and complexity of work involved, PMI mandates a two-level candidate assessment to certify individuals on the PgMP certification:
Phew, I must say - it is no wonder that there are only so many certified program managers across the globe…! The two-level evaluation methodology is also another factor that is required to be considered when looking at the PgMP training cost. PMI has a thorough and stringent evaluation methodology for such certifications that have the potential to push candidates into higher roles with broader experience to manage the overall lifecycle and ensure organizational success. Worried about qualifying? Build a solid foundation by going through a Project Management training course to build your basics right.
Holding a PgMP certification provides you with a certain edge to help you take up roles beyond project management and ace the bigger picture to manage outcomes and benefits over outputs, which is the predominant focus of project management. The following is a set of distinct roles that program managers may generally fit into:
Though the above list may not be exhaustive, it means to prove that any aspirant or certified program manager will focus on the overall planning, strategic objectives, prioritization, change management, and overall risk/conflict management to ensure the realization of benefits outlined and complete the benefits lifecycle for the organization.
The PgMP certification provides a solid attestation to the vast experience and knowledge base that less than 5000 holders carry all across the globe making it a prestigious and challenging ordeal in addition to the rigorous two-level evaluation methodology which is not that easy to pass. The PgMP learning framework is based on a delineation of five domains as charted below:
As seen above, domains 1,3,4, and 5 forms the overarching domains of practice, while domain-2 focuses on the overall program life cycle. All these five domains together encompass 72 tasks and 126 knowledge and skills that the program managers must learn and practice to be efficient in their roles and also clear the examination.
The tasks, knowledge, and skills are the key differentiator between the PMP and PgMP examination in terms of which areas of practice professionals can engage in these 2 varying roles of their career. Further, the exam content outline drafted and published by the PMI, from time to time provides a more detailed explanation and application of these tasks across the domains.
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The PgMP certification also follows PMI's CCR - continuing certification requirements, which are required to be accomplished to keep the certification active; by the same, the CCR cycle for the PgMP certification is 3 years, and in this duration, professionals need to earn at least 60 PDUs (professional development units) to keep the certification active for renewal at the end of the duration. The PDUs to be attained are further broken down into education and giving back PDUs in line with PMI standards across all certifications.
PgMP is an advanced-level offering from PMI that pegs the leadership-level skills, abilities, and efficacies of working across multiple projects aligned to the organization's cardinal objectives. Program management is a distinct discipline that involves strategic alignment, program lifecycle, and governance which demand distinct responsibilities requiring specific skills and experience.
The PgMP certification, with its two-level evaluation process, aims to certify professionals on this demand and hence is a reputed yet challenging certification to encompass for even well-experienced professionals. Nevertheless, once attained, this certification can catalyze the career path of professionals as well as the trajectory of the organization they represent.
With the exposure, opportunities, and learning that a PgMP certification provides - it is certainly worth it to undergo the high costs, rigid evaluation, and focused learning to achieve the PgMP and excel in the profession.
Candidates who have the required PDUs must pay a renewal fee of $44 for PMI members and $146 for Non-PMI members to renew the certification and keep the credential active after the 3-year validity tenure.
PgMP certainly supersedes PMP as project management involves looking at intricate project details and delivering value in the form of outputs, whereas program management involves an overall view of the business environment and coordinates several projects.
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