Professional Development Units (PDUs)
Maintaining your PMI® certifications

What are PDUs?

Once a candidate earns PMP® certification or other PMI certifications, it will be necessary to earn a certain number of PDUs in order to maintain the certification credentials. PDUs or Professional Development Units are a part of PMI’s Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) program. PMP certifications holders need to earn PDUs every three years once the certification credentials expire.

PDUs are the measuring unit used to quantify approved learning and professional service activities and they are one-hour blocks of time that are spent learning, teaching others, or volunteering. Education PDU activities must be related to the skill areas of the PMI Talent Triangle and topics that are substantially consistent with domains and knowledge areas represented within the respective exam content outline for each certification.

Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) Program
PMI’s Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) program supports the ongoing educational and professional development of PMI certification holders so they are always prepared to meet the demands of today’s complex business environment.
For more information about PMI's CCR Program, please download the CCR Handbook.

PMI's Talent Triangle

PMI continuously tries to keep its project management certifications relevant to the industry and organisation needs. And in order to do so, it takes inputs from industry veterans to keep updating the content and pattern of exams. PMI clearly declared the areas of competence that a current-day project manager needs to consider.

The combination of skills valued by employers as highlighted by the PMI Talent Triangle™ are technical, leadership, and strategic and business management. The competencies can be defined as follows:

1. Technical Project Management
The knowledge, skills and behaviours related to specific domains of the project, program and portfolio management. It involves the technical aspects of performing one's role.

2. Leadership
The knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to guide, motivate and direct a team, to help an organization achieve its business goals.

3. Strategic and Business Management
The knowledge of and expertise in the industry and organization that enhanced performance and better delivers business outcomes. 

For more information about PMI's Talent Triangle, download the brochure at this link.

The "PMI TALENT TRIANGLE" and the PMI Talent Triangle image
are marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

How many PDUs do I need to maintain my certification?

PMI requires its certification holders to obtain a certain number of PDUs every 3 years in order to maintain their certification. But how many PDUs are required?
There are three different groups of PMI certifications and each one requires a different number of PDUs: 

What if I have a
PMP®, PgMP®, PfMP®, PMI-PBA® certification?

You are required to earn 60 PDUs in a three-years cycle. These 60 PDUs can be further broken down as follows:

• Min. 35 Education PDUs
  • Min. 8 PDUs - Technical
  • Min. 8 PDUs - Leadership
  • Min. 8 PDUs - Strategic & Business Mgmt
• Max. 25 Giving Back PDUs 
  • Max. 8 PDUs - Working as a Professional
  • 17 PDUs - Volunteering & Creating knowledge

What if I have a
CAPM® certification?

You are required to earn 15 PDUs in a three-years cycle. These 15 PDUs can be further broken down as follows:

• Min. 9 Education PDUs
  • Min. 2 PDUs - Technical
  • Min. 2 PDUs - Leadership
  • Min. 2 PDUs - Strategic & Business Mgmt
• Max. 6 Giving Back PDUs 
  • Max. 2 PDUs - Working as a Professional
  • 4 PDUs - Volunteering & Creating knowledge

What if I have a
PMI-ACP®, PMI-RMP®, PMI-SP® certification?

You are required to earn 30 PDUs in a three-years cycle. These 30 PDUs can be further broken down as follows:

• Min. 18 Education PDUs
  • Min. 4 PDUs - Technical
  • Min. 4 PDUs - Leadership
  • Min. 4 PDUs - Strategic & Business Mgmt
• Max. 12 Giving Back PDUs 
  • Max. 4 PDUs - Working as a Professional
  • 8 PDUs - Volunteering & Creating knowledge