Project Management Professional (PMP^®) credential holders now have an additional reason to be proud of their credential. As of December 2006, PMP certification program received ANSI/ISO/IEC 17024 accreditation, which ensures that personnel certifying bodies meet a certain set of standards.

The accreditation was granted through American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the United States sponsoring organisation to the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO), which is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. PMI is the first project management association in the world to hold this standard.

Recently, the need for an international personnel accreditation program has become even more apparent, as people are increasingly working internationally. The standard verifies that proper policy is implemented to ensure all certification candidates are treated equally, that examinations are consistent and fair, that quality improvements are in place and that all subcontractors perform as they should.

“Attaining this accreditation will help PMI protect the integrity of and promote public confidence in the credibility of our PMP credential program,” says Dawn Parker Harris, certification support specialist for PMI. “It will give employers the confidence that our PMP credential holders are highly qualified and increase PMI’s recognition among those who rely on project management.”

The accreditation specifically addresses PMP credential holders. But PMI’s other credentials—the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM^®) and the Program Management Professional (PgMP^SM)—may be included in the next renewal process in 2011.

This is the second ISO accreditation for which PMI has qualified. PMI’s Certification Program Department also achieved and maintains ISO 9001 certification in Quality Management Systems.

 

 

Source:  PMI-EMEA e-link,  Issue No.38, April 2007