PMP Certification Prep Class
Spring class starts on February 4th.   Held at the Amway Learning Center in Ada, MI
Registration Information

February 13, 2012 Dinner Meeting
The Equipping Leader by Don Cousins, President, Team Development Inc.
Bonus topic: The 2012 WMPMI Education Committee Update by Kelly Taslma
Bonus begins at 5:10 p.m.
Register Now!

March 12, 2012 Dinner Meeting
Basics of Project Evaluation and Lessons Learned: Tools and Techniques for Active Engagement by Willis Thomas
Bonus topic: TBA 
Bonus begins at 5:10 p.m.
More Information 

WMPMI Professional Development Day 2012
March 20, 2012 at the Pinnacle Center in Hudsonville, MI

Event starts at 8:00am  More Information

Track 1  AM:  Rory Vaden – Take the Stairs - 7 Steps to Achieving True Success;  Achieving success and reaching your true potential through focused determination and self-discipline.

Track 1 PM: Rory Vaden – Social Media for Program Managers;   Exposing the truths about social media by sharing tried and true techniques for taking advantage of this new exciting phenomenon.

Track 2 AM:  Charles Parry - When Lessons Learned Aren't. What PM’s Can Do to Change That;  Revitalizing lessons learned via the action review cycle.

Track 2 PM:  Traci Duez - Getting 40% More Productivity and Commitment From Your Team;   Improving leadership and critical thinking using neuro-axiology. 

by Kelly M. Talsma, PMP MSPM
VP of Education

 PMI’s Project Management Professional (PMP)^® credential is one of the most important industry-recognized certification for project managers. Globally recognized and demanded, PMP^® certification demonstrates that you have the experience, education and competency to successfully lead and direct projects.  This recognition is seen through increased marketability to employers and higher salary; according to the PMI Salary Survey — Sixth Edition.  PMP certification can increase your salary up to 10% more than non-credentialed colleagues and peers.

The Western Michigan Chapter of PMI is once again pleased to offer four opportunities this year to take the PMP Certification Prep course.  This course is designed to give you the necessary knowledge and educational credits needed to apply for and to sit for the exam.

If you, or someone you know has been thinking about pursuing PMP Certification, 2012 is the year to make it happen.  To register, log on to www.wmpmi.org, under “Professional Development” click on classes and follow the registration instructions or click here. 

All classes are scheduled on Saturdays, starting at 8:30am

Winter/Spring

Feb 4^th, 2012 – Introduction, Integration and Scope Management

Feb 11^th, 2012 – Time and Cost Management

Feb 18^th, 2012 – HR to Procurement Management

Feb 25^th, 2012 – Risk and Quality Management

March 3^rd, 2012 – Communications and Professional Responsibility

 Summer

June 2^nd, 2012 – Introduction, Integration and Scope Management

June 9^th, 2012 – Time and Cost Management

June 16^th, 2012 – HR and Procurement Management

June 23^rd, 2012 – Quality and Risk Management

June 30^th, 2012 – Communication and Professional Responsibility

 Fall

September 8^th, 2012 – Introduction, Integration and, Scope Management

September 15^th, 2012 – Time and Cost Management

September 22^nd, 2012 – HR and Procurement Management

September 29^th, 2012 – Quality and Risk Management

October 6^th, 2012 – Communication and Professional Responsibility

 Winter

November 3^rd, 2012 – Introduction, Integration and Scope Management

November 10^th, 2012 – Time and Cost Management

November 17^th, 2012 – HR and Procurement Management

December 1st, 2012 – Quality and Risk Management

December 8^th, 2012 – Communication and Professional Responsibility

by Kelly M. Talsma, PMP MSPM
VP of Education

Occasionally, the vision of a project takes off and grows into something that is bigger than any of us ever expected.  The Project 2012, PM Collegiate Competition is one of those occasions.  At the time of this writing, all teams have started work on their first set of deliverables which are due on January 20^th.    In fact, January is shaping up to be a pretty busy month...

• January 17^th, the mentors will reconvene and talk about initial findings and challenges
• January 20^th, the first set of deliverables will be coming in for judging.  This includes Project Charter, Scope Statement and PowerPoint slides for presentation.
• January 26^th, the judges will be meeting to review the first set of deliverables
• The team is finalizing the schedule of events for April 9^th.  The Project 2012 activities will be overtaking the normal PMI Dinner meeting.  
• The development of a program is underway.   Special thanks to Davenport University for donating the printing
• A media campaign is underway for web and print ads.  The campaign will culminate in a special pullout section dedicated to the competition in the Grand Rapids Business Journal.  Special thanks go to Gemini publications for being a media sponsor.
• Sponsorships have begun and will continue to come in.  If you are interested in proposing your company as a sponsor please contact Matt Boon at MBoon@mbais.com.

 There are so many more exciting details to share.  Please join us at the February Dinner Meeting Bonus Session on February 13^th when we will provide a comprehensive update on the Project 2012.

By Cornelius Fichtner, PMP

Yes you can! Ever since the Project Management Institute (PMI) published the new Category and Structure for Professional Development Units (PDUs) in March of 2011, earning PDUs has become much easier. This ease is especially visible in Category D “Creating New Project Management Knowledge”: Every hour that you spend creating and / or presenting new project management knowledge counts as 1 PDU.

This means that if you decide to write a project management related article and you invest 3 hours in writing it then you have just earned 3 PDUs. (Please note that there is a maximum of 45 PDUs that you can earn in Categories D, E and F, therefore these 3 hours would count toward that maximum).

Are you thinking that this way of earning PDUs isn’t for you because you have nothing to write about? Think again! Let me give you three simple ideas:

One: Write a white paper about your last project. Describe what and how you managed it, focusing on project management best practices.

Two: There isn’t one project meeting that I have attended where I don’t learn something new about being a PM. Think back to your last 3 meetings and describe what you have learned.

Three: Discuss a particularly difficult area on your project with one of your colleagues at work and then write an article about what the problem is and how you decided to do to solve it. And of course in one month down the road you can write another article describing how well / badly your actions worked.

But beware... there are some topics that won’t count toward earning you Professional Development Units. For example an article that talks about the latest and greatest features of a project management software won’t earn you any PDUs. Similarly, articles on how to prepare for the PMP exam or articles on earning PDUs like the one you are reading right now don’t count either. These three topics don’t count, because any article written about them isn’t creating new knowledge - it is just describes a “product”. So be safe and write about what you learned in your daily work as a PM managing your projects.

Once you have your first article completed you need to publish it. But where?

From my past discussions with PMI I have learned that they do not have a list of specific publication channels where you must publish. The important point to keep in mind is that the article must discuss project management topics and that it is published where other project managers are likely to find it.

Here are some ideas for where you could publish your PM articles:

• Send your article to your local PMI chapter for inclusion in their newsletter. PMI chapter newsletters usually welcome contributions from guest authors.
• Start your own blog at any of the free online blogging platforms. Having your own blog gives you credibility as a PM and it will also encourage you to write more and earn more PDUs.
• If you are not ready to start your own blog, then simply contact another blogger and ask her/him if they might be interested in publishing your article on their website as a guest blogger.
• Publish it on a Project Management Community website like Gantthead or The International Community for PMs.
• Send the article to the publishers of one of the many online PM newsletters for inclusion in the upcoming issue.
• Create an account at an article directory website like Ezinearticles and publish the article here.

Also remember to always keep records of your articles, so that you can show to PMI during an audit that you truly deserve to have earned these PDUs. As a best practice you should keep a copy of your original article, print out a screen shot of the website where your article was published and keep a copy of the magazine where your article was printed.

In my view, every project manager has something to say and share with others in our worldwide community. So pick up that pen... I mean keyboard… and start writing.

About the author: Cornelius Fichtner, PMP is a noted PMP expert. He has helped over 17,000 students prepare for the PMP Exam with The Project Management PrepCast at http://www.pm-prepcast.com and he helps certified PMPs to earn PDUs with The PDU Podcast at www.pducast.com