What is the PMI?

PMI – the US-American Project Management Association

The Project Management Institute – PMI for short – is a globally active project management association. Founded in 1969 near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, it now has more than 500,000 members and 750,000 certificate holders. The PMI operates with local chapters in over 200 countries, with more than 60% of its members coming from North America.

In September 2019, the PMI Chapter Germany association was founded in Berlin-Charlottenburg. Until then, there had been four more or less separate chapters in Munich, Berlin/Brandenburg, Cologne and Frankfurt am Main. The aim was to

• to dismantle administrative structures that existed several times,
• to offer a better service,
• to create a central contact point,
• to enable a higher level of identification with the association
• and to expand the communities of practice.

Furthermore, the PMI Chapter Germany would like to expand its influence in politics in the future; this was also one of the reasons why the new association was founded in Berlin.¹

Known PMI Certificates

With various certifications the PMI tries to increase the professionalism in project management in an increasingly project-oriented business world. The best known certificates include

• the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM),
• the Project Management Professional (PMP)
• and the Program Management Professional (PgMP).

Besides the certificates the Project Management Institute is also known for the PMBOK Guide. PMBOK stands for Project Management Body of Knowledge and is a guideline for planning and implementing projects. In the four-year cycle the guideline is revised, so that also the contents of the PMI seminars and certificates must be adapted.

Furthermore, the PMI has recently developed supplementary standards such as program management or project portfolio management and thus covers the relevant topics of project management.

Notes:

[1] Further information can be found in the project magazine’s interview with the programme manager for the merger of German chapters (in German only).

In June 2020, the PMI published a survey on the impact of COVID19 on the project business. Here you can find the report.

Further information can be found on the PMI website.

In addition to Project Management Institute, there are other project management associations such as the Australian Institute of Project Management (AIPM) and the International Project Management Association (IPMA).

The Project Management Institute lists 10 success factors for projects. However, these only come into play in conjunction with power skills. Here you will find a description of four special power skills.

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