Project managers often ask how to earn PDUs for PMP, and the answer is simple. Every good project needs a plan, and it’s also essential to plan out earning your PDUs.
The three-year cycle helps you work out how many you need to get on a regular basis. As a best practice, we recommend that you plan to earn at least 1.5 PDUs each month.
If you get into the habit of earning, tracking, and logging your PDUs, you will find that the number adds up quickly. Be regular, consistent, and make time for your development during the work week.
Think about the tools you can use to help you develop good habits and earn PDUs easily on a regular basis. An excellent program to do this with is The PDU Podcast, which allows you to earn your PDUs on your phone.
When you’ve got access to PDUs so easily, it doesn’t take long to get into the habit of earning them during your lunch break or by having educational videos playing while you prepare dinner, for example.
Look back at the handbook and see the other kinds of activities you could do that would give you PDUs. You can plan those on your schedule too. For example, you could commit to attending a Chapter meeting once a quarter, or you could ask your employer to fund your attendance at a national PMI conference.
Note: If you don’t plan your PDU activities, you could end up trying to earn 60 PDUs for PMP in the few months before your renewal. Given that one PDU is equivalent to one hour of development, that’s 60 hours you are going to have to find at short notice! Even a one-week project management course won’t give you what you need for renewal. Avoid that stress and plan your learning.