For PMP® Credential Holders
The PMI® Talent Triangle breakdown, free PDU sources, and how to log them in CCRS. Don’t let your hard-earned PMP® lapse.
PMI® splits the 60 required PDUs into two buckets. Hit the minimums in each.
35
Education PDUs (minimum)
Spread across the PMI® Talent Triangle. Minimum 8 per pillar; remaining 11 allocated however you choose.
25
Giving Back PDUs (maximum)
Working as a practitioner (max 8), creating content (max 8), volunteering (max 8), or sharing knowledge (max 8). Capped at 25 total.
Education PDUs must be distributed across three pillars. PMI® refreshed this in 2022.
Min 8 PDUs
Predictive (Waterfall), Agile, hybrid, and other delivery approaches. PDUs in this category cover the technical "how" of running projects.
Examples
Min 8 PDUs
Leadership, communication, conflict resolution, emotional intelligence, negotiation, team-building. The "people side" of PM that PMI® increasingly emphasizes.
Examples
Min 8 PDUs
Strategy, business analysis, organizational change, financial literacy, and the value-delivery side of PM. How projects connect to business outcomes.
Examples
You can earn most or all of your 60 PDUs without paying for additional courses. Here’s where to look first.
~1 PDU each
Hundreds of on-demand webinars across all three Talent Triangle pillars. The single largest free PDU source for PMI® members.
~1 PDU per meeting
Local PMI® chapters host monthly events and study groups. Most count for PDUs and many are free or low-cost.
Varies (1 PDU per hour)
Many university PM courses on Coursera and edX can be audited free. Self-report the contact hours as PDUs.
Up to 8 PDUs per cycle
Reading PM books, articles, and white papers counts toward PDUs (capped at 8 per 3-year cycle). Document the source and time spent.
~0.5 PDU per episode
Listen during your commute. Document the episode title, date, and runtime in PMI® CCRS.
Up to 8 PDUs per cycle
Volunteer PM work for nonprofits, PMI® chapters, or community organizations counts as "Giving Back" PDUs.
Need a structured PDU source?
Our monthly office hours, study library content, and PM template walkthroughs are self-reportable as Education PDUs across all three Talent Triangle pillars. A typical subscriber earns 10–15 PDUs per year just by participating, in addition to the branded PM templates dropped on the 1st of every month.
Start Study Access — $47/month →ccrs.pmi.org and sign in with your PMI® account.Reference
Quick refresher on EVM, PERT, and other formulas you may have forgotten.
Templates
Agile + Waterfall templates for your active projects. Free with Study Access.
Hub
Browse every guide, reference, and tool from Wiser Generations™.
PDU FAQ
You need 60 Professional Development Units (PDUs) every 3 years to maintain your PMP® credential. Of those 60: at least 35 must be in Education (Talent Triangle), and up to 25 can be in Giving Back (volunteering, working as a practitioner, creating content).
PMI® requires a minimum of 8 PDUs in each of the three pillars: Ways of Working, Power Skills, and Business Acumen. The remaining 11 Education PDUs can be distributed however you choose across the three pillars.
PMI® CCRS (Continuing Certification Requirements System) at ccrs.pmi.org. Log in with your PMI® account, click "Report PDUs," choose the activity type, and enter the details. Most courses, webinars, and books take 2 minutes to log.
Technically yes — between PMI® webinars (free for members), volunteering, self-directed reading, podcasts, and audit-mode online courses, you can hit 60 PDUs over 3 years without paying anything beyond your PMI® membership. Most PMs mix free and paid sources.
Your PMP® enters a 1-year suspension period. During suspension you can still earn the missing PDUs to reinstate. If you don’t reinstate within the suspension year, your PMP® expires and you have to retake the exam. Don’t let it lapse.
Courses you teach or take after earning your PMP® count as PDUs. Your original PMP® prep course (the 35 contact hours you used to qualify for the exam) does NOT count toward PDUs — those were already used to earn the credential.
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