Evidences and experience letter for PMP

Question

I am working in one of the very big petrochemical project from IT construction to startup. I'm still working there. I have been working in the operations department, not exactly in project department, and not as a project manager or a leader, but the fact is that I covered a lot of project activities.

Can I apply for PMP, and do I need any evidence of my abilities from my present employer or manager?

If I require it, can anyone give me the format for the experience letter which I need to take from my present employer, which will be acceptable by PMP(PMI)?

Answer 1

When you apply for the PMP, and it is time to document your 4500 hours (if you have a college degree) or 7500 hours (if you do not have a college degree) of leading or directing project tasks, you will be asked to indicate the number of hours in each of the domain areas (Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring & Controlling, Closing).

So, let's say you are using three different projects as proof of your experience of 4500 hours:

• Project A, 1000 total hours
• Project B, 2500 total hours
• Project C, 1000 total hours

You will be asked to provide a short summary description (300 words max, I believe) of your work in each project, and the hours-per-domain for each project. It could look like this:

• Project A, 1000 total hours, 200 each in all 5 domains
• Project B, 2500 total hours, 800 in Executing, 1500 in Monitoring & Controlling, 200 in Closing
• Project C, 1000 total hours, 100 in Initiating, 200 in Planning, 700 in Monitoring & Controlling

In other words, you only need to indicate experience in all 5 domains across all projects, not in each project.

The only way you will be asked to prove this, at the time of your application, is by saying so on the form. No upfront proof is needed; it's expected that you are completing the form truthfully (and ethically).

If you are randomly selected for audit (I was), then you will be asked to have the contact person for that project (which you will have indicated on the application already) review and sign off literally on that exact same delineation of hours and summary description of your work on the project (it will be a printout of that part of the application).

Answer 2

Don't worry about it until you're asked. You may not be audited, in which case you don't need anything. If you are, they just send a form for your supervisor or colleagues to sign stating that what you said was true.

I know how this works because I was audited when I applied for the credential.

Answer 3

You can apply to PMI to take your PMP exam, as long as you meet the requirements.

As part of the application, you'll need to have your hours broken down into the different process groups -- in addition to the overall dates/hours of work. Here's a link to a spreadsheet (with instructions) you can use for this.

And as stated by jcmeloni, there is the possibility of an audit. From what I've observed, the audit has a higher likelihood of being done if your numbers are unlikely/over zealous (i.e. "Been a PM with no degree, for 4 years and have 7500 hours of experience...")

There is no other requirement to document your work with PMI. You won't need a letter from your employer(s) (past or present). That being said, it'd be great to give your employer a heads up that you're applying and that they may get contacted as part of an audit.