TOPIC: PMP experience hours - do these count?

Hi all,

So I've been diligently studying for the CAPM exam. I chose to study for this because I believed that I didn't have the requisite 4,500 hours required to sit for the PMP. Now, after two months of studying and really pondering the definition of a project, I think I may have the hours.

I was a professional, high-end cake decorator for two years. By definition, each cake was temporary, unique, and resulted in a product. This entailed so many project management processes: gathering requirements from customers for each cake, defining the scope, estimating activity durations, sequencing activities, assessing risks planning cost, managing quality, and SO MUCH MORE. I can't believe I didn't think of this before. Each cake was a mini project! Of course, I have professional experience too as I am now at a management-level desk job (and have been for 4 years), so producing cakes will not be my only experience.

What do you all think? Can I count some of the extremely high-end cakes I did as project hours? I think adding these hours would put me over the 4,500 required to sit for the PMP exam!

Hi Kayla,

I have 0 experience in the cake decoration industry, therefore I cannot say whether your cake projects are eligible for PMP application or not. However, we can look at the PMI eligibility guidelines:

The PMP Role Delineation states that candidates for the PMP certification:
Perform their duties under general supervision and are responsible for all aspects of the project
for the life of the project
Lead and direct cross-functional teams to deliver projects within the constraints of schedule,
budget, and scope
Demonstrate sufficient knowledge and experience to appropriately apply a methodology to
projects that have reasonably well-defined requirements and deliverables

Given the guidelines above, there are a few things to consider:
1. In case of an audit, do you have someone to sign off on your cake decoration projects?
2. Did you lead cross-functional teams for your past projects?
3. If asked for supporting documents, can you provide some sort of project document (ie. project charter, RACI chart) as proof?

Having said that, I don't think it'd hurt to try, the worst PMI would say is a No.

Joe,

Those are all great points. Here are my thoughts:

1. Definitely!
2. Cross-functional team: we had bakers, decorators, and sales. I would often collaborate with all of them for each cake, so yes?
3. The most I have in this regard are photos. You don't necessarily create a project charter or RACI chart for each cake - there isn't enough time. It's very fast-paced! But a LOT of mental gymnastics go into planning each cake. In what order should I produce each element? How long will each element take? How much cake do I need? What products do I need to make sure are in stock? What are the client requirements? How do I stay within the budget? And on and on and on.

Thank you so much for your feedback! And yes, the worst they could say is "no." I just don't want to get barred from applying again in the future -_-

There you go I Hope to see you in the PMP forums soon