The Project Management Institute

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Incorporated in 1969 and situated outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, the Project Management Institute (PMI) was founded by five volunteers. During that same year, the first PMI Seminars & Symposium was held in Atlanta, Georgia USA and had an attendance of 83 people.

PMI is the publishers of the standard PMBOK, "Project Management Body of Knowledge", and offers two levels of certification:

• A Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) has demonstrated a common base of knowledge and terms in the field of project management. It requires either 1500 hours of work on a project team or 23 contact hours of formal education in project management.

• A Project Management Professional (PMP®) has met specific education and experience requirements, has agreed to adhere to a code of professional conduct, and has passed an examination designed to objectively assess and measure project management knowledge. In addition, a PMP must satisfy continuing certification requirements or lose the certification.

As of 2006, PMI reported over 220,000 members and over 50,000 Project Management Professionals (PMPs) in 175 countries. Over 44,000 PMP certifications expire annually; a PMP must document ongoing project management experience and education every three years to keep their certification current.

To cultivate local interests in project management, there are over 240 local PMI chapters of PMI located in 67 countries. There are 30 special interest groups (SIGS). In addition, PMI has two colleges: the College of Performance Management and the College of Scheduling.