I’m often asked which project management certification to choose. But that isn’t the first question I would ask.

PMI, IPMA, PRINCE2, Scrum… there are plenty of options, and their recognition varies depending on the country, sector and professional environment.

So, which one should you choose?

I would start with a different question: what do you want to be able to do after your training?

A certification may be well recognised on a CV without necessarily being the training best suited to the reality of your organisation’s projects.

And I would add a second question: where does that certification actually need to be recognised?

PMI, IPMA, PRINCE2 or Scrum: what are the differences?

If international recognition is your priority, the PMP certification from PMI is difficult to ignore. It is widely recognised across many professional environments around the world. It certifies project management experience and knowledge, with eligibility requirements that include previous experience and specific training. PMP is therefore primarily aimed at people who already have project management experience and want that experience to be formally recognised.

IPMA certifications have historically been well established in Europe and take a competence-based approach. The system offers several levels, allowing different degrees of experience and responsibility in project management to be recognised.

PRINCE2, which originated in the UK, provides a structured project management method and is now used internationally. Its certification is more closely linked to understanding and applying a particular project management method.

Scrum certifications follow a different logic. Scrum originated in software development and remains widely used by teams developing digital products. It can be applied in other contexts, but it is not a general project management approach. A Scrum certification primarily validates an understanding of the framework and some of the roles associated with it.

How do you choose based on your needs?

These are not simply four competing certifications. They do not validate exactly the same things, nor do they necessarily serve the same purpose.

If international recognition is what matters most, PMP clearly deserves consideration. If you want your experience and competences to be recognised progressively, the IPMA approach may be a good fit.

PRINCE2 makes more sense if you want to work with that method or operate in an environment where it is already used. With Scrum, the working environment matters even more: certification is particularly relevant if you work, or want to work, in an organisation that uses the framework.

But recognition is only part of the question. I would also look at what the training will actually teach you, and above all what you will be able to use in your projects when you return to work.

Depending on your situation, you may need professional recognition, a way of working, new practices you can apply to your projects… or several of these things at once.

Before choosing, I would therefore come back to the two questions we started with: will this training help me with the projects I actually manage? And will its certification be recognised where I need it to be?

The answers do not necessarily lead to the same choice.

Why I developed Circular Project Management

Over the years, I have used and studied different project management methods. I found useful practices in all of them, but never felt entirely at home with a single approach.

Some gave me the structure I needed. Others offered more room for adaptation and iteration. In practice, though, I mostly encountered projects that needed both.

It was particularly my experience working on the Solar Impulse project that led me to take this thinking further. Managing projects in that kind of environment gradually led me to develop an approach that could adapt to the project, rather than the other way round.

That is how Circular Project Management (CPM) came about.

It draws on both predictive and agile approaches, as well as on that experience from the field. The idea is not to replace what already exists, but to provide a common framework in which different practices can find their place depending on the reality of the project.

Do you really have to choose just one method?

Different project management approaches are not necessarily mutually exclusive. They were developed in different contexts, with their own principles, practices and tools. Many of those elements can remain useful outside the method they originally came from.

Someone trained in a predictive approach can incorporate agile practices into certain projects. Conversely, working in an agile environment does not prevent you from using more planning when the context calls for it. What matters is not so much staying faithful to a particular method as understanding what it offers and when to use it.

That is also why I would separate two decisions: choosing the methods and practices that help you manage your projects and choosing a certification that meets your need for professional recognition.

The two can of course coincide. But they do not have to. You can train in an approach because it is useful in your work, then complement it, if necessary, with a certification recognised in the sector, country or professional environment in which you want to develop your career.

CPM follows the same logic. It does not ask you to discard what you have already learnt: it provides a framework in which practices from different approaches can be used and adapted to the reality of the project.

Discover Circular Project Management

Photo credit: Benjamin Eriksen