Comparison of PMI PMP, CMMI, and ISO 21500 for Project Management
To compare PMI PMP, CMMI, and ISO 21500 for project management, it's essential to distinguish the nature and purpose of each standard:
1. PMI PMP (Project Management Professional):
- Nature:
- A professional certification issued by the Project Management Institute (PMI).
- Focuses on project management knowledge and skills according to the PMBOK (Project Management Body of Knowledge) standard.
- Emphasizes project management processes, tools, and techniques.
- Purpose:
- Certifies an individual's competence in project management.
- Raises the professional standard of project managers.
- Creates consistency in the project management approach.
- Scope:
- Focuses on the individual project manager.
- Applicable to all types of projects and industries.
2. CMMI (Capability Maturity Model Integration):
- Nature:
- A process improvement model.
- Focuses on assessing and improving an organization's capability to execute projects.
- Emphasizes building standardized and optimized processes.
- Purpose:
- Enhances organizational operational efficiency.
- Improves product and service quality.
- Strengthens project predictability and control.
- Scope:
- Focuses on the organization.
- Applicable to organizations developing software, systems, and services.
3. ISO 21500 (Guidance on project management):
- Nature:
- An international standard for project management.
- Provides general guidance on project management concepts and processes.
- Emphasizes the fundamental principles of project management.
- Purpose:
- Creates uniformity in the understanding and application of project management principles.
- Provides a reference framework for organizations in building project management systems.
- Creates a global standard for project management.
- Scope:
- Applicable to all types of projects and industries.
- Provides guidance to organizations.
Key Differences:
- Target: PMP focuses on individuals, CMMI focuses on organizations, and ISO 21500 focuses on guidance.
- Objective: PMP certifies competence, CMMI improves processes, and ISO 21500 provides guidance.
- Scope: PMP and ISO 21500 are widely applicable, while CMMI is commonly applied in software and systems development.
In Summary:
- PMP is a certification for project managers.
- CMMI is a model for improving an organization's project management processes.
- ISO 21500 is a standard that provides guidance on project management.
Each standard has its own value and application, and they can complement each other in enhancing project management effectiveness.
