@Howard – I can only speak of Pragmatic b/c that is the training I have attended (twice). The materials are good, and proprietary IP as you point out. However they are only good as a refresher without having been in the training and heard the voiceover, case studies, discussion, etc that the trainer brings to the table. IMO Pragmatic’s secret sauce is at least one part their method/process/content, and one part their people, who by my measure are all highly experienced and have the war wounds in PM battle to prove it. It’s not like a PM with 3 years of experience can walk in and get a month of coaching and become a trainer.

This is much ado about nothing: people look out for their own interests and there is nothing shocking about that. Certification companies want prospects to see value in their cert and people with a cert want to feel like their investment in time and money was worth something. I would have been more surprised if those two groups HADN’T teamed up! Providing suggested answers is a step too far, obviously. I wonder if Mrs. Cranky would have had an issue if they had provided a neutral link in a newsletter or website saying “Cranky, a PM blogger, is running a survey on the value of certifications like the one you have. Please consider taking the survey and letting your thoughts be known.”

As a peer group, let’s be careful how much we bash the training and certifications offered by these various groups. Yes, they are additional revenue streams for these companies. Yes, their value is questionable right now. What I’m seeing is a backlash against ANY kind of PM cert because people feel that the essence of PM can’t be captured by a cert, and on that I say the jury is still out. And even if it can’t, you can test and certify many of the critical skills that are required to be a good PM.

Finally, let’s consider for a moment where we would be without these companies evangelizing for Product Management for years. PM didn’t exist by name or craft 30 years ago. It barely existed 15-20 years ago. Today you can find PM’s everywhere. It isn’t only because of companies like Pragmatic and AIPMM, but they help. It lends credibility to PM when a training company can come in and say “we’ve training over 100,000 PM’s at 5000 companies worldwide and 95% of the Fortune 500.” Let’s consider how far these companies have helped bring our craft before we brand them as the source of our problems.

Full disclosures: I have attended Pragmatic training. I am not certified. Both Pragmatic and AIPMM help sponsor ProductCamp, and event that I plan. No one from either contacted me about this topic in any way. I like long walks on the beach.

The only reason they make money is because their materials are not in the public domain and you want to see what they have, so you pay for the course (never done it, but that’s the only reason I would). SO if somehow, I don’t know how, their materials leaked, they would have no IP and hence no draw. Amazing with all the torrents out there that this hasn’t happened. Oh wait, maybe its ’cause the content has to be something people really want to see…..

Quite a circle.

1. That heavy bond certification paper is much more expensive than you’d think.

2. If the company fails to plan properly, the instruction will need to go to Kinko’s the night before graduation. And we all know Kinko’s is a rip off when they have you over a barrel.

Ray

PS. I also forgot to include the high-quality plastic frames that many firms provide to their graduates.

I was quite harsh in the certification survey. I am a firm believer that great PM’s are not made, but that a person either has the temperment, or not. Technical skills come with experience, but a PM worth their salt is a battle hardened, hard nosed warrior.

Unlike the CPM, I do not have an MBA. I actually studied physics in University (a public institute, and not one that grants doctorates).

The best PM’s I have ever worked with worked their way up from being applications engineers, and have lived the trial by fire of being on the front line with customers. However, I know that path is also no guarantee that they can handle the complex role of PM. Probably 60% of those fail to make the transition.

Right now, I am trying to mold an engineer (who got his MBA from the University of Phoenix) into a product manager (He was forced into the role, not really my choice), and it is a challenge to work someone who has not really had the customer facing aspect into the role. Certification will not help someone like that.

I stand by my responses to the survey.

-G