In an effort to better serve the various departments at Pine Valley Furniture, the PVF Information Systems department assigns one of its systems analysts to serve as a liaison to a particular business unit. Chris Martin is currently the liaison to the purchasing department.

After graduating from Valley State University, Chris began working at Pine Valley Furniture. He began his career at Pine Valley Furniture as a Programmer/Analyst I. This job assignment required him to code and maintain financial application systems in COBOL. In the six years he has been at PVF, he has been promoted several times; his most recent promotion was to a junior systems analyst position. During his tenure at PVF, Chris has worked on several important projects, including serving as a team member on a project that developed a five-year plan that would renovate the manufacturing information systems.

Chris enjoys his work at Pine Valley Furniture and wishes to continue moving up the information systems ladder. Over the past three years, Chris has often thought about becoming certified by the Project Management Institute. He has taken several courses toward his MBA, has attended three technology-related seminars, and has helped the local Feed the Hungry chapter develop, implement, and maintain its computerized information system.

a. While eating lunch one day, Juanita asked Chris about the benefits of becoming a project management professional. Briefly make a case for becoming a project management professional.

b. What are the project management professional eligibility criteria for Chris? What documentation must he provide?

c. Assume Chris has obtained his certification. What are PDUs, and how many must Chris acquire over a three-year period?

d. Several activity categories are listed as qualifying for PDUs on the project Management Institute's Web site. Identify these categories. In which categories would you place Chris's experience?