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A certification is an industry award that recognizes a person’s competence in a field at a certain point in time.

A certifying body conducts standardized assessment against criteria that are defined by the profession, and some (such as the Center for Project Innovation) offer instructional resources as optional aid to candidates (OPEN is also free!).

Although some require re-certification (re-assessment) every few years, many certifications are awarded without conditions. A motor vehicle driver’s license, for example, is a certification that needs occasional renewal, but rarely requires a complete re-assessment.

Here’s how it compares to other awards:

• Certificate – Confirms you completed a specific course or training program. It shows participation but does not always prove practical competence.
• Qualification – Often linked to formal education or vocational standards. It may include both theory and practice, but is usually tied to a single national framework with no international recognition.
• Degree – A higher education award that demonstrates academic achievement over an extended period. It provides depth of knowledge but may not guarantee hands-on ability.
• Other awards – These can include micro-credentials, badges, or other pretty baubles, which vary widely in rigor and recognition.

The Center for Project Innovation is internationally accredited by the Australian and US governments and their treaty partners as the official assessor and issuing authority for the Certified Project Officer, Professional, Master and Director certifications.

Certifying in project management offers significant personal and professional benefits:

• Job-ready skills that improve productivity and project performance
• Global portability – a “project management passport” recognized across industries, geographies, and career stages
• High demand and earning potential – certified professionals can earn up to 20% more
• Career advantage – complements your core technical skills, regardless of your background
• Confidence and credibility – speak the language of project management
• Employer assurance – independent assessment of your knowledge, skills, and experience
• Peer and client respect – Certification shows you meet a global standard, earning trust and credibility with colleagues and clients
• Official post-nominals to showcase your achievement (e.g., Jane Smith, CPM)
• Clear pathways to advanced qualifications and degrees

Center for Project Innovation Certifications validate contemporary best practices in project management.

They equally respect both people and process, and do not prefer any one standard, method or industry approach.

Instead, our Certifications evidence a highly rigorous and transferable baseline of knowledge, skills and experience that can be applied in any project context.

Certifying with us offers unique advantages:

• Affordable – Lower cost compared to major competitors
• Globally accredited – Recognized across all industries and occupations
• Methodology-neutral – Based on good practice, adaptable to any industry or context
• Comprehensive learning – Goes beyond technical tools like Gantt charts to include ethics, critical thinking, and decision-making
• Free resource library – Access to tools, templates, and guides
• Progressive assessment – No rote memorization or all-in pass/fail exams
• Human-led evaluation – No AI grading; real experts assess your capability
• Lifetime certification – Unlimited renewals at no extra cost
• Military fast-track – Mapped to service experience for accelerated certification
• Instant online verification – Validate your credential anytime
• Streamlined process – Rapid certification turnaround
• LinkedIn endorsement – Skills endorsement by our experts upon meeting criteria

CPI Certification holders are creative and critical thinkers; they are the project leaders, problem solvers and innovators of the 21st century.

The PMP certification is rigid, exam-heavy, and tied to strict academic prerequisites, focusing on memorization rather than practical capability.

In contrast, CPI certifications offer a flexible, inclusive, and real-world approach, assessing knowledge and skills through human-led interviews, recognizing diverse experience, and providing lifetime value without costly renewals.

See how we compare

Yes. You can start with our Certified Project Officer (CPO) credential, which is designed for beginners and those with little or no formal project management experience.

It provides a strong foundation in essential principles and practices, giving you job-ready skills and a globally recognized certification.

Get certified

No. To maintain the integrity and impartiality of our certification process, trainers cannot assess the certifications of their own learners.

Certification assessments are conducted independently by qualified assessors who are separate from the training and mentoring process.

This ensures fairness, objectivity, and the global credibility of our credentials.

Yes. Our certification can count toward professional development hours (PDUs) for maintaining other credentials, and many universities recognize it for credit toward project management courses or programs.

We recommend checking with your employer or academic institution for their specific credit policies, and we can support you with relevant evidence if needed.

Every certificate issued by the Center for Project Innovation includes a unique certification number and a QR code.

You can verify authenticity instantly by scanning the QR code on the certificate, or entering the certification number in our online verification checker.

This ensures that employers, clients, and peers can quickly and securely confirm credentials.

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We do not offer fee assistance or scholarships directly.

However, we partner with a range of global not-for-profit organizations that provide support in different regions.

Please contact us for an up-to-date list of partners in your area.

Become a partner

If you have completed OPEN, Certified Project Officer (CPO) certification occurs instantly upon receipt of your application and payment.

CPO certification based upon recognition of your previous project management studies can take up to one week, as it depends upon verification of your status with your course provider.

Admission to the Center for Project Innovation as a Certified Project Professional (CPP) or higher typically takes one week from application.

This time is spent reviewing and verifying your application, scheduling and conducting your assessment interview. You typically receive your credential within a couple of hours of your interview.

If you are eligible for Order of Merit, this will be additionally awarded at no cost at the point of certification.

Your prior study in project management theory will be recognized by our certification program, provided it meets certain criteria.

If you have completed at least 30 hours of study and undergone assessment in project management theory, your coursework will be considered sufficient to satisfy our knowledge requirements for certification.

We accept coursework from various sources, including certification preparation centers, colleges, universities, and private providers.

To submit your evidence of prior study, please follow the instructions provided in the Assessment Guides for each certification.

An interview is essential because a detailed Curriculum Vitae or résumé—even one with references—only demonstrates that you have worked on projects. It does not provide independent evidence that you meet the required competency standards.

Importantly, the interview is designed to validate your knowledge and practical experience. You can preview the interview questions in the Assessment Guide for each certification.

Written answers are not typically accepted for two key reasons:

• Authenticity – An interview ensures that the responses are genuinely yours.
• Job requirement – Many professional roles require verbal communication skills, so this forms part of the competency check.

That said, if you have a verbal or aural disability, appropriate accommodations can be arranged.

Interviews can also be conducted in languages other than English where needed.

Preparation is key to a successful assessment interview. Here are some practical steps:

• Review the assessment guide – It includes the interview questions and explains the competency areas you’ll be assessed on.
• Reflect on your experience – Be ready to discuss real examples of projects you’ve worked on, your role, and the outcomes.
• Understand the standards – Familiarize yourself with the certification requirements so you can demonstrate how you meet them.
• Practice articulating your knowledge – The interview is a conversation, not an interrogation, but clear communication matters.
• Check your tech – As the interview is online, ensure your audio, video, and internet connection are reliable.

Remember, the interview is designed to validate your competence—not to trip you up.

We’re more interested in how you meet challenges, solve problems, and get the most out of those working around you than the minutiae of your day.

If you’ve met the prerequisites and prepared thoughtfully, the process should feel straightforward.

Although all the information you share with us is handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy, please take every care during your interview to withhold confidential stakeholder or organizational information.

Ultimately, we are more interested in assessing your creative and critical decision-making skills than the details of the projects you work on.

If you have concerns about the impact this may have on your ability to demonstrate your competence, please raise this with your assessor at the earliest opportunity.

We aim to make the certification process accessible and inclusive, so interviews can be conducted in other languages upon request.

If you need this accommodation, simply let us know your preferred language when scheduling your assessment.

We’ll arrange an assessor who can conduct the interview in that language or provide an interpreter if necessary.

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Yes, absolutely. We provide assessment assistance for people with disabilities or special needs to ensure the process is fair and accessible. This can include:

• Alternative formats for instructions and materials
• Extended time for interviews if needed
• Assistive technologies or interpreters
• Modified interview methods (e.g., written responses via live chat or other accommodations for verbal or aural disabilities)

If you require any adjustments, simply let us know when scheduling your assessment, and we’ll work with you to provide appropriate accommodations.

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If you have the requisite knowledge, experience and references, and are adequately prepared for your assessment interview, the process should be fairly straightforward.

That said, nerves or just the fact that you are not at your best on the day may result in you not interviewing to the standard you know you are capable of.

If you are unsuccessful in your first interview attempt, we will make some recommendations as to how you might do better next time and give you an opportunity to be reassessed at no cost.

If you are not yet proficient after a second interview, your assessor will admit you to the Center for Project Innovation as a Certified Project Officer or at another appropriate level.

Unlike many organizations that do not publish their pass rates, we are proud to share ours:

• Just under 83% of candidates achieve certification within two weeks of applying.
• Over 96% of candidates ultimately pass within six months.

A certification’s credibility should not be based on a high failure rate. The purpose of certification is to validate competence, not to create unnecessary barriers.

It’s also important to note that knowledge and experience are prerequisites for assessment. You must demonstrate these in your application before we accept you for interview.

This ensures we don’t take your money until we are confident you meet the standard for the certification you are applying for.

Our process is rigorous yet fair, ensuring that qualified professionals succeed while maintaining the integrity of the standard.

The knowledge standards for Certified Project Officer (CPO) are the same for Certified Project Professional (CPP) and Certified Project Master (CPM) – an examination of 30 hours of project management education.

If you have the requisite experience and skills, you should consider skipping CPO and going straight to the higher-level Certification.

Not only will you save yourself the CPO assessment fee, but you will also be retrospectively awarded CPO upon being admitted to the Center as a CPP or CPM.

All of them.

The Center for Project Innovation is internationally accredited by the US and Australian governments and their treaty partners as the official assessor and issuing authority for Certified Project Officer, Professional, Master, and Director certifications.

Admission to the Center for Project Innovation allows you to post-nominally use the letters CPO, CPP, CPM or CPD in all formal and official correspondence (for example, Jane Smith CPO).

You need to recertify every five years, and we offer this at no cost.

Why? Because continuing professional growth comes primarily from practice and experience, not from paying ongoing membership or course fees.

Your existing certification will not lapse, but renewal demonstrates your ongoing commitment to professional standards and ensures your credentials remain current.

You can apply to upgrade your certification once you have met the required experience and skills threshold.

The upgrade process involves another interview, but you do not need to redo the knowledge component or complete additional training hours (such as the 30-hour requirement).

This ensures that your progression reflects your real-world experience and competency, rather than repeating prior assessments.

If you do not pass your initial assessment interview, you are entitled to one free reassessment interview. This gives you an opportunity to improve without incurring additional costs.

Your assessor also has the discretion to upgrade or downgrade your certification level at no extra charge if your performance indicates a better fit for your skills and experience.

We also offer a 7-day refund policy to ensure fairness and flexibility:

• If you decide not to proceed with the assessment interview, you will receive a 100% refund provided you notify us within seven days of payment.
• If you choose to withdraw your application after the interview has been completed, you will receive a 50% refund if the request is made within seven days.

Yes. If you believe a certification decision was incorrect or unfair, you can submit an appeal.

The appeal process involves a review by a senior assessor who was not involved in your original assessment.

Our goal is to ensure transparency and fairness, so every appeal is handled objectively and promptly.

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You can view a sample of the high-resolution, print-ready digital certificate here.

View sample

Your high-resolution, print-ready digital Certification is available for download at any time from your account profile.

In the interests of environmental sustainability, we no longer issue printed copies of our certificates.

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No. Providing job placement services would create a conflict of interest.

Our role is to independently assess and certify your professional competence, not to influence employment decisions.

If we were involved in placing candidates, it could compromise the objectivity and credibility of our certification process, as employers might question whether certification was awarded based on merit or to facilitate placement.

By remaining impartial, we ensure that certification is a trusted, unbiased validation of your skills, separate from recruitment or hiring activities.

The easiest way to share your achievement is by using the LinkedIn share button provided when your certification is issued.

This instantly adds your credential to your profile and helps you stand out to employers and peers.

And don’t forget to tag us, so we can share the love!

You can also share your certification on other social media platforms to highlight your professional development.

For tips on maximizing the visibility and impact of your certification, check out this article:

How to make your PM certification work harder for you