A guide to Continuous Professional Development (CPD)
- Article
- PRINCE2
- PRINCE2 Agile
- P3O
- MoV
- MoP
- M_o_R
- ITIL
- RESILIA
- MSP
- AgileSHIFT
- P3M3
- ITIL4
- ITIL MM
- Lean
- DevOps
March 28, 2023 |
8 min read
- Article
- PRINCE2
- PRINCE2 Agile
- P3O
- MoV
- MoP
- M_o_R
- ITIL
- RESILIA
- MSP
- AgileSHIFT
- P3M3
- ITIL4
- ITIL MM
- Lean
- DevOps
By undertaking Continuous Professional Development (CPD), you can extend the renew by date of your certification without having to re-sit an exam. This article explains how this process works, and how you can use the CPD functionality within MyAxelos to submit your CPD activities.
1. What is certification renewal?
All candidates with a PeopleCert Global Best Practice certification can choose to renew within three years of their original certification dates.
Certifications with the option to renew after three years are:
• ITIL® 4
• PRINCE2® 5th and 6th
• PRINCE2® Agile
• MSP® 4th and 5th
• M_o_R® 3rd and 4th
• MoP®
• P3O®
• MoV®
• AgileSHIFT®
• RESILIA®
An easy way to renew your certification is to collect and log CPD points on the MyAxelos platform.
2. Which of my certifications allow CPD submission?
All Global Best Practice certifications allow you to submit your CPD in order to renew. We have grouped our Global Best Practice certifications into Product Suites to facilitate easy renewal and support your ongoing professional development. Certifications within a Product Suite all share the same renew by date.
For CPD submission, renewal takes place at Product Suite level.
Product Suites are as follows:
• ITIL 4 Product Suite: All ITIL 4 certifications
• Project, Programme & Portfolio Management Product Suite: PRINCE2, PRINCE2 Agile, MoR, MSP, MoV, MoP, P3O
• AgileSHIFT Product Suite: All AgileSHIFT certifications
• RESILIA Product Suite: All RESILIA certifications
3. How does renewal by CPD work?
You need to hold a continuous Monthly or Annual subscription for 3 years to be eligible to log CPD points.
CPD points can be logged against individual or multiple certifications within the Product Suite. For each Product Suite, you will need to submit at least 20 CPD points each year, across different categories of CPD, for three years consecutively.
At the end of this period, your certification renew by date will then be extended by three years, and the cycle will repeat.
As we continue to develop the MyAxelos product portfolio, we may add further certifications to the CPD list. We may also retire qualifications, and eventually their certifications, as we replace them with updated industry best practice. If we do, we will of course let you know sufficiently in advance, and this will not affect any existing three-year extension.
4. How much CPD do I need to submit?
For each Product Suite, you need to submit at least 20 CPD points each year, across different categories of CPD, for three years consecutively. These points must be submitted by the date on which you originally passed your most recent exam within the Product Suite. For example, if you originally passed the exam on 1st April, your 20 CPD points must be logged by 1st April each year.
At least five of these points must be in the Professional Experience category. The remaining 15 can be from any category.
Here is a diagram of these principles for easy reference.
5. What activities count as CPD?
We do not prescribe a defined list of activities that count as CPD. The activity you log should be relevant to your professional development and fit as best into one of the categories defined here.
We do, however, provide some examples of CPD activities below to help guide you and provide some inspiration.
6. How many CPD points is an activity worth?
Within Professional Education and Community, one point equates to one hour’s worth of effort. You can record a minimum of 30 minutes or 0.5 points, and a maximum of 15 hours or 15 points per activity.
For the five points of Professional Experience, you will need to list five separate activities that you undertook in your role that relate to the best practice knowledge gained in your certification(s), and that link to the skills and behaviours within your certification)(s).
7. What are the categories of CPD?
The categories are as follows.
Professional Experience
You need to submit a minimum of five points.
This compulsory category requires evidence of the practical application of your skills and knowledge in a professional capacity in the workplace or another professional environment. One point is gained against one activity, and can be achieved through coaching, mentoring, work-shadowing or professional practice. Within these activities you must demonstrate the practical application of best practice from your qualification in your working environment. For example, developing a project plan, or participation in a risk workshop.
Professional Education
This category requires evidence of formal or informal training or certification this can be delivered by your organization, by an Accredited Training Organization (ATO), or through an external training provider. It can also be self-directed study. You can claim one point for each hour of activity.
Community Participation
This category requires evidence of either active or passive community participation. It can also be self-directed study. You can claim one point for each hour of activity.
8. Add your CPD
Select “Add CPD” from your CPD track record and it will open a form to allow you to submit your CPD.
In “Certificate(s) I’m claiming for”, you can choose the certificate or certificates you are submitting CPD for.
In “Type of CPD”, you can choose which category of CPD you are submitting for.
In “Description”, you can add the details of exactly what you did for your CPD activity, and in “Points I’m claiming” you can choose how many CPD points you believe this activity covers. Further guidance on this is also provided below.
“Completion date” is the date you completed this CPD activity. Please note, you can submit CPD retroactively, but only within a given certification year. For example, if you originally passed your exam on the 1st April, you can only submit CPD retroactively up to the 1st April of any given year. After the 31st March on any given year, you would no longer be able to submit CPD for the previous year.
Finally, in “What did you learn?”, you should describe how this CPD activity contributed towards your professional skills and knowledge. Think about identifying the skills that you have refreshed and improved, how this activity impacted your performance, and what knowledge you have gained as a result.
Once you’ve completed these fields, select “Submit” and your CPD will be logged.
You always check your CPD progress in your CPD track record.
9. What happens if I do not submit enought CPD?
If you do not submit enough CPD points in any given year, you will lose the ability to submit CPD points in subsequent years, and you will need to take an appropriate exam to renew.
10. Do CPD points in excess of 20 carry over to following years?
Excess CPD points do not carry over to subsequent years.
11. Do Professional Experience CPD points in excess of five carry over?
Professional Experience CPD points in excess of five count towards your current year’s CPD points but are not carried over to subsequent years.
12. How is CPD audited?
We take a random sample of CPD submissions to audit. If one of your CPD submissions is selected for audit, a team member will contact you directly to request evidence to support your CPD submission.
If the evidence you provide is deemed suitable, you will pass the audit. If the evidence is deemed unsuitable, you will be asked to provide further evidence, or if you cannot, your CPD submission will be rejected and the points you claimed for it will be cancelled, which could result in you being unable to extend the renew by date of your certification by CPD submission.