Project/Project Server Certifications

At TechEd there were lots of questions about certifications for Project--you might have seen some of the articles on it. Exams are still in development so there isn't much public info yet, but I talked to my friend Marie in my office, who knows things, and she told me:

There will be three "new gen" certifications coming out in the next three calendar quarters, making up Microsoft's Office Project 2007 certifications. You will see full public information posted starting in late June via the MSL website <we'll have a Live Meeting later in the summer to go over details, too>

  • For each certification there will be one course and one exam.
  • To achieve the IT PRO certification, both MCTS certifications must be completed first.
  • Preliminary release timing: We expect the first MCTS to release in late August, the 2nd MCTS to release late November and the MCITP to release Q1 2008. Please note these dates are preliminary and subject to change.

To give you a better sense of the topics covered with each certification track, here's an advance view of the certification descriptions:

Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist for Microsoft Office Project 2007

The Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) credential for Office Project 2007 validates the skills of project managers who use Microsoft Office Project 2007 as team members, project leads, project managers, schedulers, or in other roles that require the ability to build, maintain, and control well-formed project plans. This candidate is involved in or responsible for scheduling, estimating, coordinating, controlling, budgeting, and staffing projects and supporting other users of Office Project. A familiarity with key project management concepts and terminology is also recommended.

Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist for Microsoft Office Project Server 2007

The Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) credential for Office Project Server 2007 provides industry recognition for project managers or other users of Microsoft Office Project Professional 2007 and Project Server 2007 who manage and support both simple and complex projects in an enterprise environment. This candidate can use Office Project 2007 or Project Server 2007 to manage project and non-project efforts, risks, issues, documents, task progress, and timesheets. This candidate should be familiar with the key project management concepts and terminology found in the Project Management Institute’s A Guide to the Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) .

Microsoft Certified IT Professionalfor Microsoft Office Project Server 2007

The Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP) credential for Office Project Server 2007 provides industry recognition for project managers or other users of Microsoft Office Project Professional 2007 and Project Server 2007 who manage and support projects in an Enterprise Project Management (EPM) environment. This candidate can manage projects in the EPM environment, including project and non-project efforts, risks, issues, documents, task progress, and timesheets. This candidate should have in-depth knowledge with key project management concepts and terminology found in the Project Management Institute’s A Guide to the Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) . In addition, this candidate will have earned both the MCTS Office Project 2007 and MCTS Office Project Server 2007 certifications.