Hello All,
Audits are scary! I know! I completed the PMP registration process last week and within 10 seconds I got an email that my application was randomly selected for an audit. The audit package said I was a class one candidate for audit, which meant I needed to prove my work experience, degree and contact hours. I knew I had the right contact hours and also correct project descriptions (In the language that PMI understands and relevant to processes and knowledge areas). Here is an example of one of my project descriptions:
Objective: To design and develop system that maintains XXXXXXXX.
Role: I led the project on the reporting side.
IN: Identified key stakeholders, collected high-level requirements from business case.
PL: Defined reporting scope, collected reporting requirements, created work packages, created activity list, created stakeholder engagement plan
EX: Documented deliverables, conducted weekly meetings, managed quality, communication and stakeholder engagement.
MC: Monitored quality, validated scope and monitored stakeholder engagement, led status report meetings.
CL: Inputted data into lessons learned register.
Outcomes: Successful implementation of XXX system.
Make sure you follow a format like this. They want to see your project description in terms of processes and knowledge areas. Anyways coming back to the audit process, as soon as I got the email that I was audited, I got in touch with the associate director of my organization (I had given her a heads up before my application that if I get audited I might contact her). I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS. Before you complete the application, show your project hours that you are submitting to the relevant supervisor(s) and make sure you get their approval that those hours are right. You don't want to get audited and then your supervisor refuses to approve them because he/she doesn't agree with it. Luckily all my projects were with the same company so my associate director could approve them all at once. If you have projects across multiple companies contact the respective supervisors well in advance and not just let them know that you'll contact them when audited but show your documented hours before you register and make sure they agree to it.
Here is the timeline for my audit:
Wednesday 1PM: I get the email for audit
Wednesday 5PM: I complete all the forms that the audit package had and make my associate director sign them (She already knew what I was documenting so it saved her time as well in terms of review)
Wednesday 6PM: Sent over the audit/experience forms, my degree certificate and contact hours certificate from PMPrepcast by next day UPS
Thursday 10AM: I got notification from UPS that package was delivered.
Friday 11AM: I got an email from PMI that my audit was cleared!
So as you see, it literally took me 2 days to finish this because I had planned in advance for everything and considered this might happen (Ofcourse I've learned about risk management now so I had to arrange for a proper contingency plan in terms of audits!)
I am writing this because I want to help others in the community for the audit process. I was worried after I got audited. A lot of questions ran through my mind. Should I stop studying until the audit is cleared, what is I didn't pass the audit etc. Please prepare well in advance and be ready for the audit process. This will help you save time on everything. Hope this discussion would help lot of people who get audited.
Thanks,
Prith Bhosale
