Quotes from NPDPs who Prepared with Us — Why it is Important
“The NPDP certification is a critical piece of developing my mid-career credentials and competencies. The more market-aware employees, leaders, businesses, and entrepreneurs we have, the more viable and opportunity-aligned we will be as companies and as a nation. With these techniques, the time between misalignment and correction should be shorter, if detectable at all.” – Bryce Bolton, NPDP
“Participation in the Study Group played an extremely important role in my achievement of the New Product Development Professional Certification. Their systematic approach to focused learning, along with the weekly interaction with my peers, truly solidified the content for me and I would HIGHLY recommend this group to anyone.” –Erica Frischmann
“To a kid with a hammer, everything looks like a nail. So true with product management methodologies. Unlike other programs, though, the NPDP certification is not focused on a single process, but gives a practical understanding of various successful methodologies. Not only has my NPDP training helped me fit in with the various methods my clients might use, but it has proven successful in suggesting appropriate methods where none exist. One of my best clients hired me specifically because of my NPDP certification and I continue to get new projects from them. PDMA’s NPDP certification training is the liberal arts degree of product management.” – Larry Marine,www.intuitivedesign.com
“As a recent MBA graduate and long time product developer, I wanted to focus my new knowledge and make a statement to peers that my career would focus on leadership aspects of product development. The study process allowed me to focus attention on product development best practices both from the materials and learning from others. Working in a study group was as important as the materials. However, what I thought was an ending point really became a base for further exploration into other areas such as Flexible Product Development, Lean Product Development, etc. As a general manager the knowledge will help me guide my business process and maintain alignment with overall strategy.” – Mike Jones, www.proclivis.com
“I elected to put forth effort to gain this certification for two reasons- one, I simply wanted more knowledge in my chosen field. Although I have an MBA, I felt that I had not really had the opportunity to further educate myself in my narrow area of work and felt that the NPDP certification and participation within the PDMA association was really a source for me to expand my knowledge. Secondly, I wanted to be acknowledged by a governing body as a person who possesses a body of knowledge regarding the development of products and services. This certification is just another way for me to set myself apart from others within my competitive job field.” – Kirsten Evans
“For me the value is more from a knowledge and professional development standpoint, in that I learned a lot and now have a wider range of resources and knowledge to draw upon. As a systems engineer, I am mostly focused on product development vs. product mgmt, but being able to speak with more authority as to how it all needs to come together: strategy, portfolio management, development, launch, product lifecycle management, etc. has been very valuable. Who knows, down the road it may open up some other doors but for now I am very glad that I went through the certification process as a way to beef up my level of knowledge, and be able to meet and network with other professionals as well.” – Kris Howard, Siemens PLM Software
“NPDP certification was important for me to earn as a validation of the knowledge I have gained and the work I have completed over the course of my career. The RMpdma study group provided a great structure for learning the necessary material, getting questions answered, and offering support to others. The study guide and select reading material covered all of the necessary elements to prepare for the test. Nothing was missed. Especially useful were the practice test(s), where one can repeatedly test their mastery of the content and build their confidence before the test. I highly recommend others seeking certification to participate in the study group – it offers a great opportunity to ensure certification success!” – Mike McKevitt
The primary responsibilities for an organization are product management and innovation. They deliver value to customers. They're also exciting responsibilities for those properly equipped. That is my job - equipping product managers and innovators. 