The average salary of this year's survey respondents who hold the PMP certification increased to $104,253 from the $103,100 reported by our 2009 survey respondents. Salaries for ITIL folks also increased. In 2008, the average ITIL v3 Master earned $86,600; in 2010 v3 Foundation certification holders reported an average salary of $101,185.
Six Sigma, another business process improvement certification, made its debut in our survey for 2010, with respondents reporting an average salary of $111,908. The appearance of that certification underscores the belief that employers are willing to pay top dollar for folks with good business and technology skills. Some employers are requiring a mix of Six Sigma and other business improvement skills. One recent job ad for a Process Improvement Consultant at California HMO Kaiser Permanente called for the individual to have seven years of experience with one or more of the following methodologies: Six Sigma, ITIL, and Total Quality Management (a set of management practices that ensure organizations consistently meet or exceed customer requirements).
Hank Marquis, practice leader of business service management at Global Knowledge holds both the ITIL and Six Sigma certifications. He notes that only 30% of process improvement projects are successful because practitioners didn't have the knowledge that Six Sigma provides. The addition of Six Sigma to a professional who already holds the ITIL and/or PMP certifications (and vice-versa) will turn that individual into a huge catch.[3]
[1] Paul C. Easton, Are project management certifications mere "window dressing"?, Legal Project Management, May 4, 2009, http://legalprojectmanagement.info/2009/05/are-project-management-certifications-mere-window-dressing.html (last visited May 6, 2010); Paul C. Easton, Blawgospheric Feedback on Requirements for E-discovery Project Management Positions, Legal Project Management, Apr. 27, 2010, http://legalprojectmanagement.info/2010/04/blawgospheric-feedback-on-requirements-for-e-discovery-project-management-positions.html (last visited May 6, 2010).
[2] Global Knowlege & Tech Republic, 2010 IT Skills and Salary Report (2010) 7-8, available at http://www.globalknowledge.com/articles/generic.asp?pageid=2595&country=United+States (free registration required, last accessed May 6, 2010).
[3] Linda Leung, What's Your Certification Worth?, http://www.globalknowledge.com/articles/generic.asp?pageid=2595&country=United+States (last visited May 6, 2010).
[4] Paul C. Easton, Kroll Ontrack Prefers Its E-discovery Project Managers to be PMP Certified and Requires They Have a Business Degree, Legal Project Management, Apr. 27, 2010, http://legalprojectmanagement.info/2010/04/kroll-ontrack-prefers-its-e-discovery-project-managers-to-be-pmp-certified-and-requires-a-business-d.html (last visited May 6, 2010).
[5] Paul C. Easton, Law Firm PM Watch: Seyfarth Shaw's Six Sigma program highlighted in the ABA Journal, Legal Project Management, Sep. 17, 2009, http://legalprojectmanagement.info/2009/09/law-firm-pm-watch-seyfarth-shaws-six-sigma-program-highlighted-in-the-aba-journal.html (last visited May 6, 2010); Paul C. Easton, Six Sigma as a Legal Project Management Tool, Part 3, Legal Project Management, Aug. 3, 2009, http://legalprojectmanagement.info/2009/08/six-sigma-as-a-legal-project-management-tool-part-3.html (last visited May 6, 2010); Paul C. Easton, Six Sigma as a Legal Project Management Tool, Part 2, Legal Project Management, July. 29, 2009, http://legalprojectmanagement.info/2009/07/six-sigma-as-a-legal-project-management-tool-part-2.html (last visited May 6, 2010); Paul C. Easton, Six Sigma as a Legal Project Management Tool, Part 1, Legal Project Management, July. 28, 2009, http://legalprojectmanagement.info/2009/07/six-sigma-as-a-project-management-tool-for-legal-departments.html (last visited May 6, 2010); Paul C. Easton, Law Ministry Wants Judiciary to go the Six Sigma Way, Legal Project Management, July. 23, 2009, http://legalprojectmanagement.info/2009/07/law-ministry-wants-judiciary-to-go-the-six-sigma-way.html (last visited May 6, 2010).
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