Can I earn PDUs from reading books?

“Yes!” If you love to read, here are some recommended books along with the number of PDUs you can earn, the category it belongs to as well as the cost range for each one.

Please note that the categories have been updated based on the new guidelines from PMI:
– Ways of Working (formerly Technical Project Management)
– Power Skills (formerly Leadership)
– Business Acumen (formerly Strategic and Business Management)

How many PDUS can I claim from books?

The requirements for earning PDUs is similar to others:

If your certification is… PMP, PgMP, PfMP, PMI-PBA, PMI-ACP, PMI-RMP, PMI-SP
For 1 hour of this activity you can claim the following # of PDUs 1
Documentation needed Notes and dates related to your readings

Note: I’ve estimated how long it would take to read each book and translated that time into PDUs (based on an average reading speed of 250 words per minute).

Now you can quickly see how many PDUs you can earn from each book.

Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t

Simon Sinek

Power Skills: 5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

    N/A

    Product Leadership: How Top Product Managers Launch Awesome Products and Build Successful Teams

    Richard Banfield, Martin Eriksson, Nate Walkingshaw

    Ways of Working: 4 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

      N/A

      Team Topologies: Organizing Business and Technology Teams for Fast Flow

      Matthew Skelton, Manuel Pais

      Power Skills: 4 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

        N/A

        Carrots and Sticks Don’t Work: Build a Culture of Employee Engagement with the Principles of RESPECT

        Paul Marciano

        Power Skills: 2.5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Low

          N/A

          Designed for Digital: How to Architect Your Business for Sustained Success (Management on the Cutting Edge)

          Jeanne W. Ross, Cynthia M. Beath, Martin Mocker

          Business Acumen: 3.5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Low

            N/A

            Value Stream Mapping: How to Visualize Work and Align Leadership for Organizational Transformation

            Karen Martin, Mike Osterling

            Business Acumen: 2.5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Low

              N/A

              Effective Project Management: Traditional, Agile, Extreme, Hybrid

              Robert K. Wysoc

              Ways of Working: 11 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: High

                N/A

                Leading Transformation: How to Take Charge of Your Company’s Future

                Nathan Furr, Kyle Nel, Thomas Zoega Ramsoy

                Power Skills: 4 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                  N/A

                  Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time

                  Jeff Sutherland

                  Ways of Working: 4 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                    N/A

                    The Manager’s Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders Navigating Growth and Change

                    Camille Fournier

                    Power Skills: 6 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                      N/A

                      User Story Mapping: Discover the Whole Story, Build the Right Product

                      Jeff Patton

                      Ways of Working: 5.5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                        N/A

                        Succeeding with Agile: Software Development Using Scrum

                        Mike Cohn

                        Ways of Working: 8.5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: High

                          N/A

                          Do What Matters Most: Lead with a Vision, Manage with a Plan, Prioritize Your Time

                          Rob Shallenberger, Steve Shallenberger

                          Power Skills: 3 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Low

                            N/A

                            Retrospectives Antipatterns

                            Aino Vonge Corry

                            Ways of Working: 5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                              N/A

                              Doing Agile Right: Transformation Without Chaos

                              Darrell Rigby, Sarah Elk, Steve Berez

                              Ways of Working: 4 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                                N/A

                                Product Management in Practice: A Real-World Guide to the Key Connective Role of the 21st Century

                                Matt LeMay

                                Ways of Working: 3 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Low

                                  To save on costs…

                                  Purchase the Kindle or audiobook versions of these books. Usually it’s significantly cheaper than the paperback or hardcover versions and the apps you use to read them are free.

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                                  Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

                                  Daniel H. Pink

                                  Power Skills: 3.5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Low

                                    N/A

                                    The Data-Driven Project Manager: A Statistical Battle Against Project Obstacles

                                    Mario Vanhoucke

                                    Ways of Working: 3 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Low

                                      N/A

                                      The Future Leader

                                      Jacob Morgan

                                      Power Skills: 5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                                        N/A

                                        Great Mondays: How to Design a Company Culture Employees Love

                                        Josh Levine

                                        Power Skills: 2 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Low

                                          N/A

                                          Agile Project Management: 3 books in 1

                                          Andy Vickler

                                          Business Acumen: 6 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                                            N/A

                                            The Long-Distance Leader

                                            Kevin Eikenberry, Wayne Turmel

                                            Power Skills: 3 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Low

                                              N/A

                                              The Phoenix Project: A Novel About IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win

                                              Gene Kim, Kevin Behr and George Spafford

                                              Ways of Working: 8.5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: High

                                                N/A

                                                The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals Paperback

                                                Sean Covey, Chris McChesney

                                                Business Acumen: 4.5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                                                  N/A

                                                  Applied Software Project Management

                                                  Andrew Stellman, Jennifer Greene

                                                  Ways of Working: 5.5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                                                    N/A

                                                    Your Next Five Moves: Master the Art of Business Strategy

                                                    Patrick Bet-David

                                                    Business Acumen: 4 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                                                      N/A

                                                      Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts.

                                                      Brené Brown

                                                      Power Skills: 5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                                                        N/A

                                                        The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work

                                                        Teresa Amabile

                                                        Power Skills: 4 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                                                          N/A

                                                          The Lean Startup: How Constant Innovation Creates Radically Successful Businesses

                                                          Eric Ries

                                                          Ways of Working: 8.5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: High

                                                            N/A

                                                            The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable

                                                            Patrick M. Lencioni

                                                            Power Skills: 2 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Low

                                                              N/A

                                                              Strategic Project Management Made Simple: Practical Tools for Leaders and Teams

                                                              Terry Schmidt

                                                              Ways of Working: 4.5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                                                                N/A

                                                                Project to Product: How to Survive and Thrive in the Age of Digital Disruption with the Flow Framework

                                                                Mik Kersten

                                                                Business Acumen: 4 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                                                                  N/A

                                                                  Adrenaline Junkies and Template Zombies: Understanding Patterns of Project Behavior

                                                                  Tom DeMarco, Peter Hruschka, Tim Lister, Steve McMenamin, James Robertson

                                                                  Ways of Working: 4 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                                                                    N/A

                                                                    The Art of Agile Product Ownership: A Guide for Product Managers, Business Analysts, and Entrepreneurs

                                                                    Allan Kelly

                                                                    Ways of Working: 3 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Low

                                                                      To save on effort…

                                                                      Use audiobooks to make it easier to multi-task. You can listen on your commute to work, while exercising or while doing household chores.

                                                                      N/A

                                                                      Essential Scrum: A Practical Guide to the Most Popular Agile Process

                                                                      Kenneth Rubin

                                                                      Business Acumen: 8.5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: High

                                                                        N/A

                                                                        Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams

                                                                        Tom Demarco

                                                                        Power Skills: 4.5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                                                                          N/A

                                                                          Real-World Kanban: Do Less, Accomplish More with Lean Thinking

                                                                          Mattias Skarin

                                                                          Ways of Working: 2.5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Low

                                                                            N/A

                                                                            Leading the Unleadable: How to Manage Mavericks, Cynics, Divas, and Other Difficult People

                                                                            Alan Willlett

                                                                            Power Skills: 4 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                                                                              N/A

                                                                              Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t

                                                                              Jim Collins

                                                                              Ways of Working: 6 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                                                                                N/A

                                                                                Agile Project Management with Scrum

                                                                                Ken Schwaber

                                                                                Ways of Working: 3 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Low

                                                                                  N/A

                                                                                  The Toyota Way: 14 Management Principles from the World’s Greatest Manufacturer

                                                                                  Jeffrey Liker, Gary L. Convis

                                                                                  Power Skills: 8 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: High

                                                                                    N/A

                                                                                    Building A Winning Team: Technical Leadership Capabilities

                                                                                    Robina Chatham, Brian Sutton

                                                                                    Power Skills: 1.5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Low

                                                                                      N/A

                                                                                      Leading Change

                                                                                      John P. Kotter

                                                                                      Power Skills: 0.5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Low

                                                                                        N/A

                                                                                        Lean Analytics: Use Data to Build a Better Startup Faster

                                                                                        Alistair Croll & Benjamin Yoskovitz

                                                                                        Ways of Working: 7.5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: High

                                                                                          N/A

                                                                                          Agile Estimating and Planning

                                                                                          Mike Cohn

                                                                                          Business Acumen: 6 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                                                                                            N/A

                                                                                            More Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen

                                                                                            Mary Lynn Manns, Linda Rising

                                                                                            Power Skills: 5.5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                                                                                              To save on costs…

                                                                                              If you are an avid reader, consider getting an Kindle Unlimited Membership Plan. Not only will you have access to the eBooks needed for your PMI certification renewal, you will also have access to millions of titles to read for leisure as well.

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                                                                                              The Agile Guide to Business Analysis and Planning: From Strategic Plan to Detailed Requirements

                                                                                              Howard Podeswa

                                                                                              Ways of Working: 13.5 PDUs Cost: Medium Effort: Low Time: High

                                                                                                N/A

                                                                                                Agile Project Management: Creating Innovative Products

                                                                                                Jim Highsmith

                                                                                                Business Acumen: 7 PDUs Cost: Medium Effort: Low Time: High

                                                                                                  N/A

                                                                                                  101 Project Management Problems and How to Solve Them

                                                                                                  Tom Kendrick

                                                                                                  Ways of Working: 4.5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                                                                                                    N/A

                                                                                                    Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great

                                                                                                    Esther Derby

                                                                                                    Ways of Working: 3 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Low

                                                                                                      N/A

                                                                                                      Principle-Centered Leadership

                                                                                                      Stephen R. Covey

                                                                                                      Power Skills: 5.5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                                                                                                        N/A

                                                                                                        User Stories Applied: For Agile Software Development

                                                                                                        Mike Cohn

                                                                                                        Ways of Working: 5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                                                                                                          N/A

                                                                                                          Kanban in Action

                                                                                                          Marcus Hammarberg, Joakim Sunden

                                                                                                          Ways of Working: 6 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                                                                                                            N/A

                                                                                                            The DNA of Strategy Execution

                                                                                                            Jack Duggal

                                                                                                            Business Acumen: 5.5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                                                                                                              N/A

                                                                                                              97 Things Every Scrum Practitioner Should Know

                                                                                                              Gunther Verheyen

                                                                                                              Ways of Working: 4.5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                                                                                                                N/A

                                                                                                                Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action

                                                                                                                Simon Sinek

                                                                                                                Power Skills: 4 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                                                                                                                  N/A

                                                                                                                  Coaching Agile Teams: A Companion for ScrumMasters, Agile Coaches, and Project Managers in Transition

                                                                                                                  Lyssa Adkins

                                                                                                                  Ways of Working: 6 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                                                                                                                    N/A

                                                                                                                    Agile Product Management with Scrum: Creating Products that Customers Love

                                                                                                                    Roman Pichler

                                                                                                                    Business Acumen: 2.5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Low

                                                                                                                      N/A

                                                                                                                      First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently

                                                                                                                      Gallup Press

                                                                                                                      Power Skills: 6 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                                                                                                                        N/A

                                                                                                                        The Design Thinking Playbook: Mindful Digital Transformation of Teams, Products, Services, Businesses and Ecosystems

                                                                                                                        Michael Lewrick, Patrick Link, Larry Leifer

                                                                                                                        Ways of Working: 6 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                                                                                                                          To save on costs…

                                                                                                                          Check out the book or eBook from your local library. More and more libraries provide access to eBooks through services like Overdrive or CloudLibrary (in the U.S. or Canada). Check to see if your local library system is included.

                                                                                                                          N/A

                                                                                                                          Lean Enterprise: How High Performance Organizations Innovate at Scale

                                                                                                                          Jez Humble, Joanne Molesky, Barry O’Reilly

                                                                                                                          Ways of Working: 5.5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                                                                                                                            N/A

                                                                                                                            Mapping Experiences: A Complete Guide to Creating Value through Journeys, Blueprints, and Diagrams

                                                                                                                            James Kalbach

                                                                                                                            Ways of Working: 6.5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                                                                                                                              N/A

                                                                                                                              The New One Minute Manager

                                                                                                                              Kenneth Blanchard

                                                                                                                              Power Skills: 1 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Low

                                                                                                                                N/A

                                                                                                                                Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love

                                                                                                                                Marty Cagan

                                                                                                                                Business Acumen: 4.5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                                                                                                                                  N/A

                                                                                                                                  The Art of Agile Development

                                                                                                                                  James Shore, Shane Warden

                                                                                                                                  Ways of Working: 7.5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: High

                                                                                                                                    N/A

                                                                                                                                    Project Management for Non-Project Managers

                                                                                                                                    Jack Ferraro

                                                                                                                                    Ways of Working: 3 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Low

                                                                                                                                      N/A

                                                                                                                                      High Output Management

                                                                                                                                      Andy Grove

                                                                                                                                      Business Acumen: 4.5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                                                                                                                                        N/A

                                                                                                                                        The Wisdom of Teams: Creating the High-Performance Organization

                                                                                                                                        J Katzenbach and Douglas Smith

                                                                                                                                        Power Skills: 6 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                                                                                                                                          N/A

                                                                                                                                          The Scrum Field Guide: Agile Advice for Your First Year and Beyond

                                                                                                                                          Addison-Wesley Professional

                                                                                                                                          Ways of Working: 8 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: High

                                                                                                                                            N/A

                                                                                                                                            The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering

                                                                                                                                            Frederick P. Brooks Jr.

                                                                                                                                            Power Skills: 5.5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                                                                                                                                              N/A

                                                                                                                                              Making things Happen

                                                                                                                                              Scott Berkun

                                                                                                                                              Power Skills: 7 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: High

                                                                                                                                                N/A

                                                                                                                                                Lean from the Trenches: Managing Large-Scale Projects with Kanban

                                                                                                                                                Henrik Kniberg

                                                                                                                                                Ways of Working: 3 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Low

                                                                                                                                                  N/A

                                                                                                                                                  Collaboration Explained: Facilitation Skills for Software Project Leaders

                                                                                                                                                  Jean Tabaka

                                                                                                                                                  Power Skills: 7.5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Low

                                                                                                                                                    N/A

                                                                                                                                                    Product Roadmaps Relaunched: How to Set Direction while Embracing Uncertainty

                                                                                                                                                    Todd Lombardo

                                                                                                                                                    Business Acumen: 4.5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium

                                                                                                                                                      N/A

                                                                                                                                                      The Principles of Product Development Flow: Second Generation Lean Product Development

                                                                                                                                                      Donald Reinertsen

                                                                                                                                                      Business Acumen: 5 PDUs Cost: Low Effort: Low Time: Medium