For project professionals, the AI transformation brings an important question: are we prepared not only to use AI tools, but also to manage AI initiatives responsibly and successfully? The PMI-CPMAI™ certification provides a structured path for developing those capabilities. However, as I learned during my own certification journey, understanding the content and preparing for the exam can sometimes feel like a very solitary project.
In my previous article, “From Project Manager to AI Leader: My Journey to CPMAI”, I shared the experience of moving beyond traditional project management and learning how AI projects require a different mindset. They are not simply software projects with an AI label. They involve data availability and quality, model development and evaluation, operational monitoring and the application of the 5 layers of Trustworthy AI along the project. I completed that journey successfully, but I often wished I had been able to exchange questions, interpretations and study techniques with other candidates following the same path.
The next candidates will not need to make that journey alone.
Turn Your Certification into a Team Project
In Project Your Life, Level 3 begins with a simple principle: invite others to support you—you are not alone. One of the recommendations in this level is to join a community and discuss your journey with your peers. Although our goals may be personal, the projects through which we achieve them do not need to be executed individually.
A community brings together people who share similar interests, challenges and ambitions. Its members help one another regain momentum. When someone reaches a milestone, the community celebrates it. Most importantly, participants can learn from each other’s questions, mistakes and discoveries. This collective experience helps everyone anticipate difficulties and progress more confidently.
Introducing the PMI Portugal PMI-CPMAI Study Group
I am therefore very pleased to be one of the facilitators of the first PMI-CPMAI Study Group organized by PMI Portugal, scheduled for September and October 2026. This will be a free, collaborative study initiative for eligible PMI Portugal members preparing for the certification exam. It is not a training course. It is a structured environment in which candidates arrive prepared, raise their questions, discuss the topics and learn through the collective intelligence of the group.
The Study Group will cover the complete PMI-CPMAI learning journey. The planned journey includes seven topic-focused sessions followed by two review and question-simulation sessions.
Each meeting will combine participant questions, collaborative module reviews, exam-oriented discussions and preparation for the following session. The sessions will be held online.
The intended group size is limited to 12 people. Small enough for everyone to contribute, but diverse enough to generate valuable discussions and different perspectives.
From Certified Candidate to Facilitator
In project management, a lesson learned only creates organizational value when it is shared. Becoming a facilitator is my opportunity to transform my solitary journey into a more collaborative experience for others. My role will not be to provide every answer or deliver a formal course. It will be to guide the discussion, help the group remain focused and share what I learned while preparing for the certification.
Participants will also bring their own professional experiences. A project manager from financial services may interpret an AI risk differently from someone working in healthcare or manufacturing. Those perspectives can turn theoretical content into practical understanding. The group becomes more than an exam-preparation mechanism; it becomes the beginning of a community of practice for professionals managing AI projects.
The ambition extends beyond one edition. Participants who become certified will be encouraged to support future groups as volunteer facilitators. In this way, today’s learners can become tomorrow’s mentors, creating a sustainable cycle of learning and giving back to the project management community.
Your certification, Our Journey.
If managing AI projects is part of your next career milestone, this Study Group can provide structure, accountability and companionship throughout the journey. You will still need to dedicate the time, complete the required learning and take responsibility for your preparation. But when doubts emerge, you will have peers with whom to discuss them—and facilitators who have already travelled the road.
Applications for the first PMI Portugal PMI-CPMAI Study Group are now open through the official application form. Additional information is available in the PMI Portugal announcement.
Summary
Important goals require individual commitment, but they rarely require isolation. By turning PMI-CPMAI exam preparation into a collaborative project, candidates can benefit from shared knowledge, mutual accountability and the guidance of professionals who have already completed the journey.
💡 Practical Tip: Join a Study Group not only with the goal of becoming certified, but also with the ambition of becoming a future facilitator. Deepen your knowledge of each topic as if you had to teach it to others. Explaining what you learn will strengthen your uunderstanding, reveal knowledge gaps and help your peers progress. By giving back to others, you will also contribute to your own success and happiness.
Wishing You a FabuLux Weekend! 😉
More information about Project Your Life book is available in:
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🌐 Book website: link
