PDMA (Product Development and Management Association)

What PDMA (Product Development and Management Association) does

PDMA (Product Development and Management Association) is a Minnesota-incorporated 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional association founded in 1976 and headquartered in Minneapolis, serving ~21,000 members across 135+ countries. The organization operates a tiered membership model (Premium $195, Professional $95, Basic $35, Academic $120, Corporate Team starting at $500, Student $30) and a multi-revenue stream model spanning membership dues, the NPDP certification program (administered via Prometric, with Credly-issued digital badges), the Journal of Product Innovation Management (JPIM — its flagship academic publication), annual events (Ignite Innovation Summit, JPIM Research Forum), advertising/sponsorship, a Career Center job board (powered by YourMembership), and an online store. PDMA does not develop proprietary technology products; its technical footprint consists of standard association infrastructure — the pdma.org website, certification portal, kHUB knowledge community, Career Center, and online store — supplemented by third-party integrations (Prometric for testing, Credly for badges, EasyChair for academic submissions, Eventbrite for event registration, EventMobi for conference apps).

Its core offerings center on three pillars: (1) the NPDP certification, which validates product development skills across seven knowledge areas and operates on a 3-year renewal cycle requiring 60 PDHs; (2) JPIM, the leading academic journal in innovation management, published six times annually with co-editors-in-chief drawn from Cardiff University, Florida State University, and University of Melbourne; and (3) the Ignite Innovation Summit, the annual flagship event that in 2026 (its 50th anniversary) is being held in Atlanta. A network of 30+ volunteer-run chapters across six continents (North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, South America) handles local programming and member acquisition, supported by an Authorized Training Partner (ATP) program for NPDP exam preparation. Additional programs include the Certificate in Market Research masterclass, Global Student Innovation Challenge, Doctoral Dissertation Proposal Competition, and recognition programs (Outstanding Corporate Innovator Award, Crawford Fellows, Allan Anderson Ambassador Award).

PDMA's customer base spans product management practitioners, academics/researchers, service providers (consultancies, market research firms), and corporate employers — with testimonials citing Medtronic, INSIGHTOVATION Consulting, and Lean Med Innovation. Its go-to-market is community-led, leveraging chapters, the Connections e-newsletter (~21,000 subscribers), social channels (@PDMAIntl on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook), and the kHUB community for acquisition and retention. The organization is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors (chaired by Marlon Hernandez of Ocean Spray) and managed day-to-day by Executive Director Laurie Krueger, CAE, with day-to-day operations outsourced to Ewald Consulting (a Minnesota-based association management firm).

Name

PDMA (Product Development and Management Association)

Legal name

Product Development and Management Association

Website

https://pdma.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PDMA is a 50-year-old nonprofit professional association serving ~21,000 product development and innovation practitioners globally through tiered membership, the NPDP certification, the JPIM academic journal, annual summits, and 30+ chapters across six continents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Program & Portfolio Management (PPM) (EDABAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Data & Metrics for PM/PPM (Analytics, KPIs, Experimentation) (EDABAHAL), Project, Quality & Operations (PMP PDUs, Six Sigma, Quality CE) (EDAAALAM)

Keywords

• Professional membership association
• Product development certification
• Innovation management training
• Academic research publishing
• Industry conferences events

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees across multiple tiers including Premium ($195), Professional ($95), Basic ($35), Academic ($120), Student ($30), and Corporate Team (starting at $500 for 3+ employees). Membership provides access to benefits including journals, webcasts, career center, and discounts.
2. NPDP Certification: Application fees ($200 for professional/basic/non-members, free for premium/academic/corporate members, $100 for students) and exam fees ($250). Certification renewal every 3 years at $150 for members and $200 for non-members.
3. Certificate in Market Research: Live virtual masterclass pricing at $250 for Premium Members, $400 for Other Members, and $500 for Non-Members. Course includes 2-hour sessions and certification exam.
4. Webcast Sponsorship: Webcast sponsorship at $2,500 per webcast, with option for sponsors to develop content and receive lead generation from attendees.
5. Advertising and Sponsorship: Multiple advertising opportunities including Connections e-newsletter ads ($275-$350 per ad), website banners ($700 per quarter or $2,500 annually), kHUB section ads ($300-$750). Corporate sponsorship packages also available.
6. Career Center: Job posting fees ranging from $125-$550 for 30-90 days, resume purchases at $25-$35, and unlimited annual posting packages at $3,000-$5,750.
7. Events and Conferences: Annual Ignite Innovation Summit, JPIM Research Forum with registration fees ($320-$815 depending on timing and category), and various chapter events.
8. Store Sales: Online store selling past OCI award presentations, webcast recordings, white papers, Visions issues, and certification materials.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels10 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

PDMA is a nonprofit professional membership association that serves product development and innovation practitioners, academics, and service providers worldwide. Its core offerings are tiered annual membership (Individual, Academic, Corporate Team, and Student), the globally recognized NPDP (New Product Development Professional) certification, the Journal of Product Innovation Management (JPIM), and an annual conference program anchored by the Ignite Innovation Summit and JPIM Research Forum. Supporting offerings include the kHUB knowledge sharing platform, monthly webcasts, the Career Center job board, and the Certificate in Market Research masterclass.

Product overview

PDMA is a professional membership association, not a technology product company. It offers a platform of interconnected services organized around advancing product development and innovation disciplines. The core offerings include the NPDP Certification program for validating product development professionals, the Journal of Product Innovation Management (JPIM) as its flagship academic publication, and the Ignite Innovation Summit as its annual flagship conference. Supporting services include the kHUB knowledge sharing platform, monthly webcasts, local chapter networks across six continents, the Certificate in Market Research masterclass, Career Center job board, and Online Store. Academic initiatives include the JPIM Research Forum, Global Student Innovation Challenge, and Doctoral Dissertation Proposal Competition. Recognition programs include the Outstanding Corporate Innovator Award, Crawford Fellows Award, and Allan Anderson Ambassador Award. The organization operates on a membership model with tiered pricing (Individual, Academic, Corporate Team, Student) and partners with Authorized Training Partners to deliver NPDP exam preparation. Key integrations include Prometric for exam delivery, Credly for digital badges, EasyChair for academic submissions, EventMobi for conference apps, and Facebook/LinkedIn for social login.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• kHUB: PDMA Knowledge Hub - online community platform for knowledge sharing among product development and innovation professionals
• NPDP
• OCI Award
• JPIM
• Ignite Innovation Summit
• Connections

Products and services

• PDMA Membership Program
• NPDP Certification (New Product Development Professional)
• Journal of Product Innovation Management (JPIM)
• Ignite Innovation Summit
• JPIM Research Forum
• Certificate in Market Research
• kHUB (PDMA Knowledge Hub)
• PDMA Webcasts
• PDMA Career Center

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

AI capability5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Applied Marketing ScienceminorOthers · 12 March 2026Applied Marketing Science (AMS) is a Boston-based market research consultancy. Kristyn Corrigan, Principal and leader of AMS's Insights for Innovation practice, was appointed Treasurer of PDMA Executive Board in March 2026. AMS helps companies develop better products and services through customer insights. Kristyn also serves as instructor for PDMA's Certificate in Market Research.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Product School: Product School is a private training and certification provider offering Product Manager Certification and AI Product Certification programs plus live online courses. It is a paid alternative to PDMA's NPDP credential and competes for the same early- and mid-career product professionals' training dollars.
• Mind the Product: Mind the Product is a global community and content platform for product managers running flagship conferences (ProductTank), workshops, and an online community. It competes for the same product manager time and training spend that PDMA targets, with a more digital-first delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• Project Management Institute (PMI): PMI is a large global association offering the PMP certification and Body of Knowledge focused on project/program management. While not strictly product management, PMI's portfolio management and program management content overlaps PDMA's audience of product leaders and competes for the same corporate training and certification budgets.
• American Marketing Association (AMA): AMA is the largest professional association for marketers, offering credentials (PCM), publications, and events that include marketing-adjacent product management content. It serves an overlapping audience but is broader in scope, competing for marketing-proximate product leaders' dues and event spend.
• Association of Business Process Management Professionals (ABPMP): ABPMP is a global professional association offering the CBPP certification for BPM professionals with a chapter network and conferences. It is structurally analogous to PDMA — a nonprofit, chapter-driven association monetizing certification, events, and publications — though in an adjacent discipline.
• International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA): IIBA is a global association for business analysts offering CBAP and other certifications, publications, and chapter networks. It serves a related but adjacent discipline (business analysis vs. product management) and competes for the same corporate training and certification budgets from product-adjacent professionals.

Others

• ProductPlan: ProductPlan is a vendor of product roadmap and strategy software, plus a popular product management content platform (e.g., ProductPlan Blog, ProductCon community). It serves as both an adjacent ecosystem participant (sponsoring PDMA-adjacent practitioners) and a partial competitor for product management educational content and event audiences.

Direct peers

• International Software Product Management Association (ISPMA): ISPMA is a global association focused on software product management, offering the CSPO/ISPMA-aligned certification framework and a community of software PM practitioners. It overlaps PDMA's NPDP credential in the software product management segment and competes for the same practitioner audience.
• Association of International Product Marketing & Management (AIPMM): AIPMM is a global membership association for product management and product marketing professionals, offering certifications (CPM, CPMM) and educational content. It directly competes with PDMA in serving the same product management persona with certification and community offerings.
• Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA): IDSA is a professional association for industrial designers offering membership, conferences (International Design Conference), publications, and awards that sit adjacent to product development. It overlaps PDMA's audience of product developers and competes for sponsorship, event, and chapter engagement from corporate product organizations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pdmaintl
• Facebookfacebook.com/pdmaintl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/product-development-and-management-association-of-southern-california-pdma-socal-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PDMA (Product Development and Management Association)