A Roadmap to Cracking the Pmp® Exam: A Pmp Exam Preparation Study Guide

By Stuart Brunt PMP PgMP PMI-RMP

This PMP Study Guide employs multilearning techniques to maximize your knowledge retention for the many project management terms and concepts. Based on the PMBOK Guide Fifth Edition, the contents deliver the information, knowledge, and confidence needed to pass the PMP exam.

This book provides comprehensive coverage of the information required to prepare for the PMP exam in an easy-to-understand format and also includes many practice questions and quizzes. An emphasis on areas of exam difficulty with examples and exercises is also provided based on feedback analysis.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: May 23, 2013
• ISBN: 9781466985209

Stuart Brunt PMP PgMP PMI-RMP

Stuart Brunt has a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science and over thirty-five years of experience with industries such as utilities, telecommunications, wireless, IT, military, avionics, consulting, software, hardware, courseware development and training. As CEO and Founder of baseline3, a company that specializes in project management (PM) training, he continues his passion to assist others in their pursuit of PM certifications. He enjoys teaching PM courses and combining technology to maximize student learning experience and knowledge retention.

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© Copyright 2013 Stuart Brunt, PMP, PgMP, PMI-RMP.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

ISBN: 978-1-4669-8519-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4669-8520-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013905293

Trafford rev. 07/18/2013

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North America & international

toll-free: 1 888 232 4444 (USA & Canada)

fax: [phone]

CONTENTS

Disclaimer

Acknowledgments

Preface

Who Are Baseline3

About This Book

Chapter 1

Applying for the PMP Exam

1.0 The PMP Exam Application Timeline

1.1 Satisfy Credential Prerequisites

1.2 Complete and Submit the Exam Application

1.3 Submit Exam Fees—Schedule Exam

1.4 Audit

1.5 Summary

Chapter 2

PMP Exam Strategies

2.0 The PMP Exam

2.1 Multiple-Choice Exam

2.2 PMP Exam Question Styles

2.3 PMP Exam Checklist

2.4 PMBOK® Guide—Fifth Edition to PMBOK® Guide—Fourth Edition Transition

Chapter 3

Framework and Fundamentals

3.0 Project Management Framework

3.1 Introduction: What is a framework?

3.2 Project Management Framework and Fundamentals Overview

3.2.1 Project Management

3.2.2 Project

3.2.3 Program

3.2.4 Portfolio

3.2.5 Project Management Office (PMO)

3.2.6 Operations

3.2.7 Performing Organization

3.2.8 Project Manager (PM)

3.2.9 Project Coordinator

3.2.10 Project Expeditor

3.2.11 Project Management Team

3.2.12 Project Team

3.2.13 Project Stakeholders

3.2.14 Project Governance

3.3 Organizational Structures

3.4 Process Mapping

3.4.1 Knowledge Area

3.4.2 Process

3.4.3 Process Groups

3.5 Life Cycles and Phases

3.6 Project Management Fundamentals

3.6.1 Enterprise Environmental Factors (EEF)

3.6.2 Organizational Process Assets (OPA)

3.6.3 Expert Judgment

3.6.4 Baseline

3.6.5 Updates

3.6.6 Project Management Plan

3.6.7 The Triple Constraint

3.6.8 Project Information

3.6.9 Change Requests

3.6.10 Historical Information

3.6.11 Lessons Learned

3.6.12 Deliverable

3.6.13 Constraints

3.6.14 Assumptions

3.6.15 Progressive Elaboration

3.6.16 Rolling Wave Planning

3.6.17 Project Management Information System (PMIS)

3.6.18 Project Selection and Benefit Measurement Techniques

3.7 Quiz—Framework:

3.8 Framework Practice Test

3.9 Framework Quiz Answers

3.10 Framework Practice Test Answers:

Chapter 4

Integration

Project Integration Management

Knowledge Area

4.0 Project Integration Management

4.1 The Pitch on Integration

4.2 Mind Map—Integration

4.3 Overview

4.4 Exam Checklist—Integration

4.5 Process Map—Integration Management

4.6 Process Review—Integration Management

4.7 Flowchart—Integration Management

4.8 Quiz—Integration Management

4.9 Practice Test—Integration Management

4.10 Quiz Answers—Integration Management

4.11 Practice Test Answers—Integration Management

Chapter 5

Scope

Project Scope Management

Knowledge Area

5.0 Project Scope Management

5.1 The Pitch on Scope

5.2 Mind Map—Scope Management

5.3 Overview

5.4 Exam Checklist—Scope

5.5 Process Map—Scope Management

5.6 Process Review—Scope Management

5.7 Flowchart—Scope Management

5.8 Quiz—Scope Management

5.9 Practice Test—Scope Management

5.10 Quiz Answers—Scope Management

5.11 Practice Test Answers—Scope Management

Chapter 6

Time

Project Time Management

Knowledge Area

6.0 Project Time Management

6.1 The Pitch on Time

6.2 Mind Map—Time Management

6.3 Overview

6.4 Exam Checklist—Time

6.5 Process Map—Time Management

6.6 Process Review—Time Management

6.7 Flowchart—Time Management

6.8 Quiz—Time Management

6.9 Practice Test—Time Management

6.10 Quiz Answers—Time Management:

6.11 Practice Test Answers—Time Management

6.12 Project Scheduling Exercises

Chapter 7

Costs

Project Cost Management

Knowledge Area

7.0 Project Cost Management

7.1 The Pitch on Costs

7.2 Mind Map—Cost Management

7.3 Overview

7.4 Exam Checklist—Cost

7.5 Process Map—Cost Management

7.6 Process Review—Cost Management

7.7 Flowchart—Cost Management

7.8 Quiz—Cost Management

7.9 Practice Test—Cost Management

7.10 Quiz Answers—Cost Management

7.11 Practice Test Answers—Cost Management

7.12 Earned Value Exercises

7.13 Answers—Earned Value Exercise

Chapter 8

Quality

Project Quality Management

Knowledge Area

8.0 Project Quality Management

8.1 The Pitch on Quality

8.2 Mind Map—Quality

8.3 Overview

8.4 Exam Checklist—Quality

8.5 Process Map—Quality Management

8.6 Process Review—Quality Management

8.7 Flowchart—Quality Management

8.8 Quiz—Quality Management

8.9 Practice Test—Quality Management

8.10 Quiz Answers—Quality Management

8.11 Practice Test Answers—Quality Management

Chapter 9

Human Resources

Project Human Resource Management

Knowledge Area

9.0 Project Human Resource Management

9.1 The Pitch on Human Resources

9.2 Mind Map—Human Resources

9.3 Overview

9.4 Exam Checklist—Human Resources

9.5 Process Map—Human Resource Management

9.6 Process Review—Human Resource Management

9.7 Flowchart—Human Resource Management

9.8 Quiz—Human Resource Management

9.9 Practice Test—Human Resource Management

9.10 Quiz Answers—Human Resource Management

9.11 Practice Test Answers—Human Resource Management

Chapter 10

Communications

Project Communications Management

Knowledge Area

10.0 Project Communications Management

10.1 The Pitch on Communications

10.2 Mind Map—Communications Management

10.3 Overview

10.4 Exam Checklist—Communications

10.5 Process Map—Communications Management

10.6 Process Review—Communications Management

10.7 Flowchart—Communications Management

10.8 Quiz—Communications Management

10.9 Practice Test—Communications Management

10.10 Quiz Answers—Communications Management

10.11 Practice Test Answers—Communications Management

Chapter 11

Risk

Project Risk Management

Knowledge Area

11.0 Project Risk Management

11.1 The Pitch on Risk

11.2 Mind Map—Risk

11.3 Overview

11.4 Exam Checklist—Risk

11.5 Process Map—Risk Management

11.6 Process Review—Risk Management

11.7 Flowchart—Risk Management

11.8 Quiz—Risk Management

11.9 Practice Test—Risk Management

11.10 Quiz Answers—Risk Management

11.11 Practice Test Answers—Risk Management

Chapter 12

Procurement

Project Procurement Management

Knowledge Area

12.0 Project Procurement Management

12.1 The Pitch on Procurement

12.2 Mind Map—Procurement Management

12.3 Overview

12.4 Exam Checklist—Procurement

12.5 Process Map—Procurement Management

12.6 Process Review—Procurement Management

12.7 Flowchart—Procurement Management

12.8 Contract Types

12.9 Contract Exercises

12.10 Quiz—Procurement Management

12.11 Practice Test—Procurement Management

12.12 Quiz Answers—Procurement Management

12.13 Practice Test Answers—Procurement Management

Chapter 13

STAKEHOLDERS

Project Stakeholder Management

Knowledge Area

13.0 Project Stakeholder Management

13.1 The Pitch on Stakeholders

13.2 Mind Map—Stakeholder Management

13.3 Overview

13.4 Exam Checklist—Stakeholders

13.5 Process Map—Stakeholder Management

13.6 Process Review—Stakeholder Management

13.7 Flowchart—Stakeholder Management

13.8 Quiz—Stakeholder Management

13.9 Practice Test—Stakeholder Management

13.10 Quiz Answers—Stakeholder Management

13.11 Practice Test Answers—Stakeholder Management

Chapter 14

Project Management

Process Groups

Answer Sheet

Simulated PMP Exam:

200 Questions—4 hour Duration

Answers

Glossary

Disclaimer

The contents of this book are intended to supplement study efforts and provide precise materials to prepare the reader to take the PMP (Project Management Professional) exam. Every effort has been made to confirm the accuracy of the contents of this book. However, the publisher and author accept no legal responsibility for the contents within.

The publisher and author strongly recommend to the reader that this book should be used in conjunction with A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)—Fifth Edition, and other study materials, in their efforts to pass the PMP exam. The author does not assure that the purchase of this book will guarantee that the reader will pass the PMP exam. The publisher and author will not be held liable for individuals who fail to acknowledge this notice.

The views of the author in this book do not necessarily reflect that of the Project Management Institute (PMI)®. The PMI did not partake in the development of this publication. PMI does not endorse or otherwise sponsor this publication and makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation, expressed or implied, as to its accuracy or content.

If you discover any errors in this book, please send an e-mail to [e-mail].

PMI, PMBOK, PgMP, PMP, PMI-RMP, and CAPM are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

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www.baseline3.com

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For my daughter, Sarah…

You will never know how much you make me smile

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Acknowledgments

I would like to express my appreciation to the many people who assisted and offered support in the research, creation, and publishing of this book; the discussions with many people who offered numerous insights, the folks who offered inspiration and advice, exchanged ideas, and kept me on track; the proofreaders, designers, and publisher for their candid feedback and guidance.

I would also like to mention some of the people whose efforts and support made this book possible…

My sister, Pauline, for all her support on many fronts and reminding me to eat from time to time.

My son, Gordon, for his contributions and enduring the many distractions (mainly from me) from his PMP exam studies.

My daughter, Sarah, for smiling every time I mentioned this book. I truly believe she will assume the reins of baseline3 in a few years once she completes her business studies.

Other family members for their support: Anne, Ronnie, James, and Chris.

Dave Dzick, PMP, for his help with the book and ongoing efforts with our website—an area that will always be a work in progress.

The PMI chapter, Durham Highlands Chapter, for providing excellent networking opportunities.

My gratitude goes to Trafford Publishing for helping me through the many steps to get this book out there.

To everyone who tolerated my preoccupied presence while working on this book. I am looking forward to rejoining the human race, if you’ll have me.

Last and not least, please forgive me if I have failed to mention anyone involved in the making of this book.

GGTTH

Preface

Thank you for selecting this book. We are confident it will become a prime resource in you preparation for the Project Management Professional (PMP)® exam. Moreover, congratulations on your decision to pursue the PMP® credential! This is probably one of the most globally recognized certifications around today, combined with the potential to benefit almost any industry and your career.

This edition of A Roadmap to Cracking the PMP Exam was made possible by the tireless contributions from key and credentialed individuals. There is a wealth of project management knowledge and experience invested in this book, and my sincere gratitude goes out to all who played their part.

The early beginnings for baseline3 involved many discussions about project management among a group of individuals who managed projects and programs and/or conducted project management training within various industries. I will always continue to be impressed with the wealth and diversity of readily available project management experience and knowledge. Eventually, the decision was made to form baseline3, develop our own project management learning materials, and provide training services and guidance to anyone interested in pursuing the Project Management Institute (PMI)® certifications and/or the project management profession.

Baseline3 endured all the wonderful elements of a business start-up including fun, chaos, innovation, brainstorming, debate, planning, disagreement, more planning, prioritization, agreement, negotiations, production, control… fun. Selecting the company name and logo consumed a way more time than anyone anticipated. As you can see, by no real stretch of the imagination, our name and logo refers to the triple constraint. However, I still think my colleagues were too hasty in rejecting my original idea to use a certain prism from a certain Pink Floyd album for the logo. Subsequently, they cited intellectual property infringement as the rationale for dismissal.

The linkage between project management, the Pink Floyd album, and the suggestion to use the prism within our logo can be attributed to song titles such as Time and Money and their coincidental relevance to project management. However, all was to no avail. Okay, enough of the psychedelic rambling.

The PMP exam is relatively difficult to pass. Conversely, we measure our success by the number of candidates we can prepare to pass the PMP exam at their first attempt. Our concept of preparation is to maximize your chances of success on exam day. The Project Management Institute (PMI)® recommends that the ideal PMP exam preparation typically includes multiple study sources and aids. This book is aligned with the Project Management Institute, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, (PMBOK® Guide)—Fifth Edition, and is designed to be one of those study sources and aims to tip the scales in your favor on exam day by enhancing your PMP exam preparation.

If you started your study efforts using the PMBOK® Guide—Fourth Edition, don’t panic, your efforts in this area are still of value. I believe the transition to the PMBOK® Guide—Fifth Edition is relatively straightforward. Probably the most significant change is the addition of the new knowledge area: Project Stakeholder Management.

Many projects have the potential to fail when we predominantly focus on the core knowledge areas relating to the triple constraint (i.e., is the project within scope, on schedule, and within budget). By applying the appropriate focus on effectively managing stakeholders, we will discover some of the values and benefits of stakeholder management including the ability to build trust, foster professional relationships, obtain their support for the project, retain their engagement, include their decision making, motivate project teams, and beyond. This is not just a selection of skills for the project manager; this is psychology and science. The PM needs to embrace the best practices from stakeholder management to promote a healthy project environment by establishing a suitable and effective balance between core knowledge area activities and the elements of stakeholder engagement.

I welcome the stakeholder management knowledge area and the emphasis and significance it brings to the goal of improving the likelihood of project success through developing productive and meaningful working relationships—more in chapter 13.

As previously stated, we are confident that this book will become a valuable resource in your approach to writing the PMP exam. This is reinforced by additional study tools that reside on our website, www.baseline3.com. Our commitment is to your PMP exam success. We strive to accomplish this by our continuous improvement policy to provide quality project management training materials to benefit your study efforts.

I will not wish you good luck on the exam since luck is typically accompanied by uncertainty. Our hope is that this book enhances your study effort, delivers the necessary project management knowledge for the PMP exam, and provides the essential confidence to overcome any surprises on exam day.

Show commitment, study hard smart, pass the exam, and celebrate!

Stuart Brunt

PMP | PgMP | PMI-RMP

Who Are Baseline3

Based in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada, baseline3 is a company that specializes in project management training. Our staff comprises a team of PMI-credentialed individuals who share a passion for project management and education and demonstrate this through our live classroom and online training courses. This passion extends to providing quality offerings to ensure prospective PMP candidates are equipped with the necessary knowledge and confidence to pass the PMP exam.

We promote a harmonized team culture that spans a few generations. Consequently, the baseline3 team bring several decades of multi-industry project management experience that supports our collaborative approach to courseware development. Our younger team members have passed the PMP exam using our learning materials and are a testament to the quality of education that we provide. The diverse and positive team dynamics allow us to professionally and thoughtfully blend traditional teaching methods with new technologies to provide world-class education.

Our goal is to concentrate our efforts on developing quality learning products to teach and expand on the project management best practices documented in the PMBOK® Guide. Equally important is our desire to continually improve our products by considering feedback and concerns from interested parties to maximize your PMP study experience, and serve as a source of information for anyone interested in project management.

Lastly, to further your study preparation, please remember to review the materials relating to the PMI Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct in the PMP Handbook (pp. 48-51).

Please visit and bookmark our website at www.baseline3.com to learn more about baseline3 and our project management course offerings and study products. Our vision of success is measured by your success.

The baseline3 team

About This Book

The PMBOK® Guide and the PMP Examination Content Outline play a key role in your preparation for the PMP exam. However, they do not include all the content you need for the exam. This is why we developed this book.

This section describes how to maximize the benefit from the materials included. We believe this book will play a vital role by enhancing your study plan and approach to help pass the PMP exam. We are also confident this publication will be beneficial to candidates studying for the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)® certification. Moreover, multiple study sources will convey an improved and more comprehensive understanding of the many project management theories.

The research for this book convinced us to adopt a format to satisfy multiple adult learning preferences. The contents include sufficient textual information and visual aids to convey an overall improved understanding of the many project management terms and concepts needed for the exam. We know that passing the PMP exam is extremely important to you. This book is the ideal reference to help you accomplish this goal.

Symbol

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Figure A.1: Process Group Legend

The symbolic representation in figure A.1 is used throughout this publication to identify the process group associated with each process currently under review/study.

PMI-credentialed professionals performed the research and information compilation for this book. Many information-gathering techniques were employed to produce a richness of content. The feedback contained some common themes that enabled us to categorize and hone in on areas where PMP candidates commonly experience difficulties. Therefore, we decided to expand on these areas while still maintaining consistent coverage of the project knowledge areas, process groups, and processes by using a modular approach. Let me explain further.

Knowledge Benefit Module 1—Knowledge Area Narratives

Each of the ten project management knowledge areas are described in narrative form. The aim is to maintain a consistent flow of information without compromise to the crucial aspects needed for the exam. To reduce the dreaded walls of text—this chapter being an exception to the rule—we have included many charts and diagrams designed to deliver a broad understanding of the many project management concepts. Furthermore, key exam points are emphasized and accompanied by exam tips. For individuals who have a preference to the more pictorial approach, mind maps and flowcharts are included to enrich the understanding for each knowledge area, subsequently conveying the big picture in an easy-to-comprehend graphic representation. Each chapter also provides an exam review and a recommendations checklist to enhance your exam preparation and planning.

Knowledge Benefit Module 2—Practice Questions

This book includes more than three hundred and sixty information-packed project management questions to reinforce your exam preparation. Each chapter closes with a knowledge area—related test of fifteen questions. This is supplemented by a PMP-simulated test of two hundred questions toward the end of the book. This is an invaluable stand-alone knowledge reference.

A great deal of research and preparation ensures a quality selection of questions. They are designed from personal experiences to best simulate as accurately as possible the caliber and complexity of the questions to expect in the real PMP exam. Our own experiences, combined with multiple feedback sources, concur that the style of questioning in the PMP exam can rattle the confidence of the most prepared candidates. The random switch between formal and informal wording within the exam questions can surprise and distract many exam takers. Our questions adequately address this potential for uncertainty and eliminate the element of unwanted surprise.

After you complete each test, a review is essential to measure where your knowledge level currently resides and to identify any weak areas that necessitate further study. To reinforce the benefits of the questions, we have included detailed and descriptive answers. They offer information relating to why the correct selection is correct and explain why the other three options are incorrect. However, in many instances, many of the incorrect options for one scenario might be ideal for other scenarios. Therefore, practically all answers are described in detail to strengthen knowledge retention.

Overall, the questions offer an excellent condensed learning module, designed to address all aspects of project management needed for the final exam. It is recommended that you repeat the tests as often as needed and retain a log of your scores. Please photocopy and use the blank score sheet provided.

Knowledge Benefit Module 3—Quizzing Your Knowledge

Each project management knowledge area chapter includes a quiz, whereby the reader is asked to match key terms with their respective descriptions. Incidentally, we have created a very effective software version of this on our website. Check out the free sampler at www.baseline3.com.

This is another excellent study source which probes deeper and defines the terminology relating to each knowledge area. This is where you will gain a better understanding of the ITTOs and their interrelationships across the project management life cycle. The goal is to understand the ITTOs instead of memorization. It is advisable to repeat these quizzes until you accomplish the desired level of confidence.

The answers are given later in each chapter, along with another table that provides the answers sequentially and indicates whether the key term is a process, input, tool and technique, or output. The latter table serves as a valuable study reference as you approach your exam date.

Knowledge Benefit Module 4—Glossary

A significant amount of effort is applied to produce a comprehensive glossary. The same can be said for almost any book containing a glossary. Many of you, including me, probably give this section a brief review and never give it another thought. The glossary section provides a quick and easy reference to a multitude of valuable information, especially for the PMP exam.

The glossary at the end of this book required considerable effort, experience, and research to deliver the value needed to supplement your exam preparations. Virtually every term from the PMBOK® Guide—Fifth Edition and beyond are described to the appropriate detail. Many descriptions are customized and conceptualized to convey a wide-ranging understanding of project management and what to expect during the exam. You benefit from our research and experience by receiving many viewpoints that expand on the PMBOK® Guide glossary items.

The most important aspect of the glossary is that every term is included with a valuable description from project start-up to closure. We recommend that PMP candidates reference the glossary during study sessions to enhance their understanding of the terminology and increase the focus intensity as you near exam time.

Overall Knowledge Benefit

Planning to include these four knowledge benefit modules in conjunction with the PMBOK® Guide in your PMP exam study strategy will fortify your exam preparations. Individually, each module provides a condensed, but still encompassing, study source on a modular level. Combined, they are a powerful resource for the PMP exam. This also guarantees that the PMBOK® Guide remains a consistent study source throughout your study endeavors. This is crucial since it accounts for approximately seventy-five percent of the exam content.

A popular recommendation is to read the PMBOK® Guide first. We agree! Approximately seventy-five percent of the PMP exam is based on the PMBOK® Guide and the PMP Examination Content Outline document. Your first review of the PMBOK® Guide is critical to your plan and approach to the PMP exam and provides the ideal foundation for your studies. Subsequently, this book is designed to supplement the PMBOK® Guide, cover material not included in the PMBOK® Guide, and expand on areas to reinforce your project management knowledge and confidence when exam time is looming. We believe that virtually all exams are attainable if you apply the appropriate approach and commitment. The PMP exam is no exception!

Chapter 1

Applying for the PMP Exam

1.0 The PMP Exam Application Timeline

A free copy of the PMP Handbook can be acquired from the PMI website. The following represents a typical timeline for the PMP exam process:

image%201.jpg

Figure 1.1: PMP Timeline

Becoming a PMI member offers the following benefits:

• Exam fees are $405 for members compared to $555 for nonmembers

• A complimentary and personalized digital copy of the PMBOK® Guide

• Eligibility to join PMI Chapters—good networking opportunity

• A comprehensive library of e-books

1.1 Satisfy Credential Prerequisites

You must comply with the educational and professional experience requirements prior to submitting your application. All project management experience must be from the last eight consecutive years and nonoverlapping. The two options for the prerequisites include:

High school diploma, associate’s degree, or global equivalent; Five years of professional project management experience with 7,500 hours leading and directing projects

OR

Four-year bachelor’s degree or global equivalent; Three years of professional project management experience with 4,500 hours leading and directing projects

Each path requires thirty-five contact hours of formal project management education. Don’t panic, you may have already accrued the necessary hours through professional courses/training you attended relating to project management. When completing the application form, add the project management-related courses you attended with the course name, dates, and appropriate hours. If you have not attended such training, or only have some of the required hours, you can earn the thirty-five hours through PMP preparation courses (classroom or online).

1.2 Complete and Submit the Exam Application

Completing the application online is not mandatory; however, it is preferred by PMI as it streamlines the application process. Once you start the online application, you have ninety days to complete and submit. We recommend completing the application over several sessions in an environment where you can focus on the task. The following tips are aimed to assist:

o Gather all your verifiable qualifications, training, and project management experience information.

o From the PMI website, select the Apply for PMP Credential link. This starts the ninety-day timer for the application process. You can save your work and return later.

o After completing the self-explanatory areas on the application, start the Project Management experience verification section.

o Add the project details and calculate and assign the hours you engaged each project domain (i.e., Initiating, Planning, Executing, Controlling, and Closing).

o Add a high-level description (≤ 550 characters) covering your role on the project and strive to address each project domain.

o Repeat the experience verification section for each project you wish to include.

o Detail how you acquired the thirty-five contact hours.

o Perform a final review of your application.

o Submit your PMP Credential application form.

1.3 Submit Exam Fees—Schedule Exam

Once the PMI are satisfied with the content of your application, you will receive an e-mail to proceed with exam fee payment. The next e-mail you receive, hopefully, contains your exam scheduling instructions. This provides guidance on scheduling your exam date through the Prometric testing center website. You now have one year and three attempts to write and pass the PMP exam.

1.4 Audit

Upon submitting exam payment, you may receive an e-mail stating that you have been selected for audit. PMI randomly selects around 10 percent of all credential applications for audit. The e-mail contains instructions regarding the information necessary to satisfy the audit.

The audit process is relatively straightforward. Gather and mail the appropriate information per instructions. PMI will respond in around five days with the audit results. Your Eligibility Period will be reset accordingly.

1.5 Summary

Figure 1.2: PMP Timeline Summary

Check out the following link for more information on the PMP credential and a free copy of the PMP Handbook:

http://www.pmi.org/Certification/~/media/PDF/Certifications/pdc_pmphandbook.ashx

Chapter 2

PMP Exam Strategies

2.0 The PMP Exam

2.1 Multiple-Choice Exam

On exam day, relax! All is good. Besides, failure is not an option. I know, easy for me to say. However, you have devoted a great deal of time and effort in reaching this day. You are satisfied with your preparation and decided that your knowledge and confidence is at the desired level to write the exam. If this is the case, you are good to go. Remove all doubt and aim high.

The PMP exam is not designed to trick candidates; it is designed to test your knowledge and experience regarding the PMBOK® Guide and the PMP Examination Content Outline testing specification. Your supplemental study sources have reinforced your project management knowledge and preparedness, in addition to covering topics not included in PMI’s global standards. Furthermore, the mock exams have provided a good indication of your scoring potential. Here are some tips regarding preparing for exam day and writing the exam.

Exam Day:

o Visit the Prometric testing center prior to your exam date to familiarize yourself with the environment and take the opportunity to confirm your appointment.

o On the exam day, you will be escorted to a test station. When the fifteen-minute tutorial begins, take the opportunity to create your brain dump using the pencils and paper provided.

o The exam will start as the tutorial ends and comprises two hundred multiple-choice questions to be completed in four hours. Only one hundred and seventy-five of the questions count toward your final score; the other twenty-five are for PMI analysis purposes and possible future exams—these questions are unknown to you.

o When you select Submit, or the timer expires, your exam results will be calculated and displayed on the monitor momentarily. Your final score is defined by proficiency levels per domain.

o You will be presented with a hard copy of your exam results when you sign out from the prometric testing center.

The Exam:

The PMP exam questions are assigned across the project management process groups as follows:

Figure 2.1: PMP Exam Question Allocation

2.2 PMP Exam Question Styles

The exam employs various question styles to test your project management knowledge. They include direct short questions, lengthy questions, situational, scenario, formula-based, and ITTO-related questions. You will encounter questions that include key words such as Most Likely, Least Likely, Best, Not, Except, First, True, False, and Next. You must pay close attention to key words as they can occasionally alter the meaning of a question. These terms indicate which type of response is necessary when making a selection. The following are examples of the various question styles to expect on the PMP exam:

Q1. <Double-Negative>: All the following are true statements regarding the Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis process, EXCEPT:

A. Project risks are categorized.

B. Project risks are prioritized.

C. Project risks are numerically analyzed.

D. The quality of the gathered risk data is assessed for accuracy.

The question is asking which statement is false. Option C is correct, or incorrect or the exception, depending on the perspective. The statement is incorrect since it is associated with the Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis process. However, in the context of the question, the statement is the correct choice since it is a false statement with regard to the Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis.

As mentioned earlier, some exam questions employ an informal nature that can catch students off guard. Review the following examples:

Q2a. <Informal>: Some of the guys in the field have mentioned that resurfacing the parking lot will probably take around eight days. Weather permitting; they have seen this work done in six days. If all else fails, ten days may be needed to complete the job. What is the average duration for the work?

Q2b. <Formal>: You are managing a project tasked with resurfacing a large parking lot. Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) have submitted a range of estimates regarding the duration for the planned work. They have estimated that the work will most likely take eight days. Their optimistic opinion suggests the work can be completed in six days. Worst-case scenario estimates the work to take as much as ten days. Calculate the average duration for the planned work?

The two questions offer identical information (i.e., Optimistic [best-case scenario], Most Likely [realistic], and Pessimistic [worst-case scenario]) whereby the average duration can be calculated using the Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT):

(O + (4*ML) + P) / 6

=> (6 + (4*8) + 10) / 6 = 8 days

Q3. <Lengthy Question>: Carolyn is managing a project with a deliverable to provide a secure Cloud platform intended to share information across the various business units. This will involve project phases including conceptual, requirements gathering, design, testing, integration, roll-out and training. Other essential aspects include managing the access privileges to ensure individuals and user groups can only retrieve relevant information. The Cloud platform should also facilitate document revision control. The project schedule is slipping due to continual interruptions from staff members Carolyn is meeting for the first time. The common complaint is that the new system does not address their needs. Which essential process did Carolyn Likely overlook?

A. Plan Stakeholder Management.

B. Create a Project Scope Statement.

C. Baseline the Project Schedule.

D. Identify Stakeholders.

The correct answer is option D. The Identify Stakeholders process lists all individuals and groups who can be potentially affected by, or can influence the outcome of the project in a positive or negative manner. This enables the PM to include their input when gathering requirements in an effort to satisfy their needs and encourage their engagement. Option A is incorrect. Options C and D are NOT project processes.

Lengthy questions provide a great deal of information (fluff) irrelevant to what the question is actually asking. Only the last few sentences in Q3 provide the information essential to answering the question. Also, note the use of the key word LIKELY. This assists in differentiating between options A and D since Identify Stakeholders (Initiating) is performed before Plan Stakeholder Management (Planning).

Situational questions tend to be a little tricky since they are usually somewhat lengthy and offer choices that all appear reasonably correct. As the name suggests, these questions are testing your ability and experience to select the BEST course of action with regard to the predicament. In other words, what would you do NEXT? What is the BEST response? What is the FIRST item you will address?

A common mistake for PMP aspirants is to gloss over these questions and select the first answer that immediately looks promising. Part of your exam preparation should include practicing the different question styles. A strategy for situational questions is to identify the relevant and disregard the irrelevant information. Also, remember that you are in charge of the project; you are proactive in your problem solving/decision making and are tasked with successfully providing the project deliverable. Therefore, choices that imply that you should ignore the problem, delegate or refer the problem elsewhere, stop all activities or ask for advice are typically incorrect. You are in charge. Let’s try a situational question:

Q4. <Situational>: Janice is managing three projects (projects 1, 2, and 3) concurrently and sharing resources across them. Senior management has recently reprioritized the projects whereby project 2 will now receive more focus and more resources. Morale is diminishing among project team members within projects 1 and 3 since certain schedule milestones are becoming almost impossible to achieve. The situation is becoming increasingly disruptive and severely impacting productivity. What should be your NEXT course of action?

A. Ask senior management if they can reconsider their decision to enable you to regain control of the resource allocation process.

B. Utilize the performing organization’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) application to provide a software solution intended to automate resource allocation.

C. Gather and analyze the information from all three projects to gain a better understanding of options available to improve resource sharing across the projects.

D. Put the problem aside for now and arrange a meeting with the project team members to gather their feedback in an effort to find the best conflict-resolution strategy.

Now put yourself in the exam taker’s shoes. Here are some don’ts. It is question 162. You have been in the exam center a few hours, getting a little tired. You can be out of here soon, and some food is sounding pretty good around now. Choice A sounds good, senior management caused the problem; I haven’t picked choice A for a while, so let’s go for choice A. Choice A is wrong.

Resist the temptation to fly through these questions unless time is scarce, and it is the last resort. Attempt to break the question down and extract the relevant information to assist your decision. We need everyone to be Janice just for this question. Try this five-phase strategy.

First: Carefully assess the question and extract the relevant information. You are the project manager (Janice) in charge of three projects sharing resources. Senior management has reprioritized your projects, and this has caused disruption to your projects and staff members. What do I do NEXT?

Second: Assess and condense the available choices. Reading them in reverse (D, C, B, and A) is a useful strategy.

A. Ask senior management to reconsider.

B. Implement a software solution.

C. Gather information to better understand the problem.

D. Put the problem on the back burner and gain feedback from staff.

Third: Start eliminating choices that appear infeasible. Remove option A since senior management is probably examining the big picture and has made this decision in an effort to benefit the overall business strategy. Remove option D since it states to initially ignore the problem. This should not be your NEXT action. Besides, there are better methods to implement conflict resolution. Choices B and C appear feasible at this time.

Fourth: Okay, almost there. Read choices B and C again and apply them to the situation of the question. What would you do NEXT? They both sound relatively viable. However, choice B advises implementing a software solution to remedy the situation without first understanding the problem. This might work. However, the solution is inconclusive, meaning uncertainty remains. Therefore, eliminate choice B.

Fifth: Finalize your answer. As PM, you should understand the problem, or better still, anticipate problems, by gathering and analyzing the necessary information to make informed decisions and provide the optimum solution aimed to benefit the overall project. Therefore, choice C is the NEXT course of action and the correct answer. Practice will accelerate this strategy for the exam.

Formula based questions can also be lengthy. Again, the strategy is to extract the relevant information and apply this to the formulas you have presumably recorded from your brain dump. Better still, a good understanding of the formulas is preferred over memorization. An Earned Value (EV) based question typically provides a good example.

Q4. <Formula Based>: The deliverable for your project is to upgrade the operating system (OS), integrate Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) security measures and test one thousand machines. The consultant has estimated that the cost will be $575 per machine, and the duration will be six months. At the end of month 2, you decide to use EV to determine the health of the project. At this