The PMP Quick Study Guide

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PMBOK® Guide – 6th Edition Changes ............................................................................................... 1

Project Management Framework ........................................................................................................ 2
Role of PMO (Project Management Office) ......................................................................................... 2
Project Management Processes........................................................................................................... 3
Organizational Structures ................................................................................................................... 4
The Role of a Project Manager............................................................................................................ 5
Knowledge Area Summaries .............................................................................................................. 6
Integration Management......................................................................................................................................... 6
Scope Management ................................................................................................................................................. 7
Schedule Management ............................................................................................................................................ 8
Cost Management .................................................................................................................................................... 8
Quality Management............................................................................................................................................... 9
Resource Management ............................................................................................................................................ 9
Communications Management ............................................................................................................................. 10
Risk Management .................................................................................................................................................. 10
Procurement Management ................................................................................................................................... 11
Stakeholder Management ................................................................................................................................... 11
Professional Ethics ............................................................................................................................ 12
PMP Exam Taking Tips ..................................................................................................................... 13
About the Author .............................................................................................................................. 14

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‘PMI’ and ‘PMP’ are registered trademarks of Project Management Institute, Inc.
 The PMP® Quick Study Guide

The PMP® Quick Study Guide

Hi this is Dan Ryan, The PM Tutor. I’m excited to share with you this quick
study guide for the PMP® exam. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or
a Project Manager with just a few years of experience, the process of
getting your PMP® can be overwhelming; that’s why I put together this
guide to help you identify the most critical areas to study. I’ve consolidated
all my coaching and PMP® resources to give you the basics of passing the
PMP®; if you have questions please reach out to me at
[email protected]. Let’s jump right in!

PMBOK® Guide – 6 th Edition Changes

Agile Comes to the PMBOK® Guide with expanded coverage.

A new chapter on the role of the project manager that focuses on effective leadership –
including necessary competencies, experience and skills.

Two renamed Knowledge Areas that more accurately reflect which elements can be
managed and which cannot:

▪ Schedule Management (formerly known as Time Management)

▪ Resource Management (formerly known as Human Resource Management)

Every Knowledge Area now features four new sections:

Trends & Tailoring Agile/Adaptive

Key Concepts Emerging Considerations Environments
Practices

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▪ Key Concepts, consolidating information fundamental to a specific knowledge area.

▪ Trends and Emerging Practices not yet widely used.

▪ Tailoring Considerations, describing aspects of the project or environment to consider when

planning the project.

▪ Considerations for Agile/Adaptive Environments.

More emphasis on strategic and business Technical

Project
knowledge, including discussion of project Management
management business documents.

Information on the PMI Talent Triangle™

(Technical Project Management, Leadership and Strategic &
Strategic and Business Management) which are Business Leadership
Management
the essential skills for success in today’s market.

Project Management Framework

Definition of a project: A project is a temporary endeavor with a beginning and an end. A

project creates a unique product, service or result.

Process or Operational work: Operational work is ongoing. It can be repetitive and the focus is
on learning and improving the efficiency with time.

Role of PMO (Project Management Office)

A PMO is an organization entity and is NOT an

individual’s designation or role.

A PMO in general would have the following roles:

Provide policies, methodologies and templates to

manage projects

Facilitate and provide support and guidance to other practitioners in managing projects

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 The PMP® Quick Study Guide

Cost Quality

Schedule Resources

Scope Project
Constraints Risk

Law of Constraints: If one constraint is changed invariably there is a change required in at least
any of the other constraints.

Constraints help in evaluating competing demands. The project manager is responsible for
analyzing the changes requested to the project and identifying its impact on all the constraints
through change control.

Project Management Processes

In the PMBOK® Guide, a set of related processes are combined into a group and is called a
Process Group:

Monitoring
Initiation Planning Execution and Closing
Controlling

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The project management Knowledge Areas are areas of specialization that are commonly
employed when managing projects:

Integration Stakeholder Scope Schedule

Management Management Management Management

Cost Quality Resource Communications

Management Management Management Management

Risk Management Procurement

Management

According to the PMBOK® Guide – 6th Edition: there are 49 processes across all process groups
and knowledge areas.

Organizational Structures

Type of Organization Work Groups Arranged By

Organic or Simple Flexible; people working side by side
Functional (centralized) Grouped by specialty
Multi-divisional (may replicate functions for One of: product; production processes;
each division with little centralization) portfolio; program; geographic region;
customer type
Matrix – strong By job function, with project manager as a
function
Matrix- weak Job function
Matrix – balanced Job function
Project-oriented (composite, hybrid) Grouped by projects

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Virtual Network structure with nodes at points of

contact with other people
Hybrid Mix of other types
PMO* Mix of other types

In a Strong Matrix, power is with the project manager, while in a Weak Matrix, power is with the
functional manager. In a Balanced Matrix, both are equally powerful.

In a Project-oriented (composite, hybrid), the authority of the project manager is high to almost
total.

According to PMBOK® Guide – 6th Edition, PMO refers to a portfolio, program, or project
management office or organization.

The Role of a Project Manager

A professional project manager - by his skill, knowledge and

experience - educates other professionals regarding the value of
a project management approach to the organization.

Key skills include:

Focus on the critical technical project management elements for each project

Tailor both traditional and agile tools, techniques, and methods for each project

Work to develop. Enhance, and have a balance of the PMI Talent Triangle® which focuses
on three key skill sets (these components can support longer-range strategic objectives that
contribute to the bottom line):

▪ Technical project management

▪ Leadership

▪ Strategic and business management

Explain to other practitioners the critical business aspects of a project

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Implement the strategy in a way that maximizes the value of a project

Ability to guide, motivate, and direct a team

Being a Visionary

Being Collaborative

Being a life-long learner with focus on achieving results in the best interest of their projects

Knowledge Area Summaries

Integration Management

The Knowledge area of Integration management ties together

(integrates) all aspects of the project. The PMP® Exam questions on
Integration will be broad in nature and relatively straightforward,
but will cover a lot of different material. Study Integration
Management closely, because if you look at the PMP exam by
knowledge area, Integration will be the area with the greatest
amount of questions.

Items for special consideration:

Develop Project Charter – study the project selection methods and be aware of how senior
management and the sponsor interact with this process. Study examples of project charters
and know all their elements.

Direct & Manage Project Work – this process creates the deliverables that will be validated
by the customer. You should understand how these deliverables flow out of this process and
interact with Control Quality and Validate Scope. Work performance data is also important.

Manage Project Knowledge – the process of using existing knowledge and then creating new
knowledge to achieve the project’s objectives and thus contribute to organizational learning,
which benefits the organization. Thus prior organizational knowledge is leveraged so as to
produce or improve the project outcomes, and the knowledge created by the project, is
therefore available to support organizational operations for future projects and even future
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phases.

Close project or Phase – make sure you are aware of all the elements of this process. What
are the exact things that the PM does when this process starts? Make sure that you are aware
that closing a Phase can occur multiple times, but you only close a Project once.

Scope Management

The PMP® exam will likely test your ability to understand the most important
principle regarding scope – which is that scope management ensures that a project
includes all the work required and ONLY the work required. You will likely need to
be able to differentiate between Product Scope vs. Project Scope.

According to the PMBOK® Guide – 6th Edition:

Product scope – The features and functions that characterize a product, service, or result.

Project scope – The work performed to deliver a product, service, or result with the specified
features and functions. The term “project scope” is sometimes viewed as including the product
scope.

Items for special consideration:

Collect Requirements – This is an extremely important process because it produces the

requirements documentation, which the customer later uses as an input in the Validate Scope
process to either accept or reject the project deliverables coming out of the Direct & Manage
Project Work process.

Define Scope – Also super important for Scope on the PMP® exam, because this process
generates the Scope Statement. Study the scope statement and understand that it gives the
full details on the work to be done on the project and is part of the Scope Baseline (Scope
Statement, Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) & WBS dictionary).

Decomposition – A technique that is effectively used for dividing and subdividing the project
scope and project deliverables into smaller, more manageable parts. The work package is
the work at the lowest level of the WBS for which cost and duration can be estimated and
managed.

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Schedule Management

Schedule Management was formerly known as Time Management. The PMP® exam may present
questions to you on scheduling techniques, network diagrams, Gantt charts, critical path, schedule
compression techniques (e.g. crashing and fast tracking) and PERT – Beta Distribution. You may be
expected to calculate project duration, identify the critical path, know how to crash a schedule, use
dependencies other than finish to start and you may have to analyze a difficult network diagram.

Items for special consideration:

Schedule planning processes – You should be very comfortable with understanding the
sequence of time planning processes:

Plan Schedule Define Sequence

Management Activities Activities

Estimate Develop
Activity Schedule
Durations

Cost Management

The Cost section of the PMP® exam is difficult for most test takers. It covers a broad range of cost
concepts, and you may face several questions on Earned Value. The testing center will provide you
a calculator, but you must make sure that in addition to studying Cost overall, that you have
memorized and mastered the Earned Value Formulas.

Items for special consideration:

Estimate Costs – Make sure that you know the different types of estimates like Order of
Magnitude, etc. You will also need to know the tools such as Analogous estimating, Bottom Up,
Parametric and Three Point.

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Earned Value – This subset of the Cost knowledge area could be tested heavily; make sure
you memorize the formulas listed in this chapter and summarized in Table 7-1. Earned Value
Calculations Summary Table.

Quality Management

Quality is among the three most difficult knowledge areas, because most
people don’t have prior corporate experience or training on
Quality. There are also some very challenging mathematical concepts
involving process control and standard deviation.

Items for special consideration:

Perform Quality Assurance – This is a process-focused activity, done proactively by

management, to make sure quality standards are being followed by the team; whereas
Control quality occurs after the fact and is based upon inspections.

7 Basic Quality Tools – Make sure you know every one of these tools and how they analyze
data. Also, be aware that these tools are used in both Perform Quality Assurance and
Control Quality processes.

Resource Management

The questions on the PMP exam for Human Resources are usually not very difficult; this is a section
of the exam you want to ace if possible. Questions tend to be about people and behavioral
issues, and some questions on HR administrative functions.

Items for Special Consideration:

Acquire Project Team - Know the differences between the colocation of teams and the use of
virtual teams: Just because the team may be spread out geographically doesn’t mean we
can’t run the project effectively.

Develop Project Team – Make sure that you know the various forms of power, the theories of
motivation, and you will likely see some questions on ‘Tuckman’s Ladder.’

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Manage Team – You are likely to face questions on Methods of Conflict Management as well
as Constructive vs. Destructive Team Roles – be sure to know all of them.

Communications Management

Communications Management, similar to Resource

Management, is one of the easier sections of the PMP
Exam; a lot of the questions are grounded in ‘common
sense.’ Know the aspects of the Communication
Management Plan and be aware the Project Managers
spend as much as 90% of their time communicating.

Items for Special Consideration:

Manage Communications – Make sure you are familiar with the key output of this
process. You need to know the elements of the communications models and communication
Methods

Stakeholder communication requirements are maintained in the communications

management plan.

Risk Management

Risk Management involves balancing a potential risk against a potential reward. Risk is an
uncertain event (it may or may not happen) and can have a positive or negative effect. When a
risk event does occur, then it becomes an Issue. Threats are risks that have a negative impact, and
opportunities are risks that have a positive impact.

Risk Management Planning Processes – The Risk Register is a key output; you should be
aware of the tools for Identify Risk and Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis. Understand how
Qualitative Risk Analysis and Quantitative Risk Analysis differ.

Plan Risk Responses – Make sure you know the strategies for threats and positive risk.

▪ Escalate, Avoid, Transfer Mitigate

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▪ Escalate, Exploit, Share, Enhance

▪ Accept (Passive vs. Active)

Procurement Management

Procurement is a tricky part of the PMP exam, where you might

see a lot of unfamiliar terms. Procurement can account for a
good number of questions as well, especially around the different contract types and the risk
associated with each. However, the questions do seem to be more process-oriented than legal-
oriented. Remember, questions are generally asked from the buyer’s perspective, so put your
‘buyer’s hat’ on when answering them.

Items for special consideration:

Plan Procurement Management – It is very important for you to know the Procurement
contract types and understand who has the risk: the buyer or the seller?

Conduct Procurements – The major concept of this process (these are the outputs) is obtaining
Selected Sellers and Agreements. Also relevant are the tools of Bidder Conference as well
as Proposal Evaluation Techniques, Independent Estimates, and Advertising.

Close Procurements – You should know that this process must be completely resolved or
completed before you can move on to Close Project or Phase.

Stakeholder Management

Project Stakeholder Management was a new Knowledge Area introduced in Edition 5 of the
PMBOK® Guide. Though it’s been ‘tacked on’ after Procurement, Stakeholder Management might
more logically follow Chapter 4, Integration Management.

As an exam topic, this knowledge area should not be too difficult since there are no formulas or
‘body of technical issues’ to be mastered. This area is mostly dealing with stakeholders, and
focuses more on interpersonal and people-management skills. It can be difficult and challenging in
actual projects, but fairly straightforward as an exam topic.

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Items for Special Consideration:

Identify Stakeholder – Study the stakeholder register and the various methods of
categorizing stakeholders such as: power/interest grid, power/influence grid, or
impact/impact grid.

Stakeholder Engagement – Know the different strategies that could be applied to

stakeholders who do or do not have influence and/or impact on the project.

Professional Ethics

The PMI’s philosophy on ‘Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct’ is aimed at assisting the
practitioners in the efficient conduct of the business and in meeting obligations to the stakeholders.

The commitment to conduct of professional ethics is embodied in its values:

Responsibility Respect Fairness Honesty

It is unethical to manage a project if the practitioner is not trained in project management.

It is viewed as unethical if the practitioner prepares a project schedule which is not accurate.

It is unethical for the practitioner to have a poorly planned project which results in wasting
organizations’ resources.

It is unethical to manage a project without having the project charter.

PMI encourages practitioners to contribute to project management knowledge by building

capabilities of colleagues, sharing lessons learned and enhancing individual capabilities, by
applying professional knowledge to improve the quality of services and work.

It is highly recommended that you read and study the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct,
which can be found on the PMI website.

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PMP Exam Taking Tips

✓ Do not study the knowledge areas in isolation in

preparation for the final exam.

✓ Practice at least 6-7 full-length exams, and score a

minimum 80% before taking the final exam.

✓ Always have the imagination of ‘Large Projects’ in

mind when studying and taking the final exam.

✓ Decide in advance what notes you will write when given the scratch paper in the exam.

✓ Do not waste too much time pondering over a question. If unsure, ‘Mark as Review’ and come
back later.

✓ Read all the available options and then decide on the answer.

✓ Eliminate choices which are improbable, so that you have in general 2 answers to choose from.

✓ There can be more than one right answer, but only one BEST answer.

✓ Use all exam time. Take deep breaths and focus on the exam.

✓ There is no negative marking in the exam; hence you MUST answer ALL questions.

✓ Lastly, do not forget to bring your authorization letter to take the exam, with sufficient ID
proof with exactly the same name that you entered on the exam application.

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About the Author

Dan Ryan is a PMP Exam Prep expert who is globally recognized for
coaching students in passing the PMP exam, using techniques not used
anywhere else. Best known for his straightforward study routine, his
clients are often surprised by how simple it is to keep on track.

During his own preparation for the PMP exam, Dan noticed that
existing exam study strategies were confusing - everyone had a
different opinion on what to study and in what order. Taking matters into his own hands, he
reviewed all the resources and approaches offered, and then proceeded to boil it all down to a
simple & straightforward study plan, which he shares in his coaching sessions and classes.

Dan’s real-world experience provides expert insight into the passing the PMP; he’s spent much of
his career as a Project Manager for many large and well-respected organizations, as well as a
Professor at NYU, Dowling College and Molloy College.

Dan has worked with and listened to thousands of PMP candidates worldwide, and has spent
many years coaching professionals to successfully pass the PMP Exam.

He currently lives in West Sayville, New York, with his wife and children.

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