APM Project Management Qualification

Study Guide
Competence 1
Life cycles
 PMQ Study Guide

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PMQ Study Guide Contents
Contents

PMQ Study Guide Contents .......................................................................................................... 3

Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 4
Our approach ...................................................................................................................................... 4
The examination.................................................................................................................................. 4
Exam structure .................................................................................................................................... 4
Competence 1: Life cycles ............................................................................................................. 7
Learning objective ............................................................................................................................... 7
Assessment criteria ............................................................................................................................. 7
The distinctive features of linear, iterative and hybrid life cycles (including why projects are
structured as phases in linear life cycles) and when each is applicable. ............................................ 8
Life cycle .......................................................................................................................................... 8
Linear life cycle ................................................................................................................................ 8
Iterative life cycle ............................................................................................................................ 9
User story ........................................................................................................................................ 9
Story point ....................................................................................................................................... 9
Timebox ......................................................................................................................................... 10
Minimum viable product ............................................................................................................... 10
Hybrid life cycle ............................................................................................................................. 10
Why projects are structured as phases in a linear life cycle ......................................................... 11
Concept ......................................................................................................................................... 12
Definition ....................................................................................................................................... 12
Deployment ................................................................................................................................... 12
Transition....................................................................................................................................... 12
Differences between a project life cycle and an extended life cycle. ............................................... 12
Project life cycle ............................................................................................................................ 12
Extended life cycle ......................................................................................................................... 12
Adoption ........................................................................................................................................ 13
Benefits realisation........................................................................................................................ 13
How the context and culture of an organisation, and the needs of a specific project, influence the
choice of project life cycle and any adaptations that may be needed to the life cycle. ................... 13
Strengths and limitations of different life cycles. .............................................................................. 14
Summary ................................................................................................................................... 15

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Introduction
Our approach
We appreciate that you have a ‘day job’ and that you want us to help you spend the minimum amount
of time to:

• pass the exam first time – a key goal

• gain useful skills and knowledge which will make you a better project manager.
This course is for individuals with some knowledge and experience of project management, who now
wish to understand industry best practice and, most importantly, receive recognition in the form of a
widely recognised professional qualification. The exam can be viewed as a form of ‘driving test’ for
projects; you can drive, but afterwards you will need to hone your existing skills and learn a few more.
The material covered in the course is equally applicable to projects with a business, technical,
construction or procurement interest.

The examination
The PMQ is a qualification for those working in project management as specialists, who need to
understand project management in order to achieve efficiency and effectiveness. The exam is designed
to determine an individual’s knowledge of project management based on the PMQ syllabus.

Exam structure
The exam is online and closed book and lasts for two-and-a half hours, excluding a break which you
may choose to take (see below).

There are 4 question types as follows:

Question type Verb(s) How to respond

Multiple response Select/Choose Select the answer option or combination of answer options
that you think are correct.
Select from list Select/Choose Click on a ‘select from list’ symbol to open a list of options and
then click your preferred option to select it.
Short response (word, Give/List/State/ These command verbs will typically indicate when you need to
phrase, or sentence) Provide/Identify input a single word or phrase, or a list of words or phrases, to
answer the question.
If more than one word or phrase is required there will be a
separate answer space for each.
Long response You will typically need to respond with a short paragraph
(short paragraph) addressing the points requested. The size of the answer space
will indicate the length of answer that is expected.
Differentiate Your response should include details of how the areas in the
question are different.
Describe/Explain Your response should include details of the key characteristics,
qualities, or events for the area in the question.
Interpret Your response should explain the meaning of the area in the
question, in the given context.
Outline Your response should include the main points or
characteristics for the area in the question.

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There are 40 questions with a total of 90 marks available as follows:

Question
Count Type Marks per question Total marks for type
20 Multiple response 1 20
5 Select from list 2 10
5 Short response 2 10
10 Long response 5 50
Total 90

The pass mark varies slightly with the degree of difficulty of the paper and is typically in the range 55-
60 marks (61 – 67%).

The amount of your exam that will focus on each competence area is shown below. Questions in the
exam will be in a random order; they will not be ordered as shown here.

Competence Area and proportion

1. Life cycles
2. Governance arrangements Setting up for success
3. Sustainability 15-20%
4. Business case
5. Procurement
6. Reviews
Preparing for change
7. Assurance
15-20%
8. Transition management
9. Benefits management
10. Stakeholder engagement
11. Conflict resolution
12. Leadership People and behaviours
13. Team management 25-35%
14. Diversity and inclusion
15. Ethics, compliance, professionalism
16. Requirements management
17. Solutions development
18. Quality management
19. Integrated planning
Planning and managing deployment
20. Schedule management
30-40%
21. Resource management
22. Budgeting and cost control
23. Risk and issue management
24. Change control

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The exam is divided into two sessions, each session comprising 20 questions, and you can take a break
of up to 30 minutes between the two sessions. During the exam, your progress and time remaining for
the exam are displayed in a progress chart at the top of the screen. The timer will show the full duration
of the exam, and not only the first or second part. You can take the break whenever you are ready to
submit the 20 questions in the first section of the exam, but please note you cannot then return to
those questions.

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Competence 1: Life cycles
Learning objective
Understand the distinct life cycle stages used to structure and organise a project.

Assessment criteria

• Understand the distinctive features of linear, iterative and hybrid life cycles (including why
projects are structured as phases in linear life cycles) and know when each is applicable.

• Knowledge of the differences between a project life cycle and an extended life cycle.
• Understand how the context and culture of an organisation, and the needs of a specific project,
influence the choice of project life cycle and any adaptations that may be needed to the life
cycle.
• Knowledge of the strengths and limitations of different life cycles.

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The distinctive features of linear, iterative and hybrid life cycles (including why
projects are structured as phases in linear life cycles) and when each is applicable.

Life cycle
A framework comprising a set of distinct high-level stages required to transform an idea or concept
into reality in an orderly and efficient manner. Life cycles offer a systematic and organised way to
undertake project-based work and can be viewed as the structure underpinning deployment.

Note: While the definition of life cycle refers to stages, APM terminology typically refers to these as
phases.

Linear Incremental Iterative Evolutionary

Linear (Highly predictive) Incremental (Predictive) Iterative (Adaptive) Evolutionary (Highly
Suitable for stable, Allows ‘quick wins’ Prototypes used to adaptive) User feedback
low-risk environments develop insights drives development

Fig. 1. Possible life cycle structures.

There exists the potential for a wide variety of life cycle structures that reflect the business
environment in which a project is conducted.

Linear life cycle

A life cycle that aims to complete a project within a single pass through a set of distinct phases that
are completed serially and span from the development of the initial concept to the deployment of an
ultimate output, outcome, or benefits.

Project life cycle

Concept
Definition
Deployment
Transition

Output
Fig. 2. Linear project life cycle.

To be effective, a linear life cycle requires that the level of certainty regarding the problem being
addressed (and so the level of confidence in the solution) is high. If the solution cannot be fully
specified, the risk associated with the benefits undermines the business case, and the project will fail
at the definition phase. Furthermore, any change to the scope of the project at least partially negates
previous work (e.g. the development of a detailed schedule which is now known to be wrong), and this
inevitably adds to the cost of the project – it would have been cheaper to wait until the new
requirements emerged before performing detailed planning.
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Iterative life cycle
A life cycle that repeats one or more phases of a project or programme before proceeding to the next
one with the objective of managing uncertainty of scope by allowing objectives to evolve as learning
and discovery take place.

© Dynamic Systems Development Method Limited

Fig. 3. An iterative life cycle.

This sample iterative life cycle repeats the (linear) deployment phase multiple times. The adoption of
this type of life cycle is a proper response to the lack of certainty in the requirements in concept and
definition (here labelled feasibility and foundations, respectively).

There are a number of important features of iterative methods.

User story
An informal, simple language description of one or more features of a system or tool. User stories are
often written from the perspective of an end user or user of a system.

Story point
A method of estimating the completion/forecasting work yet to complete on a user story when using
an iterative life cycle.

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Timebox
A generic term used in iterative life cycle approaches to refer to an iteration with a fixed end date that
is not allowed to change, thereby adjusting the scope and quality to deliver on time and to cost.

Minimum viable product

A product with just enough features to satisfy early users, and to provide feedback for future product
development.

For each iteration, an agreed set of prioritised requirements is addressed, and at the end of the
development period (typically a few weeks) the outputs are reviewed, leading to addition to, and
refinement and re-prioritisation of, the requirements. Further iterations (of equal length to the first)
follow. When the minimum viable product has been produced, it can be implemented in the business
providing two significant advantages:

• the business derives benefits from the early use of new functionality
• users are able to ‘live test’ the product, leading to the identification of valuable enhancements
and new features for future iterative development of the product.
Iterative life cycles were originally developed for software development projects, where users often
struggle to fully articulate requirements, and where resources are, for the most part, reusable; lines of
code are susceptible to modification. However, the increased cost of replacing consumable resources
(such as bricks and mortar) make iterative methods typically inappropriate for infrastructure projects.

Hybrid life cycle

A hybrid life cycle is a pragmatic approach to achieving beneficial change that combines a linear life
cycle for some phases or activities with an iterative life cycle for others.

Hybrid life cycles are generally adopted for projects which display multiple features of the range
linear/incremental/iterative/evolutionary (see above).

Project life cycle

Concept
Definition
Deployment
Transition

Output

© Dynamic Systems Development Method Limited

Fig. 4. A hybrid life cycle.

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The addition of iterations to a linear life cycle enables a project team to choose elements of both linear
and iterative life cycles to best suit the project, allowing both fixed and variable requirements to be
accommodated in the development phase.

Why projects are structured as phases in a linear life cycle

Project life cycle

Concept
Definition
Deployment
Transition

Output
Fig. 5. Linear project life cycle.

Breaking a project into phases aids its management. The phased structure facilitates the creation of
governance and feedback mechanisms.

All projects should be managed, where possible, using a life cycle containing phases for the following
reasons:

• it encourages a focus on priority work relevant to the current phase, and facilitates the
identification of appropriate levels of detail to satisfy the needs of the current phase
• it provides a framework for monitoring, managing, and coordinating
• it provides a mechanism to continually validate the business case throughout the project
• using a gate review at the end of a phase facilitates formal go/no go decision making at the
end of that phase, including the control of project finances with the staged release of funding
• it ensures the early phases are not ignored and that these can be used to reinforce stakeholder
engagement and commitment
• each phase of the project can be treated as a separate entity, which will allow each phase to
be started correctly, properly planned, monitored, and closed, with lessons learned being
taken into later phases
• it assists in project planning at an appropriate level of detail, particularly in terms of
estimating, scheduling, and resourcing.
The decision to move to the next phase in a project represents a commitment by the sponsor to
provide the varied skills and resources needed at appropriate times. The profile of resources needed
typically changes over time and within phases. Uncertainty reduces with each succeeding phase.

The APM linear life cycle comprises four sequential phases.

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Concept
The development of an initial idea through initial studies and high-level requirements management,
and assessment of viability including an outline business case.

A sponsor is appointed and, often, a project manager. Sufficient analysis must be performed to enable
senior managers, led by the project sponsor, to make two decisions:

• is the project likely to be viable?

• is it definitely worth investing in the definition phase?

Definition
The development of detailed definition plans and statement of requirements that include a full
justification for the work.

The preferred solution is identified and ways of achieving it are refined. The project management plan
(PMP) is developed. This, together with the detailed business case, has to be approved by the sponsor
before progressing to the next phase.

Deployment
The implementation of plans and verification of performance through testing and assurance to realise
intended outputs, outcomes, and benefits.

The PMP is put into action and this phase may be broken down further into stages; at the end of each
stage the continuing viability of the project is reviewed.

Transition
The handover, commissioning, and acceptance of outputs to the sponsor and wider users, culminating
in formal closure of the project.

The project outputs are handed over and accepted by the sponsor on behalf of the users and the
success of the project is reviewed.

Differences between a project life cycle and an extended life cycle.

Project life cycle

A project life cycle, as we have seen, comprises four phases, being Concept, Definition, Deployment
and Transition. A project delivered by a contractor is very likely to use this standard life cycle, the
completion of the Transition phase and handing over of responsibility for the outputs coinciding with
the completion of the contract. This leaves the modification and embedding of new business-as-usual
(BAU) activities entirely the responsibility of the customer.

Extended life cycle

An extended life cycle adds an adoption phase to a linear or iterative life cycle with the purpose of
ensuring the accountability and governance of the investment stays with the change teams until
change is fully embedded, and benefits realisation is occurring at expected levels. It provides the
missing connection to benefits realisation in a linear life cycle and facilitates cooperation and
knowledge sharing between project, change and business-as-usual teams. This requires that
governance and accountability for adoption of the output stays within the project until the change is
fully embedded.
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Extended Project life cycle
Project life cycle

Concept
Definition
Deployment
Transition
Adoption
Benefits realisation

Output Outcome
Fig. 6. Extended life cycle.

Adoption
The optional additional phase in a linear life cycle that facilitates the use of project outputs to enable
the acceptance and use of benefits.

Benefits realisation
The practice of ensuring that benefits are derived from outputs and outcomes.

How the context and culture of an organisation, and the needs of a specific project,
influence the choice of project life cycle and any adaptations that may be needed to
the life cycle.
While competing organisations may have similar or identical strategies, the manner in which they
choose to carry out projects may be markedly different.

In an organisation that has grown organically over time, the structure and culture are likely to be more
firmly fixed than in an organisation which has grown principally by mergers and acquisition, where the
culture is likely to be more diverse and so less well defined. Even where this is not the case, the
organisational structure (selected originally for its efficiency and affinity with the views of senior
management and subsequently evolving in the face of exterior events) may act as a barrier or a
facilitator to cross-functional teamworking typically present in iterative and hybrid development
approaches.

Similarly, the commercial environment may be a significant driver of behaviour: in a fast-developing

technological space, where time from innovation to obsolescence is measured in months, flexibility,
adaptability, and agility are likely to be at a premium, whereas in, for example, healthcare
development, even if technological breakthroughs are occurring frequently, the aversion to risk (to
health and life) forces a more measured and ordered approach to development.

While iterative and hybrid approaches provide teams and users with early feedback as a mechanism
to modify and improve the direction of development (a valuable advantage where the solution is
uncertain), this is of no value where the details of the solution are known to a certainty, and a linear
approach will be quicker and cheaper.
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Strengths and limitations of different life cycles.
Linear life cycles provide organisations with a well-structured framework that can be understood and
followed both inside and outside the project. However, this means that the requirements, and the
solution that satisfies them, are understood, and agreed at an early stage. This mitigates against
subsequent changes, which in turn makes linear life cycles less attractive in uncertain environments.
Further, the possibility of early (partial) delivery and thereby early realisation of benefits, may not exist.

Iterative life cycles are ideally suited to environments where observation and experience of a candidate
(partial) solution can lead to the identification of further requirements (and so a changed solution) and
increased certainty of that solution. However, it is inevitably true that if the solution is uncertain, then
the cost and timescales must also be uncertain. The nature and make-up of the teams involved in
iterative development may lead to resource management problems.

Hybrid life cycles seek to accommodate uncertainty while being able to take advantage of areas of
certainty. However, the management and reporting of hybrid life cycle projects requires greater
management skill than either linear or iterative approaches.

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Summary
Please remember that this study guide is intended to be used alongside your training course. It can be
also used as a reference guide when you are back at work applying your knowledge. Remember, the
PMQ examination is based on a Body of Knowledge. The material contained within this study guide is
designed to assist you in increasing your knowledge and understanding of project management.
However, it will never be the definitive guide to project management – after all the body of knowledge
on project management is constantly changing to reflect emerging best practice and therefore it is
always being updated.

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