PMP: Project Management Professional Exam Review Guide

Kim Heldman, Vanina Mangano, Brett J. Feddersen

• Publisher: Sybex
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781119421085
• Edition: 4
• Topic: Computer Science
• Subtopic: Certification Guides in Computer Science
• Index: Computer Science

Essential review for the PMP exam, updated for the new PMBOK® Guide, 6 th edition

The PMP Project Management Professional Exam Review Guide, Fourth Edition, offers complete, concise review of essential project management concepts and practices. Covering 100% of the PMP exam objectives, this book helps you ensure your full preparation in advance of the big day. This new 4 th Edition has been updated to align with the newest version of the exam, featuring changes to PMP best practices, greater emphasis on Agile and other iterative processes, as well as the evolution of the project manager's role. Organized by domain area, this handy review guide covers project initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and closing as detailed in the new A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), 6 th Edition, giving you clear guidance on what you need to know for the exam. You also get a year of free access to the Sybex online interactive learning environment and study tools, which features flashcards, chapter tests, two bonus practice exams, and more.

PMP candidates must have extensive project management experience before taking the exam, but you cannot rely on experience alone; the PMP exam tests your understanding of critical PMP concepts and practices as laid out in the PMBOK® Guide 6th Edition; this practical review condenses the PMBOK 's essential details into quickly-digestible chapters that help you prepare more efficiently.

• Review 100% of the exam objectives
• Apply PMP concepts to real-world scenarios
• Identify areas in need of additional review
• Access practice exams, flashcards, and more

The PMP certification puts you in demand, and can be a major boost to your career. Regardless of your current level of experience, exam success lies in complete and thorough preparation; the PMP Project Management Professional Exam Review Guide, Fourth Edition, is your ultimate key to confidence and success.

To register for access to the online test banks included with the purchase of this book, please visit: www.wiley.com/go/sybextestprep.

Chapter 1
Project Foundation

THE PMP^® EXAM CONTENT FROM THE INITIATING THE PROJECT PERFORMANCE DOMAIN COVERED IN THIS CHAPTER INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING:

• 
  1.1 Be able to describe the difference between projects and operations.
• 
  Be able to differentiate between project management, program management, portfolio management, and a project management office.
• 
  Be able to list some of the skills every good project manager should possess.
• 
  Be familiar with the components of the PMI Talent Triangle.
• 
  Be able to define the role of the project manager.
• 
  Be able to differentiate between the organizational structures and the project manager’s authority in each.
• 
  Be able to name the five project management process groups.

Much of the focus and content of this book revolves heavily around the information contained in A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, Sixth Edition (PMBOK^® Guide), published by the Project Management Institute (PMI^®). Because many exam questions will relate to the content of the PMBOK^® Guide, it will be referenced throughout this book, and we’ll elaborate further on those areas that appear on the test.

This chapter lays the foundation for building and managing a project. Understanding project management from a broad and high-level perspective is important and will prepare you to digest the rest of the information in this book. One of the concepts you will learn is that of progressive elaboration, which PMI^® defines as an iterative process of increasing the level of detail in a project management plan as information and accurate estimates become available. In this context, we want to start with an overview of the general framework in which projects operate, and then we will get progressively more elaborate with defining what those steps entail.

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Day of the Exam

This book provides targeted content to help you review and prepare to take the Project Management Professional (PMP)^® certification exam (PMP^® exam). Through the course of this book, we will be giving you tips on things you should do the day of the exam to help you achieve the greatest opportunity to pass and then join the worldwide network of certified project managers. Look for these tips throughout the book.

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Defining a Project

Pop quiz: How do you tell the difference between a project and ongoing operations? Before delving into the aspects of project management, it’s important to determine whether what you are dealing with is, in fact, a project. Projects are often confused with ongoing operations, and it’s therefore important to understand how to define a project and know its characteristics.

Once you have determined that you are dealing with a project, all stakeholders will need to be identified. To be considered successful, a project must achieve its objectives and meet or exceed the expectations of the stakeholders.

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For more detailed information on projects and stakeholders, see Chapter 1, “What Is a Project?” in PMP ^®: Project Management Professional Exam Study Guide, Ninth Edition (Sybex, 2017).

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Project Characteristics

According to the PMBOK^® Guide, the characteristics of projects, as shown in Figure 1.1 , are as follows:

• They are temporary in nature and have a definite start and finish.
• They produce a unique product, service, or result that didn’t exist before.
• They often drive change within organizations.
• They typically enable the creation of business value.

FIGURE 1.1 Project

The unique deliverables from a project might include tangible products (a road or a building); well-defined and specific services, such as consulting or project management; and business functions that support the organization. Projects might also produce a result or an outcome, such as a document that details the findings of a research study. The purpose of a project is to achieve its goals and to conclude. Therefore, a project is considered complete when one of the following occurs:

• The goals and objectives are accomplished to the satisfaction of the stakeholders.
• It has been determined that the goals and objectives cannot be accomplished or are no longer needed.
• The project is canceled due to lack of resources (i.e., funding, people, or physical resources) or for legal reasons.

After its completion, a project’s product, service, or result may become part of an ongoing operation.

Operations

Operations are ongoing, are repetitive, and involve work that is continuous without an end date. Often, operations involve repeating the same processes and producing the same resu...