|
Project Management Professional Certification Preparation
Five days —Instructor-led
Course DescriptionStudents will learn the PMI Knowledge Areas, Process Groups, and Processes, as well as the many PMI-approved global project management best practices. The course is highly interactive, including, lecture, discussion, and practice tests, with the focus on mastering the PMI core concepts and skills as well on the PMP Exam, with many tips and techniques offered by the instructor in the class.
Intended Audience for this Course
- Business Role: Project Managers, Program Managers, Project Stakeholders, IT professionals, Project Planners, Project Estimators, Business Analysts, Product Managers, R&D Engineers, Consultants, Government Contractors, Small Business Owners
- Industry: Project Managers from all industries, Private as well as Government
- Individuals: All Applicants seeking the PMI Credentials (PMP, PgMP, CAPM) as well as the Project+ certification from CompTIA (also based on PMI’s PMBOK). All Business Professionals wishing to make project management their career goal
Course Objectives
- to provide advanced instruction for students wanting to apply project management best practices immediately upon graduation from the class
- to provide advanced soft skills training in leadership, negotiation, communication, and conflict resolution
- to prepare students to take and pass the PMP / CAPM / PgMP Exams the first time,
- to present the current world-wide PMI-certified Project Management Body of Knowledge in a dynamic way that brings the PMBoK to life with real world examples from expert instructors.
Exams
1) PMP Exam -- Project Management Professional Exam
2) CAPM Exam -- Certified Associate in Project Management
3) PgMP Exam -- Program Management Professional Exam
Course Outline
I. Introduction and PMP Exam overview
1. Learn about the PMI application process.
2. Overview the PMP Exam details.
3. Learn exam-taking tools and techniques.
4. How to enroll for the PMP Exam.
5. Identify exam preparation key methodologies.
6. The Project Management Framework
7. Define what a project is, what a program is, PMO, Portfolio.
8. Understand the 9 project management knowledge areas.
9. Identify and define project stakeholders.
10. Specify influences of organizational structures on project management.
11. Highlight the skills required for a project manager.
12. Define the Project Manager's responsibilities.
13. Define PMI’s 5 process groups and 42 processes of project management per the new
PMBoK Version 4.14. Key PMI Concepts including: Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle / Rolling Wave Planning / Iterative
Processing / Progressive Elaboration.15. Exam Practice Questions and Solutions Class Discussion
II. Project Integration Management
1. Highlight methods for project selection.
2. Define the elements and importance of the project charter.
3. Understanding the creation and use of preliminary scope statement.
4. Identify project constraints and assumptions.
5. Define the project manager's role as integrator.
6. Control “scope creep” and "gold plating" through Scope Control.
7. Understand the value of documenting lessons learned for Organizational Process Assets.
8. Create a high-level project plan.
9. Define the Execution of the project plan.
10. Understand the concept of “baseline” to monitor the progress of the project.
11. Define integrated change control – why is this a vital process for a successful project?
12. Administrative closure.
13. Exam Practice Questions and Solutions Class Discussion
III. Project Scope Management
1. The Triple Constraint with Scope as the cornerstone.
2. Development of a Scope Management Plan.
3. Development of a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and WBS Dictionary.
4. Technique of Decomposition.
5. Importance of Scope Verification to maximize project success.
6. Avoiding Scope Creep / Gold-plating on projects
7. Exam Practice Questions and Solutions Class Discussion.
IV. Project Time Management
1. Methods of estimation
2. Methods of developing a schedule.
3. Resource Planning.
4. Activity List creation.
5. Developing network diagrams (PDM and ADM types).
6. Understanding task dependencies.
7. Calculating the critical path(s) for the project.
8. Calculating float (slack).
9. Crashing and fast tracking a project.
10. Resource leveling.
11. Developing a schedule management plan.
12. Schedule Control.
13. Exam Practice Questions and Solutions Class Discussion
V. Project Cost Management
1. Cost estimating through analogous, bottom-up, top-down, parametric estimating and
computerized estimating tools.2. Precision of estimates.
3. Understanding Benefit Cost Ration, Payback Period and other key Accounting Terms.
4. Understanding Sunk Costs, Opportunity Costs, Fixed versus Variable Costs, Direct versus Indirect Costs.
5. Project Life Cycle Costing.
6. Cost budgeting.
7. Cost control, especially through the application of EVM Technique (Earned Value Management) including the Earned Value Formulas.
8. Practice and exercise using the Earned Value Formulas.
9. Exam Practice Questions and Solutions Class Discussion
VI. Project Quality Management
1. Definitions of Quality – Project Management Quality Pioneers.
2. Responsibility for quality.
3. Impacts of poor quality.
4. Tools used for Quality Management Planning.
5. Developing a Quality Management Plan.
6. Implementing Quality Assurance.
7. Quality Control through the 7 Tools of Quality.
8. Exam Practice Questions and Solutions Class Discussion
VII. Project Human Resources Management
1. Roles and responsibilities for project manager, team members, project sponsor and management.
2. Organizational planning.
3. Staff acquisition.
4. Developing responsibility assignment charts such as RACI Chart.
5. Team building.
6. Leadership skills.
7. Motivating Employees – Key Techniques as part of Team Development.
8. Conflict management techniques.
9. Desirable and Non-Desirable team roles.
10. Forms of Power (Expert Power, Formal Power, etc.)
11. Exam Practice Questions and Solutions Class Discussion.
VIII. Project Communication Management
1. Developing a communications plan.
2. Communication methods.
3. Key terminology: Encode/Decode, Paralingual / Proxemics.
4. Understanding Non-Verbal Communication, Active Listening.
5. Communication blockers.
6. Performance reporting.
7. Exam Practice Questions and Solutions Class Discussion.
IX. Project Risk Management
1. Developing a risk management plan.
2. Techniques for identifying risks.
3. Brainstorming Technique.
4. Risk Breakdown Structure.
5. Risk Register.
6. Understanding the concept of Positive as well as Negative Risk.
7. Categorizing risks.
8. Qualitative risk analysis.
9. Probability and Impact Matrix.
10. Quantitative risk analysis.
11. EMV (Expected Monetary Value).
12. Sensitivity Analysis / Tornado Diagrams.
13. Using a decision tree.
14. Understanding what-if analysis.
15. Developing a risk response plan.
16. Risk response strategies for both Negative Risk (Threats) and Positive Risk (Opportunities).
17. Risk monitoring and control.
18. Exam Practice Questions and Solutions Class Discussion.
X. Project Procurement Management
1. Procurement planning.
2. Advantages and disadvantages of contract type selection (greater risk on buyer versus seller).
3. Statement of work
4. Negotiation.
5. Contract administration.
6. Contract change control.
7. Contract close-out.
8. Exam Practice Questions and Solutions Class Discussion
XI. Project Management Ethical Responsibility and Code of Conduct
1. Ethical Obligations of a PMP – Business Ethics, Social Responsibility.
2. Ethics as they can be applied to the Triple Constraint on a project.
3. Definitions of Conflict of Interest and discussion of real-world examples.
4. Importance of business ethics and integrity as tied to long-term profitability.
5. Ethics in light of today’s financial crisis.
6. CSR Projects (Corporate Socially Responsible)
7. Responsibilities to the profession, responsibility to PMI.
8. Practice Questions and Solutions Class Discussion
