Head First PMP

Newbie To Pmp

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:01:02 -0500

Hello,

I am a newbie to project management had a couple of questions.

Are there any flash cards to learn from the exam
Secondly does anyone know a nice website to learn and also get 35 PDUs for the requirement.
Thirdly there are 9 areas does a person has to know the inputs, tools and outputs for all the 9 areas
Fourth how much of maths is required for the exam like gantt charts

Thanks in advance

Rian

Pmbok Ver 1.3 To Pmbok Ver 1.4

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:07:36 -0500

I have got old PMBOK 1.3. If I go for PMP exam on coming Jan, 2010 which version do I need to prepare from? I assume it should be PMBOK 1.4. What is the differnce between 1.3 and 1.4 ? Can't I use old PMBOK 1.3 ?

Thanks
Manno

Pmp Itto And Processes Practice Sheets Link

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:49:00 -0500

http://pmpcentral.blogspot.com

Download some PMP ITTO and processes Practice Sheets and also sample timeline tips for preparing for PMP Exam.

Pmi-rmp Certification

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 09:52:54 -0500

Is anyone out there studying for or have any opinion on the new (2-2008) PMI-RMP certification? I am studying for it and plan to take the exam by 12-15-09.

Let me know,

Thanks,
Harry

Notified As 'passed'

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:46:54 -0500

This morning I've just got PMI's mail of notification about the exam on 09/09/26 and the examination reports.

PASSED with 3P+3M.
I'm nice and happy~~

Wish u all good luck!!!

Communication

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:16:36 -0500

Hello-

Do we need to consider the project Manager when determining the communication channels

I read PMBOK and there is no reference to include PM. 253 - 254

It makes a difference as to what the correct answer will be when the PM is included

Five project team members of organization ABC are working on a project for organization ABC
Because they are crashing the project, two new members have joined them. How many
communication channels have been added?
1. 10 - this will be the answer when the PM is included
2. 12
3. 11 - this is the correct answer according to the source and the PM is not included
4. 2

Any help will be appreciated

Thanks
Pamela

A "what's Best" Question Requiring Experience, With Some Red-herring

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:38:19 -0500

You are one of many project managers in a multi-year, multibillion-dollar development program for a new class of hybrid-electric military vehicle that the customer (the government) wants your company to design and build under a cost-plus-incentive-fee contract. You are a project manager responsible for the development of the propulsion subsystem. You must deliver six demonstrator subsystems by the end of the design and development phase, and eight prototype subsystems by the end of the contract. During procurement of specialized components for the first two propulsion demonstrator subsystems, it became apparent that the cost of each propulsion subsystem is double the original estimate (and double your budget for these items), creating a cost overrun in your project that will ultimately affect your company's incentive fee. The customer has recognized multiple issues throughout the program including overruns in other areas and customer-induced scope creep; therefore, the customer has informed the program manager that they want to re-baseline the entire program and all its projects. Your program manager tells you that this re-baselining effort that will involve updating the original basis of estimate for your project, and this updated estimate will ultimately be used to create a new budget. What is the BEST way to proceed once the re-baselining effort gets underway?

A. Continue using the original cost estimate for the specialized components, and build in a larger contingency reserve to cover future overruns.

B. Re-estimate only the remainder of the project using your updated knowledge of the true cost of the specialized components, allowing the previous overrun to adversely affect the incentive fee.

C. Re-estimate the entire project, including the cost of components already purchased, using the real cost of the specialized components.

D. Re-estimate only the remainder of the project using an estimate for the specialized components that is higher than the known actual cost, resulting in a larger budget to cover the past overrun.

Answer: B

(This is a real-life example from my previous job and was the subject of a lengthy debate during a meeting between management, program manager, and project managers.)

This sounds like a cost estimating or budgeting question, but it's really a question about ethics. The voluminous background information isn't totally unnecessary although the background does have a "red herring" aspect about it.

Answer A is unrealistic because contingency reserves are often used as "slush funds" with no designated purpose, and in a cost-based contract, the customer needs to know the sources of the costs. Answers C and D amount to unacceptable padding; one shouldn't use a re-baselining opportunity to "get well" after the problem occurred but rather take responsibility for the problem. Answer B is the only logical and ethical choice. It is the PM's job to manage projects within a budget, and overruns incurred in a cost-plus-incentive-fee contract should impact the fee, especially when the cost basis of estimate was agreed on by all parties.

-Alex

How Ready Am I To Take The Pmp

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 07:51:07 -0500

Hello everyone,
I have my PMP in mid December 2009.
Till date i have ONLY used Rita Mulcahy products(book+ fast track +flashcard Cd) and Head first PMP book.

I have started taking some mock tests(both full length and knowledge area based) and have been getting in and around 75-80 percent without any major problems.
Tests i have taken so far
-Rita fast track
-Skillsoft test
-Head first free test

I still have to take other tests in the coming days and am banking on Rita's 2 Super PMP tests before taking the main exam in mid-december.

Frankly i cant claim to be 100% confident as there are always questions that i just cant figure out where to start, but at the same time i personally feel this exam is not too difficult.
(One thing i have done so far is have read Rita PM prep book at least 5 times).I just dont feel like opening the PMBOK guide .....
I also could not memorize ITTO's as they are far too many.I have been able to identify most of them with some thinking(though some ITTO's do slip thru the cracks )

So, my question am i missing something here? Am i doing good or can i expect the real exam to be really difficult compared to these tests?
Any comments will be appreciated.

Cheers
De

btw: 61% is the pass percentage isn't it?

Combination Of In-class And Online Training?

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:47:25 -0500

Hi everyone, this is my first post here. I realize that we need to take 35 hours of "classroom" instruction before taking the PMP exam.

I know that this can include online classes as well, but can the full 35 hours be online only?

Also, what websites would you recommend for taking PMP-qualifying courses?

Thanks in advance!
shahedC

Pmp - Preparation Questions

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 10:11:16 -0500

On Page 687 of PMP Headfirst 2nd edition - Following question is stated:

What's the range of Rough Order of Magnitude?

Answer is : -50% to +50%

Where as on PMP Online Question; the answer is -50% to +100%. Why there is a difference?

==========================
HeadFirst Online Test Question:

What's the range of a rough order of magnitude (ROM) estimate? Answer is -50% to +100%.

A rough order of magnitude (ROM) estimate is an estimate that is very rough. Typically, you should expect a ROM estimate to be anywhere from half (-50%) to twice (+100%) the actual result. That means that if your ROM estimate for a project is 6 months, then you should expect the actual project to be anywhere from 3 months to 12 months. (That's what it means for your estimate to be within an order of magnitude.)

Http://www.project-management-prepcast.com/

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 05:12:36 -0400

Dear all,

I am not trying to advertise here. I was looking on various method to obtain the 35 contact hours when I came upon - http://www.project-management-prepcast.com/

It says this site belongs to Cornelius Fichtner, one of the experience PMI member.
I just like to know has anyone taken the course from http://www.project-management-prepcast.com and pass the exam so far?

I already tried contacting PMI.org, but I am still not getting any response yet. Anyone?

If you are Cornelius looking at this thread, please do not be mad. I am just checking whether this really the authentic(not proxy) website run by you. tq.

Regarding Site - Www.pmtarget.com

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 21:42:51 -0400

Has anybody taken test from this site? Questions seems to be interesting. I could not complete the test in 60 mins. But i failed the test. Looks like i need more preparation.

- kalavai

Cleared Pmp - Sharing The Lessons And Suggestions

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 03:07:13 -0400

Hi Everyone,
Proud to share that I have cleared PMP certification yesterday (23 Oct 09) with following assessment

Initiation – Moderately proficient
Planning – Proficient
Executing - Moderately proficient
Monitoring and controlling - Proficient
Closing - Proficient
Professional and Social Responsibility – Proficient

I would like to extend my thanks to all the forum members and various sources which I am describing below for all the guys preparing for PMP. All the lessons learnt below worked for me and may not be suitable for more intelligent aspirants

1. I relied majorly on 2 sources, Headfirst and PM Prepcast for basic and detailed study correspondingly. Headfirst certainly is one of the best for getting all concepts in a truly brain friendly manner. But relying totally on it may prepare you a little lesser then required as the level of details available in PMBOK is more then it.

2. For all the guys who really want to match the detailed level in the easiest form, my suggestion is to listen to podcast of PM Prepcast. I purchased it in $99 simply because it was the cheapest way to get 35 contact hours but it turned out to be a major source of information and main reason I could clear PMP. It contains everything and in some cases much more then what you actually require to know.

One of the tip is to make sure that while listening to Podcast,, pause it in between and take notes pretty much like when you are attending the lecture in University. I used Mindjet mindmap to take the notes. It allows you to gather information in a relational way using mindmaps.

3. I used Rita mulcahy for skimming the information but solved all the prep questions at the end of each chapter. Comparatively I found the questions slightly more tricky then Headfirst and good source for better sample questions.

4. One good thing about preparing for PMP is that majority of sources present you the information pretty much in the same structure like most of the books are indexed based on knowledge areas. So my approach was as follows.

Let’s say, if I have to study scope management, here was my approach
a. Read SM from Headfirst.
b. Listen to podcast related to SM
c. Attempt questions at the end of chapter from Headfirst in an exam like environment
d. Skim Rita mulcahy to make sure I am not missing anything
e. Attempt all the questions from RM in an exam like environment.

I followed this pattern for all the knowledge areas and was sure I am above the basic information. In case my scoring was below 80%, I preferred to follow the same cycle once again but it’s very rare that in this was you will get lesser then that. Each Knowledge area should not take more than 3 days for you but if you are busy then take a week for it.

After that, I started listening to advanced sections of Prepcast and started solving sample questions which you can get too many online free of cost.

There are some major Don’ts that I identified for myself.
- Don’t read too many sources unless you have a specific reason. I got the information from 2 sources simply as the level of details were different.
- Regarding sample questions, one can easily get the information regarding how difficult and easy are sample questions from different sources. My suggestions are once you are done with sample questions from Headfirst and Rita mulcahy. Don’t do simple questions and only attempt sample questions which are famous to be extremely tricky for example, oliver lehmann and Pmstudy are definitely going to give you a hard time. So please do them. Reason I am saying this is that when you actually give PMP, you may find them easier and it will be a comfortable feeling for you.

Remember, it’s very important to feel good and not getting frustrated at the time of writing PMP. Taking tricky sample questions certainly grooms you that way. I didn’t score more than 75% in both Oliver and PMstudy but that helped me to go smooth at the time of final war.

The point is that if really understand the concepts then you don’t need too many questions apart from what is shared above. And for that I guess PM-Prepcast is the best source of information with Headfirst.

Wishing luck to all future aspirants and thanks for everything.

If I can do it, you can do it as well.

Pmp Head First 2nd Edition Error

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 10:42:29 -0400

Hello ,

I just started reading PMP head first 2nd Edition based on PMBOK 4th edition and I noticed that in Communication Management ( Page no. 499, 523, 525) , " Manage Stakeholder Expectations" should be under Executing Process Group as per PMBOK 4th edition but instead Head first has listed it under Monitoring and Controlling Process Group.

Can some one verify and confirm the details?
Please also let me know if book has any more errors.

Regards
Ira

Newbie - Concened With The Pmp Certification Work Requirements

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:21:38 -0400

Hi Friends,
I am interested to go for PMP certification but my main worry is my experience. I hold a B.E degree in Computer Science and Engg. and I am working for the last 5 years as a Systems Integration Engineer with a wireless firm in Toronto.I want to move ahead into Project Management field now and most of the good jobs require PMP certified professionals. So to start with, I want to take some courses and get certified and in-process get a understanding of project management before I start applying for those roles.

When I read the PMP certification requirements, it mentions this -

*******************************************
Category 1: With a baccalaureate degree
PMP candidates must:
1.Document at least three calendar years experience in project management (during the past six years), including at least 4,500 hours experience within the five recognized project management process groups.
2. Document at least 35 contact hours of formal training in project management.
3. Pass the PMP Certification Exam.
*******************************************

But my main concern is, I do not have work experience in project management. I want to join the 'Project Management' certification courses in "Univ. Of Toronto",so I guess the formal training should not be an issue. But what to do with the work exp.? How do newcomers who have no or very few exp. in the project management get into this field???

Please help.
Thanks
Mick