august 2013 cheetah exam prep® for the pmp® you to take pmi’s pmp® exam! this course preview is...

Copyright ©2009-2013 Cheetah Learning, LLC Cheetah Exam Prep® for the PMP® www.cheetahlearning.com

August 2013

Cheetah

Exam Prep®

for the PMP®

©2009-2013 Cheetah Learning, LLC

www.cheetahlearning.com

“PMP” and the PMI logo are certification

marks of the Project Management Institute

which are registered in the United States

and other nations.


Read it here first!

Get ready - you’re going to be participating in an intense, week-long immersion approach to

prepare you to take PMI’s PMP® exam! This course preview is a suggested pre-read, both

by candidates who came before you, and by the Cheetah Learning PMP® Team. It contains

guidelines on what you can do before the course to make the best use of your time while

you’re actually taking the course. The material in this course preview was selected based

upon feedback from previous students. You should read it through in its entirety before the

first day of the course, to help prepare you for this intensive, engaging experience.

Although it is brief, reading this course preview now will have a significant, positive impact

during your preparation week.

What to expect from this preview

There are two main areas that you’ll focus on in this preview. The first area covers A Guide

to the Project Management Body of Knowledge: (PMBOK® Guide) - Fifth Edition, and

the logic and structure behind it. If you can understand the PMBOK® Guide logic, you’ll be

more successful in deciphering the logic behind the questions on the exam.

The second area focuses on our Memory Map. This map contains formulas and processes

that you will eventually memorize and jot down from memory on the scratch paper provided

to you in the exam before you begin. By doing this, you’ll have these formulas directly in

front of you while you are taking the exam, which will help to guide you as you move

through it

Having the Memory Map memorized prior to your preparation week is essential to your

success throughout the week. It will also mean less homework for you in the evenings - so

start as soon as you can!

PMBOK® Guide - The information you need for your success

PMI’s A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) - Fifth

Edition, or PMBOK® Guide, is now an ANSI Standard and is generally recognized by the

world’s largest organizations for defining the accepted concepts, processes, tools, and

techniques for managing projects. The information contained in the PMBOK® Guide is the

basis for most knowledge areas tested by the PMP® Exam.

Very few questions on the exam are based on definitions or details referenced directly from

the PMBOK® Guide. Based on this fact, it isn’t very valuable for you to commit much of the

PMBOK® Guide to rote memory. However, you’ll find that most questions on the exam

require a complete and thorough understanding of PMBOK® Guide principles, processes,

and concepts. Because of this, it is very important for you to know the objectives of the

PMBOK® Guide inside and out, along with each of its component sections.

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During your preparation week, you’ll be spending a significant amount of time each day

working with the PMBOK® Guide. It will serve as your primary reference source. Fear not -

you won’t be memorizing the PMBOK® Guide! The information that you’ll need to

remember during the PMP® exam is provided for you by supplemental written materials,

graphic illustrations and audio exercises. Much of this supplemental information comes from

sources other than the PMBOK® Guide. Your work with the PMBOK® Guide will be

focused on learning and understanding processes, concepts, applications, and broad sets of

tools and techniques.

During your preparation week, your instructors will coach you through all the PMBOK®

Guide work necessary to pass your PMP® exam. However, you’ll find that it is very helpful

to come to the program prepared with a general understanding of the way in which the

PMBOK® Guide information is organized. The PMBOK® Guide is a professional standard,

not a text. Use it as more of a comprehensive reference document.

Because of its unusual format, many PMP® candidates have difficulty quickly gaining an

intuitive understanding of the PMBOK® Guide. Most people have to read it through many

times before they “get it,” so don’t be discouraged if it takes you awhile to understand it

thoroughly.

Understanding the PMBOK® Guide

This section helps you to better understand the PMBOK® Guide, by taking you through it

piece by piece. You should have a clearer picture of what is contained in the PMBOK®

Guide, and this will help you while you are reading through it on your own.

How the PMBOK® Guide is organized

The PMBOK® Guide is organized in the following way:

13 Chapters

1 Annex

3 Appendices

References

Glossary

Index

Each chapter is discussed in more detail in the following sections.

Looking through Chapters 1- 3

The first three chapters of the PMBOK® Guide make up Section I, “The Project

Management Framework” and Section II, “The Standard for Project Management of a

Project.” You may find that parts of this section are confusing, specifically the information

on relationships between Processes and Knowledge Areas. However, you can relax! You’ll

be coached throughout your preparation week with a number of different illustrations,

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explanations, and other learning aids that will help to reinforce a proper understanding of these

concepts.

You’ll also find some very useful Context information in this first section, which defines

precisely how and where project management “fits” in the grand scheme of modern management

science. This section also presents a brief overview of the PMBOK® Guide, along with some

key definitions that you’ll need to know.

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Project Management Knowledge Areas

-Color Key-

Project Integration Management

Project Scope Management

Project Time Management

Project Cost Management

Project Quality Management

Project Human Resource Management

Project Communications Management

Project Risk Management

Project Procurement Management

Project Stakeholder Management

Closing

Processes

Executing

Processes

Planning

Processes

Initiating

Processes

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

PROCESS GROUPS

Processes

Monitor & Control Project

Work

Perform Integrated Change

Control

Validate Scope

Control Scope

Control Schedule

Control Costs

Control Quality

Control Communications

Monitor & Control Risks

Control Procurements

Control stakeholder Engagement

Monitoring &

Controlling

Processes

Processes Direct and Manage Project Execution

Perform Quality Assurance

Acquire Project Team

Develop Project Team

Manage project Team

Manage Communications

Conduct Procurements

Manage Stakeholder Engagements

Processes

Develop Project Charter

Identify Stakeholders

Processes

Close Project or Phase

Close Procurements

Develop Project Mgt Plan

Plan Scope Management

Collect Requirements

Estimate Costs

Determine Budget

Plan Quality

Define Scope Develop Human Resource Plan

Create WBS

Plan Schedule Management

Plan Communications

Plan Risk Management

Define Activities Identify Risks

Sequence Activities Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis

Estimate Activity Resources Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis

Estimate Activity Durations Plan Risk Responses

Develop Schedule

Plan Cost Management

Plan Procurements

Plan Stakeholder Management

Planning Processes


Looking through Chapters 4-13

Chapters 4 through 13 address each of the defined project management Knowledge Areas.

These Knowledge Areas comprise the majority of the PMBOK® Guide. They represent the

nuts and bolts of the project management profession.

Breaking down your processes for success

The PMBOK® Guide generally defines modern project management as an accepted process

consisting of many processes. That is to say, projects are organized and carried out using an

established process, from beginning to end. Projects can also be executed in process groups.

These process groups are in order of implementation and can be seen on the next page.

1. Initiating

2. Planning

3. Executing

4. Monitoring and Controlling

5. Closing

Each of these five process groups are accomplished by carrying out a series of processes

which are defined in the PMBOK® Guide. You’ll find that almost all standards in the

PMBOK® Guide are presented in terms of processes that are made up of inputs, tools and

techniques, and outputs. This conceptual format is actually very useful. It makes modern

project management much easier to understand and to practice.

Projects can sometimes be huge and extremely complex. Experienced Project Managers

understand that they cannot manage entire projects as a whole, which is why they break their

projects down into a series of manageable pieces. When all of the individual pieces are

successfully completed, then the project is successfully completed.

This is what is accomplished in the PMBOK® Guide - breaking down the whole project

management process into a series of manageable and understandable processes, in specific

knowledge areas. When all of your processes are being properly carried out, you are

successfully practicing modern project management!

Project Management Knowledge Areas

You should now have a pretty good understanding of how the PMBOK® Guide addresses the

project management process. But the project management process is really only the

framework for the practice of modern project management. What about the nuts and bolts of

the profession? The working tools? The PMBOK® Guide presents these tools as Knowledge

Areas.

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XYZ Software

Project

Roll Out Test System Write Manual Design

Project Life Cycle for a Simple Software Development Project

XYZ Office Building

Project

Design

Project Life Cycle for a Building Construction Project

Permitting Foundation

Framing

Marketing Finishing Site

Selection

Project Management Processes vs. The Project Life Cycle

Project Management Processes

Project Management Processes are grouped into five categories known as the Project Manage-

ment Process Groups of Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, and

Closing, as described in the previous section. Project Management Process Groups remain

consistent within every project.

The Project Life Cycle

A Project Life Cycle is a collection of generally sequential and sometimes overlapping project

phases. For example, the Project Life Cycle for the construction of a new cabin cruiser, might

consider designing the cruiser as phase 1. Phase 2 would be construction of the cruiser. In tech-

nology, a Project Life Cycle may just be designing the infrastructure and then handing the de-

sign over to a contractor to implement.

The number of phases within a Project Life Cycle is dependent on the specific project. Some

projects could have three or four phases in their Life Cycle. Others could have six or eight or

more. See page 4 for two illustrations of different project types and their project life cycles.

Please Note: During the Accelerated PMP® Course, you will be shown how you can memorize

the Project Management Processes. You may want to start on this ahead of time. Try to make

up your own mnemonics for the lists under each of the Project Management Processes. You can

do this by making up a string of funny and relevant phrases that start with the first letter of

each word.


There are ten defined Knowledge Areas in the PMBOK® Guide. Each addresses a specific

key project management discipline. For example, Chapter 5 of the PMBOK® Guide

addresses the Knowledge Area of Project Scope Management, where you learn the

accepted standards, tools and techniques used to complete:

Collect Requirements

Define Scope

Create the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

Validate Scope

Control Scope

In keeping with the PMBOK® Guide’s process theme, the tools and techniques addressed in

each of the Knowledge Areas are presented as processes. To continue with our Chapter 5

example, the PMBOK® Guide defines Project Scope Management as a set of five major

processes:

Collect Requirements: The process of defining and documenting stakeholders’ needs to

meet the project objectives.

Define Scope: The process of developing a detailed description of the project and

product.

Create WBS: The process of subdividing project deliverables and project work into

smaller, more manageable components.

Validate Scope: The process of formalizing acceptance of the completed project

deliverables.

Control Scope: The process of monitoring the status of the project and product scope

and managing changes to the scope baseline.

The ten Knowledge Areas are presented in PMBOK® Guide Chapters 4 through 13:

Chapter 4: Project Integration Management - Defines the six major processes used to

integrate all the component pieces of a project into a whole.

Chapter 5: Project Scope Management - Defines the six major processes used to

carefully carefully define, execute, and control the scope of the project.

Chapter 6: Project Time Management - Defines the seven major processes used to

carefully characterize project activities, identify their interdependencies, schedule their

performance, and control the project schedule.

Chapter 7: Project Cost Management - Defines the four major processes used to plan

project resources, estimate costs and budgets, and control project costs.

Chapter 8: Project Quality Management - Defines the three major processes used to

plan, guarantee, and control project quality.

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Chapter 9: Project Human Resource Management - Defines the four major processes

used to plan project organization, staff acquisition, develop and manage project team.

Chapter 10: Project Communications Management - Defines the three major

processes used to develop plan, manage and control.

Chapter 11: Project Risk Management - Defines the six major processes used to plan,

identify and quantify project risks, as well as to develop responses and control responses

to project risks.

Chapter 12: Project Procurement Management - Defines the four major processes

used to plan, solicit, select, administer, and close out contracts with project suppliers and

sub-contractors.

Chapter 13: Project Stakeholder Management— Defines the four major processes

used to identify, plan, manage, and control stakeholder engagement.

Following through with your process:

Inputs, Tools and Techniques, and Outputs

You’ll find that Chapters 4-13 of the PMBOK® Guide are presented in an identical format.

Each chapter begins with a brief overview of every major process within the Knowledge

Area, and then presents a more detailed treatment of the specific Knowledge Area. Each

detailed treatment is presented in three parts, which include a set of:

1. Inputs

2. Tools and Techniques

3. Outputs

It’s important for you to understand this PMBOK® Guide format of these three sets. Take a

look at the PMBOK® Guide anywhere within Chapters 4-13, to see the way in which Inputs,

Tools and Techniques, and Outputs are presented.

Inputs: The ingredients for your recipe

Each major process begins with a set of Inputs. These are the factors that initially go into the

particular process - the documents, information, procedures, policies, supporting detail, etc.

You may view these Inputs as the ingredients necessary to successfully perform the process.

If the process at hand was to bake bread, then the Inputs might be flour, yeast, water, and

salt.

Tools and Techniques: All that you need for your kitchen

Following Inputs comes a set of Tools and Techniques. These Tools and Techniques are the

project management methodologies and systems, such as network diagramming, earned

value analysis, PERT, estimating tools, etc. In the bread-baking example, Tools and

Techniques might include general cooking skills, an oven, oven temperature control systems,

baking utensils, and quality control systems.

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Outputs: Fresh bread, straight from the oven!

Following Tools and Techniques is a set of Outputs. Outputs are deliverables - the tangible

results from each major process. In the bread-baking example, the Output would be the

loaves of bread, fresh from the oven!

The forty-seven processes

Within all ten Knowledge Areas, there are a total of forty-seven (47) major processes. Each

of these major processes contains a set of Inputs, a set of Tools and Techniques, and a set of

Outputs. The precise number of items in each set varies - there are usually about two to five

items per set.

To give you an example, in Chapter 7: Project Cost Management, Determine Budget is

identified as one of four major Cost Management processes. Below is a run-down of what is

included in each set for this process:

1. Inputs to the Determine Budget process are listed as:

Cost management plan

Scope baseline

Activity cost estimates

Basis of estimates

Project schedule

Resource calendars

Risk register

Agreements

Organizational process assets

2. Tools and Techniques are listed as:

Cost aggregation

Reserve analysis

Exert judgment

Historical relationships

Funding limit reconciliation

3. Outputs are listed as:

Cost baseline

Project funding requirements

Project document updates

From this example, you can see that the Determine Budget process is designed to ultimately

produce the project’s output of the Cost Baseline. In order to develop this Cost Baseline,

Determine Budget Tools and Techniques are used. However, before the project is started, the

Activity Cost Estimates, Basis of Estimates, Scope Baseline, Project Schedule, Resource

Calendars, Contracts and Organizational Process Assets are needed to use for reference. So

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you can see that each step, or set, in the process is reliant on the other, in order to produce

the desired outcome, deliverable, or Output.

The PMBOK® Guide goes on to provide much more detailed discussions for each listing of

Inputs, Tools and Techniques, and Outputs. These are the details with which you will be

spending significant time during your preparation week.

Are you confused yet? Getting past those “problem” areas

There are a couple of distinct areas and/or concepts in the PMBOK® Guide that can be very

confusing. This section addresses some of these areas and concepts, and may help to clear up

any confusion you may have while reading through the PMBOK® Guide.

Project Management Process Groups vs. Project Life Cycle

Remember that every project includes both a Project Life Cycle and Project Management

Process Groups. A good way to understand this concept is for you to look at the Project Life

Cycle as an illustration of the flow of a particular project from beginning to end, with all of

the major technical phases, processes, and activities necessary to complete the project.

Look at the Process Groups as an illustration of the flow of project management phases,

processes, and activities during the course of the project, from beginning to end.

Take the example of building a house. Here is a breakdown of what each cycle focuses on in

this particular project:

Project Life Cycle - Technical aspects:

Designing the architecture

Pouring the concrete

Framing the building

Constructing the roof

Project Management Process Groups - Management aspects:

Developing the Scope Statement

Developing the Work Breakdown Structure

Developing the Network Diagram, and Identifying the Critical Path

Developing the Cost Baseline

Take another look at the differences between the illustrations on Pages 5 to further help you

with this concept.

The run-down on Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, and

Closing Processes

Project Life Cycle - The PMBOK® Guide states that each phase in a Project Life Cycle

should contain all five primary Project Management Processes - Initiating, Planning,

Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing. A good way to help understand this

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concept is for you to look at each phase in a Project Life Cycle Groups as a sort of sub-project

all on its own.

Knowledge Areas - The Project Management Knowledge Areas represent the “tools of the

trade.” Some of these tools are used during one distinct phase in the Project Management Life

Cycle. Others are used in several or all of the phases. For example, some aspects of Project Risk

Management are performed during four of the five phases - Initiating, Planning, Executing and

Monitoring and Controlling.

Overlapping - There is no neat order for placing specific Knowledge Areas with specific

Project Management Processes. There is room for variation, and sometimes these processes

intersect with one another. This is an important concept for you to learn, and to understand.

Most project management processes are iterative by nature. That is to say, many processes are

revisited many times before a project is complete. Because of this, there is no distinct

delineation between primary Project Management Process Groups. For example, Initiating does

not always end cleanly before Planning begins. During the Planning phase of some projects,

Initiating may have to be revisited many times for clarifications or changes.

In practice, project planning processes may be revisited at any time during the Executing and

Monitoring and Controlling phases. Executing and Monitoring and Controlling phases are

essentially performed at the same time. Closing processes are used many times during the

Execution phase, as individual work packages are completed and accepted. It may even be

necessary to completely re-initiate a project deep into the Execution phase if major scope

changes are found to be warranted.

This helps to show the iterative, back and forth, interplay between phases/processes.

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Replaced—View Page 61 of your PMBOK Guide—5th Edition


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The Memory Map

In Section 3.2 Course Preview and Memory Map of the course orientation kit, you’ll find a

link to the course Memory Map. It is strongly advised to have this Memory Map embedded

to memory before coming to class and is part of our guarantee. This map shows you which

tasks/activities come before others and will help you answer questions on the exam. For

example:

Your sponsor has asked for a project schedule. You’ve completed the risk management plan,

the quality plan, and the scope definition. All of the following must be completed before you

can give your sponsor the project schedule, except:

A. Cost performance baseline

B. WBS

C. Network diagrams

D. Kickoff Meeting

Do you know the answer? Check it against the Memory Map and remember—you’ll be

tested on Monday morning of your class.

Good Luck and remember to bring a hard copy of the PMBOK® Guide—Fifth Edition to

class.

A Final Note

This exam is hard for even the most prepared candidates but we’ve had great success and

many classes have had 100% success rates. During your four days of class, you’ll develop

the knowledge and techniques needed for you to be successful in passing the exam, but it

will require a tremendous amount of work and commitment on your part during those four

days.

In the other preview material provided in your course orientation kit, you’ll see how you can

get your mind and body in peak performance to maximize your chances of passing this

exam. You will need to completely dedicate yourself and focus on the task at hand the days

you are in class. Many people, even those who live nearby, choose to stay in the hotel at or

near the course location so they can completely focus on preparing for the exam. To maxi-

mize your chances for passing the exam, you may want to follow the lead of those who par-

ticipated before you.

We have many students, while they have years of project management experience, have

never read the PMBOK® Guide . They have very good luck with our program. At the other

end of the spectrum we have students who are very well read in project management, who

even bring other organization’s PMP® exam prep study material to class. Strangely enough,

some of these people don’t pass the exam. In the class you are about to participate in, you

will learn what you need to know to pass the PMP® exam. It is preferred that you don’t study


these other organization’s PMP® exam prep material—especially during the week of your

class. Not only will it detract from your ability to perform well using the techniques you will

be learning in class, but it will also take up valuable time that you should be studying the

material in a way that we have found works best for most people.

About two weeks before class, you’ll receive an email note from your trainer or someone

from the office. Please read it carefully, as it has valuable information. Any questions you

have can be directed to your trainer at any time.

Happy studying, and see you in class!

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august 2013 cheetah exam prep® for the pmp® you to take pmi’s pmp® exam! this course preview is...

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