PMP Fast track

  • People
    • Always deliver value, above everything else
    • Be direct and collaborative in your response
    • Be honest, take responsibility and don't pass the buck
    • Probelm solve - the process is :
      • Define the problem
      • Identify the root cause
        • Find and solve the root cause of the issue (without using any money)
      • Brainstorm solutions
      • Choose the best one
      • Implement it
      • Verify that it worked
    • Always go direct to the person, team or where the issue is
    • Use the right expertise
      • Team for their way of working, estimates
      • Customer for the requirements or product feedback
      • Problem solve before you escalate
        • Collaborate with the sponsor, but try and solve it first
        • Do not suspend the project, if you can help it
        • Do not add resources or delay items, if you can help it
    • Conflict
      • Understand conflict resolution types
        • Go for problem solve first, compromising next
        • Only accomodate if there is extreme power imbalance (eg. Project sponsor)
        • Senior executives can influence other senior executives
        • Problem solving [Win/Win], Compromising [Lose/Lose], Accomodating [Lose/Win], Forcing [Win/Lose], Withdraw or Avoiding conflict - Not ideal
          • Only problem solving and compromising should be the answers
        • Understanding accountabilities and responsibilities
    • Leadership
  • Process
    • Agile
      • Make work visbile
      • Use Kanban board
        • View work building up
        • Limit work in each column
      • Demo real things
      • Work directly with customers on product requirements
      • Co-located, face-to-face comms are ideal
      • Protect the team from impediments and diversions
      • MVP is a small piece to test the market
    • Predictive
      • Project charter has high level goals and deliverables
      • Team charter has ways of working, roles and agreements
      • General Earved value management (PV, EV,AC)
      • SPI and CPI (more than 1 = more value delivered)
      • SV and CV (positive = more value delivered)
      • Stakeholder Management Plan
        • Use this for finding people, adding people and who and how to enagage
        • Identify stakeholders and classify stakeholders so you know who to engage
        • Use your communications management plan for how and what to communicate with those stakeholders
      • Scope Management
        • Requirements come from the customer (or benchmarking or best practices)
        • We turn these in to Scope Statement, WBS or Work Packages
        • Customer can verify scope through Quality Control
        • Project Sponsor signs off the scope once complete
      • Schedule Management
        • Fast tracking - Perform activities in parallel
        • Crashing - Adding resources and cost - increases risk
      • Estimate with the team
        • 3 point / triangular estimate = (Optimistic + Most Likely + Pessimistic estimate)/3
        • Beta / Pert = (O + 4XML + P)/6
        • Bottom up estimation
          • Adding up lower level items
        • Analogous estimates
          • Using similar project to estimate
        • Parametric estimation
          • Using a parameter
      • Change Management Process
        • Anyone can request a change → Put in change log → Analyse cost and schedule → Take it to approvers (Change control board CCB) → Communicate outcome (approved/rejected/deferred) → Note outcome in change log
        • Found or created in Change Management Plan
      • Risk Managment
        • Issue has happened → Note in Issue Log
        • Risk could happen in future → Note in Risk Register
        • Identify or brainstorm risks with your team → Log in Risk register → Classify by likelihood and impact (1-5) → Respond to higher risks early → If risk was previously identified, use Risk Reponse first
        • Risk Response
          • Accept - Noting the risk but not doing anything
          • Mitigate - Take an action to address it
          • Transfer - Using insurance or transferring to other party
          • Escalate - We dont have the authority to address it
          • Avoid - Removing the scope that causes risk
      • Procurement Management
        • Statement of work - what needs to be done by the vendor
        • Always check contract if there is a dispute
        • We can help problem solve but vendor is responsible for their deliverable and not us
        • Do not delay the project
        • Fixed Price - Scope is clear and stable
        • Cost Reimbursable - If scope is expected to change
        • Time and Material - Cost of seller's time and materials, ongoing
      • Closing
        • Finalise any open claims → Confirm formal acceptance → Esnure transition to ops → Formally release resources → Finalise and close any accounts → Final lessons learned → Archive project information → Measure project benefits
    • Agile and Predictive together - HYBRID
  • General Exam Tips
    • Highlight all key words in the question - what is the main idea in the question
    • Determine if project is agile, predictive or hybrid
    • Decide which topic or principle from PMBOK is being addressed
    • Strikethrough any answers that are not related to question
    • Select one of remaining answer
    • Answer every question
    • Flag the questions that you are unsure of