Project Management Professional (PMP)

Project Management Professional (PMP) What’s It All About? NIH Project Management Community sponsored by the NIH Project Management Center of Excellence (PMCoE)

Agenda • What is a PMP? • History of PMI • Code of Ethics • Basic PMP Concepts • The PMP Test • Preparing to take the PMP test • Taking and Passing the PMP test • Maintaining your PMP Credential • Why should I do this? • Practice Test Websites • PMP Training Website • Latest PMI Credential: PgMP • PgMP Sample Questions • Summary • Questions?

What is a PMP? • A PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL (PMP) is an individual who has been credentialed by The Project Management Institute (PMI) who has done the following: • Has 35 or more hours of specific project management education. • With a Bachelor’s Degree (or the global equivalent): Has a minimum three years’ professional project management experience, during which 4,500 hours are spent leading and directing project tasks, up to eight years from the time of application. • Without a Bachelor’s Degree (or the global equivalent): Has a minimum five years’ professional project management experience, during which at least 7,500 hours are spent leading and directing project tasks, up to eight years from the time of application. • Has taken and passed a rigorous multiple-choice examination that assesses your abilities in project management. • Continues to take at least 60 Professional Development Units (PDUs) (or hours of training) during each certification cycle (within 3 years). Source: http://www.pmi.org/CareerDevelopment/Pages/Obtaining-Credential.aspx#pmp

What is a PMP? Cont. • Individuals who hold PMI’s PMP credential demonstrate a proficient level of project management leadership skills, and as a result are able to command salaries that exceed those of their non-credentialed counterparts. • To be eligible for a PMP credential, you must meet specific guidelines that objectively measure experience, education and professional knowledge. • You also must agree to adhere to the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. • You must pass a rigorous multiple-choice examination that assesses your abilities in project management. Source: http://www.pmi.org/CareerDevelopment/Pages/Obtaining-Credential.aspx#pmp

History of PMI • More than 240,000 members in over 160 countries • PMI is the leading membership association for the project management profession. • PMI is actively engaged in advocacy for the profession, setting professional standards, conducting research and providing access to a wealth of information and resources. • PMI also promotes career and professional development and offers certification, networking and community involvement opportunities. • For more than 36 years, PMI has advanced the careers of practitioners who have made project management indispensable in achieving business results. • PMI has grown to become the global advocate for the project management profession with more than 240,000 members in over 160 countries. • With nearly 242,000 credential holders worldwide, PMI’s Project Management Professional (PMP®) certification is the most widely recognized in the profession. Source: http://www.pmi.org/WhoWeAre/Pages/About-PMI.aspx

History of PMI, cont. • Regional growth statistics as of August 2007 reveal: • 70 percent of the members live in North America, with 65 percent of the membership in the United States • The Asia Pacific region has nearly 35,000 members • Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) members number almost 27,000 • There are about 10,000 members in Latin America and Caribbean countries. • PMI’s chapters and specific interest groups (SIGs) are constantly growing. Currently, there are 30 SIGs representing a range of industries and 250 chapters internationally. Source: http://www.pmi.org/WhoWeAre/Pages/About-PMI.aspx

Code of Ethics • PMI takes their Code of Ethics VERY seriously. • As practitioners of project management, we are committed to doing what is right and honorable. We set high standards for ourselves and we aspire to meet these standards in all aspects of our lives—at work, at home, and in service to our profession. • This Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct describes the expectations that we have of ourselves and our fellow practitioners in the global project management community. It articulates the ideals to which we aspire as well as the behaviors that are mandatory in our professional and volunteer roles. Source: http://www.pmi.org/PDF/ap_pmicodeofethics.pdf

Code of Ethics,cont. • PMI Code of Ethics Components • Vision and Applicability • Responsibility • Respect • Fairness • Honesty • Personal observations about the Code of Ethics • Had to sign agreement to Code of Ethics before taking the test • Bound by Code to NOT share specific questions and answers on test Source: http://www.pmi.org/PDF/ap_pmicodeofethics.pdf

Code of Ethics,cont. • Would this worker be a PMP?

Basic PMP Concepts • KEY POINT: Understand the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®) • The PMBOK® is: • A collection of processes and knowledge areas generally accepted as best practice within the project management discipline. • As an internationally recognized standard (IEEE Std 1490-2003) it provides the fundamentals of project management, irrespective of the type of project: construction, software, engineering, automotive etc. • PMBOK® recognizes 5 basic Project Management Process Groups and 9 Knowledge Areas typical of almost all projects. The basic concepts are applicable to projects, programs and operations. Source: http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/PMBOK®.html

Basic PMP Concepts, cont. • Controlling • Closing • 5 Project Management Process Groups • Initiation • Planning • Execution • 9 Project Management Knowledge Areas • Project Integration Management • Project Scope Management • Project Time Management • Project Cost Management • Project Quality Management • Project Human Resources Management • Project Communication Management • Project Risk Management • Project Procurement Management Source: From personal PMP test preparation notes

Basic PMP Concepts, cont. Source: Chapter 3: The Project Management Process Groups: A Case Study; Course Technology; Thompson Learning; www.course.com/downloads/mis/schwalbe/chap03.ppt

Basic PMP Concepts, cont. • The management processes are aggregated into five Project Management Process Groups: • Initiating Process Group: Defines and authorizes the project or a project phase • Planning Process Group: Defines and refines objectives, and plans the course of action required to attain the objective and scope • Executing Process Group: Integrates people and resources to carry out the project management plan for the project • Monitoring and Controlling Initiating Process Group: Measures and monitors progress to identify if the correction action can be taken to meet project objectives • Closing Process Group: Formalizes acceptance of the product, services, or result and brings the project or a project phase to an orderly end • The interaction among five process groups is depicted by the following figure that is derived from a simpler Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle diagram. Source: http://www.developer.com/mgmt/article.php/3682036

Basic PMP Concepts, cont. • There are nine Project Management Knowledge Areas. These areas group 44 Project Management Processes. The following list briefly describes each PM Knowledge Area: • Project Integration Management: Deals with processes that integrate different aspects of project management. This knowledge area deals with developing Project Charter, Preliminary Project Scope, and Project Management Plan. It also deals with monitoring and controlling project work, integrated change control, and closing a project. • Project Scope Management: Encapsulates processes that are responsible for controlling project scope. It consists of Scope Planning, Definition, Verification, and Control. • Project Time Management: Includes processes concerning the time constraints of the project. It deals with Activity definition, sequencing, resource estimating, and duration estimating. It also deals with schedule development and control. • Project Cost Management: Includes processes concerning the cost constrains of the project. Some of the processes that are part of this knowledge area are Cost Estimating, Budgeting, and Control. • Project Quality Management: Describes the processes that assure that the project meets its quality obligations. It consists of Quality Planning, Quality Assurance, and Quality Control. • Project Human Resources Management: Includes the processes that deal with obtaining and managing the project team. Some of the processes of this knowledge area are Human Resource Planning, Acquire Project Team, Develop Project Team, and Manage Project Team. • Project Communication Management: Describes the processes concerning communication mechanisms of a project, namely, Communication Planning, Performance Reporting, and Information Distribution. • Project Risk Management: Describes the processes concerned with project-related risk management. It consists of Risk Identification, Quantitative and Qualitative Risk Analysis, Risk Response Planning, and Risk Monitoring. • Project Procurement Management: Includes all processes that deal with obtaining products and services needed to complete a project. It consists of Plan Contracting, Select Seller Responses, Select Seller, and Contract Closer. Source: http://www.developer.com/mgmt/article.php/3682036

Basic PMP Concepts, cont. • Each Knowledge Area contains some or all of the project management processes. For example, Project Procurement Management includes 6 Process components: • Procurement Planning • Solicitation Planning • Solicitation • Source Selection • Contract Administration • Contract Closeout Source: http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/PMBOK®.html

Basic PMP Concepts, cont. • BASIC PMP CONCEPTS SUMMARY: Project Management is composed of 44 processes (segmented into 5 Project Management Process Groups) that are mapped to one of 9 Project Management Knowledge Areas. To see a table that maps 44 processes to process groups and knowledge areas, go to the following website: http://www.developer.com/mgmt/article.php/3682036 Source: http://www.developer.com/mgmt/article.php/3682036

The PMP Test • In order to become certified as a Project Management Professional, one must pass the Project Management Professional (PMP) exam developed by the Project Management Institute (PMI). • Exam is designed to guarantee that certified individuals will have the knowledge and skills to appropriately apply project management methodology to any project with reasonably well-defined project requirements and deliverables. • The questions on the examination have been psychometrically analyzed, referenced to at least one current project management source, it determines to satisfy the test specifications of job analysis. • Questions come from the following six content areas: initiation (11%); planning (23%); executing (27%); monitoring and controlling (21%); closing (9%); and professional and social responsibility (9%). Source: http://www.testprepreview.com/pmp_practice.htm

The PMP Test, cont. • Is based on the PMBOK® (The PMBOK® Guide is an American National Standard (ANSI) for project management.) • The examination is developed by groups of individuals from around the globe who hold the PMP credential and is routinely reviewed and revised to ensure the best and consistently objective assessment. • Four-Hour examination composed of 200 multiple-choice questions (25 of which are pretest questions used to develop future versions of the exam. It is impossible to tell which questions are the pretest questions). • Multiple Choice questions have 4 possible answers each (A, B, C & D) • Usually 2 or more questions seem to be correct Source: Class notes & http://www.pmi.org/CareerDevelopment/Pages/Obtaining-Credential.aspx#pgmp Source: http://www.testprepreview.com/pmp_practice.htm

Preparing to take the PMP test • PMI’s Examination preparation tips: • Review the PMP credential handbook, the PMP Examination Specification and the PMP Sample Questions document. • Study the PMBOK® Guide-Third Edition and other texts that discuss the management of communications, cost, human resources, integration, procurement, quality, risk, scope and time, as well as a project manager's social and professional responsibilities. • Enroll in formal study courses. Source: http://www.pmi.org/CareerDevelopment/Pages/Obtaining-Credential.aspx#pgmp

Preparing to take the PMP test, cont. • Complete an online application or download an application and submit via mail (faxes not accepted). • If you meet the eligibility requirements, you will receive an e-mail explaining how to schedule the exam. • All PMP exams will take place at a Prometric test site [http://www.prometric.com/PMI/default.htm] • Individuals who attain a credential from PMI will be added to PMI’s Online Credential Registry and may immediately use the credential designation after their name. Source: http://www.pmi.org/CareerDevelopment/Pages/Obtaining-Credential.aspx#pgmp

Taking and Passing the PMP Test • The same thing we tell our kids: • Arrive at the approved test location (reference the PMI website) • Make sure you have plenty of rest the night before • Take a break between studying and taking the test • Bring a snack & drink (they will not allow you to take this into the test area but will provide you with a locker) • You will be provided with a private workspace with a computer and noise-blocking earphones. • The test is computer-based. You will know your results immediately upon completing the test. • You must make a 61% or better to pass the test. (106/175 test questions – 25 test questions are trial & you will not be graded for them). Source: Notes & personal experience

Taking and Passing the PMP Test,cont. • On the day of the exam, candidates must bring a government-issued identification written in English and including both a photograph and signature. If the identification and does not include both a photograph and a signature, the candidate must provide secondary identification with the missing component. • Candidates who take the computer-based version of the exam will receive a printed copy of their score report immediately after finishing. Candidates who take the paper-based version of the exam will receive their scores in six to eight weeks. • The score report will indicate whether the candidate has passed or failed, and will provide a percentage breakdown of the candidate's performance in each content area. Source: http://www.testprepreview.com/pmp_practice.htm

Maintaining your PMP Credential • PMI’s certification maintenance through the Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) program sets its credentials apart. And in a competitive job market, the right credential can mean the difference between getting the job or not. • The Institute requires individuals to maintain their credential’s active status. Individuals who do not maintain this status allow their credentials to expire and are no longer allowed to refer to themselves as PMP holders. While nothing is required to maintain an academic degree, continuing education is a requirement for maintaining the PMP credential. • Participation in continuing education activities indicates to your peers, employers and employees that you are committed to professional development. Source: http://www.pmi.org/CareerDevelopment/Pages/Certification-and-the-Job-Market.aspx

Maintaining your PMP Credential,cont. • Earn and report at least 60 Professional Development Units (PDUs) during each three-year CCR cycle • Complete the Application for Certification Renewal and return it to PMI, along with the renewal fee • Agree to the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct • If you meet these requirements within your three-year cycle, you have active status. Source: http://www.pmi.org/CareerDevelopment/Pages/Continuing-Certification-Requirements-(CCR).aspx

Why should I do this? • Set yourself apart from your peers (PMs are a dime-a-dozen). • May be able to obtain a higher salary as compared to other candidates. • Like technologists (MCSE, ITIL, HDI, etc.) having a PM credential is beneficial for your professional future. • Government clients are beginning to require this credential in RFPs for future PMs. • Excellent personal training and growth opportunity. • Personal pride at fulfilling a major accomplishment. • Your name in the PMI Online Credential Registry • https://www.pmi.org/CertApp/Registry.aspx

Practice Test Web Sites • http://www.testprepreview.com/pmp_practice.htm • http://www.oliverlehmann.com/pmp-self-test/75-free-questions.htm • http://certification.about.com/od/projectmanagement/a/pmp_test_whiz_3.htm • http://www.certgear.com/products/info/pmp.htm

PMP Training Web Site • PMTI 4 Day PMP® Certification Boot Camp (cost ~$2,395) http://www.4pmti.com/4daypmpbootcamp.aspxhttp://www.4pmti.com/ • PMTI provides the best value for your money with our "PASS PMP® EXAM IN 5 DAYS or YOUR MONEY BACK" guarantee*. Click here and compare us with other courses before signing up! • With our course, your PMP® exam success is guaranteed! • Don't risk your PMP® certification. Let PMTI assume the risk! • With our course, you attend our 4-day class and will be ready to take the exam on the 5th day • We conduct in-house exams to gauge PMP® Exam preparedness before you take the actual exam • If you have satisfied our course requirements* and do not pass, we will gladly RETURN YOUR ENTIRE COURSE FEES (less reexam & $200 admin fees) or wholeheartedly invite you to attend the next available class again on us! • Author’s note: I personally took this training and it was an excellent resource to ensure I passed the test the first time I took it!

Latest PMI Credential: PgMP • A Program Management Professional (PgMP)SM oversees programs, defines projects and assigns project managers. This newly developed credential is for professionals who demonstrate advanced experience, knowledge and performance to achieve an organizational objective through defining and overseeing projects and resources. • What you need to do to obtain the PgMP credential: • A comprehensive application process that includes a review of education by PMI staff and a review of professional work experience by a panel of program managers. • A four-hour exam composed of 170 multiple-choice questions that measures your ability to apply knowledge, skills and techniques used in program management. The exam is developed by groups of individuals from around the globe who are program managers and is routinely reviewed and revised to ensure the best consistently objective assessment. • A Multi-rater Assessment (MRA) in which you select a team of colleagues and peers to evaluate your performance as a program manager via a web-based survey. Source: http://www.pmi.org/Pages/the-PgMP-is-here-apply-now.aspx

PgMP Sample Questions Program Management Professional (PgMP)SM Sample Questions Company A and Company B merge to create a new organization, Company ABC. Both companies operated strategic business units and employed full-time project managers. Although both companies were composite matrix management organizations, their corporate and project management cultures and organizational structures differed. Company A.s project management organizations tailored their processes and tools to their assigned strategic business units; Company B.s project management organizations centralized the development of processes and tools for corporate-wide adoption. The new organization, Company ABC, retained the strategic business units, composite matrix management organization, and full-time project managers. It has a single project organization that aligns project managers with strategic units and has separate headquarters in the United States and the United Kingdom to oversee its North American and European regions, respectively. In so doing, cultural diversity is recognized and accepted What kind of project management behavior culture would MOST likely have developed at Company A? A. Isolated B. Fragmented C. Non-cooperative D. Competitive Which cultural characteristics are MOST likely to be evident at the North American headquarters? A. Communicate formally and respect tradition. B. Focus on task accomplishments and reward individualism. C. Value history, hierarchy, individualism and loyalty. D. Communicate indirectly and emphasis hard work and success. Source: http://www.pmi.org/PDF/PgMPsamplequestions.pdf

Summary • PMI Global Operations Center Four Campus BoulevardNewtown Square, PA 19073-3299Tel: +1-610-356-4600Fax: +1-610-356-4647E-mail: customercare@pmi.org Source: http://www.pmi.org/WhoWeAre/Pages/Customer-Care.aspx

Questions? Donna Buckner, PMP Dynamics Research Corporation 813-417-0073

Project Management Professional (PMP)