PMP Concepts Explained In Plain English.

Let’s be honest about one unavoidable fact: The exam is extremely difficult, that’s a fact and it’s no wonder why most PMP aspirants fail to pass the exam in the first attempt.?However, it’s not as impossible as it is believed to be, if mistakes can be avoided, especially mistakes made by those who couldn’t pass and who they all, in my opinion, share a common misleading pattern which is the reason behind failure.

?I was told that it is impossible to pass the exam with 2 months preparation. Being someone who thrives on challenges, I made it in less than 3 weeks. So, YES, It is doable but this will require daily dedication to clearly understand the material.?Even as the exam is difficult, the journey is more challenging and very confusing. The paradox is, the more information you learn the more confused you get.

You are about to start your PMP journey so you are asking yourself, how do I guarantee I pass? Several different books all claim the same thing: You will pass the exam in the first attempt. This is simply not true! Many PMP aspirants relied on these books and failed over and over again. Thus, It is not really about which book you decide, the best for you, or which one has the best reviews, rather, it’s more about the way you deal with and understand the concepts within the book. Each and every book in the market must follow PMI specific way of project management.?Consequently, all PMP books provide the same information found in the PMBOK but in their own narrative way. In the end, it doesn't really matter which book you read, what really matters is getting the feel and figuring out PMI’s way of thinking, rather than memorization (including ITTO’s) which I believe is tiring and ineffective. Why would you memorize around 500 ITTO's ? Actually, once you understand the PMI way, it would be an entertaining journey.

Join me in exploring how this is possible.

As discussed earlier, the key statement to remember during this process is understanding PMI’s way of thinking rather than memorization of the entire PMBOK guide. You will come across several videos providing techniques and charts to help you memorize the 49 processes and their relevant tools and techniques…. Do not do that! The best advice I can give is to apply the PMI framework on a Project that you worked on in the past. When you read the PMBOK and you come across something like the Project Charter, SOW.... and realize you have never seen one before ... Then all you have to do is create one for any past project that you can think of. It might seem time consuming but really efficient.

In regards with what?comes next?and what?should be done first: most processes are iterative. Consequently, each and every document created is updated and continuously improved as we get more details and information about the project. In my opinion you need to have a clear understanding of the items listed below:

1.When?change requests?are required and when they are not??If a change request should be raised then, what should be done before and after? Consider the change management process as a sacred guideline. It should definitely be followed no matter what the change is and no matter from who it comes: It could be related to the product per se or/and to the process as well. The first thing to do is :

• Always analyse the impact of the change on the project constraints (Even if the question states that the impact on the cost for example was already analyzed, we still need to go through with 'Perform Integrated Change Control').?As we evaluate the impact, now we know which elements of the project are being impacted with the change and what adjustment should be made in order to implement the change/s?if approved. It’s important to note that a Change may be impact free on the project constraints and therefore, the PM has the authority to implement the change without raising a Change Request and there is no need to go through the Perform Integrated Change Control Process: Updating the stakeholders register as an example does not require a Change Request.

Let’s suppose now that the PM himself, the customer or any other stakeholder made a request to do something that is not part of the approved plan. First thing to do?

• The PM should analyze the impact with the team and raise a change request to the Change Control Board (CCB) and It’s up to the CCB to check and confirm whether the Change Request is aligned with the business case or not and if it is mandatory to achieve the projects objectives or optional and therefore, could be denied.?The CCB members make a decision about the Change Request, and no matter what the outcome is, the Change Log must be updated so that it includes the outcome of CCB decision which could be either accepting / approving or Rejecting the Change Request. When the CR is rejected,?there is nothing the PM can do except inform the stakeholder’s who asked for the Change about the outcome.

Let’s suppose that the Change Request is approved. What should the PM do next?

• The PM should first update the Change Log with the relevant information about the description, when and who requested the Change in order to properly track, throughout the project life cycle and make sure that all stakeholders are made aware of the current release/version, so they are on the same wavelength. Moreover, the PM should now update Project Documents to reflect the impact and align them with the new version or release.?It is important to note that the sponsor is not necessarily part of the CCB and therefore, before implementing the change, The Sponsor should be informed and even more the PM should get the green light from the Sponsor to go ahead.
• Change requests are approved or denied during the ‘Perform Integrated Change Control Process’ which falls under the ‘Monitoring and Controlling Process Group’. Now that we have an approved Change Request as an output of ′Perform Integrated Change Control’, the PM should proceed with the Change Request implementation as planned. Approved Change Requests come back through: ′Direct and Manage Project Work Process’ which falls under the Executing Process Group.?It’s also essential to have a clear understanding that ′Executing’ and ′Monitoring’ goes hand in hand, they are closely related : We execute the work and then monitor it; this process goes back and forth until a deliverable that satisfies the customers’ requirements and objectives are achieved.?At this stage, The PM can implement the Approved change but it doesn’t end here. Remember what we have just said about the two process groups : Executing and Monitoring, they happen and exist together.Thus, each and every Approved Change Request implemented needs to be verified and this happens in ‘Control Quality Process’ to make sure that the Change is implemented as agreed-upon.When it comes to Change Management, the process is the process and the PM should follow it by the book. Some questions related to Change Management are sometimes wordy and distracting.?The questions are only trying to give you some misleading information to make you believe that it would be better and more practical to skip the process: Do not do that, never ever!The Process is sacred and should be religiously abided to.?
• A very important stakeholder or whoever is asking for a change, we simply do not care about who wants to make an unplanned Change. There is a Process defined for this purpose and it should be respected regardless of position, influence and power of the person requesting the change.?It is also important to further note that, actions such as, Corrective actions, rework, preventive actions...should always be analyzed first and then if whatever element of the project’s constraints is impacted then a change request is needed and the PM should follow the instructions. Whenever an addition of a new team member impacts the project, the first thing to do is update the Stakeholders Register, and when a stakeholder is not part of the project anymore, the first thing to do is also update the Stakeholder Register and this logic applies to external factors that were not initially identified.

2. It's important to have a clear understanding of the difference between ‘Preventive Actions’ and ′Corrective Actions’.?Keep in mind, Corrective actions are Reactive, they align back what went wrong while Preventive Actions are Proactive, they tend to ensure that the project will stay aligned and under control.

3.Let’s talk now about a very important element, the?Issue Log.?It is a very simple but greatly important document (Excel Spreadsheet most of the time). It serves as a tool to record whatever roadblock or issues that are negatively affecting the project. It is continuously updated to help track and overcome the problems that are making the project deviate from the plan.?Some questions may state as an example; that a stakeholder is complaining about his expectations not being met and the first thing the PM should do is update the Issue Log so that he can be sure that the issue raised will be dealt with. Keep in mind, the Issue Log is created under ‘Direct and Manage Project Work’ Process Group.?To have a better understanding of the’ Issue Log’ you need to get a good grasp of what Issue and Risk are. When a Risk materializes it becomes an issue and is moved to the Issue Log which means the risk owner is dealing now with an Issue and not a Risk anymore.

4. First thing created in the project is the?Business Case?as this justifies the existence of the project, why and how the project will be beneficial to the company. The?Project Charter?is then created usually by the sponsor who assigns the PM to the project. However, the project manager can be assigned before the creation of the project charter which is the case in most questions I came across when I was preparing for PMP.?In this case, the PM can support the sponsor in the creation of the Charter but is not the PM’s responsibility and he has no right to modify or update it ( He can only make recommendations to improve the Project Charter). The project Charter is like a birth certificate for the project ( This expression was used by Ricardo Vargas in his YouTube Video explaining the 49 processes and how they interrelate which I do strongly recommend to watch at least 5 times until you become confident enough that you can make a similar video).?As discussed, the Project Charter is the project's birth certificate, the starting point that gives formal authority to the PM to manage the project starting first, by identifying all stakeholders. Identifying all stakeholders as early as possible avoids having unexpected needs not being fulfilled as they weren’t taken into consideration.?I came across some questions stating that during the project execution an unexpected government law stopped the project and what should have been done to prevent this issue??Stakeholders’ identification in the Initiation Process for sure!

5. I realized that some PMP aspirants tend to completely forget that?Agreements?are inputs to Develop the Project Charter Process. To make it easy to remember, lets visit the Procurement Management knowledge area.?An SOW (Statement Of Work) is communicated to the seller/supplier which is then used to create the seller's own Project Charter ==> Same logic used.?As a customer, we also have the SOW which will be useful to develop our own Project Charter.

6.?Scope Baseline?is approved after WBS creation. Keep in mind that the WBS does not give information about which order the activities should be done. Scope Baseline is simply the approved version of Scope statement+ WBS+ WBS dictionary. This tells us not only what we should do but also what we shouldn’t be doing to avoid performing activities that are out of the scope.

7. When a?Risk Response?is implemented, First thing to do is update the risk register.When it comes to the way Risks are funded, we have two situations:?Identified risks give us permission to use the contingency reserve. In this case, using the Contingency Reserve does not require a Change Request because the?Contingency Reserve?is already included in the cost baseline. However, when it comes to unidentified risks : We use the?Management Reserves?and consequently, the Change Management Process should be followed : Analyze the impact and raise a change request to move funds from the management reserve which is part of the project budget but not part of the cost baseline which should be updated to reflect the new actual situation.?Current baselines are always the initial baselines + all approved changes. That’s why it is mandatory and essential to have a change log in addition to a solid Change Management Process.?It is also important to note here, that the presence of Contingency Reserve is also related to Active Acceptance of Risks.

8. When it comes to?Procurement?it is essential to differentiate between Contract Types and the Risks they represent for the buyer and the seller.?It is also important to remember that when there is a technical issue coming from the seller/supplier, the first thing to do is to review the SOW which is a technical document that explains to the supplier what they are responsible to provide the customer with.

9.?Conflicts:?the best option for the PM is, problem solving. The sponsor should not be bothered with project details and the PM should avoid involving the sponsor as much as possible. The PM is supposed to solve problems rather than escalating them.

10.?Communication Management Plan?is an essential element, It gives the PM how they should communicate with each and every stakeholder. Example, I remember a question I came across online stating that the PM and the team members have already started working on an issue reported by the customer. However, the customer contacted Senior Management that the issue is not being dealt with: The first thing the PM should do is : review the Communication Management Plan.

To be continued....

With respect to PMI confidentiality policy,this content is based on my own understanding of PMI framework. The questions I am referring to are from online available contents and do not refer in any way to the Questions I had on my PMP real exam.