PMP interview questions
Preparing for a Project Management Professional (PMP) interview? We've compiled a list of the top 10 PMP interview questions to help you ace your next job opportunity!
Project Manager Interview Questions - Fundamental Knowledge
A project manager needs to know project management tools and techniques and have a clear idea of their choices. If knowledge didn't matter, there would be no reason for project management degrees.?
These project management questions and answers test the knowledge of the candidates about project management fundamentals.
1Q) Explain the Project Life Cycle
Many project managers forget to include the termination or the closure phase as part of the project cycle. You should not make a similar mistake.
In project management, a project life cycle takes into consideration everything from the starting to the ending of the project. The different phases of project management in chronological order are:
? Initiation is the phase that helps to check the feasibility and constraints of the project.
? The planning phase is for developing a plan to move forward.
? The execution phase is to act upon the previous plans.
? Monitoring and control phases are to track with numerical values and use them to control outcomes and outputs.
? The closing phase is to resolve all issues with the project and send documentation to the business.???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
2Q) Tell Us Something About Stakeholder Analysis. How Important is Power-Interest Grid?
Stakeholders are the decision-makers in any critical project. Through these project manager interview question and answers, the interviewer tries to gauge the project manager's ability to analyze the key stakeholders and utilize this knowledge to execute the task accurately.
Stakeholder generally refers to anyone associated with the project, which may include the project management team, customers, government officials, and other staff responsible for working on the project. Through stakeholder analysis, the project manager identifies the who's who of the project. It also enables them to ensure that they stick together during the project lifecycle.
The Power-Interest Grid makes stakeholder analysis simpler. It categorizes the stakeholders based on their importance in the project and their impact. In any project, some stakeholders have a higher role than others. Power-Interest Grid enables the project manager to design stakeholder engagement activities, essential for any top-class project.
3Q) Define Fishbone Chart. When Would You Use it?
It is one of the advanced fundamental questions that you may find in almost every interview. These project manager interview questions test your knowledge of quality control tools.?
Since it is a frequently asked project management interview question, you must already have the answers ready.
Ishikawa Diagram, popularly known as the Fishbone Diagram is a hot topic for many project management interview questions.?
Ishikawa Diagram is a data visualization tool that helps to find the cause for every effect. It is one of the most important quality control tools to understand the problems in one chart. You may look at the bigger picture of the problem, without straying away with symptoms.
4Q) What is RAID in Project Management? Why Do You Need One?
These project manager interview questions tests your knowledge of handling risk using standard procedures.?
?These questions should not baffle you, and you must have your answers completely ready at the tip of your tongue.
The term RAID means risk, assumptions, issues, and dependency. It is a risk aversion technique that helps keep track of present risks and prepare for future uncertainties.
Situation-Based Project Manager Interview Questions
A project manager's job is more about handling real-world situations rather than having textbook knowledge that anyone can mug up over time and spit it out on an interview. Hence, the project manager interview questions in this section utilize a situation-based approach to understand what the project manager would do if the situation presented itself.
5Q) How do You Handle Working on a Tight Budget??
Many project managers get so involved in making a fruitful project that they often forget to look at the expenses column shooting through the roof. You must understand that budgeting is one of the most important duties of a project manager. No matter how well you execute the project, you need to stay within the budget. If it exceeds the budget, you cannot fulfill organizational financial goals.?
These project manager interview questions underlie the importance of balance across various project management disciplines, and answers to them must follow the approach.?
Whenever you have a tight budget, you need to keep a track record of spending. Focus on daily expenses, operational costs, and other losses, and eliminate as much as possible. Make sure that you are well under budget since there will always be adverse situations that can affect your budgeting plans.?
6Q) What is the Most Important Skill of a Project Manager?
It is one of the tricky project management interview questions that gauge your personal interests, your understanding of project management, and the reason for your preference.
It is a project management interview question, where you know that all the skills are equally important, but need to choose one skill.
Make a decision and mention either communication, leadership, or time management skills. Back it up with your reasons for the same.
Example: you could say that there would be chaos without proper leadership skills, or if you do not have time management skills, you can never deliver a quality project within the deadline.
7Q) Which Project Management Tools are Your Favorite? Have You Ever Used Them?
This question requires you to showcase your tool knowledge and provide answers with examples demonstrating your expertise in the said tool.
The most commonly used and essential tools are as follows:
? Work Breakdown Structure
? Product Breakdown Structure
? Logic Networks
Skill-Based Project Manager Interview Questions
There are various skills that a project manager needs to have. These project management interview questions help to bring out the traits of a project manager within the candidate.
8Q) Tell Me Something About Yourself
The question tests your project management capabilities concerning communication skills and the ability to grab an opportunity when it knocks on your door.?
It is your chance to create an impression and grab the opportunity, starting with a home run.
Start with your personal information, list your professional and educational skills, and also talk about your goals. Explain with passion about yourself and always try to put the role of the project manager in the backdrop. Make sure that they understand your passion for the role of the project manager.
Even if you have no experience, make sure to illustrate how you led and managed the projects of your team. The first impression is usually the last.
9Q) How Will You Resolve Conflict Between Your Team and Customers?
A project manager needs to know conflict management techniques to pacify the stakeholders or project team as and when required. A top-class project manager is always unbiased and non-judgemental. They must intervene at the right moment and solve the dispute in an amicable manner.
To solve a dispute, a project manager may need to collaborate, employ problem-solving techniques, compete, accommodate, and reconcile.
A healthy team is not the one that never faces conflicts but is the one that sticks together despite opposing viewpoints. And, it is the task of the project manager to ensure that the team stays together despite occasional ups and downs. In the end, the customer needs to be happy and so must the team.
?10Q) Do you know how to use 'X' software??
Every industry has a set of tools that you need to be accustomed to while working on a project. It is important to research well about the industry before applying for the job.
When you are asked these types of project management questions, answer it with examples of projects that you have executed using the software, if you are skilled at it. There is a good chance that you may be assigned a small task to demonstrate your skills.?
However, if you do not know a particular software, it should not deter you, as long as you know a pseudo software. There is a good chance that you will know a similar software and there will not be major changes between the two except the user interface.?
In such cases, express your knowledge in the related software and your zeal for learning. Most of the time, interviewers usually want to see if you can learn the software as early as possible.?
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