An 8 Step Self-Study Plan for the PMP Exam

Greetings my loyal blog fans. Apologies for the long absence. I have been focusing on studying for my project manager certification exam. I am doing self-study and I wanted to share my study plan with you in the hopes that it will prove useful.

I thought of bootcamps, online courses, etc. but they just proved too expensive for what I can afford right now. I figured, I have my MBA, I know how to study and retain knowledge. I will do it myself! If this doesn’t work, I’ll get the help of outside help.

Here is my simple study plan:

Materials needed:
Study book suggestions:
Rita Mulcahy PMP Exam Prep or
PMP Exam Prep: How to Pass on Your First Try by Andy Crowe
Head First PMP: A Brain-Friendly Guide to Passing the Project Management Professional Exam

Notebook
Index cards
Highlighter
Pens

1. Find a study buddy
Your study buddy or buddies will help keep you focused and committed. When you know someone else is depending on you, you can rouse yourself to do even the most tedious of tasks. You can also bounce questions off each other when things get confusing.

2. Take a free online sample test to get a baseline
www.pmstudy.com has a free PMP test you can take. It will give you a breakdown of how you did in each process area by percentage.

3. Prioritize your study areas
Start from the areas where you performed very poorly to the best.

4. Create flash cards
The foundation of all knowledge rests with learning the lingo. The chapter I started with was Cost Management. I went through and wrote all the project management jargon on the index cards. When I have spare moments, I will take out the cards and test myself.

5. Take notes on the chapter
Read through the chapter and highlight the core essence of the information. Then take notes in your notebook.

6. Take the chapter test at the end of each chapter
This is another indicator of how effective your study is going. If you are scoring low on the chapter test, go through the chapter again with your study buddy and figure out what your obstacles are.

7. Memorize all necessary formulas
Know these back and forth. It’s simple enough to practice using them. Once you become familiar with when and how you use them, these will be simple questions for you to answer on the test.

8. Take another free online practice exam
Once you have gone through the book, take another practice exam to see where you are. It is recommended you go through the study book three times. Test takers need to become familiar with the PMI-isms that are not naturally intuitive to most project managers. Know the language of PMI and it will serve you well.

I am scheduled to take the exam in April 2009. I will keep you posted and let you know when I become a PMP!

The Bridge from Good to Great

I love reading about successful people. Men and women throughout history that are great in their chosen area. I study these folks because I want to be great too. I have goals and dreams that I want to achieve and learning about someone else’s struggle helps me stay on track for my own.

Who do I consider great? Just to name a few, business leaders like Warren Buffett, Michael Dell, Mary Kay Ash and Meg Whitman. Political leaders like Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi and Elizabeth Dole. Historical leaders like Ida B. Wells, Sojourner Truth, Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., etc. This list could go on all day.

How did these folks achieve greatness? What was the bridge they crossed before they experienced success? They all started out as ordinary people just like me, with nothing but a dream. What is the thing or things they did to become great? The answer is fairly easy to identify. The qualities these leaders have are:
1. Persistence
2. Risk seeking – or at least not risk averse
3. Goal oriented

PERSISTENCE

In your journey through life, you will come across obstacles. At times they will seem insurmountable. Some people find it easy to give up and find an easier route. The persistent person will find a way around, over or even through that obstacle. A hard fought battle helps you learn lessons about life that you would never have received going the easy route.

RISK SEEKING

We all know it’s scary to take risks. As project managers, it’s our responsibility to do proper risk analysis and use all the risk management techniques so that we can mitigate any risks to the project. But at the end of the day, when all the analyses are in, sometimes you have to take the risk. A well played risk can net you a big payout – but it can also mean a big failure. You have to decide what your priorities are and what you value.

GOAL ORIENTED

This is by far, the most important part of being great. ALL great leaders had goals. It is the very rare person that has achieved greatness by accident. Most people have to work hard towards the success they have achieved in life. We’ve all heard of SMART goals. It’s important to set your long and short term goals.

You don’t have to become president of the United States or the richest person in the world to be a success. Define what success means for you. It could just mean being a kick-ass project manager or making sure that your kids are happy. No matter what it is, set your goals, don’t give up and take a chance.

How to Herd Cats

My loyal readers, I have changed the title of this blog to “Herding Cats: Tales of a Project Manager”. In considering the type of content I want to publish about project management, I felt this more accurately reflects what each of us as PM’s must go through.

Have you ever tried to herd cats? It’s hard. They aren’t like dogs. They don’t care if you will give them love or scritch the back of their ears. But I have three cats and I have found a way to herd them successfully.

Cats are interested in their own best self-interest. If they want love, they will come to you. If they want food or their litter box changed, they will find a way to let you know. If you want your cat to come to you, find out what they deem important. My cats love treats. They know that when the treat box shakes, some treats are going to come their way.

Running a project is very similar. You, the PM, are leading from the middle (or the rear depending on your sponsor!). You have to find out what is of value to your stakeholders and then shake that treat box!

Top 10 Qualities of a Project Manager

There is a great article on ProjectSmart on the top 10 qualities of a project leader. In short, here is the list:

1. Inspires a shared vision
2. Good communicator
3. Integrity
4. Enthusiasm
5. Empathy
6. Competence
7. Ability to delegate tasks
8. Cool under pressure
9. Team building skills
10. Problem solving skills

You’ll notice that in the top 10 skills, not one of them says, can use MS Project or can create a WBS within a day. These are all soft-skills. Project management is about relating to people to accomplish a common goal. I’ve worked with project managers that have lacked a skill or two on this list and the project was painful to say the least.

There have been discussions in the PM-sphere about project management being an art or science. It is both. The science involves using the established tools and industry standards to help plan, monitor and execute the project properly. The art involves using the top ten skills above to help your team see the vision and stay on track to acheive the project objectives.

Delivering your projects on schedule

Most people who have ever been on a project team know that there are inevitable project slips, scope creep and other unforeseen delays. How do you as a project manager handle these and get the project out on time? As we all know, the project manager is responsible for everything, yet is not responsible for anything.

I view my role as project leader as the facilitator. How can I best help the team members get their tasks completed on time? I am the person in the front of the line with the machete chopping at the brush and clearing the way so the rest of the team can get to their destination with a minimum of complications. Some things cannot be helped but here are a few tips to help you help your team succeed.

1. RISK MANAGEMENT

Far too often, project teams overlook this vital activity. Sit down with the project sponsor and key team members and identify any and all potential risks to delivering the project. Resources can be removed from your team and put on another project. Company priorities may change. Funding may disappear. The key players may leave the company. Identify internal and external risks. Talk to each team member and ask them where they see potential issues. Document everything and discuss potential mitigation plans with the project sponsor and the team.

2. COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR TEAM

Once you have set the project plan, don’t assume everything is running on auto-pilot and forget about everybody until the next status meeting. Talk to your team members every day. Find out their progress, are they running into any difficulties or other roadblocks, are they waiting for a deliverable that has yet to show? Manage these day-to-day, unforseen issues closely. Go back to your project plan and adjust dates if necessary. And ALWAYS communicate both up and down to ensure that your stakeholders have the information they need to make the proper decisions. Remember, team relationships are like any relationship, they require give and take. Reward them for their efforts. Rewards can take many forms. Simple praise is great. People want to know that they are making a difference and adding to progress. Some folks may need more extrinsic motivators. Home baked cookies at status meetings are one way I give my thanks. But find the way that works for you and your team.

3. AGREE UPON EXPECTATIONS

At the start of the project, I like to set my expectations for all team members. We set the goals together and the expectation is that all team members will work to attain the goal together. If someone’s situation changes, I need to know so I can make the appropriate alterations to the plan or my own expectations.

It is great when a project comes to an end and it is successful. Managing risks, communication and expectations will go a long way towards ensuring successful launches. Great leadership can tie it all together and keep the team happy.

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. ~John Quincy Adams

Networking courtesy of Vito Corleone

I was watching The Godfather II the other day. It’s a classic. As I watched young Vito Corelone, played by Robert DeNiro, get his start in the “business”, I realized Don Corleone is just a Power Networker. He offered help to those in need. And to those who helped him, he’s “not gonna forget it”. He built his power on the exchange of favors.

Robert DeNiro as young Vito Corleone in The Godfather II

This is in essence what networking is and does – minus the killing and breaking of limbs (hopefully!). This is also what we must do as project managers. Networking always made me feel uncomfortable. It felt unnatural. “Hey, I need something, can you give it to me?” But if you look at networking as just making friends, that is something we do everyday. When you make a new friend, you find common ground. You exchange trusts.

When managing a project, we must deal with all types of personalities. As a project manager, you have no real authority over anyone but you have the responsibility to make sure the work gets done on time. We lead from the middle. So how do we do this? Build your networks and manage them effectively. In my previous post, I discussed stakeholder analysis and communication as the foundation of project management. This is an extension of that discussion.

Encourage open communication with your team members. If a deliverable is going to be delivered late, let them know it’s okay to let you know as soon as they realize it. You will not “breaka their legs”. But knowing that piece of info, helps you to notify the appropriate stakeholders so you can make subsequent decisions about the next steps of the project.

When you have transparent project communication, you will encourage your team members to come to you freely and you may not have to nag them as much.

As with Don Corelone, don’t forget the favors that are done for you. Return them in spades. When you build your networks, think about giving more than receiving and you will plant the seeds that will bear you large project fruit.

The Foundation of Great Project Management

It’s really wonderful to see those shiny new spreadsheets will colorful columns, filled with really important data. Or the PowerPoint decks that have awesome pie charts and graphs and succinct bullet points. But what is at the very core of all these tools that we use? Communication. The majority of great project management comes from excellent communication across the board to all interested stakeholders.

Let the project team know what is going on.

Does this mean you tell everyone on the project everything that is going on? No sir. Not unless you want political chaos on your hands. You must do stakeholder analysis to determine who requires what informatio when and how it will be delivered.

Stakeholder analysis is simple when done in three simple steps:

• Identify stakeholders
• Analyze their impact on the project
• Manage stakeholders

Identify stakeholders

The PMBOK Guide, Third Edition defines a stakeholder as:

Person or organization (e.g., customer, sponsor, performing organization, or the public) that is actively involved in the project, or whose interests may be positively or negatively affected by execution or completion of the project. A stakeholder may also exert influence over the project and its deliverables.

PMBOK Guide Glossary

A stakeholder can be anyone. If you are creating a new software app, the end user is a stakeholder. Their communication needs are going to differ greatly from the sponsor. Likewise, a project engineer has different communication needs than the sponsor.

During the identification phase, list out every possible person or entity that can be considered a stakeholder. As you analyze each person on your list, identify who are the potential postive and negative stakeholders. Is there anyone on your list that could negatively impact the project. These folks will require different handling. Positive stakeholders will help you mitigate the issues that may arise from the negative stakeholders.

Analyze stakeholders

Positive stakeholders can generally be separated into three groups:

• Sponsor
• Facilitators
• Technical Leads

The Sponsor initiates the project and has the most invested in the success of the project. This person(s) will often help champion the project and help neutralize negative stakeholders.

Facilitators believe in the project and may help to push it along. They do not have as much invested as the Sponsor but will help in the background as advisors.

Technical Leads are very enthusiastic about the project but do not have any power to move it forward. These folks can still be very helpful in identifying other project sponsors or facilitators.

A handy 2×2 matrix can help you place your stakeholders in the right perspective. POWER refers to the amount of impact a stakeholder can have on the outcome of a project. INTEREST refers to how much the stakeholder will be affected by the outcome of a project.

2x2 Stakeholder Analysis Matrix

Let’s take our software development project as an example. The end users are stakeholders that have a high interest in the project but low power. They would fall in the lower right quadrant “Keep informed”. Their communication would come in the form of launch announcements or usability study requests, etc. The Vice President of Product Development would fall in the high power-high interest quadrant of manage closely. Their communication would be weekly status reports, notification of issues, etc.

Manage stakeholders

Stakeholder management requires those warm and fuzzy skills that are hard to articulate on a resume. How do you assuage two groups of feuding engineers? Or worse yet, a sponsor that is ready to derail a project? This is the line that separates the good PMs from the AWESOME ones.

From my personal experience, you have to be proactive. You have to be able to see into the future and anticipate issues that will arise. (We’ll do another article on Risk Management at a later date) Most importantly, during the life of your project, it’s important that you establish a relationship with your stakeholders that will help you get things done. Because at the end of the day, the project must ship – on time and below or at cost.

Communications Plan

Creation of a communications plan at the start of the project will help guide you once the project is underway. It may need to be modified as projects often change sponsors and directions. Email, phone, status meetings, reports, etc. are all excellent tools to use. But don’t forget the human element. At the base of it all, we are all human beings and we need to establish relationships with all our project partners. Communication is the very foundation of great project management. Learn to use it wisely and you too will be great.

Life as one big project

Everything we do is a project. There is a start and end date. There are assumptions and risks we must (should) assess. There is usually always a deadline for completion. And each task has a certain duration. Project management as a professional discipline has standardized processes and tools, thereby ensuring that outcomes can be predicted.

The goal of this blog is to start a discussion on issues relevant to project management – in any industry. My expertise is in software development and Internet domain but I encourage project managers from all walks of life to weigh in and share their knowledge.

I will have articles on tools, processes, inputs and outputs, famous projects in history and I will profile exceptional project managers and leaders. If you have anything you’d like to me to write about, please feel free to send me your ideas. Or if you’d like to submit an article, I’d be glad to publish it for you.

Here’s to the start of a great conversation!

A great project! Can you imagine the scope creep for this one?