PMP or P.M.P. is an acronym for Project Management Professional.

Project Management Professional is an extremely popular Project Management Credential offered by the Project Management Institute known in short as PMI or P.M.I.

PMP shows one’s competency to lead and direct projects. It also covers one’s experience and training etc. One with a PMP gets paid higher salary and be offered better job than others. Thus, PMP improves the employment and salary prospects of candidates all over the world.

PMP is suitable for people with work experience in project management. These people must have shown competence in leading and directing project teams. Their desire to enhance their skill set, job prospects, progress and earnings etc. 

PMP or P.M.P. or Project Management Professional Eligibility Requirements

You may as well refer to the PMP Handbook on PMI website for full detail on the PMP Eligibility Requirements. However, the main factors are as below:

1. A secondary degree, 2. at least five years of project management experience, 3. 7,500 hours leading and directing projects and 4. 35 hours of project management education. Please note that here, the term ‘Secondary degree’ means any one of the: 1. High school diploma, or 2. Associate’s degree, or 3. Any other global equivalent.

OR

1. A four-year degree, 2. At least three years of project management experience, 3. 4,500 hours leading and directing projects and 4. 35 hours of project management education. Please note that here, the term ‘A four-year degree’ means (a). bachelor’s degree or (b). the global equivalent.

A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge

PMBOK (A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge): 1. is published by the Project Management Institute, 2. is considered the PMP Manual and 3. is believed to be the basis for PMP Exam.

PMBOK describes 47 processes, 5 process groups and 10 knowledge areas. These are vital for effective project management. It is very interesting to note how the 5 Process Groups interact with the 10 Knowledge Areas as PMBOK shows. It is very important for a PMP aspirant to clearly understand the same in PMP way.

The PMBOK® Guide (A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge) is published by the Project Management Institute  or PMI®.

The 5 PMP Process Groups of the PMBOK:

A process is a set of actions and activities performed to get to a set of products, results, or services. A good process is based on sound principles and proven practices. It is vital for the smooth progress of a project from Start to Finish, that the project follows a set of good and established processes. This makes the Project Manager’s job lot more easier and works well for all stakeholders too.

There are 5 Process Groups as defined in A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Fifth Edition. The 5 process groups of PMP or PMI are : 1. Initiating, 2. Planning, 3. Executing, 4. Monitoring and Controlling, and 5. Closing.

‘Initiating’ Process Group:

This process defines a new project or a new phase of a live project. It also gets the project authorized to start. According to PMBOK, the PMP ‘Initiating’ process group comprises of:  1. Developing a Project Charter, 2. Identifying Stakeholders and 3. Other Considerations. These cover all detail that are essential for a smooth start of the project and  success in its life-time.

The below  key points from the PMP ‘Initiation’ process group are interesting to note: 1. A Project Charter is developed in the very early stage of the project, 2. The Charter brings in clarity on project boundaries and expectations from all stakeholders, 3. All funding sources should be set in place before a Project Charter can be delivered. 4. Identifying Stakeholders is a vital task that is done at the Initiation stage of the project, 5. It is critical for the success of the project to have a clear understanding of who the stakeholders are and their interests and influences on the project, 6.  Identifying stakeholders at the early stage of the project helps in running the project smoothly as it paves way for the clarity among all stakeholders of the project.

‘Planning’ Process Group:

It establishes the scope and improves the objectives of the project. It also sets out the actions to achieve the desired results or objectives.

As per the PMBOK guide, the PMP ‘Planning’ process group is comprised of the tasks such as: 1. Develop a Project Management Plan, 2. Collect Requirements, 3. Define Scope, 4. Create Work Breakdown Structure, 5. Define Activities, 6. Sequence Activities, 7. Estimate Activity Resources, 8. Estimate Activity Durations, 9. Develop Schedule, 10. Estimate Costs, 11. Determine Budget, 12. Plan Quality, 13. Develop Human Resource Plan, 14. Plan Communications, 15. Plan Risk Management, 16. Identify Risks, 17. Perform Qualitative and Quantitative Risk Analysis, 18. Plan Risk Responses and 19. Plan Procurements.

A PMP Project Management Plan is made of various elements such as 1. Schedule, 2. Communication Plan, 3. Risk Management Plan, 4. Quality Management Plan, 5. Cost Management Plan etc.

Collect Requirements is a must do for any project as that is the only way one can understand what the customer requires from the project. Once the requirements are collected, they are documented in detail. They can be referred to in future if need be in case of conflict and want of more clarity.

The prime objective of any project is to meet customer requirements. Define Scope is what determines the boundaries of the project in terms what needs be done and what can be done. Properly defined scope sets stakeholder expectations right as they can have a good understanding of what they can expect from the project.

A WBS or Work Breakdown Structure is a great tool that documents all the lower level activities of a Project. The WBS also acts as a great communication tool as it shows in reasonably good detail what goes on at the project level day to day.

A project schedule is a key tool that gives full understanding of work,  responsibilities, and timelines etc. for all people involved in the project. There are a few activities that need to be performed well to give a good shape to the project schedule. These are: 1. Define Activities, 2. Sequence Activities, 3. Estimate Activity Resources, and 4. Estimate Activity Durations etc. A good project schedule gives enough data that helps to calculate the costs involved in the project work that in-turn help to calculate the project budget.

Plan Quality is a vital process that emphasises the need and means to plan quality so it can be achieved. A proper plan is put in place so all stakeholders know how the project plans achieve the desired quality. In such plan, various factors that can impact quality are identified too.

Develop Human Resource Plan is where a Human Resource Plan is laid out. This plan details how the project management team can make sure the right  human resources with the right skills can be made available for the project work.

In any given project, communication takes place at all times in many ways and forms. Such communication can be take place in formal or informal way.  A Communication Plan is where it is determined what type and level of communication needs to happen in the project life.

In PMP terms, the process called ‘Planning the Risk Management’ means the below: 1. Identify Risks, 2. Qualitative Risk Analysis, 3. Quantitative Risk Analysis, and 4. Plan Risk Responses etc. All these put together help the project team in naming and assessing the risks to the project and planning how to respond to the same. Thus if a project can have right risk responses identified and documented, one can know how to respond to a risk. A risk can be either positive or negative.

Finally, it is vital to plan procurements. With this, the project gets enough supply of what it needs in a timely and cost-effective manner.

‘Executing’ Process Group:  

This PMP process group performs the processes or actions as set out in planning above. At a high level, the following elements are involved in this process group: 1. Direct and Manage Project Execution, 2. Perform Quality Assurance, 3. Acquire Project Team, 4. Develop Project Team, 5. Manage Project Team, 6. Distribute Information, 7. Manage Stakeholder Expectations and 8. Conduct Procurements. This process group is will be active throughout the life of the PMP project.

‘Monitoring and Controlling’ Process Group:

The PMP Monitoring and Controlling process group monitors the progress of the PMP project, reviews the planning etc. to make sure the project will achieve the objectives. The following constitute this process group: 1. Monitor and Control Project Work, 2. Perform Integrated Change Control, 3. Verify Scope, 4. Control Scope, 5. Control Schedule, 6. Control Costs, 7. Perform Quality Control, 8. Report Performance, 9. Monitor and Control Risks and 10. Administer Procurements.

‘Closing’ Process Group:

This process group puts an end to the project activities and closes the MSP project or phase. The PMP ‘Closing’ process group comprises mainly two elements: 1. Close Project or Close Phase and 2. Close Procurements.

The 10 PMP Knowledge Areas of the PMBOK:

There are 10 Knowledge Areas of Project Management as per PMI. Each of these 10 Knowledge Areas of PMP covers a specific area of PMP knowledge. When these 10 PMP Knowledge Areas are put together, they cover all aspects of the PMP Project Management.  To gain clarity on PMBOK PMP concept of Project Management, it is important to understand the relation between 5 Process Groups and 10 Knowledge Areas.

The 10 PMP Knowledge Areas of the PMBOK as defined by the PMI are named as below: 1. Project Integration Management, 2. Project Scope Management, 3. Project Time Management, 4. Project Cost Management, 5. Project Quality Management, 6. Project Human Resource Management, 7. Project Communications Management, 8. Project Risk Management, 9. Project Procurement Management, and 10. Project Stakeholder Management.

The PMP ‘Project Integration Management’ Knowledge Area:

The PMP ‘Project Integration Management’ is a wide Knowledge Area as it connects with all Process Groups of PMP PMBOK and all phases of the PMP project. This PMP knowledge area defines, combines, unifies and coordinates full range of processes and activities as defined by the PMBOK. Project Integration Management if planned, managed and executed well will ensure the smooth progress of all processes and the success of the entire project as a whole. According to PMBOK, the processes that make up this are:  1. Develop Project Charter, 2. Develop Preliminary Scope Statement, 3. Develop Project Management Plan, 4. Direct and Manage Project Execution, 5. Monitor and Control Project Work, 6. Integrated Change Control and 7. Close Project.

The PMP ‘Project Scope Management’ Knowledge Area:

This PMP Knowledge Area covers all processes that are needed to ensure that the PMP Project delivers the agreed scope of work as per plan. According to PMBOK, the processes that make up this are: 1. Plan Scope Management, 2. Collect Requirements, 3. Define Scope, 4. Create WBS, 5. Validate Scope and 6. Control Scope.

The PMP ‘Project Time Management’ Knowledge Area:

This PMP knowledge area covers the processes to ensure (1). The timely completion of the project as a whole as well as (2). The timely start and finish of various activities of the project. According to PMBOK, the PMP processes that make up this are named as below: 1. Define Activities, 2. Sequence Activities, 3. Estimate Activity Resources, 4. Estimate Activity Durations, 5. Develop Schedule and 6. Control Schedule.

The PMP Project Cost Management Knowledge Area:

This PMP Knowledge Area covers all the processes required to manage the cost involved in running the PMP project from Start to Finish. According to PMBOK, the processes that make up this are named as: 1. Estimate Costs, 2. Determine Budget and 3. Control Costs.

The PMP ‘Project Quality Management’ Knowledge Area:

This PMP Knowledge Area covers all the processes that help to manage the quality of work in the PMP project and the outputs of the work. As per to PMBOK, the two key PMP processes that make up this are: 1. Plan Quality Management and 2. Perform Quality Assurance.

The PMP ‘Project Human Resource Management’ Knowledge Area:

This PMP Knowledge Area deals with all processes that help with the management of human resources that work on the PMP project. As per PMBOK, the processes that make up this are: 1. Develop Human Resource Plan, 2. Acquire Project Team, 3. Develop Project Team and 4. Manage Project Team.

The PMP ‘Project Communications Management’ Knowledge Area:

This PMP Knowledge Area deals with all of the processes that help with the communications that need to take place in the project. Such communications need to take place in an orderly fashion among the right stake holders at right time. As per PMBOK, the processes that make up this are: 1. Plan Communications Management, 2. Manage Communications and 3. Control Communications.

The PMP ‘Project Risk Management’ Knowledge Area:

This PMP Knowledge Area covers all the processes that help with how various risks are managed in the project. As per the PMBOK, the processes that make up this are as named here: 1. Plan Risk Management, 2. Identify Risks, 3. Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis, 4. Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis, 5. Plan Risk Responses and 6. Control Risks.

The PMP ‘Project Procurement Management’ Knowledge Area:

This PMP Knowledge Area deals with how anything that the project needs from outside is procured. As per the PMBOK, the processes that make up this are as named here: 1. Plan Procurements, 2. Conduct Procurements and 3. Administer Procurements.

The PMP ‘Project Stakeholder Management’ Knowledge Area:

This PMP Knowledge Area was added in the PMI PMBOK 5th edition. It deals with how the management of stakeholders takes place in the PMP project life cycle. As per the PMBOK, the processes that make up this are as named here: 1. Plan Procurements, 2. Conduct Procurements, 3. Administer Procurements and 4. Close Procurements.

The PMP or P.M.P. or Project Management Professional Exam

The PMP exam consists of 200 multiple-choice questions to be answered in 4 hours. Of these 200, 175 scored questions and 25 pre-test questions are placed randomly. Pre-test questions do not affect the exam score and are used in exams as an effective and legitimate way to test the validity of future exam questions. Please note that for those that do not meet these criteria, Certified Associate in Project Management or CAPM or C.A.P.M. certification is a good alternative.

The 4 hr. PMP examination is preceded by a 15 min. tutorial and followed by a 15 min. survey. Both the tutorial and the survey are optional and the15 minutes each is on top of the allocated exam time of 4 hours.

Preparing for and passing the PMP exam is quite a challenge in itself. This is so due to the level of understanding of the PMI concepts that is needed to answer the often practical questions on the exam. It is interesting to note how high the number of people that fail the PMP exam remains despite the big rise in the number of certified PMPs.

PMP® Exam Challenge!  is a great book designed to help you pass the PMP exam. This book gives you an easy-to-use, highly portable publication, containing key topics you are certain to encounter on your PMP exam. The sixth edition features 660 PMP Exam practice questions and fully reflects the PMBOK® Guide Fifth Edition. The PMP Exam Challenge book covers all the ten PMP Knowledge Areas.

PMP | Ramaaa Consultants Limited | Manoj Gajavelli | Experts in Project Management and Programme Management | Specialists in Training and Consulting | SIX SIGMA | MSP | ITIL | PRINCE2