Classnotes PMP 5th Edition

The PMBOK Guide 5th Edition
Classnotes
5th Ed Project Management Process Groups

Knowledge Monitoring and
Areas Initiating Planning Executing Controlling Closing
Integration 4.1 Develop 4.2 Develop Project 4.3 Direct and 4.4 Monitor and 4.6 Close
Project Management Plan Manage Project Control Project Work Project or
Charter Work 4.5 Perform Phase
Integrated Change
Control
Scope 5.1 Plan Scope Management 5.5 Validate Scope
5.2 Collect Requirements 5.6 Control Scope
5.3 Define Scope
5.4 Create WBS
Time 6.1 Plan Schedule Management 6.7 Control Schedule
6.2Define Activities
6.3 Sequence Activities
6.4 Estimate Activity Resources
6.5 Estimate Activity Durations
6.6Develop Schedule
Cost 7.1 Plan Cost Management 7.4 Control Costs
7.2 Estimate Costs
7.3 Determine Budget
Quality 8.1 Plan Quality Mgmt 8.2 Perform 8.3 Control Quality
Quality
Assurance
Human 9.1 Plan Human Resource 9.2 Acquire
Resources Management Project team
9.3 Develop
Project team
9.4 Manage
Project team
Communicati 10.2 Plan Communications Mgmt 10.2 Manage 10.3 Control
ons Communicatio Communications
ns
Risk 11.1 Plan Risk Management 11.6 Control Risks
11.2 Identify Risks
11.3 Perform Qualitative Risk
Management
11.4 Perform Quantitative Risk
Management
11.5 Plan Risk Responses
Procurement 12.1 Plan Procurement Mgmt 12.2 Conduct 12.3 Control 12. 4 Close
Procurements Procurements Procurements
Stakeholder 13.1 Identify 13.2 Plan Stakeholder 13.3 Manage 13.4Control
Managemen Stakeholders Management Stakeholder Stakeholder
t Engagement Engagement
© 2013 SkillSoft Ireland Limited 1

Classnotes
Exam Tips for PMBOK Chapters 1 through 3:
1. Memorize the definition of a project

a. A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service. The
project has a definite start/end date. The end is reached when the objectives of the project
have been achieved or when it is terminated (objectives cannot be met, sponsor decision,
need for project no longer exists). Every project creates a unique product, service or result.
2. Memorize the definition of Project Management.
a. Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools & techniques to project
activities in order to meet the project requirements. This is accomplished through the use of
the 47 management processes which are grouped in 5 process groups (I,P,E,M&C,C).
b. Managing a project typically includes: identifying requirements, addressing various needs
and expectations of stakeholders, managing communication among stakeholders, balancing
the competing project constraints (scope, quality, budget, resources, etc)
3. Understand Organizational Project Management (OPM)
a. OPM is a strategy execution framework using project, program and portfolio management
as well as organizational enabling practices in order to deliver organizational strategy. The 3
ways differ in the way that they can contribute to achieving the organizational goals.
i. Portfolio aligns with org strategies by selecting the right projects or programs,
prioritizing work, providing the needed resources
ii. Program management harmonizes it’s projects and program components and
controls interdependencies in order to achieve specified benefits.
iii. Project management develops and implements plans to achieve a specific scope
that is driven by the objectives of the program or portfolio
OPM Projects Programs Portfolios
Scope Defined project Aggregate of Organizational scope based

objectives multiple related on strategic objectives
projects
Change Manage Manage changes Manage changes in a

project change inside and outside broader organizational
the program environment
Planning Progressively High-level planning Maintain processes and

elaborate communications in a
project broader environment
objectives into
work activities
Management Manage the Manage the Coordinate and manage

Classnotes
team program staff and staff that have reporting

project managers responsibilities into the
aggregate portfolio
Success Quality, Degree to which Aggregate investment

timelines, program satisfies performance and benefit
budget needs realization of portfolio
Monitoring Monitor and Monitor progress Monitor strategic change,

control project of program to aggregate resource
work ensure the goals, allocation, performance
schedule and results and risk
budget will be met.
4. A PMO has clearly defined project responsibilities regarding projects throughout the organization.
a. The PMO standardizes project related governance processes and facilitates sharing of
resources, methodologies, tools and techniques. The responsibility can range from providing
project management support to actually being responsible with managing one or more
projects.
i. Supportive (consultative role through templates, best practices, etc)
ii. Controlling (provide support and require compliance through adopting project
management framework, using specific templates)
iii. Directive (take control of the project directly)
5. Understand the role that a PMO plays on the project.
a. Support the PM in a variety of ways
i. Managing shared resources
ii. Identifying and developing project mgmt methodology, best practices, standards
iii. Coaching, mentoring, training and oversight
iv. Coordinating communication
v. Monitor compliance by means of audit
vi. Developing and managing project policies
6. Organizational Governance is important because it can impact your ability to manage projects.
a. It is the strategic goal of the organization which should be aligned with the goals of the
project. The program, portfolio manager should identify if the project does not align to this
and the PM should document and identify such conflicts as early as possible.
7. Have a good understand of the roles of the Project Manager, the Functional Manager and the
Operations Manager.
a. Project manager leads the team and is responsible for achieving the project objectives
b. Functional manager is focused on providing management oversight for a functional or
business unit
c. Operation manager is responsible for ensuring that business operations are efficient

Classnotes
8. Assume you are working in a strong matrix organization unless told otherwise.
a. Functional organizations is where each employee has a clear superior, staff is grouped by
specialty at the top level, these may be subdivided into focused functional units. Each
department will do it’s project work independent from the other.
b. Matrix organizations ca be weak where it maintains much of the functional org
characteristics. The PM is more of a coordinator or expediter.
i. This means that expediters cannot personally make or enforce decisions.
ii. Project coordinators have some more power and authority but report to higher level
management
c. Balanced matrix organizations recognize the need for a PM but it does not provide him with
full authority over the project or the funding
d. Projectized organization is where the team members are collocated, most of the org’s
resources are involved in project work and the PMs have a great deal of independence and
authority.
e. It is possible that organizations use a composite organization. For example a functional
organization may create a specialized project team to handle a critical project. This will
mean that they are full time from different departments develop their own operating
procedures and even operate outside the standard formalized reporting structure.
9. Have a good understanding of organizational process assets (OPAs) and how they affect your
project. (sunt practice procedure pe care trebuie sa le aplici pentru a-ti duce la bun sfarsit proiectul
si se folosesc foarte mult in planning LUCRURI PE CARE POTI SA LE CONTROLEZI)
a. Plans, processes and policies, procedures. They include all artifacts, practices, knowledge
that can be used to perform or govern the project.
b. These process assets include formal and informal plans, processes, policies, procedures
c. Organizational process assets include completed schedules, risk data, EV data.
d. OPAs are inputs to most planning processes
e. They can be grouped in 2 categories
i. Processes and procedures
ii. Corporate knowledge base
10. Have a good understanding of enterprise environmental factors (EEFs) and how they affect your
project. LUCRURI PE CARE NU POTI SA LE CONTROLEZI
a. Conditions not under the project team control that influence or constrain the project.
b. Organizational culture, geographic distribution of facilities/resources, infrastructure,
political climate, marketplace conditions, etc
11. The term stakeholders can mean any person involved in the project. Be aware of the rest of the
question to understand the context.
a. It is a group or individual or organization that may affect/be affected by the outcome of the
project.
b. They can affect a project positively or negatively
c. Different stakeholders may have competing expectation which can create conflict.

Classnotes
d. The level of influence that a stakeholder has can change over the course of the project life
cycle
12. You may see questions relating to phases and the difference between them.
a. Phase to phase relationship is where the project phases are generally sequenced in order to
provide proper control over the project and attain the desired product/result.
i. Sequential relationship where one phase begins after the previous has ended
ii. Overlapping relationship where a phase starts prior of the completion of the
previous one. This may involve more resources since work is done in parallel,
increase risk, rework
b. Predictive life cycles is where the scope time and cost required are determined as early as
possible. These projects go through a series of sequencial and overlapping phases. The tasks
are different in nature from preceding or subsequent phases therefore the makeup and
skills required by the team will differ from phase to phase.
c. Iterative and incremental life cycles is where the project phases are intentionally repeat one
or more activities as the project team’s understanding of the product increases.
i. Iterations develop a product through a series of repeated cycles
ii. Iterations means that the deliverable may be enhanced through future iterations
until the exit phase criteria is met. This allows for feedback to be incorporated
iii. Increments successively add to the functionality of the product
iv. This is preferred when an organization needs to manage changing objectives and
scope to reduce the complexity of the project or when partial delivery of a product
is beneficial and provides value without impact to the final deliverable
d. Adaptive life cycles are intended to respond to high levels of change and ongoing
stakeholder involvement. Iterations are short term and of fixed price. The overall scope will
be decomposed into a set of requirements and work that needs to be performed. At the end
of each iteration the product is reviewed by the customer. This is preferred when
requirements and scope are difficult to define in the beginning.
13. Process groups and knowledge areas. Understand the difference.
a. There are 5 process groups that have clear dependencies and are typically performed for
each project and interact with one another
b. Process groups are not project life cycle phases
c. The 47 processes in PMI can be grouped into 10 knowledge areas. This represents a set of
concepts, terms, activities that make up an area of expertise.
d. The knowledge areas integrate in the process groups as supportive elements. They describe
the ITTOs in order to produce each outcome.
Knowledge Description
Area
Scope Requirements. What work has to be done to meet these requirements

Classnotes
Schedule Definite beginning / end date + milestones to measure progress
Cost Charter has a budget. You still need to estimate costs to validate the budget can be
met.
Quality The processes to follow in order to create the deliverable. The metrics that will be
used to determine a passing deliverable.
HR You need the right skills and attitudes. They need motivation and direction.
Communication Who, what, how, when, why will stakeholders communicate?
Risk What is the likelihood that things will go right? (opportunities) What is the likelihood
that things will go wrong? (threats) Don’t overspend on a response, don’t overlook a
project killer. Document triggers – when to act.
Procurement You need facilities, materials, services, equipment.
Stakeholder Who is involved in the project and how will you engage and manage them?
Integration Put it all together!! Charter, PM Plan includes plans from other knowledge areas,
Manage the work, Monitor and Control the work, Control Change, Close

Classnotes
Exam Tips for Integration Initiation:
Process Description
4.1 Develop Project Charter The process of developing a document that formally
authorizes the existence of a project and provides the project
manager with the authority to apply organizational resources
to project activities.
1. A project charter is the formal authorization to begin a project. It should include the PM’s name and
level of authority. It should also be signed by the sponsor.
a. ITTO
b. The project charter is a formal document that authorizes the existence of the project as well
providing the PM with the authority to apply resources.
c. It also sets the boundaries of the project, creating a formal record of the project and a way
for senior management to accept and commit resources.
d. A project charter is not considered a contract since there is no consideration or money
promised or exchanged in its creation
INPUTS for Project charter
e. The project statement of work (SOW) is a narrative description of products, services, or

results to be delivered by a project
i. Business need: may be based on market demand, technological advancement, legal
requirement. The business need and cost-benefit analysis is contained in the
business case in order to justify the need for the project.
ii. Product scope description: description documents with the characteristics of the
product, service or result expected
iii. Strategic plan: it documents the organizations strategic vision, goals and objectives
f. Business case or similar document describes the necessary information from a business view
point in order to determine if the project is worth the required investment. It is used by
decision makers above the project level and justifies and establishes the boundaries of the
project. This is done by a business analyst using various inputs from stakeholders. The
sponsor should agree to the scope and limitations of the business case.

Classnotes
i. In case of multiphase projects the business case should be reviewed periodically to

assure that the project is on track with the business benefits that it should deliver
ii. The PMs Responsibility is to make sure that the project effectively and efficiently
meets the goals of the organization as defined in the business case.
g. Agreements define the initial intentions of the project. They may take form of contracts,
SLAs, letter of agreement and other written agreements.
h. EEFs & OPAs can influence the project charter through but are not limited to
i. Organizational standards, industry standards, market conditions
ii. Templates, organizational procedures
Tools & techniques for Project charter
i. Expert judgement is used to assess the inputs used to develop the project charter. This is
applied to all technical and management details during this process. These people usually
have specific training and expertise in the domain that your project will activate in
i. Consultants
ii. Industry groups
iii. SMEs
iv. Stakeholders
j. Facilitation techniques have broad application within project management processes and
guide the development of the project charter. Brainstorming, conflict resolution, problem
solving, and meeting management are examples of key techniques used by facilitators to
help teams and individuals accomplish project activities.
Outputs for Project Charter
k. Project charter is the resulting document. It documents the requirements, constraints,

business need, assumptions, or result that is intended to satisfy
i. Project purpose or justification
ii. High level requirements
iii. Assumptions and constraints
iv. High level risks
v. Summary budget
vi. Stakeholder list
2. Payback period does not consider revenue after the funds have been recuperated. It also does not
consider the time value of money.
3. A high Internal Rate of Return (IRR) is better than a low IRR.
4. A high NPV is better than a low NPV.
5. The higher the BCR the better. A BCR > 1 is favorable.
6. Sunk costs should not be considered when deciding whether or not to charter a project.
7. A project should not start until a project charter is signed by the sponsor. The PM is assigned during
Initiating.

Classnotes
NPV Formula:
Initial Investment = $500,000 Inflow:

Discount Rate = 10% Year 1 = 300,000
Year 2 = 200,000
Year 3 = 200,000
Initial Investment + Cash Flow 1 / (1+ Discount Rate) + Cash Flow 2 / (1 + Discount Rate) 2 + Cash Flow
3 / (1 + Discount Rate) 3
-500,000 + 300,000 / (1.10) + 200,000 / (1.10) 2 + 200,000 / (1.10) 3
-500,000 + 273,372.30 + 165,258.30 + 150,262.96 = 88,279.49
NPV is $88,279.49 (a profit of $88,279.49 for the project)

Classnotes
Exam Tips for Communication Initiation:
Process Description
13.1 Identify Stakeholders The process of identifying the people, groups, or organizations
that could impact or be impacted by a decision, activity, or
outcome of the project; and analyzing and documenting
relevant information regarding their interests, involvement,
interdependencies, influence, and potential impact on project
success.
1. Stakeholders should be identified before project work begins.

a. ITTO
b. This process implies identifying the people, groups of people or organizations that may be
impacted by your project or that perceive themselves as being impacted. They may affect
the project positively or negatively, they may exert influence over the deliverables. They
may be at different levels within the organization and possess different levels of authority.
The different stakeholders as well as their influence and power should be identified as soon
as possible. This should be reviewed and updated regularly.
Inputs for Identify Stakeholders
c. Project charter describes the various external parties involved in the project such as
stakeholders, project sponsor, customers, team members, groups.
d. Procurement documents are relevant if the project is the result of a procurement activity or
is based on a established contract, the parties in that contract are key stakeholders, other
relevant parties such as suppliers should be considered as part of the stakeholder list.
e. EEFs
f. OPAs
Tools and techniques for identifying stakeholders
g. Stakeholder analysis is a technique of systematically analyzing quantitative and qualitative

information to determine whose interests should be taken into account throughout the
project. It identifies the interests, expectations and influence of each stakeholder. It also

Classnotes
helps determine stakeholder relationships which could help create potential partnerships
and coalitions which could help the project success.
h. Stakeholder analysis includes the following steps.
i. Identify potential stakeholders (this can be easy at first, PM, customer, sponsor)
after we interview them in order to identify others.
ii. Analyze the potential impact that each could have and classify them in order to
define an approach strategy.
iii. Assess how key stakeholders are likely to react in certain situations in order to be
able to mitigate their potential negative impact
i. Stakeholder classification is done as follows:
i. Power/interest grid (authority – concern)
ii. Power/influence grid (authority – involvement)
iii. Influence/impact grid (involvement – impact)
iv. Salience model (power – urgency – legitimacy)
j. Expert judgement
i. Senior management
ii. Identified key stakeholders
iii. SMEs
iv. PMs who have worked in such projects before
k. Meetings
Outputs for Identifying Stakeholders
l. Stakeholder registry contains all details of the identified stakeholders including

i. Identification information (name, organization, position, location)

Classnotes
ii. Assessment information (major requirements, main expectations, potential

influence, phase in project with most interest)
iii. Stakeholder classification internal/external, supporter/neutral/resistor

Classnotes
Exam Tips for Integration Planning:
Process Description
4.2 Develop Project Management Plan The process of defining, preparing, and coordinating
all subsidiary plans and integrating them into a
comprehensive project management plan. The
project’s integrated baselines and subsidiary plans
may be included within the project management
plan.
1. All projects must be planned. The PM does not create the plan solo. Input from the team and other
stakeholders are normal.
a. The project management plan is the process of defining, preparing and coordinating all
subsidiary plans into one project management plan. The key benefit is a central document
that defies all of the basis of the project work
b. The project management plan defines how the project is executed, monitored and closed.
The content varies depending on the application area and complexity of the project. It is
created through a series of integrated processes that extend to the close of the project. The
resulting project management plan is progressively updated and controlled through the
Perform Integrated Change Control process. Projects that are part of a program must have a
plan that is in sync with the program plan. For example if the program says that all changes
exceeding a certain cost must be approved by a change control board (ccb) then this process
and threshold should be included in the project management plan.
INPUTS for Develop Project Management Plan
c. Project Charter: The size of the charter depends on the complexity of the project and the
information known at the start. At minimum the charter should contain the high level
boundaries of the project. The project team uses the charter as a starting point for initial
planning.
d. Outputs from other processes are used to create the project management plan. Any
baselines or plans that are the result of other planning processes are inputs to this process.
Any changes to these documents will mean updating the project management plan.
e. EEFs: governmental or industry standards, PMBOK for vertical market, PM information
system, infrastructure, personnel administration

Classnotes
f. OPAs: standardized guidelines, project management plan template, change control

procedures, project files from previous projects, historical information
Tools and techniques
g. Expert judgement is used to:

i. Tailor the process to meet the project need
ii. Develop technical and management details to be included in the project
management plan
iii. Determine resources & skill levels needed to deliver the project
iv. Define the level of configuration management to apply to the project
v. Determine which project documents will be subject to formal change control
process
vi. Prioritize the work to insure that the project resources are allocated to the
appropriate work at the appropriate time
h. Facilitation techniques: brainstorming, meetings, conflict resolution, problem solving
Outputs
i. The project management describes how the project will be executed, monitored and
controlled. It integrates and consolidates all subsidiary plans and baselines from the
planning processes.
i. Project baselines
1. Scope baseline
2. Schedule baseline
3. Cost baseline
ii. Subsidiary plans:
1. Scope management plan
2. Requirements management plan
3. Schedule management plan
4. Cost management plan
5. Quality management plan
6. Process improvement plan
7. Human resources management plan
8. Communication management plan
9. Risk management plan
10. Procurement management plan
11. Stakeholder management plan
j. The project management plan may also include the following:
i. Life cycles selected for the project and what processes apply to each phase
ii. Description of how work will be executed to accomplish the project
iii. Description of how the integrity of the baselines will be maintained

Classnotes
iv. Requirements and techniques for communication among stakeholders

k. The project plan may be summary level or detailed and may be composed of one or more
subsidiary plans. Each subsidiary plan is detailed to the extent required by the specific
project. Once the project management plan is baselined it can only be changed through a
change request.
l. While this is one of the primary documents used to manage the project others are used also.
These documents are not part of the project management plan.
2. Planning includes determining which PMBOK processes will be used.

3. The PM Plan should be realistic and agreed upon by stakeholders.
Exam Tips for Scope Planning:

Classnotes
Process Description
5.1 Plan Scope Management Creation of the Scope Management and

Requirements Management Plan
5.2 Collect Requirements Defining and documenting Stakeholder needs to

meet objectives
5.3 Define Scope Developing a Detailed description of Product and

Project Scope
5.4 Create the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Subdividing deliverables and project work into
manageable components
1. Read questions carefully and be aware of the difference between project and product scope
definitions.
a. Product scope: the features and functions that characterize a product/service/result.
Completion of the product scope is measured against the product requirements.
b. Project scope: the work being done in order to deliver a product/service/result with the
specified features and functions. Project scope is viewed sometimes as including product
scope. Completion of the project scope is measured against project management plan.
Plan Scope Management

c. It’s the process of creating a scope management plan that documents how the project scope
will be defined, validated and controlled. The benefit is that it provides guidance and
direction on how the scope will be managed throughout the project.
d. The scope management plan is a document that describes how the project scope will be
defined, validated and control. The development of the scope management plan and the
detailing of the project scope begin with the analysis of the information contained in the
project charter and the latest subsidiary plans. This plan helps reduce risk of project scope
creep

Classnotes
Inputs
e. Project management plan

i. Approved subsidiary plans of the project management plan are used to create scope
management and influence the approach taken for planning and managing scope
f. Project charter
i. It provides the project context needed to plan the scope management processes. It
provides a high level project description and product characteristics from the SOW.
g. EEFs: organization’s culture, infrastructure, personnel administration, marketplace
conditions
h. OPAs: policies and procedures, historical information and lessons learned
Tools & Techniques
i. Expert judgement: Input received from knowledgeable and experienced parties. Expertise
may be provided by a person/group who has specialized education, skills, experience in
developing scope management plans
j. Meetings: project teams may attend meetings in order to develop scope management plans.
These meetings may include PM, project sponsor, selected team members, selected
stakeholders, anyone with responsibility for any of the scope management processes.
Outputs
k. Scope management plan: is a part of the of the project management plan that describes
how the scope will be defined, developed, monitored, controlled and verified. This is a
major input into the Develop project management plan process, and other scope
management processes. The components include
i. Process for preparing a detailed project scope statement
ii. Process that enables the creation of the WBS from the detailed project scope
statement
iii. Process that establishes how the WBS will be maintained and approved.
iv. Process that specifies how formal acceptance of the completed project deliverable
will be obtained.
v. Process to control how requests for change to the detailed project scope will be
processed
l. The scope management plan can be formal or informal, broadly framed or highly detailed,
based on the needs of the project
m. Requirements management plan It is a part of the project management plan that
documents how requirements will be analyzed, documented and managed. The phase to
phase relationship strongly influences how requirements are managed. The PM chooses the
most effective relationship for the project and documents this approach in the requirements

Classnotes
management plan. Many of the requirements management plan are based on that
relationship. Components may include:
i. How requirements activities will be planned, tracked and reported
ii. Configuration management activities
iii. Requirements prioritization process
iv. Product metrics and the reason why we are using them
v. Traceability structure to reflect which attributes will be captured in the traceability
matrix
Collect requirements
n. It is the process of determining, documenting, managing stakeholder needs in order to meet

the requirements of the project. It is the basis for defining and managing the project scope
including product scope
o. The project success is determined by active stakeholder involvement in the discovery and
decomposition of needs into requirements and by the care taken in determining,
documenting, and managing the requirements of the product, service, and result of the
project.
p. Requirements are the conditions or capabilities that need to be met by the project in order
to satisfy and agreement
q. Requirements include the quantified and documented needs of the sponsor, client and
other stakeholders
r. These requirements need to be elicit, analyzed and recorded in enough detail to be included
in the scope baseline and measured against once the project begins.
s. Requirements become the foundation of WBS
t. Cost, schedule, quality planning and sometimes procurement are all based upon these
requirements.
u. Development of the requirements is based on an analysis of the information contained in
Project charter, Stakeholder registry, and stakeholder management plan.
v. Requirements can be classified in
i. Business solutions: referring to stakeholder needs

Classnotes
ii. Technical solutions: how these needs will be implemented

w. Requirements can be grouped in classifications allowing for further refinement and detail as
the requirements are elaborated
i. Business requirements
ii. Stakeholder requirements
iii. Solution requirements
iv. Transition requirements
v. Project requirements
vi. Quality requirements
2. Collect requirements: Inputs

a. Scope management plan: It provides clarity as to how the project team will determine the
type of requirements that need to be collected for the project
b. Requirements management plan: Provides the process that will be used throughout the
Collect requirements process to define and document stakeholder needs
c. Stakeholder management plan: It is used to understand the stakeholder communication
requirements and the level of stakeholder engagement in order to asses and adapt to the
level of stakeholder participation in requirements activities
d. Project charter: it provide a high level description of the product, service or result of the
project so that detailed requirements can be developed
e. Stakeholder registry: It is used to identify stakeholders that can provide information on
requirements. It also catches the major requirements and main expectations that the
stakeholders may have for the project
3. Collect requirements Tools & Techniques

a. Interviews: It is a formal or informal way of gaining information from stakeholders by talking
to them directly. You ask prepared or spontaneous information and record the answers.
Interviewing project participants, sponsors, executives, SMEs can aid in identifying and
defining the features and functions of the desired product deliverables.
b. Focus groups: It brings together stakeholders and SMEs in order to learn about their
expectations and attitudes about a proposed product. A trained moderator leads the group
through an interactive discussion.
c. Facilitated workshops: Sessions that bring together key stakeholders to define product
requirements. They are considered the primary technique to quickly define cross functional
requirements and reconciling stakeholder differences. Because of their interactive nature
they can build trust, foster relationships and solve issues that are discovered earlier and
resolved more quickly than in individual sessions.
d. Group creativity techniques: idea mapping, brainstorming, nominal group technique

Classnotes
e. Group decision making techniques: It is a group decision making techniques, in which

multiple alternatives are listed together with their expected outcome. These can generate,
classify and prioritize product requirements.
f. Questionaries’ and Surveys: A written set of questions designed to quickly accumulate
information from a large number of participants. They are most effective with a varied
audience, when a quick turnaround is needed, when respondents are geographically
dispersed and where statistical analysis is appropriate.
g. Observations: Or Job shadowing it is the process through which an external observer views
a business expert performing a job. It can also be done actively where the participant
observer performs the process or procedure in order to gather hidden requirements.
h. Prototypes: It is a way of providing the stakeholders with a working version of the final
product rather than having abstract discussions about it. It supports elaborative progression
through iterative cycles, feedback generation, and prototype revision. When enough
feedback cycles have been completed there is enough information to move to design and
build phase.
i. Benchmarking: It involves comparing actual or planned practices such as processes and
operations from comparable organizations to identify best practices, generate ideas for
improvement, and provide a basis for measuring performance
j. Context Diagrams: It is an example of a Scope Model. It visually depicts a products scope by
showing a business system (process, equipment) and how people or other systems interact
with it. It shows who is providing inputs/outputs.
k. Document Analysis: it is the analysis of existing documentation to identify information
relevant to the requirements
4. Collect requirements Outputs
a. Requirements documentation: It describes how individual requirements meet the business
need of the project. It may start at a high level and become progressively more detailed as
the requirements are known. Before being baselined the requirements need to be
unambiguous, traceable, complete, consistent and accepted by stakeholders. Components
may include
i. Business requirements
1. Business and project objectives for traceability
2. Business rules for the performing organization
3. Guiding principles of the organization
ii. Stakeholder requirements
1. Impacts to other organizational areas
2. Impacts to other entities inside or outside the performing organization
3. Stakeholder communication and reporting requirements
iii. Solution requirements
1. Functional and nonfunctional requirements
2. Technology and standard compliance requirements

Classnotes
3. Support and training requirements

4. Reporting requirements
iv. Project requirements
1. Levels of service, performance, safety, compliance
2. Acceptance criteria
v. Transition requirements
vi. Requirements assumptions, dependencies, constraints
b. Requirements traceability matrix: It is a matrix grid that links product requirements from
their origin to the deliverable that satisfies them. It is a way of making sure that each
requirements adds business value by linking it to a business/project objective. It also
provides a mean of tracking requirements throughout the project life cycle, helping ensure
that requirements approved in the document are delivered at the end of the project. It
traces requirements for the following
i. Business needs, opportunities, goals and objectives
ii. Project objectives
iii. Project scope/WBS deliverables
iv. Product design
v. Product development
vi. Test strategy and test scenarios
vii. High level requirements
Define Scope
1. The Define is the process of creating a detailed description of the product and project. It describes
the product, service, or result boundaries by defining which of the requirements will be included
and which not in the project scope. Since the Collect requirements process may have requirements
that will not be included in the project the define scope process selects the final requirements from
the requirement documentation.
2. It creates a detailed description of the project and product, service or result.
3. The preparation of a detailed project scope is critical to project success and builds upon the major
deliverables, assumptions and constraints documented during project initiation.
4. During project planning the scope is defined with greater specificity since more about the project is
known. Existing risks, assumptions, constraints are analyzed for completeness and added or updated
where needed.

Classnotes
5. The define scope process can be highly iterative, a high level vision is developed for the overall
project, but the detailed scope is determined one iteration at a time and the detailed planning for
the next iteration is carried out as work in progress.
Inputs
1. Scope management plan: The scope management plan is a component of the project management
plan that establishes the activities for developing, monitoring and controlling project scope.
2. Project Charter: it provides a high level project description and product characteristics. It also
contains project approval requirements. If a project charter is not used then comparable
information needs to be acquired or developed and used as a basis for the detailed project scope
statement. Informal analysis to identify content necessary for further scope planning
3. Requirements documentation: This is used to select the requirements that will be included in the
project.
4. OPAs: policies, procedures, templates for project scope statement. Project files from previous
projects. Lessons learned
Tools & Techniques
1. Expert Judgement: Often used to analyse the information needed to develop the project scope
statement. Such judgement and expertise is applied to any technical detail.
a. other units within the organization
b. consultants
c. stakeholders
d. professional and technical associations
e. industry groups
f. SMEs
2. Product Analysis: For projects that have a deliverable as a product and not as a service this can be
very effective. Each application area has one or more generally accepted methods of translating high
level product descriptions into tangible results. Product analysis includes the following methods
a. Product breakdown
b. Systems analysis
c. Requirements analysis
d. Systems engineering
e. Value engineering
f. Value analysis
3. Alternatives generation: it is a technique that is used to develop as many alternative as possible in
order to identify different approaches.
4. Facilitated workshops: The participation of key players with a variety of expectations and fields of
expertise in these intensive working sessions helps to reach a cross functional and common
understanding of the project objectives and its limits.

Classnotes
Outputs
1. Project scope statement: It is a description of the project scope, major deliverables, assumptions,
constraints. It documents the entire scope including project and product scope. It describes the
project deliverable and the work required to create those deliverables. It also provide a common
view of the project scope among project stakeholders. It may contain specific scope exclusions so
that stakeholder expectations can be managed. It helps the project team do more detailed planning
and guide’s the teams work through execution. Provides the baseline for evaluating whether change
requests are within or outside of the scope. The level of detail concerning the work that needs to be
done and not can help the team control the overall project scope. It includes the following:
a. Product scope description: progressively elaborates the characteristics of a product, service,
result described in the project charter and requirements documentation
b. Acceptance criteria: A set of conditions that is required to be met before deliverables are
accepted
c. Deliverable: A unique and verifiable product, result that needs to be produced in order to
complete a process, phase, project. They may also include project management reports and
documentation.
d. Project exclusion: identifies what is excluded from the project. This helps manage
stakeholder expectations.
e. Constraints: a factor that is affecting project execution. They list the internal or external
limitations associated with project scope. Budget, imposed dates, schedule milestones.
Contractual provisions are usually constraints
f. Assumptions: a factor in planning process which is considered to be true or false without
any proof or demonstration. Also describes the potential impact of those factors if they
prove true or false. Project teams frequently identify, document and validate assumptions
as part of their planning process.
2. Project document updates
Create WBS
1. It is the action of breaking down project deliverables and project work into smaller more
manageable components. The key benefit is that it provides a structured vision of what needs to be
delivered.
2. The WBS is a hierarchical decomposition of the total scope of work to be carried out by the project
team to accomplish the project objectives and create the deliverables. The WBS organizes and

Classnotes
defines the total scope of the project and represents the work specified in the current approval
document.
3. The planned work is contained within the lowest level of WBS component which are called WP. This
can be used to group the activities where work is planned, scheduled, monitored, and estimated. In
the WBS context work refers to the work products or deliverables that are the result of an activity
and not the activity itself.
Inputs
1. Scope management plan: It specifies how the WBS will be created from the detailed project scope
and how the WBS will be maintained and approved.
2. Project scope statement: It describes the work that will be performed and the work that is
excluded. It also specifies internal/external restrictions and limitations that may affect the execution
of the project
3. Requirement documentation: Detailed requirements documentation is essential for understanding
what needs to be produced as the result of the project and what needs to be done to deliver the
project and final product.
4. EEFs: Industry specific WBS standards
5. OPAs: policies, procedures, templates for WBS, project files from previous projects, lessons learned
Tools & Techniques
1. Decomposition: Breaking down work into smaller components, until the level where cost and
duration can be estimated and managed. The level of details depends on the size and complexity of
the project. This implies the following activities:
a. Identifying and analyzing the deliverables and related work
b. Structuring and organizing WBS
c. Decomposing the upper WBS levels into lower – level detailed components
d. Developing and assigning identification codes to WBS components
e. Verifying that the degree of decomposition is appropriate
2. Expert judgement: Such judgement is applied to technical details of the project scope to reconcile
differences in opinions on how to best break down the overall scope of the project. Expert
judgement can also come in the form of templates that provide guidance on how to effectively
break down common deliverables.
3. There are two ways of doing a WBS structure
a. Bottom up estimation where subcomponents are integrated (takes longer/higher level of
accuracy)
b. Top down estimation where we use organization specific guidelines and templates (takes
less/lower level of accuracy)
4. The WBS structure can be represented in a variety of ways
a. Using phases of the project life cycle as the second level of decomposition with the project
deliverables inserted at the third level.

Classnotes
b. Using major deliverables as the second level of decomposition
c. Incorporating subcomponents which may be developed by organizations outside the project

team such as contracted work. The seller then develops the supporting WBS as part of the
contracted work.
5. Decomposition means breaking down the higher level WBS into the most fundamental components
where the WBS components represent verifiable products, service or results. Veryfing the
correctness is making sure that the low level WBS components are those that are necessary and
sufficient to complete the work done. As the work is decomposed to greater level of detail the work
becomes more manageable and controllable.

Classnotes
6. Decomposition for a product which is in the far future is not possible. The project team waits until
the deliverable is agreed upon. This is called rolling wave planning.
7. The total work of the lowest levels should roll up into the highest levels so that no work is left out
and no extra work is done. This is called the 100% rule.
Outputs:
1. Scope Baseline: The scope baseline is the approved version of the scope statement, WBS. It can only
be changed through formal change control procedures and is used as a basis for comparison.
Components include.
a. Project scope statement: includes the description of the project scope, major deliverables,
assumptions, constraints
b. WBS: The WBS is finalized by assigning each WP to a control account and establishing a
unique identifier for that work package from a code of accounts. These provide a structure
for summation of cost, schedule, and resource information. A control account is a
management control point where scope, budget and actual cost are integrated and
compared to the EV for performance measurement. Each control account may include 1 or
more WBS. No WBS may be assigned to more control points.
c. WBS dictionary: It is a document that provides detailes about each deliverable (activity,
schedule).
i. Description of work
ii. Assumptions and constraints
iii. Schedule milestones
iv. Resources required
v. Cost estimates
vi. Acceptance criteria
2. Project documents update:
5. The benefit of the Plan Scope Management process is that is provides guidance and direction to all
project stakeholders on how Scope will be managed throughout the project.
6. The Scope Management Plan can be informal, broadly framed, formal or highly detailed depending
on the needs of the project.
7. The phase-to-phase relationship (2.4.2.1) strongly influences how requirements are managed. It’s
the PM’s job to choose the most effective way to manage requirements based on that relationship.

Classnotes
8. The key benefits of clearly defining scope is it describes project boundaries and defines what is and
is NOT included in the scope of work
9. Know the definition of the WBS for the exam. A deliverable oriented, hierarchical display of the
scope of work.
10. WBS is the #1 most important planning tool.
11. It is not a schedule or an input to schedule creation.
12. Memorize the 3 documents that are part of the Scope Baseline.
13. The baseline will be added to the project management plan and used to measure scope
performance throughout the project
Exam Tips for Time Management Planning:
Process Description
6.1 Plan Schedule Management Establishes policies, procedures and documentation
6.2 Define Activities Identifying and documenting specific actions to

produce the deliverables
6.3 Sequence Activities Identifying logical relationships between activities
6.4 Estimate Activity Resources Estimating type and quantities
6.5 Estimate Activity Durations Estimating amount of work periods to complete

activities
6.6 Develop Schedule Analyzing sequences, durations, resources and

constraints to create the schedule and baseline
Plan schedule Management
1. It is the process of establishing policies, procedures, documentation for developing planning,

managing, executing and controlling project schedule. It provides guidance and direction on how the
project schedule will be managed throughout the project. The schedule management plan is part of
the project management plan. It may be informal, formal, high level, detailed based upon the needs
of the project. It defines how schedule contingencies will be reported and assessed. It is a major
input in the develop project management plan.
Inputs
1. Project management plan: It includes information used to develop the schedule management
plan.

Classnotes
a. Scope baseline: it includes the project scope statement and the WBS, details used for
defining activities, duration estimates and schedule management
b. Other information: scheduling related costs, risks
2. Project charter: It defines the summary milestone schedule and project approval requirements
that will influence the management of the project schedule
3. EEFs: Enterprise environmental factors that can influence the plan are
a. Organizational culture and structure can influence schedule management
b. Resource availability and skill
c. Project management software
4. OPAs: Organizational process assets that can influence the management of the project schedule
are:
a. Monitoring and reporting tools to be used
b. Historical data
c. Templates
d. Project closure guidelines
Tools & techniques
1. Expert judgement: Expert judgement guided by historical data can provide valuable input about the
environment and information from previous projects.
2. Analytical techniques: planning may involve choosing strategic options to estimate and schedule the
project such as:
a. Scheduling methodology
b. Scheduling tools & techniques
c. Estimating approaches
They may also detail ways of crashing or fast tracking the schedule. These decisions may affect
project risks.
Organizational policies and procedures may influence in which way schedueling techniques are
employed. Techniques may include
i. Rolling wave planning
ii. Leads and lags
iii. Alternative analasys
iv. Methods for reviewing schedule performance
3. Meetings: Project teams may hold planning meetings in order to develop the project schedule
management plan. These may include the PM, sponsor, stakeholders, project team members,
anyone with responsibility for schedule planning or execution.
Outputs
1. Schedule management plan: The schedule management plan is part of the project management
plan. It may be informal, formal, high level, detailed based upon the needs of the project. For
example it can establish the following

Classnotes
a. Project schedule model development: the schedueling methodology and the schedueling
tool to be used in the development of the project schedule model are specified
b. Level of accuracy: the acceptable range used in determining realistic activity duration
estimates is specified and may include contingincies.
c. Unit measure: each unit used in measurements (hours, days, tons) is defined for each
resource
d. Organizational procedural links: The WBS provides the framework for the schedule
management plan, allowing for consistency with the estimates and resulting scheduels.
e. Project schedule model maintanace: the process used to update the status and record
progress of the project in the schedule model during the execution of the project is defined
f. Control thresholds: variance thresholds for controlling and monitoring schedule
performance may be specified to indicate agreed upon amount of variation before action is
taken. They are expressed as % deviations from the parameters established in the baseline
plan.
g. Rules of performance measurement: Earned value management rules or other phsisical
measurement rules of performance are set. The schedule management plan may specify
i. Rules for establishing % complete
ii. Control accounts at which management of progress and schedule will be measured
iii. Earned value measurement techniques (baseline, fixed formula, % complete)
iv. Schedule performance measurement such as schedule variation and schedule
performance index used to assess the magnitude of variation from the original
schedule baseline.
h. Reporting formats: the formats and frequency of the various schedule reports are defined
i. Process description: description of each of the schedule management processes are
documented
Define activities
1. It is the process of identifying and documenting the specific actions that need to take place in
order to produce the project deliverable. The benefit of this process is that it breaks down WP
into activities that provide a basis for estimating, scheduling, executing, monitoring and
controlling project work. Implicit in this process are defining and planning the schedule activities
so that the project objectives will be met. The create WBS process identifies the deliverables at
the smallest level. Work packages are decomposed in smaller components called activities that
represent the work effort required to complete the work package.
Inputs
1. Schedule management plan: a key input is the pescribed level of detail needed to manage the
work
2. EEFs: Factors that influence the define activities process are:

Classnotes
a. Organizational culture and structure

b. Published commercial information from commercial databases
c. Project managemtn information systems (PMIS)
Tools and techniques
1. Decomposition: it is the process of dividing and subdividing the project scope and project
deliverables into smaller more manageable parts. Activities represent the effort needed to
complete the work packeges. The define activities process defines the final output as activities
rather than deliverables. The activity list, WBS, WBS dictionary can be developed either
sequencialy or concurrently with the WBS and WBS dictionary as the basis for development of
the final activity list. Each WP within the WBS is decomposed into activities required to produce
the WP deliverable. Involving team members in decomposition can lead to more accurate
results.
2. Rolling wave planning: it is an iterative planning technique in which work to be accomplished in
the near term is planned in detail, while work in the future is planned at a higher level. It’s a
form of progressive elaboration. Work can exist on various levels of detail depending where the
project is in it’s life cycle. During early phases the WP may be decomposed to the known level of
detail (strategic planning). As more is known about the upcoming events in the near term, WP
can be decomposed into activities.
3. Expert judgement: People who are experienced in developing detailed project scope
statements, WBS, project scheduels cand provide expertise in defining activities.
Outputs:
1. Actibvity list: It contains a list of all schedule activities required on the project. It also includes
the activity identifier and a scope of work description for each activity in sufficient detail to
ensure that the project team understand what work needs to be completed.
2. Activity attributes: Activities distinct from milestones have durations, during which the work of
that activity is performed and may have resources and costs associated with that work. It
extends the decription of the activity by identifying the multiple components associated with
that activity. The components for each activity evolve over time. During the initial stages of the
project they include the activity identifier, WBS ID, activity lable or name. When completed it
will include activity code, decription, predecessors, successors, logical relathionships, leads &
lags, constraints, assumption. Activity attributes can be used to identify the person responsible
for the work, geographic area or place where work has to be performed, project calendar. This is
used for schedule developing and for selecting, ordering and sorting planned schedule activities
in various ways within reporting.
3. Milestone list: A milestone is a significant point or event in a project. A milestone list is a list of
all project milestones and indicates if it is mandatory or no (contract agreements). They are
similar to regular schedule activities with the same structure and attributes just 0 duration since
they are a point in time.

Classnotes
Sequence Activities:
1. It is the process of identifying and documenting relationships between the project activities.
They key benefit is that it provides a logical sequence of work in order to obtain the greatest
efficiency given all project constraints. Every activity and milestone except the first and last
should be connected to at least one predecessor and successor. Logical relationships should be
designed to create a realistic and achievable project schedule.
Inputs
1. Schedule management plan: it identifies the method and tools to be used for the project. This
will guide how activities are sequenced.
2. Activity list: it contains all schedule activities on the project which are to be sequenced.
Dependencies and other constraints for these activities can influence the sequencing.
3. Activity Attribute: they may describe a necessary sequence of events or defined predecessor or
successor relationships.
4. Milestone List: this list may have scheduled dates for important milestones which may influence
the way activities are sequenced.
5. Project scope statement: it contains the product scope description, which includes product
characteristics that may influence sequencing. Other information such as constraints,
assumptions, may affect sequencing. The product scope is reviewed in order to ensure accuracy
6. EEFs:
a. Government or industry standards
b. PMIS
c. Scheduling tool
d. Company work authorization
7. OPAs:
a. Corporate knowledge base used for methodology
b. Existing formal and informal activity planning related policies
c. Procedures
d. Guidelines
e. Templates
Tools & techniques
1. Precedence diagraming method: constructing a schedule model in which activities are

represented by nodes and are graphically linked to one or more logical relationships to show the
sequence in which activities are to be performed. This method includes 4 types of logical
relationships. A predecessor activity is an activity that logically comes before a dependent

Classnotes
activity in the schedule. A successor is an activity that logically comes after a dependent activity
in the schedule.
a. Finish to Start (FS): A successor activity cannot start before the predecessor activity has
ended. Awards cannot take place before the race has ended
b. Finish to Finish (FF): A cannot finish before a predecessor activity has finished. A
document cannot be edited complete until it has been written completely
c. Start to Start (SS): A successor activity cannot start before the predecessor activity has
started. Level concrete cannot start before foundation is poured
d. Start to finish (SF): successor activity cannot finish until a predecessor activity has
started. The first shift cannot end before the second begins.
2. The FS is the most common type of precedence relationship used.
3. Dependency determination: Dependencies have the following attributes: mandatory or
discretionary, internal or external. Dependencies have four attributes but only two can be
applicable at the same time as follows: mandatory external dependencies, mandatory internal
dependencies, discretionary external dependencies, and discretionary internal dependencies.
a. Mandatory Dependencies: they are those that are contractually or legally required or
inherent in the nature of the work. They often involve physical limitations. They are also
referred to as hard logic or hard dependencies. Technical dependencies may not be
mandatory. The project team determines which dependencies are mandatory during
the process of sequencing activities. They should not be confused with assigning
schedule constraints in the scheduling tool.
b. Discretionary dependencies: They are referred to as preferred logic, preferential logic
or soft logic. They are established based on knowledge of best practices. They can be
used when a specific project sequence is desired even though others are available. They
should be fully documented since they can create arbitrary float and can limit later
scheduling options. When fast tracking is employed they should be reviewed and

Classnotes
considered for removal or modification. The project team decides which dependencies
are discretionary during the process of sequencing activities.
c. External dependencies: they involve a relationship between project activities and non-
project activities. They are usually outside of the project team’s control. The project
team determines them during the process of sequencing activities.
d. Internal dependencies: they involve a precedence relationship between project
activities and are generally inside the project team’s control. The project team decides
which dependencies are internal during the process of sequencing activities.
4. Leads & Lags: Lead is the amount of time by which a successor activity can be advanced with
respect to the predecessor activity. For a new office building the landscaping can begin 2 weeks
prior to the completion of the punch list. This would be shown as a finish to start relationship
with a two week lead. Lag is the amount of time by which a successor activity can be delayed
with respect to the predecessor activity. A writing team can start editing a document 15 days
after they have started working on it. This would be a start to start relationship with a 15 day lag
time. The team should determine dependencies that may require lag or lead time to accurately
define the logical relationships. The use of leads and lags should not replace logic. Activities and
their related assumptions should be documented.
Outputs:
1. Project Schedule network diagrams: This is a graphical represeantation of logical relationships

also refered to as dependencies, among the project schedule activities. It is produced manually
or by using PM software. It can include full project details, or have one or more summary
activities. A summary narrative can accompany the diagram and describe the basic approach
used to sequence activities. Any unusual sequence should be fully described.

Classnotes
2. Project document updates:

a. Activity list
b. Activity attribute
c. Milestone list
d. Risk register
Estimate activity resources

1. It is the process of estimating the type and quantity of material, human resources, equipemtn or
supplies required to perform each activity. They key benefit is that it identifies the type, quantity
and characteristics of resources required to complete the activity which allows more accurate cost
and duration estimates.
2.
3. The estimate resources process is closely linked to the estimate costs process
a. A construction team will need to be familiar with local building codes. Such
knowledge is often available from local sellers. However if the local labor pool lacks
experience with unusual or specialized construction techniques, the additional cost
for a consultant may be the most effective way of securing knowledge.
b. An automotive design team needs to be familiar with the latest in automated
assembly techniques. The knowledge may be obtained by hiring a consultant,
sending a designer to a seminar on robotics, including someone from manufacturing
as a member on the project team
INPUTS
1. Schedule management plan: it identifies the level of accuracy and the units of measure for the
resources to be estimated.

Classnotes
2. Activity list: the activity list identifies the activities that will need resources
3. Activity attributes: Provides the primary data input for those resources required for each
activity in the activity list
4. Resource calendars: It is a calendar that identifies the working days and shifts on which each
specific resource is available. Information on which resources are potentially available during a
planned activity period is used for estimating resource utilization. The calendar specifies when
and how long identified project resources will be available during the project. This information
may be at activity or project level. It includes considerations of attributes such as
experience/skill level and various geographical locations from where the resources originate and
when they may be available.
5. Risk registry: Risk events may impact resource selection and availability
6. Activity cost estimates: the cost of resources may impact resource selection
7. EEFs: the EEFs that may influence this process are
a. Resource location
b. Availability
c. Skills
8. OPAs: The OPAs that may influence this process are:
a. Policies and proceduires regarding staffing
b. Policies and procedures regarding rental and purchase of supplies and equipment
c. Historical information regarding types of resources used for similar work on previous
projects
TOOLS & TECHNIQUES
1. Expert judgement: it is often required to assess the resource related inputs to this process. Any
group or person with specialized knowledge in resource planning can provide such expertise
2. Alternative analysis: Many activities have alternatives methods of accomplishment. They
include using various levels of resource capability or skills, different types of machines, different
tools, and make-rent-buy decisions.
3. Published estimated data: Several organizations routinely publishes updated production rates
and unit costs of resources, labor rates, material, equipment for different countries and
geographical locations within countries.
4. Project management software: This can help plan, organize and manage resource pools and
develop resource estimates.
Outputs
1. Activity resource requirements: It identifies the types and quantity of each resources required
in order to complete each activity in a WP. These can then be aggregated to determine the
estimated resources for each WP and each work period. The level of detail can vary by
application area. The resource requirements documentation for each activity can include the

Classnotes
basis of estimate for each resource, as well as the assumptions that were made in determining
which types of resources are applied, their availablility and what quantities are used.
2. Resource breakdown structure: It is a hierarchical representation of the resources by type and
category. Examples include labor, materials, equipment and supplies. Resources types may
include the skill level, grade level. This is useful for organizing and reporting project schedule
data with resource utilization information
3. Project documents updates:
a. Activity list
b. Activity attribute
c. Resource calendars
Estimate Activity Durations

1. It is the process of estimating the number of work periods needed to complete individual
activities with estimated resources. The key benefit is that it provides the amount of time each
activity will take to complete which is a major input in the Develop Schedule process.
2. It uses information on activity scope of work, required resource types, estimated resource
quantities and resource calendars. The inputs of the estimate activity durations originate from
the person or group most familiar with the nature of the work on a specific activity. The
duration estimate is progressively elaborated and the process considers the quality and
availability of the input data. As more detailed and precise data is available the accuracy of the
duration estimates improves. Thus, the duration estimate can be assumed to be progressively
more accurate and of better quality.
3. This process requires an estimation of the amount of work effort required to complete the
activity and the amount of available resources estimated to complete the activity. These
estimates are used to approximate the number of work periods (activity duration) needed to
complete the activity using the appropriate project and resource calendars. All data and
assumptions that support estimating are documented for each estimate of activity duration.
INPUTS
1. Schedule management plan: It defines the method used and the level of accuracy along with
other criteria required to estimate activity duration including the project update cycle.
2. Activity list: It identifies the activities that will need duration estimates
3. Activity attributes: It provides the primary data input for use in estimating durations required
for each activity in the activity list.
4. Activity resource requirements: The estimated activity resource requirements will have an
effect on the duration of the activity. The level to which the resources assigned to the activity
meet the requirements will significantly influence the duration of most activities. If low skill
resources are assigned to an activity there may be reduced efficiency and productivity due to
increased communications, training and coordination leads to a longer duration estimate

Classnotes
5. Resource calendars: It influences the duration of schedule activities due to the availability of
specific resources, type of resources and resources with specific attributes. In general a skilled
team member is expected to complete a activity faster than a lower skilled staff member.
6. Project Scope Statement: The assumptions and constraints from the project scope statement
are considered when estimating the activity durations. Examples of assumptions & constraints
are:
a. Existing conditions
b. Availability of information
c. Length of the reporting periods
d. Available skilled resources
e. Contract terms and requirements
7. Risk Register: It provides the list of risks along with the results of risk analysis and risk response
planning.
8. Resource breakdown structure: It provides a hierarchical structure of the identified resources
by resource category and resource type
9. EEFs: EEFs that influence this process are:
a. Duration estimating databases and other reference data
b. Productivity metrics
c. Published commercial information
d. Location of team members
10. OPAs: OPAs that influence this process are:
a. Historical duration information
b. Project calendars
c. Scheduling methodology
d. Lessons learned
TOOLS & Techniques
1. Expert Judgement: Expert judgement guided by historical data can provide duration estimate
information or recommended maximum activity durations from similar projects. Expert
judgement can determine whether to combine methods of estimating and how to reconcile
differences between them.
2. Analogous estimating: This estimating technique is based on using historical data from other
projects. It uses parameters like duration, budget, size, weight and complexity as the basis for
estimating the same parameter or measure for a future project. This technique relies on actual
duration of previous, similar projects as the basis for estimating the duration of the current
project. It is a gross value estimating approach, sometimes adjusted for known differences and
project complexity. This is used when there is a limited amount of detail about the project. It
generally costs less, takes less time but is less accurate. It can be applied in conjunction with
other estimating techniques just for phases, segments or the whole project. It works best when
the previous activities are similar in fact and not just appearance.

Classnotes
3. Three point estimation: The accuracy of single point estimating can be improved by considering
estimation uncertainty and risk. The concept originated with the program evaluation and review
technique. PERT uses three point estimates to define an approximate range for the activity’s
duration.
a. Most likely (tM): This is based on the duration of the activity, given the resources likely
to be assigned, their productivity, realistic expectation of availability, dependencies on
other participants, interruptions
b. Optimistic (tO): The activity duration based on the analysis of the best case scenario for
the activity
c. Pessimistic (tP): the activity duration based on analysis of the worst case scenario for
the activity
Depending on the assumed distribution of resources within the range of the three estimates the
expected duration tE can be calculated using a formula. Triangular distribution and beta
distribution
 Triangular distribution: tE: (tO + tM + tP) / 3

 Beta distribution: tE: (tO + 4tM + tP) / 6
4. Group decision making techniques: It is a technique of having multiple alternatives with
expected outcome in the form of future actions. These techniques are useful for engaging team
members to improve estimate accuracy and commitment to the emerging estimates. By
involving people who are close to the technical execution of work in the estimating process
additional information is gained and more accurate estimates are obtained. Also the
commitment of the people involved towards meeting the resulting estimates increases
5. Reserve analysis: Duration estimates may include contingency reserve also called buffers or
time reserves into the project schedule to account for schedule uncertainty. Contingency
reserve are the estimated duration within the schedule baseline which is allocated to identified
risks that are accepted and for which contingent or a mitigation plan has been developed.
Contingency reserve may be a % of the estimated activity duration, a fixed number of work
periods, may be developed using quantative analysis methods. As more precise information
about the project becomes available contingencies may be used, reduced, and eliminated. They
should be clearly identified in the project schedule documentation.
OUTPUTS
1. Activity duration estimates: This is a quantitave assessment of the likely number of time periods
that are required to complete a activity. Duration estimates do not include lags. It may include
some range of the possible results.
a. 2 weeks +_ 2 days: it means that the activity will take at least 8 days and no more than
12 days to complete
b. 15% probability of exceeding 3 weeks: means that there is a high probability 85% that
the activity will take three weeks or less.

Classnotes
2. Project document updates: Project documents that may be updated are

a. Activity attributes
b. Assumptions made in developing the activity duration estimates, such as skill level
availability, as well as a basis for estimates for durations
Develop Schedule
1. It is the process of analyzing activity sequences, durations, resource requirements and schedule
constraints to create the project schedule model. They key benefit is that it generates a
schedule model with planned dates for completing project activities.
2. Developing a project schedule is often an iterative process.
3. It is used to determine planned start and finish dates for project activities and milestones based
on the accuracy of the input.
4. Schedule development can require review and revision of duration estimates and resource
estimates to create the project schedule model. This establishes a baseline to track progress.
5. Once the activities start/end dates have been determined it is common for project staff assigned
to these activities to review them and confirm that start/end dates do not conflict with the
resource calendars/activities from other projects and are thus valid.
6. As work progresses the project schedule is revised in order to remain realistic throughout the
duration of the project.
INPUTS
1. Schedule management plan: It identifies the scheduling method and tools used to create the
schedule and how the schedule is to be calculated
2. Activity list: Identifies the activities that will be included in the schedule model.
3. Activity attributes: Provides the details used to build the schedule model

Classnotes
4. Project schedule network diagrams: Contain the logical relationship of predecessor and
successor that will be used to calculate the schedule
5. Activity resource requirements: Identifies the type and quantities of resources required for
each activity used to create the schedule model
6. Resource calendars: Contains information on the availability of resources during the project
7. Activity duration estimates: Contains the quantitative assessments of the likely number of work
periods that will be required to complete an activity that will be used to calculate the schedule
8. Project scope statement: It contains assumptions and constraints that can impact the
development of the project
9. Risk register: contains all identified risks and their characteristics that can affect the schedule
model
10. Project staff assignments: Specifies which resources are assigned to each activity
11. Resource breakdown structure: provides details by which resource analysis and organizational
reporting can be done
12. EEFs: standards, communication channels, scheduling tool
13. OPAs: scheduling methodology, project calendars
TOOLS & TECHNIQUES
1. Schedule network analysis: is a technique that generates the project schedule model. It
employs various analytical techniques such as, critical path method, critical chain method, what-
if analysis and resource optimization techniques to calculate the early start and finish dates for
the uncompleted portions of project activities. Some network paths may have points of path
convergence or path divergence that can be identified and used in schedule compression
analysis or other analyses.
2. Critical path method: This is a method to estimate the minimum project duration and
determine the amount of scheduling flexibility on the logical network paths within the schedule
model. This analysis calculates the early start, early finish, late start, late finish dates for all
activities without regard for any resource limitations by performing a forward and backward
pass analysis through the schedule network. The critical path is the sequence of activities that
represents the longest path through the project which determines the shortest possible project
duration. The resulting early start and late finish are not necessarily the project schedule, rather
they indicate the time periods within which the activity can be performed, using the parameters
entered in the schedule model for activity durations, logical relationships, leads, lags, and other
known constraints. The critical path method is used to calculate the amount of scheduling
flexibility, within the scheduling model. Flexibility is measured by the amount of time an activity
can be delayed or extended from it’s early start without delaying the project finish date or
violating a schedule constraint and is termed “total float”. A CPM critical path is usually
characterized by zero float on the critical path. Positive total float is caused when a backward
pass is calculated from a schedule constraint that is later than the early finish date that has been

Classnotes
calculated during forward pass calculation. Negative float is caused when a constraint on the
late dates is violated by duration and logic.
3. Critical Chain Method: is a schedule method that allows the project team to place buffers on
any project schedule path to account for limited resources and project uncertainties. It is
developed from the critical path method and considers the effects of resource allocation,
resource optimization, resource leveling, and activity duration uncertainty on the critical path
determined using the critical path method. This is done through the concepts of buffers and
buffer management. It uses activities with durations that do not include safety margins, logical
relationships, and resource availability with statistically determined buffers composed of the
aggregated safety margins, of activities at specific points on the project schedule path to
account for limited resources and project uncertainties. The resources constrained critical path
is known as the critical chain. It adds duration buffers that are non-work schedule activities to
manage uncertainty. One buffer placed at the end of the critical chain is known as a project
buffer and protects the target finish date. Feeding buffers are placed at each point where a
chain of dependent activities that are not on the critical path feeds into the critical chain. The
size of each buffer should account for the uncertainty in the duration of the chain dependent
activities leading up to that buffer. Once the buffer schedule activities are determined, the
planned activities are scheduled to their latest possible start/end dates. In conclusion instead of

Classnotes
managing float the CCM focuses on managing the remaining buffer durations against the
remaining durations of chains of activities.
4. Resource optimization techniques: techniques that can be used to adjust the schedule model
due to demand and supply of resources
a. Resource leveling: A technique in which start dates and end dates are adjusted in order
based on resource constraints with the goal of balancing demand for resources with
available supply. This can be used when shared or critical resources are only available at
certain times, limited quantities, or over allocated such as when a resource has been
assigned to two or more activities during the same time period, or to keep resource
usage at a constant level. This usually causes the original critical path to change, usually
increase.
b. Resource smoothing: a technique that that adjusts the activities such that the
requirements for the resources do not exceed certain predefined resource limits. The
critical path is not changed and the completion date may not be delayed. Activities may
only be delayed within their free and total float. This may not optimize all resources.
5. Modeling techniques: techniques are
a. What if scenario analysis: It is the process of evaluating scenarios in order to predict
their effect positive or negative. A schedule network analysis is performed to compute
the different scenarios. The outcome of the scenario can be used to assess the fesability
of the project schedule under adverse conditions and create contingency or response
plans in order to mitigate or overcome the impact of these events.
b. Simulation: it involves calculating the multiple project durations with different sets of
activity assumptions, usually using probability distributions constructed from the three
points estimates to account for uncertainty. The most common techniques is the Monte
Carlo technique.

Classnotes
6. Leads and Lags: Leads are used to advance a successor activity with respect to the predecessor
activity, lags are used where processes require a set period of time to elapse between the
processors and successor without work or resource impact.
7. Schedule compression: these techniques are used to shorten the schedule duration without
reducing the scope of the project. This is done in order to meet constraints, imposed dates or
other objectives.
a. Crashing: a techniques used to shorten the duration of activities on the critical path by
adding more resources (OT, HC increase). This does not always produce a viable
alternative and may result in increased risk/cost
b. Fast tracking: this technique implies doing activities in parallel for a certain amount of
time. For example constructing the foundation before architecture drawings are
finished. This may result in rework and increased risk. It only works if activities can be
overlapped to shorten the project duration
8. Scheduling tool: automated schedueeling tools that generate start/end dates based on inputs of
activities, network diagrams, resources and activity durations using schedule network analysis.
OUTPUTS
1. Schedule baseline: this is the approved version of the project plan and can only be changed
through formal change control procedures. It is used as the basis for actual results. It is
approved and accepted by the stakeholders. During monitoring and controlling this is used to
compare the actual with baseline in order to identify variance.
2. Project schedule: 182
4. Memorize the order of time management planning for the exam.

a. Plan schedule management
b. Define activities
c. Sequence activities
d. Estimate activity resources
e. Estimate activity durations
f. Develop schedule
g. Control schedule
5. Define Activities is the process of identifying the specific actions to be performed to produce
deliverables
6. Sequencing activities is highly testable so be sure to understand the relationships and how a
network diagram is created. Review pages 153-160 in the PMBOK
7. Tools and Techniques are most tested on in Sequencing Activities.

Classnotes
8. Lead: Is the amount of time a successor activity can be advanced with respect to a predecessor.
Lead is often negative lag time in software programs. Lead subtracts from the total duration.
9. Lag: Is the amount of time a successor activity needs to be delayed with respect to a
predecessor. Lag adds to the total duration
10. Project schedule network diagram is a graphical representation of the logical relationships or
dependencies among schedule activities.
11. Resources can be people, equipment and materials. This estimating activity resources process
identifies type, quantity and characteristics which allows for better duration and cost estimating.
This process ties into cost estimating questions on the exam.
12. Know the Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) formulas for the exam and how to apply
them to durations. Three-Point estimating is very testable! Know the formulas and the concept well
and expect questions on the types as well as the application. How to calculate Triangular distribution
correctly: Duration=[O+ML+P]/3 and
How to calculate Beta distribution correctly: Duration= [O+ (4*ML) +P]/6 Most common PERT
formula.
13. Contingency Reserves for time and cost are set aside to accommodate identified risks. Can be called
“Buffer Time”. The Standard Deviation formula is sometimes used to calculate this [P-O]/6
14. Analogous estimating can be used for time or cost and is an “analogy” using previous projects to
plan future projects of a similar nature. Not as reliable but not as time consuming as other
techniques.
15. Parametric estimating can be used for time or cost and uses statistical relationships based on
historical information and other variables. It’s mathematical and more accurate.
16. Dates, Durations and Effort are different. You will only be using durations on the exam.
17. Expect to see Network diagrams on the exam which will test your ability to understand Critical Path
Method as well as other tools and techniques
18. The boxes represented in the network diagram are called nodes. Each activity has an early start and
finish which define critical path and each has a late start and finish which shows float or flexibility.
19. Critical Path is the longest path of sequenced activities in the network diagram and the fastest the
project can be completed without regard to resources. The critical path has zero flexibility which
usually means zero float.
20. Float is calculated by doing a backward pass and determining late start and finish times. Formulas
for float are LS-ES or LF-EF. Both will give you the same answer.
21. Critical Chain takes resources into consideration and if limited then non-work duration buffers are
added to protect the critical path.
22. Leveling and smoothing are the two resource optimization techniques seen on the exam.
23. Fast tracking is usually the best first option in schedule compression. Fast tracking is performing
sequential activities in parallel. It is the most recommended however increases the risk of rework.
24. Crashing is speeding up the critical path with the least amount of incremental costs by adding
money or resources to critical activities that can be sped up with additional resources. It increases
cost and resource risk.

Classnotes
25. Informal schedule presentations and models are created to gain approval and won’t be formalized
until the completion of the project management plan and set as a baseline. Depends on the receiver
which format is used.
26. The Schedule Baseline with be used to monitor/control, analysis with Earned Value and for change
control. The schedule is the workable currently approved schedule
Exam Tips for Cost Management Planning:
Process Description
7.1 Plan Cost Management The process to establish policies, procedures and
documentation for cost
7.2 Estimate Costs Developing an approximation of monetary resources
7.3 Determine Budget Aggregating estimated costs to establish an authorized

baseline
1. Be aware of the estimation variables for the exam and know the difference between ROM
percentages ad Definitive percentages
2. You will not need to calculate depreciation. Just be aware of the term.
3. Bottom up Estimating ALWAYS refers to the WBS.
4. Contingencies are considered part of the cost baseline; Management Reserves will be part of the
entire project budget. When Management Reserves are used the Cost baseline is updated to reflect
the usage.
5. Cost of Quality (COQ) is a quality term that compares the difference of paying up front to meet
quality requirements or on the back end to fix them. Pay me now or pay me later. Estimates need to
be made for the budget.
6. Vendor Bid Analysis is a procurement term applied to reviewing all bids, choosing the best bid and
using that as the cost estimate before the contract is signed.
7. Agreements are made due to vendor bid analysis and negotiation during the procurement process.
8. A funding limit reconciliation can be determined based on Net present values, payback periods etc
or defined by the customer or sponsor.
9. The cost baseline includes all the estimates and the contingency reserves and is controlled by the
project manager. The project budget includes everything.
10. The total funds required for the project include the costs baseline and the management reserves.
May occur in incremental amounts that are not continuous or evenly distributed.

Classnotes

Classnotes
Exam Tips for Quality Management Planning:
Process Description
8.1 Plan Quality Management The process of identifying quality requirements and/or
standards for the project and its deliverables and documenting
how the project will demonstrate compliance with quality
requirements.
1. Know the definition of quality. Quality as a delivered performance or result is “the degree to which a
set of inherent characteristics fulfill requirements” (ISO 9000).
2. Do not gold plate.
3. Know the Quality Gurus and other quality initiative for continuous improvement.
 W. Edward Deming: Developed the 14 Steps to Total Quality Management (TQM) and Plan-Do-
Check-Act for Quality Improvement.
 Joseph Juran: Developed the 80/20 Pareto Principal for Quality and Defined Quality as “Fitness for
Use”.
 Vilfredo Pareto: Created the 80/20 rule in the late 1800’s.
 Dr. Kaori Ishikawa: Fishbone diagram.
 Philip Crosby: DIRFT, Prevention over Inspection, Conformance to Requirements and Zero Defects,
“Quality is Free”.
 Bill Smith: Six Sigma
 Genichi Taguchi: Design of Experiments
Other Quality Initiatives for Continuous Improvement

 Six Sigma (Motorola 1986) Remove the cause of defects. 3.4 defects per million
 Lean Six Sigma (Lean manufacturing – preserve value with less work)
 Malcolm Baldridge award
 Organizational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3 ®)
 Capability Maturity Model Integrated (CMMI®)
4. Know the difference between quality and grade.

5. Understand the difference between precision and accuracy.
6. Plan Quality Management selects which tools and techniques to use while quality assurance and
control quality use them. They are introduced in quality planning and tested in QA and QC.
7. The PM plans to improve processes throughout the project.
8. The PM determines quality metrics to measure performance.

Classnotes
Exam Tips for Human Resource Management Planning:
Process Description
9.1 Plan Human Resource Management The process of identifying and documenting
project roles, responsibilities, required skills,
reporting relationships, and creating a staffing
management plan.
1. Understand the acronym for RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consult, and Inform) and that it is
considered a type of Responsibility Assignment Matrix.
2. The PM has a plan to reward stakeholders as part of the HR Management Plan.
HR Plan Identifies and documents:

 Project roles and responsibilities
 Required skills
 Reporting relationships
Staffing management plan
 Timetable for staff acquisition and release
 Training needs
 Team-building strategies
 Recognition and rewards
 Compliance
 Safety issues
 Scarce resources
 Impact on organization
Exam Tips for Communications Management Planning:
Process Description
10.1 Plan Communications Management The process of developing an appropriate

approach and plan for project communications
based on stakeholder’s information needs and
requirements, and available organizational assets.
1. Dimensions of communication: PMI considers email as informal communication.

 Formal / Informal
 Internal /External
 Vertical /Horizontal
 Official / Unofficial
 Written /Oral
 Verbal / Non-Verbal
2. Memorize the communication channel formula for the exam. N(N-1)/2

Classnotes
3. You could see questions related to the feedback loop on the exam.
4. You will have to be able to distinguish between interactive and push/pull communication.
Exam Tips for Risk Management Planning: 313 pagina
Process Description
11.1 Plan Risk Management Defining how to conduct risk management on the
project
11.2 Identify Risks Determining which risks may affect the project and
documenting
11.3 Perform Qualitative Analysis Prioritizing risks for further analysis by probability and
impact
11.4 Perform Quantitative Analysis Numerically analyzing the effect of identified risks on
overall objectives.
11.5 Plan Risk Responses Actions to enhance opportunities and reduce threats
1. Risk is highly testable and they may test you on the order of risk management planning.
2. You may have to identify based on a scenario which of terms they are discussing including threats,
opportunities and issues.
3. Tools and techniques are highly testable in the identify risks process. Know that the beginnings of
the risk register are created here.
4. Strengths can also become weaknesses if they aren’t identified or used correctly and vice versa.
Know what SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) stands for.
5. The beginning of the risk register is created during identify risks and will be both an input and
updated output for the rest of the risk processes.
6. Qualitative Risk analysis may be all that is necessary before creating responses depending on the
risk.
7. Quantitative analysis is mathematical in nature and is only used on those risks as those that will
impact the competing demands. Most specifically tied to risks that impact time and cost.
8. You will be expected to know the Expected Monetary Value (EMV) formula of probability*impact
for the exam. These variables will be used to plot out a decision tree.
9. Decision trees use both threat and opportunity probabilities and attaches a currency amount for the
impact. Used to make decisions where the risks carry a price tag.
10. After Quantitative analysis the risk register is updated with all of the statistical analysis as needed
for specified risk events.

Classnotes
11. Risk responses need to be created for both threats and opportunities. Be able to recognize
responses in a scenario type question.
Exam Tips for Procurement Management Planning:
Process Description
12.1 Plan Procurement Documenting the procurement decisions, approach

Management to acquiring outside support, identifying potential
sellers
1. Procurement questions tend to be very difficult. Read carefully and understand contract types.
2. Be aware that most questions on the exam are written from the buyer’s perspective but not all of
them. READ CAREFULLY!
3. Know the below terms for the exam. Knowing these terms will help with questions on the exam.
These can be confusing and are NOT in the PMBOK!!!
Procurement Definitions
Terminology
Price The amount they (sellers) charge us (buyers).
Profit or fee Planned into the price they (seller) provide us (buyers). It’s their
profit margin.
Cost How much it costs them (sellers) to provide to us (buyers) and can
include their profits.
Target Price Our (buyers) measure of success at the end comparing actual to
target. Target Cost + Target Fee= Target Price
Sharing Ratio How cost overruns or under runs will be shared. Ours is first theirs is
second 80/20
Ceiling Price The maximum we will ever pay on a contract.

Classnotes
4. Know the contract type, who carries the risk and what the differences are between each type.
Main Contract Why they are chosen

Categories
Fixed Price Scope is very well known and cost needs to be controlled.
Cost reimbursable Scope needs to be more flexible and open ended. Cost control is more
difficult.
Time and Materials Hybrid type used for outside staffing or support. Hard to budget but
usually has a ceiling
5. Point of Total Assumption (PTA) is not in the PMBOK but may be found on the exam. Know the
formula and that it is for Fixed Price Incentive Fee contracts (FPIF) only. PTA=((Ceiling Price-Target
Price)/Buyers share ratio)+ Target cost
Exam Tips for Stakeholder Management Planning:
Process Description
13.2 Plan Stakeholder Developing appropriate strategies to manage stakeholders based on

Management needs, interests and impact
1. New process in the 5th edition, expect to see questions.

2. The stakeholder management plan may be sensitive in nature and needs to be distributed carefully.
May also result in updates to the stakeholder register.
Exam Tips for Ethics in Planning:
1. Develop accurate estimates based on current information

2. Develop a comprehensive communication management plan
3. Ensuring there are comprehensive plans exist for key project aspects
4. Provide redundancy in case the PM or key team members move on during the project
5. Document or implement a clear change control procedure
6. Obtain appropriate approvals and signatures on the project management plan.

Classnotes
Exam Tips for Integration Management Execution:
Process Description
4.3 Direct and Manage Project Work The process of leading and performing the work
defined in the project management plan and
implementing approved changes to achieve the
project’s objectives.
1. The project is executed by following the PM plan and performance is measured against the
performance measurement baseline. (PMB).
2. The PM is proactive and should prevent problems. Delays should be made up by compressing the
schedule or improving future outcomes not by requesting a change to the schedule baseline. How
quality will be affected by a change request should always be analyzed.
Exam Tips for Quality Management Execution:
Process Description
8.2 Perform Quality Assurance The process of auditing the quality requirements and the
results from quality control measurements to ensure that
appropriate quality standards and operational definitions
are used.
1. Be aware of the diagrams used to plot out and review the quality process.
2. When you see audit it is always about reviewing the process, rather than the product.
Exam Tips for Human Resource Management Execution:
Process Description
9.2 Acquire Project Team The process of confirming human resource

availability and obtaining the team necessary to
complete project activities.
9.3 Develop Project Team The process of improving competencies, team
member interaction, and overall team environment
to enhance project performance.
9.4 Manage Project Team The process of tracking team member performance,
providing feedback, resolving issues, and managing
changes to optimize project performance.

Classnotes
9.2 Acquire Project Team: Exam Tips
1. Negotiation is X3.8 in the appendix on pg 517.

2. Influencing is X3.5 in the appendix on pg 515.
3. Virtual Teams: Communication planning is important. Set clear expectations, facilitate
communications, develop protocol for resolving conflict, and include people in decision making and
share credit in successes.
9.3 Develop Project Team: Exam Tips

Leadership:
 Social influence in which the leader seeks the voluntary participation in order to reach project goals
 The ability to get things done through others
 Critical during the beginning phases of a project when the emphasis is on communicating the vision
and motivating and inspiring project participants to achieve high performance
Team Building:
 Helping a group of individuals bound by a common purpose to work with each other.
 Establish team goals, roles, responsibilities, emphasizing communication, conflict management,
motivation, and leadership.
 Introduce appropriate rewards, recognition
 Encourage commitment and ethics
 Maintain a standard of performance
 To manage changes effectively, continued team building is important.
 The result of good leadership and team building is teamwork.
 Teamwork includes mutual trust, high quality information exchange and good decision making
Motivation:
 Creating an environment to meet project objectives while providing maximum satisfaction related to
what people value most.
 Motivation factors include: job satisfaction, challenging work, a sense of accomplishment,
achievement and growth, sufficient financial compensation, and other rewards and recognition the
individual considers necessary and important.
 Lack of hygiene factors will demotivate but companies shouldn’t overspend on these factors
(dissatisfiers.)
Communication:
 One of the single biggest reasons for project success or failure

 The PM should be aware of the communication styles of other parties, cultural nuances/norms,
relationships, personalities, and the overall context of the situation
 Team building activities can help determine team member communications styles

Classnotes
Influencing:
 Sharing power and relying on interpersonal skills to enhance team cooperation

 Lead by example, and follow through with commitments
 Clarify how a decision will be made
 Use a flexible interpersonal style and adjust the style to the audience
 Apply your power skillfully and cautiously think of long-term collaboration
Decision Making:
4 styles: These styles are driven by time, trust, quality and acceptance.
1. Command: Leader maintains control and ownership

2. Consultation: Leader involves other members
3. Consensus: Leader gives up total control
4. Coin Flip
Political and Cultural Awareness:
 Get to know the various team members

 Plan communications
 Understand the environment
 Understand the politics and power structures
 Capitalize on cultural differences for a win-win atmosphere
 Culture can also be non-ethnic / geographic differences. Ex: speed of working, decision making
process.
Negotiation:
The following skills and behaviors are useful in negotiating successfully:
 Analyze the situation

 Differentiate between wants and needs, both theirs and yours
 Focus on interests and issues rather than on positions
 Ask high and offer low, but be realistic
 When you make a concession, act as if you are yielding something of value, don’t just give in
 Both parties should feel as if they have won. This win-win negotiating style is preferred but not
always achievable. If possible, don’t let the other party leave feeling as though he or she has been
taken advantage of
 Listen attentively and communicate articulately

Classnotes
Trust Building:
Project managers can take actions to help build trust:
 Engage in open and direct communications to resolve problems

 Keep all stakeholders informed, especially when there is risk of not fulfilling commitments,
 Spend time directly engaged with the team asking nonassumptive questions to gain a better
understanding of the situations affecting the team
 Be direct and explicit about what you need or expect
 Do not withhold information out of a fear of being wrong but be willing to share information even if
you may be wrong
 Be receptive to innovation and address any issues or concerns in a forthright manner
 Look beyond your own interests
 Demonstrate a true concern for others
Coaching:
 Developing the project team to higher levels of competency and performance

 Helping people recognize their potential through empowerment and development
 Addressing poor performance and to help team members overcome deficiencies in their skill sets
 Powerful motivator for teams. As teams develop their skills their willingness to take on challenging
tasks is increased.
1. Team building is critical to the team’s performance

2. Understand the differences between Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing and Adjourning
3. Team Performance Assessments are not yearly performance reviews and are specific to the project
team only
9.4 Manage Project Team Exam Tips:
1. Expert and reward are the most effective forms of power. Formal, reward and penalty are tied to
your position in the company
Conflict Management:
 Conflict is inevitable
 Functional conflict is characterized by a focus on the issues, mutual respect and useful outcomes
 Dysfunctional conflict threatens projects
 Scarce resources, Scheduling Priorities, Personal work styles can all create conflict
 Biggest challenge
 Requires intrapersonal skills and immediate addressing
 Involves building the trust necessary for all involved parties to be open and honest, and to engage
in seeking a positive resolution to the situation creating the conflict
Desired Outcomes of Conflict:

Classnotes
 Agreement
 Stronger relationships
 Greater productivity
 Address conflict early and in private using a direct, collaborative approach
 Support team ground rules and group norms
 Clearly define roles and responsibilities
 Plan for communications
 Team members are initially responsible resolving conflict
 PMs can help facilitate resolutions for escalated conflict
 Formal disciplinary procedures may be needed in extreme circumstances
 Managing conflict with the problem solving technique has the longest lasting effect.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (Needs Theory)
 Layers in order from the bottom to the top: Physiological, Safety, Social, Esteem, Self-
Actualization.
 Individuals must grow through the layers, you must motivate to the correct layer.
Herzberg’s Theory of Hygiene (Needs theory)
Hygiene factors do not motivate but absence of them will demotivate / dissatisfy.
Do not overspend on Hygiene factors.
McClelland’s Needs Theory
1. Need for Achievement

2. Need for Affiliation
3. Need for Power
McGregor’s Theory of X and Y

 Theory X is an authoritarian management style.
 Theory Y is a participative management style
Vroom’s Expectancy Theory (Outcome theory)
People are motivated by how much they want a reward (Valence), the likelihood that the effort will lead to expected
performance (Expectancy), and the belief that the performance will lead to reward (Instrumentality)
Exam Tips for Communication Management Execution:
Process Description
10.2 Manage Communications The process of creating, collecting, distributing, storing,

retrieving and the ultimate disposition of project information in

Classnotes
accordance with the communications management plan.
1. Read carefully when answering questions about performance reporting.
Exam Tips for Procurement Management Execution:
Process Descriptions
12.2 Conduct Procurements The process of receiving bids, selecting sellers and
awarding the contract.
1. The PM will be heavily involved in reviewing bids and selecting sellers. They may or may not
negotiate the contract. On the exam assume you have a procurement administrator.
2. The procurement administrator is highly involved in the conduct procurement process and will
conduct negotiations.
3. The conduct procurement process is designed to filter through all proposals and determine the best
vendor. The procurement administrator will conduct negotiations.
4. It is important for a PM to attend the Bidder’s Conferences in order to answer any and all questions
related to procurement needs.
5. Proposal evaluation techniques depend on the type of proposals and procurement needs.
6. The Appendix lists negotiation as an important skill for project managers. Read the appendix for all
skills a PM should have.
7. A PM does not have the ability to contractually bind their organization to a vendor however they will
be expected to protect the company from future litigations.
8. Complex, high risk, high value contracts will generally require senior management approval before
the award.
Exam Tips for Stakeholder Management Execution:
Process Descriptions
13.3 Manage Stakeholder Communicating and working with stakeholders to maximize

Engagement support and reduce obstacles.
1. Read questions carefully as there is a lot of overlap with communication. If it specific to engaging
stakeholders rather than general communication then it is referring to this process.
2. Interpersonal skills are listed in the Appendix X3 on page 513 as important skills. Read the Appendix
X3 for more PM skills.
3. Issue Logs may be developed based on stakeholder engagement
4. It is your ethical responsibility to contribute to the profession of project management by updating
OPA’s.

Classnotes

Classnotes
Exam Tips for Integration Monitoring and Controlling:
Process Description
4.4 Monitor and Control Project The process of tracking, reviewing, and reporting
Work project progress against the performance objectives
defined in the project management plan.
4.5 Perform Integrated Change The process of reviewing all change requests; approving
Control changes and managing changes to deliverables,
organizational process assets, project documents, and
the project management plan; and communicating
their disposition.
4.4. Monitor and Control Project Work Exam Tips:
1. Be aware of the different types of analytical techniques.

2. All change requests must go through the Perform Integrated Change Control process.
4.5 Perform Integrated Change Control Exam Tips:

1. Configuration management is specific to the product changes only.
2. Make the assumption on the exam that you will be working with a change control board (CCB).
3. Perform Integrated Change Control: Know the order of change control for questions that ask “what
comes next?”
1. Impact
2. Alternatives
3. Sponsor approval
4. Customer approval
4. Protect the integrity of the baselines and only update going forward.
Exam Tips for Scope Management Monitoring and Controlling:
Process Description
5.5 Validate Scope Formalizing the acceptance of completed project deliverables
5.6 Control Scope Monitoring the status of product and project scope and managing
changes to the scope baseline
1. Watch for questions that combine scope and quality control. Know the difference for the exam.
2. Inspection can be called reviews, product reviews, audits and walkthroughs
3. Controlling scope is part of controlling scope creep and is tied in with integrated change control.
4. Control Scope is determining whether Corrective Action and/or Preventative Action need to be
taken.

Classnotes
5. Only when a scope addition is approved will the baseline be updated.
Exam Tips for Time Management Monitoring and Controlling:
Process Description
6.7 Control Schedule Managing changes to the baseline to achieve the plan.
Recognizing deviations and taking corrective and preventative
actions.
1. Controlling the schedule involves Earned Value Analysis Technique (EVT). There will be two formulas
to know for schedule control.
2. Earned Value is covered in the Cost chapter on pages 217-219
3. Know the Earned Value formulas for time management:
EV=BAC*% complete
SV=EV-PV
SPI=EV/PV
Exam Tips for Cost Management Monitoring and Controlling:
Process Description
7.4 Control Cost Monitoring statuses, managing the cost baseline, recognize
variances and take corrective or preventative actions.
1. Earned Value and Forecasting is highly testable. Know all of the formulas for cost management:
EV=BAC*% complete
CV=EV-AC
CPI=EV/AC
2. Read forecasting questions carefully to determine which of the formulas to use. There are many
ways to calculate while forecasting. PMBOK lists the most common formulas.
EAC= AC+ (BAC-EV)

EAC=BAC/CPI
EAC= AC+ [(BAC-EV) / (CPI*SPI)]
TCPI = (BAC-EV)/ (BAC-AC) OR (BAC-EV)/ (EAC-AC)

Classnotes
Exam Tips for Quality Management Monitoring and Controlling:
Process Description
8.3 Control Quality The process of monitoring and recording

results of executing the quality activities
to assess performance and recommend
necessary changes.
1. The questions will ask you to determine the difference between the quality processes.
Quality Planning and Quality Assurance
 Provide confidence that the requirements will be met.
Quality Control
 Formally demonstrate that the acceptance criteria have been met.
2. Know these terms and how they apply to various tools and techniques.
Attribute sampling (Qualitative)

• The result either conforms or does not conform
Variables sampling (Quantitative)
• The result is rated on a continuous scale that measures the degree of conformity
Tolerances (Customer requirements)
• Specified range of acceptable results as voiced by the customer
Control limits (Data points to measure customer requirements)
• The boundaries of common variation in a statistically stable process or process performance as
indicated by the process
• Data points are charted within 3 standard deviations from the mean.
3. Memorize the empirical rule for the exam.
 68% - 1 SD
 95% - 2 SD
 99.73% - 3 SD
4. A process is out of control when 1 point is outside the control limits or 7 points are right in a row
inside the control limits. Find the assignable cause for out of control processes.
5. Ishikawa diagrams are creative methods for discovering the root cause.
6. Pareto diagrams display frequency of cause.
7. Scatter diagrams display relationships between variables.
8. A work package should not be considered complete until the quality has been checked.

Classnotes
Exam Tips for Communications Management Monitoring and Controlling:
Process Description
10.3 Control The process of monitoring and controlling communications

Communications throughout the entire project life cycle to ensure the
information needs of the project stakeholders are met.
1. Be aware of the outputs and what the updates mean.
Work performance information (WPI): Summarizes performance data. Provides status and progress
information.
Change Requests: Processed through Perform Integrated Change Control
 New or revised cost estimates, activity sequences, schedule dates, resource requirements,
and analysis of risk response alternatives
 Adjustments to the project management plan and documents
 Recommendations of corrective actions
 Recommendations of preventive actions
Project Document Updates: Forecasts, Performance reports, Issue log
OPA Updates: Report formats and lessons learned documentation.
 May become part of the historical database for both this project and the performing
organization and may include the causes of issues, reasons behind the corrective action chosen,
and other types of lessons learned during the project.
Exam Tips for Risk Management Monitoring and Controlling:
Process Description
11.6 Control Risks Implementing risk response plans, identifying new risks,
tracking identified risks and determining residual risks.
1. Risk is an iterative process watch for questions that could be identifying new risks during monitoring
and controlling. The rest of the question will let you know
2. Anytime you see the words Audit or Reassessment you are in Risk Monitoring and controlling.
3. Reserve analysis is a pretty common term and may not be the correct answer unless it directly
relates to time and money set aside for risks.

Classnotes
Exam Tips for Procurement Management Monitoring and Controlling:
Process Description
12.3 Control Procurements Managing procurement relationships,

monitoring contract performance, making
changes and corrections as needed
1. Several processes directly impact overall procurement success including Control Risks, Direct and
Manage Project Work, Control Quality and Perform integrated change control.
2. Contract change control is part of overall integrated change control. However since it involves legal
documents the contract administrator may be involved in the sign-off.
3. Breach of contract is not in the PMBOK, be aware of the meaning.
Exam Tips for Stakeholder Management Monitoring and Controlling:
Process Description
13.4 Control Stakeholder Engagement Monitoring overall stakeholder relationships and

adjusting strategies and plans for engaging
stakeholders
1. Be aware of the definition information management systems for the exam. It is a centralized way of
communicating with stakeholders.
2. It is our ethical responsibility to manage and maintain good relationships with stakeholders.
Exam Tips for Ethics in Monitoring and Controlling:
1. Communicating transparently with stakeholders regarding:

a. Approved changes including corrective, preventative, defect repairs and scope changes
b. Variances from project baselines
c. Project status, schedule, and cost forecasts
2. Ensure deliverables have been checked for quality through Quality Control (QC) process
3. Manage risks and responses and continually audit responses and impacts

Classnotes
Exam Tips for Procurement Management Closing:
Process Description
12.4 Close Procurements The process of completing all procurement and

formally closing out contracts
1. Close procurement happens all throughout the project as work is completed or terminated. Close
project happens once time at the end of the phase or total project
2. The exam will test your ability to know the difference between procurement closure and project
closure.
Exam Tips for Integration Management Closure:
Process Description
4.6 Close Project or Phase Finalizing all activities to formally complete project or phase.
Provides lessons learned, formal end of work and a releasing

of resources.
1. Be careful about questions in closure. Procurement must be closed before the project can be closed.
Exam Tips for Ethics in Closure:
1. Ensure deliverables have been completed based on documented and agree-upon requirements
2. Protect the organization from additional costs or charges after completion
3. Communicate transparently with stakeholders regarding lessons learned in final project report
4. Contribute to the development and growth of other project professionals through the capture of
comprehensive lessons learned EEF and OPA updates.
5. Evaluate customer and end-user satisfaction and enhance future relationships
6. Formally close the project or phase

Classnotes
The Project Management Institute's Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct:
Responsibility:
Aspirational Mandatory
Make decisions and take action based on best Be informed and uphold policies, rules,
interests of society, safety and environment regulations and laws
Only accept assignments that are consistent Report unethical or illegal conduct to
with our backgrounds, experience, skills and appropriate management and to those affected
qualifications
Do what you say you will do Ethics complaints will be brought to the
attention of appropriate body for resolution
Take ownership of errors and make corrections Ethics complaints must be substantiated by facts
promptly
Protect proprietary or confidential information Pursue disciplinary action against an individual

who retaliates against another raising ethics
concerns
Uphold the code and hold others accountable

Classnotes
Respect:
We inform ourselves about norms and customs of We negotiate in good faith

others and avoid being disrespectful
We listen to others’ points of view, seeking to We do not exercise the power of our expertise or
understand them position to influence the decisions or actions of
others to personally benefit
We approach directly those persons with whom We do not act in an abusive manner toward
we have conflict or disagreement others
We conduct ourselves in a professional manner, We respect the property rights of others

even when it isn’t reciprocated

Classnotes
Fairness:
We demonstrate transparency in decision making Proactively disclose any real or potential conflicts
of interests to appropriate stakeholders
Constantly reexamine our impartiality and If conflict of interest is realized we refrain from
objectivity, taking corrective action as attempting to influence outcomes until full
appropriate disclosure occurs
Provide equal access to information to those who Do not hire, fire, reward, punish, award/deny
are authorized to have it contracts based on personal considerations
including but not limited to favoritism, nepotism
or bribery
We make opportunities equally available to Do not discriminate against others on gender,

qualified candidates race, age, religion, disability, nationality or sexual
orientation
Apply the rules of the organization without

favoritism or prejudice

Classnotes
Honesty:
Earnestly seek to understand the Do not engage in or condone behavior that is designed to deceive
truth others, including but not limited to, making misleading r false
statements, stating half-truths, providing information out of
context or withholding information that, if known, would render
our statements as misleading or incomplete
Truthful in our communications and Do not engage in dishonest behavior with the intention of
our conduct personal gain or at the expense of another
Provide accurate information in a

timely manner
Make commitments and promises,

implied or explicit, in good faith
Strive to create an environment in

which others feel safe to tell the
truth

Classnotes PMP 5th Edition

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The PMBOK Guide 5th Edition

5th Ed Project Management Process Groups

© 2013 SkillSoft Ireland Limited 1

Exam Tips for PMBOK Chapters 1 through 3:

1. Memorize the definition of a project

OPM Projects Programs Portfolios

Scope Defined project Aggregate of Organizational scope based

Change Manage Manage changes Manage changes in a

Planning Progressively High-level planning Maintain processes and

Management Manage the Manage the Coordinate and manage

© 2013 SkillSoft Ireland Limited 2

team program staff and staff that have reporting

Success Quality, Degree to which Aggregate investment

Monitoring Monitor and Monitor progress Monitor strategic change,

© 2013 SkillSoft Ireland Limited 3

© 2013 SkillSoft Ireland Limited 4

© 2013 SkillSoft Ireland Limited 5

Schedule Definite beginning / end date + milestones to measure progress

Communication Who, what, how, when, why will stakeholders communicate?

© 2013 SkillSoft Ireland Limited 6

Exam Tips for Integration Initiation:

INPUTS for Project charter

e. The project statement of work (SOW) is a narrative description of products, services, or

© 2013 SkillSoft Ireland Limited 7

i. In case of multiphase projects the business case should be reviewed periodically to

Tools & techniques for Project charter

Outputs for Project Charter

k. Project charter is the resulting document. It documents the requirements, constraints,

© 2013 SkillSoft Ireland Limited 8

Initial Investment = $500,000 Inflow:

-500,000 + 300,000 / (1.10) + 200,000 / (1.10) 2 + 200,000 / (1.10) 3

-500,000 + 273,372.30 + 165,258.30 + 150,262.96 = 88,279.49

NPV is $88,279.49 (a profit of $88,279.49 for the project)

© 2013 SkillSoft Ireland Limited 9

Exam Tips for Communication Initiation:

1. Stakeholders should be identified before project work begins.

Inputs for Identify Stakeholders

Tools and techniques for identifying stakeholders

g. Stakeholder analysis is a technique of systematically analyzing quantitative and qualitative

© 2013 SkillSoft Ireland Limited 10

Outputs for Identifying Stakeholders

l. Stakeholder registry contains all details of the identified stakeholders including

© 2013 SkillSoft Ireland Limited 11

ii. Assessment information (major requirements, main expectations, potential

© 2013 SkillSoft Ireland Limited 12

Exam Tips for Integration Planning:

INPUTS for Develop Project Management Plan

© 2013 SkillSoft Ireland Limited 13

f. OPAs: standardized guidelines, project management plan template, change control

Tools and techniques

g. Expert judgement is used to:

© 2013 SkillSoft Ireland Limited 14

iv. Requirements and techniques for communication among stakeholders

2. Planning includes determining which PMBOK processes will be used.

Exam Tips for Scope Planning:

© 2013 SkillSoft Ireland Limited 15

5.1 Plan Scope Management Creation of the Scope Management and

5.2 Collect Requirements Defining and documenting Stakeholder needs to

5.3 Define Scope Developing a Detailed description of Product and

Plan Scope Management

© 2013 SkillSoft Ireland Limited 16

e. Project management plan

Tools & Techniques