The+PMP+Fast+Track_David+McLachlan (1).pdf

PMP

1. PMP
Fast Track
© David McLachlan 1

2. PMP Fast-Track
People
Process
General Exam Tips
Ways of
Working
Power
Skills
Business
Acumen
•Agile
•Predictive
•Conflict
•Leadership
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3. PMP Fast-Track
General Exam Tips
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4. General Exam Fast-Track
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- -
•Scenario-based question,
•Where something goes wrong,
•We need to solve it using our Project Management and People skills.
•Two (2) or even three (3) answers will seem correct:
•We must choose the MOST correct answer.
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5. Read the question and highlight all the keywords.
All the information you need is in the question.
General Exam Fast-Track
Decide which topic or principle from the PMBOK the
question is addressing –what the question is asking us
to do.
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2
3
Determine if the project is predictive, agile, or hybrid.
Strikethrough any answers that do not directly address the
project methodology or PMBOK principle you identified.4
Select one of the remaining answers.5
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6. Answer everyquestion –
but flagthe ones you are unsure of.
You will get hints from future questions or answer options.
General Exam Fast-Track
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Know your timing. You have:
230 minutes for 180 questions.
1:15s each question.
60 questions: 155 minutes remain (10 min. break)
120 questions: 80 minutes remain (10 min. break)
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7. People Fast-Track
People
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8. People Fast-Track
Always deliver value, above everything else.1
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Be directand collaborativein your response.
Be honest, take responsibility and don’t pass the buck.
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9. People Fast-Track
Problem solve, problem solve, problem solve.
The process is:
1.Define the problem
2.Identify the Root Cause
3.Brainstorm Solutions
4.Choose the best one (prioritize)
5.Implement it
6.Verify that it worked
➢Find and solve the root cause of the issue (before using any money).
➢Make sure you’re solving the right problem(e.g. team versus supplier -
key words in the question).
➢If they use terms you are unfamiliar with (e.g. always-on Fishbowl window,
marginal economic analysis) revert to the question keywords and
solving the root cause of the problem.
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10. People Fast-Track
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Always go direct to the person, the team, or where the issue is.
Use the right expertise:
➢The team for their way of working, estimates on their work.
➢The customer for their requirements or product feedback.
This is using “Expert Judgement”.
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11. People Fast-Track
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Problem solve before you escalate.
➢Collaborate with the Sponsor, but try and solve it first (be direct and collaborative)
➢Do not suspend the project if you can help it (our ultimate aim is to deliver value)
➢Do not add resources or delay items if you can help it (problem solve first).
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12. People Fast-Track
Understand Conflict Resolution Types:
➢Go for Problem Solve first, Compromisingnext.
➢Only Accommodateif there is an extreme power imbalance (e.g. Project Sponsor)
➢Senior executives can influence other senior executives.
•Problem Solving: Win / Win
•Compromising: Lose / Lose
•Accommodating: Lose / Win
•Forcing: Win / Lose
•Withdraw / Avoiding conflict:Not ideal.
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13. People Fast-Track
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Understand Accountabilitiesand Responsibilities.
e.g. PMensures the work gets done,
Ensures team members are adequately trained (the team may help).
Project Sponsor provides funding and initiates the project through the Project Charter,
They sign off and accept deliverables.
The teamprovide estimates on their work,
and Perform the work.
Vendorsare responsible for their deliverable (outlined in the Contract).
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14. PMP Fast Track
Process
Agile Predictive
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15. Process Fast-Track
Look for Agile keywords:
•Iteration,
•Product Owner,
•Scrum Master,
•Retrospective,
•Demonstration or Review,
•Product or Sprint Backlog,
•Stand-up,
•MVP,
•Epics,
•Spikes,
•Kanban board,
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Agile
•Product Backlog and Product Roadmap are high level,
•User Stories are detailed.
•Create these with the team, collaboratively:
•Definition of Ready: Criteria for when work can begin,
•Definition of Done: Criteria for when a user story or a feature is complete.
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16. Process Fast-Track
Always go for making work visible.2
Agile
Use a Kanban Board to:
•View work building up (impediments or constraints),
•Limit work in progress in each area / column.
3
Demonstratereal thingswith the customer,
not reports or documents.4
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17. Process Fast-Track
Work directly with the customeron Product requirements,
Co-located, face to face communication ideally –no documents.5
Agile
Protect the teamfrom impediments and diversions.
Remove blockers and coachfor growth.6
Just do it if you can.
MVPis our small feature to test the market quickly.7
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18. Process Fast-Track
Know your Ceremonies:
Backlog Refinement:Customer, Developer and Tester break down Epics into User Stories and
add Acceptance Criteria. Go for smaller (fit in an iteration).
Iteration Planning:The team plan the next iteration’s work.
Daily Stand-up: The team meet each day to discuss what they did and any impediments
stopping them.
Iteration Review: The team demonstrate the usable increment to the customer / Product
Owner.
Retrospective: The team meet to discuss and improve their way of working.
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Agile
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19. Process Fast-Track
Know your Roles:
Product Owner: Prioritizes the work through the Product Backlog(highest value first).
Approves changes in Scope.
Scrum Master: Removes impediments, grows the team, facilities and problem solves with
the team.
Team: Delivers the value, as outlined in the Definition of Done.
We want T-shaped generalizing specialists.
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Agile
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20. Process Fast-Track
The team estimate User Stories using Wide-Band Delphi (planning Poker).
Each relevant person estimates, high and low estimates discuss and reach consensus.
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Agile
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21. Process Fast-Track
Process
Agile Predictive
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22. Process Fast-Track Predictive
The business case feeds into the Project Charter.
➢Check the Project Charter for high-level goals & deliverables.
➢Use a Team Charter for ways of working, roles & agreements with the team
–early and iterative.
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You’ll need basic mathematics:
➢General Earned Value Management (PV, EV, AC)
➢SPI & CPI (over 1 =more value delivered)
➢SV & CV (positive= more value delivered)
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23. Process Fast-Track Predictive
Know your processesand know your plans & documents.
•Stakeholders
•Scope
•Schedule
•Cost
•Quality
•Resources / Team
•Communications
•Risk
•Procurement
Project Management: Integrating it all together.
Each planhas the rolesand processfor how each area is handled.
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24. Process Fast-Track Predictive
Stakeholder Engagement Plan:
•Use this for finding people, adding people, who and how to engage.
•Identifystakeholders and classifystakeholders so you know who to engage.
•Use your Communications Management Plan for how & what to communicate
with those stakeholders.
4 Project Name:
StakeholdersUnawareResistantNeutralSupportiveLeading
Grace C D
Audrey C D
Jenny C D D
Michael C D
James C D
Susan C, D
Jake C D
Anne C, D
Kylie C D
Macy C D
Harry C, D
Jimmy C D
Stakeholder Engagement Assessment
Current state Desired state
Place a C and D in a row for each stakeholder
Harmony Web App (HWA)
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25. Process Fast-Track Predictive
Scope Management:
•Requirements come from the customer (or Benchmarking for best-practices)
•We turn these into our Scope Statement, WBS, and Work Packages
•The Customercan verify the scope through Quality Control.
•The Project Sponsor (or whoever is paying) signs off on the Scope once complete.
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26. Process Fast-Track Predictive
Schedule Management:
•We break down work packages into activitiesto place on a schedule.
•Know your Precedence Diagramming:
➢FF (Finish to Finish)
➢FS (Finish to Start)
➢SF (Start to Finish)
➢SS (Start to Start)
•Floator slack: Available room to move an item without affecting others or the project.
•Critical Path: Shortest project duration: path of tasks that must be done in sequence.
•Using Leads: We are leadingit forward –it can come closer to us.
•Using Lags: The activity is laggingbehind –we can move it back.
•Fast Tracking is preferred:Performing activities in parallel.
•Crashingif under budget: Adding resources and cost. Increases Risk.
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27. Process Fast-Track Predictive
Estimate with the team.
Know your:
•3 Point / Triangular estimation (O + ML + P) / 3
•Or Beta / PERT estimation (O + 4x ML + P) / 6
•Bottom-up estimation: Adding up the lower-level items (e.g. work packages)
(more precise)
•Analogous estimation:Using a similar project or deliverable to estimate.
(faster, less precise)
•Parametric estimation:Using a parameter.
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28. Process Fast-Track Predictive
In predictive we can’t make a changeto any baselined Plan or Deliverable
without going through the formal change control process.
Change Management Process:
1.Any stakeholder can raise a change,
2.Note the change in the Change Log,
3.Analyze the impact to Cost and Schedule,
4.Take the change to the approvers (e.g. CCB),
5.Communicate the outcome (approved, rejected, deferred),
6.Note outcome in the change log and proceed.
Found or created in our Change Management Plan.
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29. Process Fast-Track Predictive
Risk Management:
An Issuehas happened, note it in the Issue Log.
A Riskcould happen in the future, note it in the Risk Register.
➢Identify or brainstorm risks with your team,
➢Log and update them in the Risk Register,
➢Classify risks by likelihood and impact (1 to 5),
➢Respond to highest risks early.
➢If a risk was previously identified, try and use the Risk Response first.
Know your Risk Responses:
Accept: Noting the risk but not doing anything.
Mitigate: Taking an action to address the risk.
Transfer: Using insurance or transferring to another party.
Escalate: If we don’t have the authority to address it.
Avoid: Removing the scope that causes the risk.
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30. Process Fast-Track Predictive
Procurement Management:
Statement of work: what needs to be done by the Vendor / Seller.
Always check the Contractif there is a dispute.
We can help problem solve, but the Vendor is responsible for their
deliverable. NOT us.
Do not to delay the project –use the different contract types to manage
uncertainty.
•Fixed Price: When scope is clear and stable,
•Cost Reimbursable: If scope is expected to change (e.g. cost + incentive fee)
•Time & Materials: Cost of seller's time and materials, ongoing.
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31. Process Fast-Track Predictive
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Know the closing process and general steps:
➢Finalize any open claims,
➢Confirm formal acceptance,
➢Ensure transition to operations,
➢Formally releaseresources,
➢Finalize and close any accounts,
➢Final lessons learned,
➢Archiveproject information,
➢Measure product benefits.
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32. Process Fast-Track
Use Agile and Predictive together in a Hybrid approach,
instead of adding resources or delaying the project, etc12
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33. PMP Fast-Track
People
Process
General Exam Tips
•Agile
•Predictive
•Conflict
•Leadership
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34. PMP
Fast Track
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