PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL(PMP)

A CONSULTANT’S EDGE

Project Management and Business Process

ITEC 643

Objectives

Review of what Project Management isReview of the Project Management

Professional (PMP) certificationProvide perspective on the value of the PMPDiscuss the pathways to the certificationDiscuss what it takes to prepare for the examBeing a consultant and leveraging the PMP

certification Challenges and rewards

Agenda

Introductions Bob Gawler, PMP Larry Taxson, PMP

PMIPMP

What it is AND what it is not! Place in the PMI hierarchy Complementary Methodologies (CMMI and (Lean) Six Sigma) Other Project Management Tracks

Career tracks and benefits Day in the life of

Prepping for the exam

Bio – Bob Gawler

Current Position: Associate, Octo Consulting Group

Summary Business and IT consultant with over 15 years of experience in program and project

management and operations including 3+ years of self-employment Experience in Federal government and private sectors

Education M.S., Information Technology Management, American University B.A., History, The Citadel

Certifications/Training Organizational Project Management Maturity Model Fundamentals, 2009 Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) v3 Foundation, 2008 Project Management Professional (PMP), 2006

Experience Roles: : Consultant, Sr. Manager, Project/Program Manager, Business Analyst Companies: Octo Consulting Group, Citadel Business Solutions (Self-employed), SAIC,

Fannie Mae, Discovery Communications, Digex Clients: AARP, Amtrak, Anheuser-Bush, Dept. of the Army, FAA, IRS, Telia

Bio – Larry Taxson

Current Position – Director of Business Intelligence, Grab Networks

Summary: IT Director with over 15 years in the IT Sector (12 years as a Consultant).  Experience in the media, financial and telecommunications industries.

Education: M.S., Information Technology Management, American University Masters Certificate in Project Management, George Washington University B.S., Aerospace Engineering, University of Maryland

Certifications: Project Manager Professional (PMP), 2002 Rational Unified Process (RUP) Certification, 2000 SCRUM Master, 2004

Experience: Roles: IT Director, Program Manager, Project Manager, Quality Manager Business

Analyst, Developer Companies: CC Pace, Ventera, TSC, Coopers & Lybrand, Andersen Consulting Clients: Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, Cable & Wireless, Ameritech, AT&T, JTMO

PMI

Project Management Institute – PMI14 Campus Boulevard

Newtown Square, PA  19073-3299 USAwww.pmi.org

Not for profit membership organizationInternationally recognized standards and

competency assessment organization420,000 members and credential holdersDefines standards and credentialing requirements

for several Project Management related certifications

De-facto authority on project management practices for North America/South America and parts of Asia

PMP

PMPWhat it is AND what it is not!

IT IS:A credential signifying that the holder has demonstrated the ability to memorize large portions of the PMBOK for the purposes of passing a test

IT IS NOT:A credential signifying that the holder is qualified to manage a project to successful completion within the triple constraints of budget, quality, and time.

PMP:Place in the PMI Hierarchy

Certified Associate of Project Management (CAPM)

Project Management Professional (PMP)Program Management Professional (PgMP)PMI Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP)PMI Risk Management Professional (PMI-

RMP)Organizational Process Management

Maturity Model (OPM3) Assessor

PMP:Complementary Methodologies

Software Engineering Institute (SEI) Capability Maturity Model (Integration) (CMMI)

CMMI is a process improvement approach that provides organizations with the essential elements of effective processes that ultimately improve their performance. CMMI can be used to guide process improvement across a project, a division, or an entire organization. It helps integrate traditionally separate organizational functions, set process improvement goals and priorities, provide guidance for quality processes, and provide a point of reference for appraising current processes. (sei.cmu.edu)

(Lean) Six Sigma The George Group (Accenture) is considered a leading

organization for formalizing, training, and implementing Six Sigma

PMP:Other Options: PRINCE2

PRINCE2 (PRojects IN Controlled Environments) is a process-based method for effective project management.

A de facto standard used extensively by the UK Government and is widely recognized and used in the private sector, both in the UK and internationally.

PRINCE2 use is steadily growing in the USA and compliments the PMBOK and PMP.”

- from www.prince2.com

PMP:Career Tracks and Benefits

PMP: Career Tracks

Project ManagerProgram ManagerProject Portfolio ManagerConsultantCXO level executives

PMP: Benefits

Out of 13 advertisements for PM jobs posted on CIO.com and Dice.com, 8 ads either require or prefer project management certification. - Levinson, CIO, 2010Nationally and internationally recognized

standardDe-facto requirement for many government

positionsA differentiator against the competition when

employees are interviewingGives you a baseline set of tools to draw uponEstablishes you as a continuous learnerWill enable you to make more money

PMP: A Day in the Life

Watch “Office Space”

Larry Bob

• Status Reporting• Planning• Issue Resolution• Risk Identification• Task Coordination• Analysis

• Business Development

• Analysis• Planning• BPR• Risk Identification• Task Coordination

PMP: The EXAM

PMP: Certification Requirements

Area

Eligibility Requirements

Secondary Diploma (high school diploma / global equivalent) with 5 Years project management experience with at least 7,500 hours spent leading and directing project tasks and 35 hours of project management education

ORFour-year degree (bachelor’s degree / global equivalent) with 3 Years project management experience with at least 4,500 hours spent leading and directing project tasks and 35 hours of project management education

Steps for Obtaining Application process + multiple choice exam

Exam Information 4 hours: 200 questions

Fees US $405 PMI Member, US $555 non member

Credential Maintenance

3 years; 60 PDUs

PMP: Prep Courses

Local PMI Chapter (http://www.pmiwdc.org/)  (http://www.pmiwdc.org/category/categories/exam-preparation)

3rd Party Vendor – Rita Mulcahy(http://www.rmcproject.com/)

Educational Institutions offer certificate programs: George Washington University

Self learning – Web – Multiple Resources

PMP: Studying for the Exam

Situational testing – know the inputs and outputs of all processes

Allow plenty of time to study and prepare for the exam.

Sites with good tips (http://www.bmeacham.com/PMPTest.htm)

PMP: The Exam

The PMP Passing Score is a percentage that is around 60%, as there are 200 questions in the PMP exam, of which 25 questions do not affect the score. The examinee has to answer correctly on only 106 questions of the remaining 175 questions.

Computer based – results will post on screen within 2 minutes with breakdown by process area

Can skip questions and go back to review answer

4 hours for test – USE ALL THE TIME!!!

Q&A

Questions?