Media Reviews "I have been doing project management for over 30 years and am considered a subject matter expert in the PMBOK(r) Guide -Third Edition primarily because I am the Project Manager who led the team that developed this edition. As a consultant I was hired to review and evaluate eight of the top selling PMP Exam Preparation books for their accuracy in following the PMBOK® Guide - Third Edition. I have developed and taught a PMP Exam Prep course for a leading R.E.P., and taught PMP Exam preparation classes for PMI Chapters. I can honestly say that Head First PMP is by far the best PMP Exam Preparation book of all I have reviewed in depth. It is the very best basic education and training book that I have read that presents the processes for managing a project, which makes it a great resource for a basic project management class for beginners as well as a tool for practitioners who want to pass the PMP exam. The graphical story format is unique, as project management books go, which makes it both fun and easy to read while driving home the basics that are necessary for preparing someone is just getting started and those who want to take the exam." --Dennis Bolles, PMP DLB Associates, LLC and co-author of The Power of Enterprise-Wide Project Management"This looks like too much fun to be a PMP study guide! Behind the quirky humor and nutty graphics lies an excellent explanation of the project management processes. Not only will this book make it easier to pass the exam, you'll learn a lot of good stuff to use on the job too." --Carol Steuer, PMP and PMBOK(r) Guide, 3rd Edition Leadership Team"This is the best thing to happen to PMP since, well, ever. You'll laugh, learn, pass the exam, and become a better project manager all at the same time." -- Scott Berkun, author of The Art of Project Management and The Myths of Innovation"Original, fresh, and fun... this is truly the perfect study companion for anyone aiming for PMP certification." --Teresa Simmermacher, PMP and Project Manager at Avanade"I love this format! Head First PMP covers everything you need to know to pass your PMP exam. The sound-bite format combined with the whimsical images turns a dry subject into entertainment. The organization starts with the basics then drills into the details. The in-depth coverage of complex topics like Earned Value and Quality Control are presented in an easy to understand format with descriptions, pictures, and examples. This book will not only help you pass the PMP, it should be used as an daily reference for practicing project managers. I sure wish I had this when I was studying for the exam." --Mike Jenkins, PMP, MBA"I think that under the fonts and formalized goofiness, the book has a good heart (intending to cover basic principles in an honest way rather than just to pass the test). Head First PMP attempts to educate potential project managers instead of being a mere "how to pass the PMP exam" book filled with test taking tips. This is truly something which sets it apart from the other PMP certification exam books." --Jack Dahlgren, Project Management Consultant"Head First PMP is a great tool to help make sense of the Project Management Body of Knowledge for the everyday Project Manager." --Mark Poinelli, PMP About the Book A PMP certification is more than just passing a test. It means that you have the knowledge to solve most common project problems, and proves that you know your stuff. Once you're certified, your projects are more likely to succeed because you have the skills and knowledge to make them successful. Not only that, it can mean a better job, more money, and greater respect from your peers. But studying for a difficult four-hour exam on project management isn't easy, even for experienced project managers. You want to remember everything that you're learning about project management, but your brain is working against you! Your brain craves novelty, and most PMP certification prep books are anything but novel. When you keep putting down a boring book instead of studying, it's because your brain doesn't think the information in it is worth learning. Your brain has more important stuff to think about, like how to keep you alive and out of danger-and it doesn't think that failing the PMP exam qualifies as life-threatening! So how do you trick your brain into thinking that your life does depend on learning everything you need to know to pass the PMP Exam? Head First PMP is the answer! Using the latest research in neurobiology, cognitive science and learning theory, Head First PMP has a visually rich format designed for the way your brain works-a multi-sensory experience that helps the material stick, not a text-heavy approach that puts you to sleep. Head First PMP offers 100% coverage of The PMBOK® Guide principles and certification objectives in a way that's engaging, not tedious. This book helps you prepare for the PMP certification exam with a unique method that goes beyond answers to specific questions and makes you think about the big picture of project management. By putting project management concepts into context, you will be able to understand, remember, and apply them-not just on the exam, but also on the job. With Head First PMP, you get the best of both worlds: a thorough and effective preparation guide for the PMP certification exam with hundreds of practice questions and exam strategies, along with puzzles, games, problems, exercises and the unique Head First approach that makes learning easy and entertaining. When you're done with Head First PMP, you'll know your stuff, you'll pass the exam, and you'll be able to bring everything you've learned to your job.
Author(s): Andrew Stellman, Jennifer Greene
Series: Head First
Edition: 1st Ed.
Publisher: O Reilly Media
Year: 2007
Language: English
Pages: 667
Introduction: Why get certified?......Page 3
Do these problems seem familiar?......Page 4
Projects don't have to be this way......Page 6
Your problems... already solved......Page 7
Let's start with the areas of responsibility......Page 14
A PMP certification is more than just passing a test......Page 18
Meet a real-life PMP-certified project manager......Page 19
Organizations, processes, and projects: (Keeping) In good company......Page 23
A day in Kate's life......Page 24
Kate wants a new job......Page 25
Three types of organizations......Page 28
Kate takes a new job......Page 33
What a project IS.........Page 34
Back to Kate's maintenance nightmare......Page 36
Managing cost, quality, and schedule......Page 38
Kate makes some changes.........Page 42
the process framework: It all fits together......Page 49
Cooking up a project......Page 50
Projects are like recipes......Page 52
Break it down......Page 54
Anatomy of a process......Page 57
Combine processes to complete your project......Page 60
Knowledge areas organize the processes......Page 61
The benefits of successful project management......Page 67
Exam Questions......Page 69
Exam Answers......Page 71
Project integration management: Getting the Job Done......Page 76
Time to book a trip......Page 77
These clients are definitely not satisfied......Page 79
The day-to-day work of a project manager......Page 80
The seven Integration Management processes......Page 81
Start your project with the Initiating processes......Page 84
Integration management and the process groups......Page 85
The "Develop Project Charter" process......Page 87
Choose your project with project selection methods......Page 89
A closer look at the project charter......Page 91
Two things you'll see over and over and over.........Page 94
The "Develop Preliminary Scope Statement" process......Page 98
The preliminary scope statement: a closer look......Page 100
Question Clinic: The "Just-The-Facts-Ma'am" Question......Page 101
Plan your project!......Page 103
The project management plan lets you plan ahead for problems......Page 104
A quick look at all those subsidiary plans......Page 106
Executing the project includes repairing defects......Page 111
Sometimes you need to change your plans......Page 114
Look for changes and deal with them......Page 115
Make only the changes that are right for your project......Page 116
Changes, defects, and corrections......Page 117
How the processes interact with each other......Page 118
Control your changes; use change control......Page 119
Preventing or correcting problems......Page 121
Finish the work, close the project......Page 123
So why INTEGRATION management?......Page 125
Exam Questions......Page 135
Exam Answers......Page 141
Scope management: Doing the Right Stuff......Page 148
Out of the frying pan.........Page 149
It looks like we have a scope problem......Page 154
The five Scope Management processes......Page 158
The Scope Planning process......Page 160
Inside the scope management plan......Page 162
Define the scope of the project......Page 163
Build on the preliminary scope statement......Page 164
How do you define the scope?......Page 165
The scope isn't preliminary anymore......Page 167
Question Clinic: The "Which-is-BEST" Question......Page 171
Create the Work Breakdown Structure......Page 173
Breaking down the work......Page 175
Decompose deliverables into work packages......Page 177
Templates are a useful shortcut......Page 178
Inside the work package......Page 183
The baseline is a snapshot of the plan......Page 185
The outputs of the Create WBS process......Page 187
Why scope changes......Page 190
The Scope Control process......Page 192
Anatomy of a change......Page 193
A closer look at the Change Control System......Page 195
More Scope Control tools & techniques......Page 196
Make sure the team delivered the right product......Page 200
The stakeholders decide when the project is done......Page 201
Exam Questions......Page 208
Exam Answers......Page 213
time management: Getting it Done on Time......Page 221
Reality sets in for the happy couple......Page 222
Time management helps with aggressive time lines......Page 224
Time Management Magnets Solution......Page 226
Tools and techniques for the Activity Definition process......Page 229
Rolling wave planning lets you plan as you go......Page 230
Activity Definition Outputs......Page 233
The Activity Sequencing process puts everything in order......Page 235
Diagram the relationship between activities......Page 236
More tools for sequencing......Page 240
Leads and lags......Page 241
Create the network diagram......Page 243
Rob and Rebecca have resource problems......Page 244
What you need to estimate resources......Page 245
Estimating the resources......Page 246
Figuring out how long the project will take......Page 248
Estimation tools and techniques......Page 251
Create the duration estimate......Page 252
Bringing it all together......Page 254
Question Clinic: The "Which-comes-next" Question......Page 256
Use the Critical Path Method to avoid big problems......Page 259
How to find the critical path......Page 260
Crash the schedule......Page 276
Fast-tracking the project......Page 277
Influence the factors that cause change......Page 284
Schedule control inputs and outputs......Page 285
Measuring and reporting performance......Page 287
Exam Questions......Page 299
Exam Answers......Page 304
Cost Management......Page 311
Time to expand the Head First Lounge......Page 312
Introducing the cost management processes......Page 315
What Alice needs before she starts Cost Estimation......Page 316
Tools and techniques used only in cost estimation......Page 319
Let's talk numbers......Page 320
The Cost Budgeting process......Page 322
What you need to build your budget......Page 323
Cost budgeting: How to build a budget......Page 324
The Cost Control process is a lot like schedule control......Page 330
A few new tools and techniques......Page 333
Question Clinic: The Red Herring......Page 334
Look at the schedule to figure out your budget......Page 336
How to calculate planned value......Page 337
Earned value tells you how you're doing......Page 339
How to calculate earned value......Page 340
Put yourself in someone else's shoes......Page 342
Is your project behind or ahead of schedule?......Page 344
Are you over budjet?......Page 346
The Performance Measurement Analysis formulas......Page 347
Interpret CPI and SPI numbers to gauge your project......Page 348
Forecast what your project will look like when it's done......Page 352
Once you've got an estimate, you can calculate a variance!......Page 353
Finding missing information......Page 356
Exam Questions......Page 366
Exam Answers......Page 371
Quality Management: Getting it right......Page 378
What is quality?......Page 379
You need more than just tests to figure out quality......Page 380
Once you know what the product is supposed to do, it's easy to tell which tests pass and which fail......Page 381
Quality up close......Page 382
"An ounce of prevention..."......Page 385
Quality planning is how you prevent defects......Page 388
How to plan for quality......Page 389
The quality management plan gives you what you need to manage quality......Page 391
Inspect your deliverables......Page 394
Use the planning outputs for Perform Quality Control......Page 395
The seven basic tools of quality......Page 396
Pareto charts, Flowcharts, and Histograms......Page 397
Run charts and Scatter charts......Page 398
Question Clinic: The "Which-One" Question......Page 403
Quality control means finding and correcting defects......Page 405
Trouble at the Black Box 3000™ factory......Page 408
Introducing Quality Assurance......Page 409
A closer look at some tools and techniques......Page 410
More ideas behind quality assurance......Page 411
Exam Questions......Page 421
Exam Answers......Page 425
Human Resource Management: Getting the team together......Page 431
Mike needs a new team......Page 432
Get your team together and keep them moving......Page 434
Figure out who you need on your team......Page 436
The staffing management plan......Page 440
Get the team together......Page 442
Develop your project team......Page 446
Develop the team with your management skills......Page 447
Lead the team with your management skills......Page 448
Motivate your team......Page 450
How's the team doing?......Page 452
Managing your team means solving problems......Page 454
Conflict management up close......Page 455
How to resolve a conflict......Page 456
Question Clinic: The "Have-A-Meeting" Question......Page 462
Exam Questions......Page 468
Exam Answers......Page 472
Communications Management: Getting the word out......Page 477
Party at the Head First Lounge!......Page 478
Anatomy of communication......Page 480
Get a handle on communication......Page 482
EXERCISE SOLUTION......Page 486
Tell everyone what's going on......Page 488
Get the message?......Page 490
More information distribution tools......Page 492
Let everyone know how the project's going......Page 495
Take a close look at the work being done......Page 496
Now you can get the word out......Page 499
People aren't talking!......Page 501
Exercise Solution......Page 504
Count the lines of communication......Page 506
Question Clinic: The Calculation Question......Page 510
Exam Questions......Page 516
Exam Answers......Page 519
Procurement Management: Getting Some Help......Page 587
Victim of her own success......Page 588
Calling in the cavalry......Page 589
Anatomy of a contract......Page 594
You can have several contracts for a single project......Page 595
The decision is made......Page 601
Types of contracts......Page 602
More about contracts......Page 605
Build a separate plan for each contract......Page 606
Figure out how you'll sort out potential sellers......Page 608
Get in touch with potential sellers......Page 610
Pick a partner......Page 612
Two months later.........Page 618
Keep an eye on the contract......Page 619
Stay on top of the seller......Page 620
Close the contract when the work is done......Page 624
Question Clinic: BYO Questions......Page 627
Exam Questions......Page 631
Exam Answers......Page 634
Professinal Respnsibility: Making Good Choices......Page 639
Doing the right thing......Page 640
Keep the cash?......Page 642
Fly business class?......Page 643
New software......Page 644
Shortcuts......Page 645
A good price or a clean river?......Page 646
A little last-minute review: Check Your Knowledge......Page 654
Process Magnets......Page 655
Processcross......Page 657
Exercise......Page 659
Sharpen your pencil......Page 660
Great job! It looks like you're almost ready......Page 661
