Lessons learned towards becoming a Project Management Professional (PMP)^® shared with us by PM PrepCast student Leathel Grody, PMP.

"What a last couple weeks is all I have to say, but on Friday I passed the PMP^® all above target on the first attempt. These lessons learned have been helpful and inspirational during the last few months of studying. It has been beneficial to see other's tips as well as motivation to take the test even if not getting the 80% on the prep tests. So here is what worked for me.

I started about 3 months ago. All the processes were not making sense to me. I was watching the PM PrepCast but until I watched Ricardo Vargas's YouTube video and reviewed the flow of his chart did the whole PMP^® process finally click in and make sense. That gave me the big picture and I was able to dig in better. I read part of Rita Mulcahy's 9th edition book but was running out of time about a month ago and skimmed through the last half. I used the PM PrepCast and watched videos and taking notes. Then about a month ago I went through a PM Training 5-day boot camp..."

Read more here...

A project manager is leading a process improvement project for a factory operation. Currently, the project manager and the team are performing the Monitor and Control Project Work process. Which of the following activities might the project manager and the team conduct during this process?

A. Comparing actual project performance against the project management plan
B. Implementing approved change requests to achieve the project's objectives
C. Analyzing change requests and either approving or rejecting them
D. Gaining formal acceptance of the deliverables by the customer or sponsor

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HINT: The Monitor and Control Project Work process is the process of tracking, reviewing, and reporting overall progress to meet the performance objectives defined in the project management plan.
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All our questions are updated to the latest A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK^® Guide) standard. Stop by at http://free.pm-exam-simulator.com/ and try the PM Exam Simulator free for 7 days. We are a Project Management Institute (PMI)^® Registered Education Provider.

Answer and Explanation:
The correct answer is A.

Monitor and Control Project Work is the process of tracking, reviewing, and reporting overall progress to meet the performance objectives defined in the project management plan. Of the available choices, only comparing actual project performance against the project management plan is performed during the Monitor and Control Project Work process.

Details for each option:

A. Comparing actual project performance against the project management plan
Correct. Comparing actual project performance against the project management plan is performed during the Monitor and Control Project Work process.

B. Implementing approved change requests to achieve the project's objectives
Incorrect. Implementing approved change requests occurs in the Direct and Manage Project Work process and not the Monitor and Control Project Work process.

C. Analyzing change requests and either approving or rejecting them
Incorrect. Analyzing change requests and either approving or rejecting them occurs during the Perform Integrated Change Control process rather than the Monitor and Control Project Work process.

D. Gaining formal acceptance of the deliverables by the customer or sponsor
Incorrect. Formal acceptance of deliverables is gained during the Validate Scope process as opposed to the Monitor and Control Project Work process.

Reference: A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK^® Guide) – Sixth Edition, Project Management Institute Inc., 2017, Page(s) 107

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Lessons learned towards becoming a Project Management Professional (PMP)^® shared with us by PM PrepCast student Katharyn Emmer, PMP.

"Last week I passed the PMP^® exam Above Target in All Five Areas! I am returning to share my lessons learned, as I've found these entries useful during my study. Many thanks to PrepCast for this forum and your materials, especially the exam simulations. I came to the PMP^® training not personally knowing any PMPs and with little idea of what to expect. I started to study in May, watching about 55 hours of the PrepCast series and taking notes as I did to try to absorb content. Based on others recommendations, I bought Rita's PMP Exam Book, and read it through twice in June and July, completing all the exercises as I went. From there I completed all of the PMP quizzes and Rita's quizzes and checked all my wrong answers. I memorized the recommended formulas and practiced writing them out in a few quick minutes. I completed my first full exam simulation with PrepCast after so much study with about a month to go before the test and my first score was 55%..."

Read more here: https://www.project-management-prepcast.com/kunena/pmp-exam-lessons-learned/7429-passed-pmp-at-in-all-five-areas-on-first-attempt

You are managing a project to develop a new robot for a mining rescue company. You are currently performing a monitoring and controlling project activity, and you have discovered that some of the project work has not been performed according to the plan. If these issues are not fixed before the next customer inspection, your project might be canceled. You have analyzed the situation, and the corrective action will only require a minor adjustment to a configuration element. What should you do first?

A. Implement the corrective actions
B. Submit a change request
C. Consult the project sponsor
D. Delay the scheduled customer inspection

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HINT: What is the proper change control procedure when an adjustment to a configuration element is required?
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All our questions are updated to the latest A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK^® Guide) standard. Stop by at http://free.pm-exam-simulator.com/ and try the PM Exam Simulator free for 7 days. We are a Project Management Institute (PMI)^® Registered Education Provider.

Answer and Explanation:
The correct answer is B.

All of the available answers seem like possible options in this scenario, but the question is specifically asking what you should do 'first'. Although you have already analyzed the situation and you know what corrective actions are required, you must follow the proper change control procedure. A configuration element is a project artifact that has been placed under configuration control. Any change to a configuration element should be formally controlled and will require a change request. Since the question describes a situation requiring a change to a configuration element, the first thing you should do is submit a change request and have it approved before you can implement the changes.

Details for each option:

A. Implement the corrective actions
Incorrect. When a change to a configuration element is required, a change request must first be submitted before the corrective action is taken.

B. Submit a change request
Correct. A configuration element is a project artifact that has been placed under configuration control. Any change in a configuration element should be formally controlled and will require a change request. Therefore, since the corrective action will require a change to a configuration element, the first thing you should do in this scenario is to submit a change request.

C. Consult the project sponsor
Incorrect. As the project manager, you have the authority and responsibility to determine how to handle these types of issues that emerge on your project without consulting with the project sponsor. Additionally, a configuration element is a project artifact that requires a change request before any corrective action is performed. Therefore, you should not have to consult your project sponsor.

D. Delay the scheduled customer inspection
Incorrect. Delaying the customer inspection is an option, but should not be your first choice. Since the corrective action is for a configuration element, a change request is required. Delaying the inspection could be a consequence of submitting the change request, but you need to submit the change request first.

Reference: A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK^® Guide) – Sixth Edition, Project Management Institute Inc., 2017, Page(s) 112, 115