Tips to Clear the PMP Exam for the IT Professional

The PMP Exam is common for all businesses and is a valid qualification for people who are managing projects in their respective industries. But, these days IT Professionals form a bulk of the people who apply for and pursue the PMP Exam. As IT Professionals there is a lot of difference in how IT projects are managed and how projects in other industries are managed. So, it is imperative that as IT Professionals we understand how IT projects are different from other industries.
The purpose of this article is to summarize the common gaps between the experiences of IT project managers and other industries.

Exam Alert!!!

Don’t think that since you have been managing IT Projects for years, you will be able to crack the exam easily. Unfortunately, truth may be that the way you have completed IT projects and the way you understand IT project management may not be the way that PMI sees this industry. So, when it comes to passing this exam, you will need to stay alert to what PMI says about a topic in order to answer exam questions correctly. You can visit the “PMI Way of Thinking” series of chapters to understand them better

This post is split in several sections. They are:
• Conceptual gaps
• Experience gaps
• Key PMI Assumptions

Conceptual Gaps

• Culture clash - Most IT Organizations have their own project management methodology and PM’s who are groomed in their organization are streamlined into thinking that way. It is important that you understand the PMI Way of project management and keep that in mind while answering the exam questions.
• Unapproved practices - There are several project management practices and techniques used routinely within IT that are considered “inappropriate” by PMI. The single biggest example is “Slogging”. Team members in 2 out of 3 IT projects slog weekends and late nights to finish their projects. This is either because of inaccurate estimates or pressure from the customer to meet some deadline. From PMI perspective this is totally unacceptable and when slogging or adjusting estimates appears as an answer to a question about best practices in the exam, it will be incorrect.
• The whole story - Most IT project managers lack experience in the complete lifecycle of project management. This is because most of the work done by IT companies is in the “Maintenance” phase and people spend a lot of time planning, executing & controlling. But, they have very little or no experience in the Initiating or closing phases. If you are one of those managers, it is important that you double verify your understanding of these 2 phases before you take up the exam.

Experience Gaps

These are areas where an IT Project Manager does not spend much time or has little or no exposure. If you are an IT Professional, you must ensure that you try to bridge all these gaps as much as possible before you appear for the exam.

• Project planning - Of the 42 PMBOK project management processes, nearly 50% are with planning. As you can imagine, PMI's definition is much more encompassing than the project plans routinely developed by IT project managers.
• Developing a project schedule – It is extremely common in IT projects where the Schedule is crammed up to accommodate the whims and fancies of people with power. Be it the customer or even your Relationship Manager. If a high-ranking official feels the project must take only a certain amount of time, that is what the project gets. No matter how complicated the project is, the time it gets is in almost all cases governed by someone upstairs. According to PMI this is a NO NO and totally unacceptable.
• Creating WBS – In most IT Projects, the schedules are so tight that the team does not have time to create a full-fledged WBS and use it to create accurate estimates and schedules. But, PMI insists you do it as a mandatory step while planning your project.
• Planning project management - PMI expects that all project management activities are planned and documented. So, if your project plan does not include supplementary plans, such as a staffing-management plan, a responsibility matrix, a communications-management plan, a quality-management plan, a scope-management plan, and a risk-management plan (for starters), you will want to focus on these and understand their value.
• Tracking project performance -”Earned value” is PMI's recommended technique for tracking and controlling project costs, schedule, and scope. Earned value analysis is not a generally applied technique across IT, and many IT professionals have limited experience in managing project costs.
• Risk management – Most IT Projects do not spend sufficient time in Risk Management. I doubt even if a Risk Register exists. As per PMI this is a mandatory step.
• Quality management – For most IT projects Quality Management means getting in some extra testers and identify more defects. Unfortunately this is only one part of the PMI’s Quality management methodology.
• Procurement management – As IT Project Mangers, most of us will not have any experience in this area. We don’t usually procure anything from anyone. In fact, we are the ones from whom our customers procure. So, to understand this knowledge area, think from the perspective of your customer and you will be able to make sense of the whole process.
• Project selection – Most IT Managers get projects handed over to them. They don’t spend time doing any feasibility analysis or project selection. Most IT PM’s don’t even know what NPV or IRR or Payback Period is.

Key PMI Assumptions

According to PMI, the below mentioned things have to happen in any project. But, unfortunately that is rarely the case in real life IT Projects. So, I suggest you go through this list and keep your mindset tuned to the PMI Way.

• The project manager is selected when the project is authorized. This means that the manager is assigned to the project before any estimating or preliminary requirements gathering has started.
• The project manager is ultimately accountable for the project.
• PMI assumes you have historical records of past projects. (This is something most IT cos do. They have historic records that is accessible to project managers to understand how previous projects were executed in their company)
• WBS is the basis for all project planning.
• The project plan is the baseline that the PM uses to “control” the project.
• The project plan accurately describes the project activity. The project plan is realistic and can be used to measures progress.
• PMI assumes your organization has project management methodologies and quality-assurance procedures.
• The project manager does have Human Resources and team-development responsibilities.
• PMI assumes the project team is involved in all planning decisions and problem-solving situations.

A Last Word:

As an IT Project Manager you may be very good at your job. But, unless you understand the PMI Way of managing you wont be able to pass the exam. The exam is not to test how great a manager you are. It is to test if you understand the standardized project management approach. So, if you feel your practical management experience is very different from the PMI Way, I suggest you recap all the weak points and ensure you align your thinking to be in line with PMI

PMP Test Taking Tips

When you sit for the PMP certification examination, there will be 200 multiple-choice questions and you will have up to four hours to complete the examination. This breaks down to exactly 50 questions per hour and a little more than one minute per question. Not all questions require equal time. Don’t agonize over every question. Read the question and each possible answer in its entirety prior to selecting an answer. Select the best answer to each question based on the response that seems to adhere to the PMBOK and PMI.

More than one answer might seem plausible and correct. Select the best answer from those provided rather than aiming for the “correct” answer. In some cases, multiple choices among the available answers might seem equally valid, so it is important to rule out obviously incorrect choices to narrow down your options.

If more than one answer seems logical, look for an answer that includes both responses. Some of your choices include “Both X and Y”, “Neither X nor Y,” “All of the above,” or “None of the above.” The inclusion of a choice that includes multiple answers does not mean it is the correct answer. Some of the choices can be tricky and aimed at throwing you off track from the correct answer.

Likewise, many of the available choices include terminology, concepts, and processes endorsed by the PMBOK and PMI. Just because you recognize the term does not mean this is the correct answer. The exam uses terms in similar contexts to assure you thoroughly understand and can apply the material. Be sure to read each question carefully to avoid any confusion among terminology or process names.

In your response to every test question, you should strive to select the best answer based on how you believe PMI and the PMBOK would respond given the question and not necessarily from your own project management experience. The best answer as determined by PMI is always provided as one of the four possible responses.

Be suspicious of answers offering definitive responses such as never and always. Some answers might tout non-PMI methods and reflect common project management misconceptions. Some answers might offer correct information but the information is not pertinent to the question at hand and is simply included to confuse you. Similarly, some questions might contain factually correct information that has no bearing to the possible answers. If you do not have a firm grasp of the material and immediately know the best answer, you can waste valuable test time trying to figure out a way to use and apply irrelevant information. This is particularly tricky when mathematical calculations are requested in response to an examination question. Remember that the purpose of this exam is to measure your ability to understand and apply the PMI methodology, not your past experiences as a project manager. Whenever there is a discrepancy between your experience and the PMBOK, go with the PMBOK answer.

I Repeat – When you feel an answer is right based on your project management experience and another answer is right based on the PMBOK – The PMBOK answer will be the correct choice. The PMBOK is always right, at least from the exam perspective.

Whenever you are taking test or mock exams, make sure you set yourself the same time conditions like the original exam. This will give you a fair idea of how quickly you are able to complete the exam. Remember that there are 200 questions and you have approximately 1 minute per question and hence, practice is extremely important. Be aware of your time to avoid having to rush at the end to complete the exam.

You should leave adequate time to review any responses you are unsure of and/or to return to unanswered questions. If you are spending more than one minute on a question, it is better to skip the question and mark it for review later than to waste your time over that question. The logic is simple, the 5 or 10 minutes you waste on figuring out the answer of a question you do not know, can be used to answer a number of questions to which you may know the answer. You may not be able to reach those questions, if you are stuck to one complicated question.

During the actual computerized exam, you can mark questions for later review and/or make multiple passes through the exam. Mark every question you are unsure of even if you have selected an answer. This approach saves you time when you review your responses because you do not need to review any unmarked questions. If on a second review you determine an answer, unmark the question. Continue this process of going through all the marked questions until they all have answers or you are nearing the end of the allotted time period.

Save the last 20 minutes or so of the test to finalize any unmarked answers and assure you have provided an answer to each question. For the practice test, if you adhere to the suggested one minute per question rule of thumb, you have 10 minutes to review your answers and respond to any marked questions. On the actual exam day, try to make a best guess by ruling out definitely wrong answers as discussed earlier. Select an answer for each question even if you have to guess.

The best part about the PMP Exam is the fact that there is no negative marking or penalty for choosing an incorrect answer. So in all probabilities, there is a 25% chance that the answer you choose is correct. Don't let this chance slip bye. If you don't know the answer to a question, make sure you select an answer and if that is your lucky day, you may even choose the right answer.

Important:
Almost all of us have the habit of second guessing ourselves. You may choose an answer to a question and during review another answer might seem appropriate. Don't give in to such impulses. Never change your initial answer unless you are 100% sure that the answer you have already selected is wrong. The human mind can be a little bit unstable at times and the nervousness of taking such a long exam can cost you if you toggle between answers. In most cases, the first answer you select will be the right answer and by changing the answer during review, you are in actuality damaging your chances of passing the exam.

All said and done, preparation is the key input to passing any certification. Make sure you read the PMBOK Guide once and any other good material like “PMP Exam Prep by Rita Mulcahy”. In my experience, this is one of the best PMP Exam prep books. The “Head First PMP” book too is a wonderful knowledgebase that has a strange way of explaining things, but it works.

Prepare well, use the material in my blog, leave comments where you need help and you will be able to Crack the Exam in your first try.

All the very best in getting your PMP Certification!!!