Certification Insider

Preparing for the PMI-ACP exam is a project in itself. So, why not wear your agile project manager hat as you tackle the exam? Here are 2 reasons why you should handle it like an awesome project manager that you are.

Reason #1: You are already a pro in creating a project plan.

The material covered by the PMI-ACP Exam is extensive, detailed, and spread throughout many sources of reference material. This is not an examination you can “cram” for in a couple of weekends or simply rely upon your experience in order to pass. The best way to conduct your studies for successfully passing the exam is to treat it like a project and create a project plan.

Like any project, your study plan has project constraints that you will have to manage in order to be successful. First of all, you need to determine your project budget by determining how much you have to spend on training and materials to prepare to sit for the PMI-ACP Exam. Although the best study plan will include a combination of written, audio-visual and live training, this will all be dependent on your budget. Using a combination of a PMI-ACP Exam Prep Study Guide and a series of podcasts, such as the Agile PrepCast can be just as effective as attending a live class.

The second consideration for your study plan is your schedule and time constraints. If you are currently working full time then you may only have an hour or two per day that you can use to study, so your study/project plan schedule may encompass a few months. On the other hand, if you are working part time or are ‘in transition’ then you may have up to 40 hours a week to dedicate to your studies, which will shorten your study schedule. The important thing to remember in terms of your study schedule is to be realistic with the time you ‘actually’ have available so that you do not sabotage your chances for success.

Although we have only touched on two of the six project constraints in this tip, you should also consider the other constraints of scope, quality, resources and risk when creating your PMI-ACP exam prep. By treating your study plan as one of the most important projects you will ever execute you will help to ensure a successful end to your PMI-ACP certification journey.

Wondering how The Agile PrepCast can help you prepare for the PMI-ACP exam? Watch this free Agile PrepCast lesson. In this free Agile PrepCast lesson, we review The Declaration of Interdependence. The Declaration of Interdependence was published in 2005 by a group of Agile practitioners to help implement guidelines set forth in the Agile Manifesto. It contains six principles essential to "management' in general, not just to "project' or "product' management, and outlines leadership methods used to manage the interdependency of people, processes and value in order to perform work.

Reason #2: You can take the agile approach as you study for the PMI-ACP exam

Although Agile is a relatively new project management framework (compared to Traditional/Waterfall project management), there are countless resources available to help you study for the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) certification. As a result, you could potentially spend weeks or even months reading different materials to study for the PMI-ACP Exam. You might find, however, that all you are likely doing is duplicating your efforts - simply reading the same information over and over and, to some extent, wasting your time.

So why doesn’t PMI offer a Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) to help you study for the PMI-ACP certification…a body of Agile-related knowledge from which all the questions on the exam are drawn? Well, one of the most appealing aspects of Agile is that there isn’t a single methodology that ‘IS’ Agile; Agile is a dynamic and evolving framework.

So how do you hone in on the best resources and make the most of your study time? PMI has provided a list of reference materials that will provide you with all of the knowledge necessary to pass the PMI-ACP Exam. However, no one wants to read all 3,888 pages of the 11 reference books on which the PMI-ACP Exam is based. So we recommend that you take an agile approach by researching different materials that are available as “all-in-one” study resources to pass the PMI-ACP Exam, select one or two of them and stick with them for use during your studies. Most resources will include everything you need to know — you don’t need to read the same information over and over. After you’ve selected several resources, focus your efforts on mastering the Agile Manifesto and sharpening your Agile experience. Armed with a deep knowledge of Agile principles and core values, as well as your Agile experience, you’re sure to be successful at becoming PMI-ACP certified.

A successful project manager must have many different types of skills. Those that come to mind immediately are the technical skills that we need to put together a project plan, schedule, budget and all of the necessary documentation. It is also important for us to have the conceptual skills needed to “see” the project as it is being developed.

However, those skills won’t ensure a successful project unless the project manager is able to complement his / her technical skills with many different types of interpersonal skills.

These essential skills include the following:

• Leadership
• Team Building
• Motivation
• Communication
• Influencing
• Decision Making
• Political and Cultural Awareness
• Negotiation
• Trust building
• Conflict management
• Coaching

Being able to call upon and apply these skills at the right moment in your project can help ensure success. We will review each of these skills in our upcoming weekly exam tips.

1. Leadership

Leadership is one of the important skills that a good project manager must possess. The reason for this is that in many cases, the project manager doesn’t have any authority over the team members for a project. This means he or she must manage the project through leadership.

Although it can be more difficult to manage through leadership rather than authority, it is usually more effective because it is built on trust and respect.

A leader is especially important at the beginning of a project to define the vision of the project and communicate this vision to the team. This helps all of the team members to get on board with the goals of the project. Good leadership skills will also keep the members inspired and motivated to do their best work.

Unfortunately, leadership is difficult to teach from books (or tips like this one). You can learn the basics from the written word, but then you need to show that you “have it” by applying it on the job. For the PMP exam it is important that you recognize situations that require leadership and that you are able to select the appropriate action.

2. Team Building

Team building is another essential skill for a good project manager to possess. The nature of a project is that there are people from various different departments involved. In most cases, these people have not had the opportunity to work together and they may not even be familiar with each other’s departments. If the project manager isn’t able to turn these individuals into a team that is focused on the same goal, the project may not reach it’s potential.

Although some of the individuals or sub-teams involved in the project will complete their tasks independently, they will need to feel as part of the team. When a decision needs to be made related to their part of the project, their focus must be on what is best for the project, not just what is best for them and their departmental problem. A feeling of belonging to a team that solves a problem for the whole company (and doesn’t play departmental favorites) goes a long way.

Also, building a team where each member is comfortable in reaching out to the others will ensure small details don’t turn into larger issues later in the project.

It is therefore essential, that project managers not only know the tasks and processes that are involved in building a team, but that they have the skill and finesse to apply them appropriately.

3. Motivation

If you want to ensure the success of your project, you should work on developing your motivation skills. Having these skills will help that your project team members stay interested in the project, want to their best, and work toward the common goal.

Good skills as a motivator will allow you to create an environment that allows team members to meet the objectives of the project while simultaneously being satisfied with the work they are accomplishing.

Usually, being a good motivator and PMP is all about knowing how each individual member can be motivated. Some will do better work if they are challenged while others need to be reassured that they are doing good work. Other ways to provide motivation is through public praise or financial compensation.

Everyone is motivated differently. Your project will be much more successful if you can determine what motivates your team and act on it.

4. Communication

Good communication skills are important in most careers. If you are working as a project manager that is even more true, since we communicate about 90% of the time. Some project managers go as far as considering the communication aspect of managing a project as their main job responsibility.

Great communication skills are key to not only improving the relationships among all project team members, but also to establish trust and keep everyone motivated and on schedule.

Usually there are many stakeholders involved in a project and they must all be kept up to date on the status, timelines, progress, risks and issues associated with the project. A good project manager and PMP must communicate all of these details to project stakeholders in a timely fashion and in the format that they expect to receive it in. Project managers must also be able to properly communicate with senior management in their organization.

As you develop your communication skills, it is important to include all of its facets. This includes both written and verbal. Another important part of developing good communication skills is learning what information needs to be communicated and who needs to receive the information. Providing too much information or not enough to the interested parties can hamper the project from fulfilling its potential.

5. Influencing

If you want to become a successful project manager, it is important to be able to influence people. Just as critical is understanding when and how to use those skills and to ensure that you don’t become a manipulator. There is a fine line.

The role of a project manager is to bring together people from various departments and getting everyone to work together toward a common goal. Sometimes it can be difficult to get all of these different people to understand and agree on the details of reaching that goal. A good project manager will use her skills to influence people and help them to come to an agreement.

As you consider the influencing skills you need, remember your goal as a PMP should be long term collaboration. So consider your relationship and influence over others not only for the duration of the project but also how things will go long after the project has long finished. After the project is when the products, deliverables and results created by your project is going to be utilized by customers and end-users. A strong and positive influence fosters an environment of trust among all the team members both during and after the project completion.

6. Decision Making

There are many skills that a successful project manager mare develop and among them is good decision making abilities. There are four basic styles used to reach a decision. Project managers should be familiar with all four because at some point, decisions will have to be made from each style. The styles are consultation, consensus, command and random styles.

Clearly, it is always good to have effective skills in this area, but it becomes more important for a PMP because quite often other team members have to be involved in the decision making process.

Having a decision making model will facilitate this process. Since there are so many people involved in the project who may not agree on a decision, having a process to follow can be very helpful to gain consensus with the group.

7. Political and Cultural Awareness

In today’s world, project managers operate in an environment that is more globally focused than in the past. This makes cultural diversity another important component of successfully navigating the corporate environment as a project manager. A good project manager must have the skills necessary to recognize and understand those cultural differences as well as the ability to factor them into the project plan.

Cultural differences can influence the decision making process or the speed in which the work is completed. It can also cause members to act without proper planning. Not recognizing cultural differences can then result in conflict and stress within the project which will further delay it. Understanding these cultural differences in a scenario context will also be tested on your PMP exam.

Furthermore, it is important to recognize the politics involved in the project environment. Using political skills can help a project manager be very successful. However, more importantly, not recognizing the politics involved can create significant problems and roadblocks that could delay or completely derail a project.

8. Negotiation

The nature of the role of a project manager makes it essential for them to have good negotiation skills. There are usually many stakeholders involved in the project and most projects have team members from different departments. This usually results in several different points of view which can sometimes make it difficult to keep the project on track and within the original scope.

Negotiation skills help a project manager by reaching an agreement or a compromise of some kind on the issue that may be causing a problem or delay.

There are many negotiation skills that you should be able to use related to negotiation. These include being able to analyze each situation, being an active listener and clearly communicating throughout the discussion. It can be useful to identify the differences between the wants vs the needs of those involved. Another important focus is to realize the difference between the positions people have vs. the interests and issues directly related to the project.

Above all, skilled negotiators have the ability to manage the situation so that all parties involved feel as though they had a say that was taken into consideration.

9. Trust Building

Trust is a precious thing to have when you are working on a project. Having an atmosphere of trust allows for good relationship and communication among team members and various stakeholders. A project manager wants to promote climate of mutual trust. This helps to keep morale up, conflict low and everyone working well together.

If you were on a project, you want everyone engaged and working diligently to perform well. If you work hard, you want to be able to trust that others are also trying their best to meet project objectives. When a team member says they can perform a task well and by a certain time, you want to be able to take their word for it. If anyone in the team needs help, you want a team that will be supportive of one another and collaborate in order to get the job done. You don't want to waste time second guessing if someone is not honest or has ill-intentions.

As a project manager, there are many ways you can build trust. You have to be an excellent and open communicator so you minimize misunderstanding and foster trust amongst team members. You have to set a good example. Many times, you may have to set aside your own self-interests for the good of the team. You have to model and demonstrate the behavior you are expecting of others.

10. Conflict Management

Conflict is almost inevitable on a project. Project team members and stakeholders may have different opinions, areas of expertise, interests, personalities, work styles and the list goes on. Add other elements often a given on a project to the mix, such as tight deadlines, resource constraints, communication issues, you can see that conflict is rather likely to occur.

Many times, conflict allows for a better solution to a problem. If a team member would rather agree or go with status quo than cause potential conflict by pointing out a flaw, asking a question, or making a suggest an improvement, then it’s easier to be satisfied with a suboptimal solution. However, more often than not, conflict prevents the team from working well together and distracts those involved from the tasks at hand.

The key is being able to prevent conflict or its escalation or if you are not able to circumvent it then, you must know how to control or minimize it when it arises. There are many styles or behaviors that a project manager can choose to adopt when managing conflict. You can be assertive, accommodate, avoid or compromise. Some styles work better than others in certain situations.

How effective it might be depends on the project manager and the people involved in the conflict. A project manager also is not limited to applying just one style, if one approach does not work, he may have to try another to see if that is more effective.

11. Coaching

If you look up what it means to “coach” in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, it lists

: to teach and train (an athlete or performer)

: to teach, train, and direct (a sports team)

So, there is a bit of a sports analogy here, but being a coach is one of the hats that a project manager has to be able to wear for his or her team. Your goal as a project manager when coaching is for the team member as an individual and for your project team as a collective to be at their highest level of competency and performance. You want to enable them to do the work. 

Coaching may involve teaching and training or providing them a way to gain or increase their skills. This might be formal or informal training. You may have to find ways to develop their confidence and motivation. It may require you to increase team building and collaboration.

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This episode is sponsored by the PMP Exam Simulator:

Leadership in project management is an important topic these days. And if you are like most project managers then you may have fallen into project management a bit by accident. And then, after you have successfully delivered a few projects, suddenly everyone tells you that you must improve your project management leadership skills.

Effective project management, they say, depends a lot on your project leadership.

And so once you realise that you have to transform into a project leader then leadership training will be part of your ongoing professional development, which is where our guest can help.

Niraj Kumar (www.leadproje.com -- http://www.linkedin.com/in/thenirajkumar) is a leadership expert and proponent of self-growth through continuous learning. Together we explore his view on leadership, how these skill help you as a project manager, how they help you when dealing with senior executives, and as always we include a lot of tips on how you yourself can improve how you approach project management and leadership starting today.

(This interview was originally published on The Project Management Podcast.)

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This episode is sponsored by the PMP Exam Simulator:

If you are preparing for your PMP Exam then you know that one of the most important activities is to take many PMP sample exams and answer as many PMP sample questions as you can.

But as a general rule, it is not always easy to identify the correct PMP exam answers.

Those who pass the PMP exam often report back that PMP answers are ambiguous, sometimes more than one looks right and sometimes you may even have to choose the one that is least wrong. So what are you to do as you are doing your PMP Exam Prep?

One solution is that you can work with a PMP Trainer who guides you and works with you on those pesky questions. And this is of course exactly why I have invited Dr. Julie DeSot (https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliedesot) for an interview. As a PMP coach she has helped many people successfully prepare for their PMP exam and get to the bottom of those questions.

(This interview was originally published on The Project Management Podcast.)

The fact that you are reading this article means that you are interested in getting your PMP. You may have already taken some steps, perhaps you are gathering information about it or perhaps you have done more than that. The good project manager that you are, you hopefully have in mind or even written down on paper a roadmap, timeline, and a set of steps to get your PMP. This is all well and good, but no matter where you are in your PMP preparation journey, what we want to emphasize in this article is the importance of having the right mindset for your PMP exam.

What do I mean by having the right mindset?

Be positive.

Are you the sort who thinks that the sky is falling or that the glass is half empty? Well, that may not take you very far and may not serve you well for the PMP exam. It is best to approach the exam with the frame of mind that you CAN achieve your goal. You have the ability and the power to pass the exam and become a PMP. So although you may be able to conjure up a million reasons in your mind why you might not be able to pass the exam [we will discuss some of these fears later on in this article], know that you must not give in to those fears. Instead figure out how you can harness those fears and turn them into appropriate actions as part of your preparation.

Success starts in your mind. Let it be the overarching theme of your journey, so that you can stay positive and focused on your goal.

It takes more than wishful thinking to pass your PMP exam. 

Yes, it is important to have a positive attitude, but it is important to remember that a positive attitude is only the starting point. Later on, when you may reach some low points, a positive attitude may give that extra resolve to continue with the journey. But it is important to recognize that, in itself, a positive attitude does not equate to success. So ‘thinking’ that you are going to pass your PMP exam is NOT the same as passing it. ‘Thinking’ you are preparing for the exam is NOT the same as actually cracking open those books and answering those practice exam questions. It takes commitment and dedication and actual action on your part to prepare and do the work that it takes to get the PMP credential.

It is okay to ask for help or get the materials that you need to pass.

Independence is an extraordinary and admirable trait, but keeping everything to yourself may be to your detriment. Yes, ultimately it is you who has to show up and take the PMP exam, but you do not have to travel the whole road on your own. There are support groups of other PMP students and PMPs that you might find helpful. You also don’t have to do it on your own in terms of resources. Yes, it is possible that some people can pass based on reading the PMBOK Guide alone, but that does not work for everyone. Why waste your time and get frustrated when you can avail yourself of some great materials out there, which can help you understand those difficult concepts.

Learn to relax

If you are a nervous test taker, learn to relax. It is important to take a moment to breathe and stay calm. A little bit of stress is good, it helps keep you on your toes. A healthy amount of nervousness keeps you on alert to face the challenge, but you need to make sure that you don’t get over anxious and make silly mistakes or not take the time to thoroughly read the questions.

Overcome your fears and anxieties about the exam

From my experience, the road to getting the PMP is not always smooth or easy, so you have to be mentally prepared for some possible setbacks. It is normal to have some fear and/or concerns about the process and the outcome. But it is important not to let the fear take over. You need to be able to take control and allay your fears. Let me go through some common worries and fears about the exam and some suggestions on how you can deal with them.

1. I worry that I may get audited. That is not a reason not to proceed with your application or to not sleep at night. As Cornelius Fichtner has advised in his blog, "Simply make sure you are 100% truthful; have documentation to back up anything you claim on your application such as training certificates; and mention to current and former employers or colleagues that you are applying to take the PMP Exam in case they are contacted by PMI to verify any assertions on your application. Think of this application as a job application; there is a chance that your references will be checked."

2. I don't have time to study for the exam. Usually what I find is that people do have time but perhaps have not really been using it wisely. When you are waiting in the doctor's office for an appointment, there is time to review some flashcards. When you are driving your car on your way to work there is time to listen to a PM Podcast. It may require some sacrifice and you may have to miss some non-productive time that you might have been watching that football game or defeating aliens on that video game, but you have to keep your eye on the prize - that PMP credential.

3. I have to give up all my personal time preparing for this. I don't think it is advisable to suddenly put your entire life on hold as you prepare for the exam. It is impractical for most busy working professionals who have numerous commitments. It is healthy to still enjoy life and stay connected as you prepare for the exam. You have to find the right pace and balance that works for you.

4. I am no good at math. Not everyone is a math genius. You can overcome this weak spot with practice. You have to learn the formulas and common patterns of how formula-related questions can be framed. You need to be able to discern the relevant facts and figures from the information provided in the question. I strongly recommend the PM Formulas, to make sure you have covered what you need to know and it may give you that extra confidence for the PMP exam. Remember that improving your comfort level on the PMP exam related formulas is not only an exam booster, but it can also help you improve how you deal with metrics, numbers and calculations in your work as a project manager.

5. I am not a great test taker. If you are not a great test taker, practice and preparation are key. Try to take as many sample tests as possible that cover all the knowledge areas. There are many exam test taking techniques available to help you improve your test taking skills.

6. I can't do this. I am not 100% prepared. Sometimes people think in absolutes, it can either be black or white. For some people, it leads to being perfectionists. Some people want to make sure they have read every available article out there on project management before they are ready. At some point, you may already be adequately prepared, but you may be procrastinating setting an exam date because you think you are not perfectly prepared. You have to try to objectively gauge how ready you are. When you take sample exams, set a target score. You may find that there may be areas that you need to work on. You don't have to perfect the exam but you do need to answer enough questions correctly.

7. I do not want to appear to be a failure to others. We can have a fear of 'looking bad' where we may even hide or fail to divulge our plan of taking the PMP exam, basically keeping it a secret from your work colleagues or your family and friends. You may want to only tell them once you have succeeded. I think this can be a mistake. We already mentioned earlier how you don't need to do this all on your own. The people in your life can act as your support network and encourage you. They can help you stick to your study schedule. 

At work, it is a way that your boss and colleagues can see how serious you are about your profession and your career path. You can also demonstrate that preparation for the PMP is no joke. They will see how you are investing quite a bit of your personal time and effort. It is also likely you may already be applying some project management principles from your studies back into your work. Your company may even be able to help you covering your PMP training and exam costs or connecting you with other PMPs or project manager mentors within your organization. Overall, your efforts should garner you more (not less) respect from others.

8. I fear failure. Everybody fears failure, but if you think that the PMP is for you and for your career, do not get paralyzed by this fear. As we said at first, you need to start with a positive attitude. For science fiction buffs out there, Frank Herbert wrote "Fear is the mind killer." And for sure, you need an alert and clear mind as you prepare for and take your PMP exam.

Keep your perspective

Yes, the PMP exam, is very important. But even as we may fear preparing, taking or even failing the exam, in the scheme of things, it is not the end of the world. Some people do not pass the PMP exam the first time. 

If you are a first time test taker, be positive and plan your work and work the plan. All the same advice in this article applies to exam repeaters. You need to keep the proper mind set. Don’t look back at the test or yourself as a failure. Instead consider how you now have more experience. Reflect on what may not have gone so well in past, but then regroup. Focus on what you can do differently to do better the next time around.

So there it is, no matter where you may be with your PMP exam prep efforts, be in the right mind set to carry you through the rest of the journey towards becoming a PMP.

About the author: 

Yazmine Darcy, MBA, PMP has more than 15 years of experience in IT project management, strategy, change management, and business process improvement. She has primarily worked in finance (retail operations, internet banking, retirement systems, treasury operations, global markets), but has also worked in human resources, aeronautics and healthcare. She has a Six Sigma Greenbelt. She earned her MBA from Carnegie Mellon University and a double degree in Cognitive Science and Computer Science from Wellesley College. 

Yazmine is presently working as a Senior Project Manager for OSP International, LLC.