Studying for PMP

That's easy to put it. I have noticed this as being the case but I don't know how to study for this sort of thing. I'm used to just cramming and passing a test. However - I feel like I am lacking understanding the bigger picture to all of this.

And I feel like the course work that I took didn't get over most of the stuff I am missing in too much detail. Would referencing the PMBOK help me with this missing gap?

Thanks.

Mark -

The PMBOK Guide should be used as a reference but not as a primary learning tool as that is not what its purpose was.

This is where a well written PMP Prep guide or a good quality PMP Prep course can help as the author/facilitator can "connect the dots" for you.

An example of this is understanding the connections between Direct and Manage Project Work, Control Quality and Validate Scope. Each deals with deliverables but are steps in a flow where the first produces unverified deliverables, the second verified deliverables and the third accepted deliverables. The PMBOK Guide won't point out this flow to you but a good author or facilitator will.

Kiron

Yes Kiron, this is the missing link that I need to understand as I feel like right now I only understand key concepts and terms but don't understand how the processes flow.

Would Rita's book be good for this - I have seen a lot of people mentioning this on here.

Thanks for the help!

One of the other community members would be a much better advocate for the RMC self-study guide as I've never used that either as a learner (I don't think it existed back in 2000!) or as a teacher. I teach students using the Velociteach kit and find that their materials certainly do connect the dots for my learners.

Thank you! I will look into him. Page 25 is a good broad starting point for 5 Process Groups 10 Knowledge Areas which I think I understand decently. It's when it decomposes it down in all of the processes in that chart where I kind of start to lose it. A lot of very detailed information! Hard to wrap my head around all of the critical points.

I'll keep plugging away and hopefully it will click one of these days!

One Question in specific I do have:

Does Project Integration Management come first and then Scope Management, Schedule Management, Cost Management, etc. or does it all happen together when the Project Management Plan is laid out? I have noticed that each KA has their own specific plan as well (subsidiary plans) to the PM Plan...

Hope this makes sense.

Hi Mark, I would recommend, not to read Project Integration Management completely at first. Read Develop Project Charter and Develop Project Management Plan process. After that, jump on to 5th Chapter. Moving from 5th chapter, you can follow that order of all chapters and then finally come back to Integration Management. The Integration management is a generic process to accommodate all the activities happened in the project.

If you had hard time in going chapter basis, another suggestion would be by Process group wise. Do read all the processes belongs to Initation first across the chapter, then move on to Planning process group and move on to other process group. This will be easy for your understand the flow.

If you feel the PMBOK is very dry to read (obviously you have to read it atleast twice) a good start will be with Head First PMP book which will be very user friendly.

From my perspective, Rita's PMP preparation is completely different and if you start following Rita, it will be difficult to match with PMBOK. Rita book is purely for cracking for exam and not the applying knowledge (from my point of view).

Hope this helps

Dear Mark,

My advice:

1) Look into Table 1-4, page 25 first. It is better to check 5 process groups one by one vertically.
2) Then go to Figure 4-1 through Figure 13-1. Concentrate on inputs and from where they come referring Table 1-4. Take note of each outputs.

To the best of my knowledge,
developing project management plan is a concurrent planning of other (component) management plans in planning stage with priorities on
Communication management plan
Quality management plan &
Steakholder management plan
since those are most interrelated with other management plans.

Hope this explains your query.