Introduction xxi

Part I: Project Basics

Chapter 1 Project Properties and Phases 3

“Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 3

Foundation Topics 7

Definition of a Project 7

Temporary 8

Start and Finish 8

Unique 8

Reason/Purpose 9

Project as Part of a Program 9

Project as Part of a Portfolio 9

Project Phases 10

Initiating Phase 11

Project Charter 11

Business Case 12

High-Level Scope Definition 12

High-Level Risks 12

Stakeholder Register 12

Planning Phase 12

Schedule 13

Scope Management Plan 13

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) 14

Scope Baseline and Scope Statement 14

Resources 14

Detailed Risks 14

Requirements and the Requirements Management Plan 14

Communication Plan 15

Stakeholder Management Plan 15

Procurement Management Plan 15

Change Management Plan 15

Budget 15

Executing Phase 16

Monitoring and Controlling Phase 16

Issues Log 16

Performance Measuring and Reporting 17

Quality Assurance/Governance 17

Change Control 17

Budget 18

Closing Phase 18

Transition/Integration Plan 18

Project Sign-Off 18

Archiving Project Documents 19

Lessons Learned 19

Releasing Resources 19

Closing Contracts 19

Project Knowledge Areas 19

Project Integration 20

Scope Management 20

Time Management 20

Cost Management 21

Quality Management 21

Human Resource Management 21

Communication Management 21

Risk Management 22

Procurement Management 22

Stakeholder Management 22

Exam Preparation Tasks 23

Chapter 2 Project Roles, Responsibilities, and Team Structures 29

“Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 29

Foundation Topics 33

Project Roles and Responsibilities 33

Project Sponsor 33

Project Manager 33

Project Coordinator 34

Stakeholder 34

Scheduler 35

Project Team 35

Project Management Office (PMO) 36

Project Team Structures 36

Functional Team Structure 37

Matrix Team Structure 38

Projectized Team Structure 40

Exam Preparation Tasks 41

Chapter 3 Project Cost Control 47

“Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 47

Foundation Topics 50

Cost Baseline 50

Total Project Cost 50

Expenditure Tracking and Reporting 50

Cost Control Calculations 51

Earned Value Management (EVM) 52

Forecasting 54

To-Complete Performance Index (TCPI) 56

Reserve Analysis 57

Change Requests 57

Exam Preparation Tasks 58

Chapter 4 Project Schedules 63

“Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 63

Foundation Topics 67

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) 67

Scheduling Activities 70

Determine Tasks 70

Determine Milestones 71

Determine Task Durations and Start/Finish Dates 71

Set Predecessors and Dependencies 71

Sequence and Prioritize Tasks 72

Determine Critical Path 72

Allocate Resources 76

Set Baseline 77

Set Quality Gates 77

Set Governance Gates 78

Exam Preparation Tasks 78

Chapter 5 Personnel and Physical Resource Management 85

“Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 85

Foundation Topics 89

Personnel Management 89

Team Building and Trust Building 89

Team Selection and Skill Sets 90

Remote Versus In-House 91

Personnel Removal/Replacement 92

Communication Issues 92

Conflict Resolution 94

Smoothing 94

Forcing 94

Compromising 95

Confronting 95

Avoiding 96

Negotiating 97

Resource Management 98

Shared Versus Dedicated Resources 98

Resource Allocation 99

Resource Shortage Versus Overallocation 100

Low-Quality Resources 100

Benched Resources 101

Interproject Dependencies and Resource Contention 101

Exam Preparation Tasks 102

Chapter 6 Agile Methodology 107

“Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 107

Foundation Topics 111

Adaptive Planning 111

Iterative and Incremental Processes 111

Requirements Gathering and User Stories 112

Scrum Development 113

Sprint Planning 114

Daily Scrum Meetings 114

Continuous Feedback 115

Burndown Charts 115

Scrum Retrospectives 119

Self-Organized and Self-Directed Teams 120

Exam Preparation Tasks 120

Part II: Project Constraints, Infl uences, and Risks

Chapter 7 Project Constraints and Influences 125

“Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 125

Foundation Topics 129

Common Constraints 129

Cost Constraint 130

Scope Constraint 131

Time and Scheduling Constraints 131

Deliverables Constraint 132

Quality Constraint 132

Environment Constraint 133

Resources Constraint 134

Requirements Constraint 135

Project Influences 136

Change Requests 136

Scope Creep 137

Constraint Reprioritization 138

Interaction Between Constraints 139

Stakeholder, Sponsor, and Management Influences 140

Influence by Other Projects 140

Exam Preparation Tasks 141

Chapter 8 Risk Activities and Strategies 147

“Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 147

Foundation Topics 151

Risk Activities 151

Risk Planning 151

Risk Identification 152

Risk Quantification and Prioritization 153

Risk Response Planning 154

Risk Review 155

Risk Register 155

Risk Communication 159

Risk Strategies 160

Accept Risk 160

Mitigate Risk 161

Transfer Risk 161

Avoid Risk 161

Exploit Risk 162

Enhance Risk 162

Share Risk 162

Exam Preparation Tasks 162

Part III: Communication and Change Management

Chapter 9 Communication Methods and Influences 169

“Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 171

Foundation Topics 173

Communication Methods 173

Meetings 173

Kickoff Meetings 173

Virtual Versus In-Person Meetings 174

Scheduled Versus Impromptu Meetings 175

Closure Meetings 175

Email and Fax 176

Video and Voice Conferencing 176

Instant Messaging and Text Messaging 177

Face-to-Face Communication 178

Distribution of Printed Media 179

Social Media 179

Communication Influences 180

Language Barriers 180

Time Zones and Geographical Factors 181

Technological Factors 182

Cultural Differences 183

Interorganizational and Intraorganizational Differences 184

Personal Preferences 184

Building Rapport and Relationships 185

Message Content and Criticality Factors 186

Stakeholder Communication Requirements 186

Communication Frequency 186

Level of Report Detail 187

Types of Communication 187

Confidentiality Constraints 187

Communication Style 188

Exam Preparation Tasks 188

Chapter 10 Communication Triggers and Target Audiences 195

“Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 195

Foundation Topics 199

Audits 199

Project Planning 200

Project Changes 201

Schedule Changes 203

Stakeholder Changes 204

Resource Changes 204

Budget Changes 205

Risk Register Updates 206

Milestones 206

Task Initiation/Completion 207

Gate Reviews 207

Incident Responses and Business Continuity Responses 208

Exam Preparation Tasks 209

Chapter 11 Change Control 215

“Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 215

Foundation Topics 219

Change Control Process 219

Identify and Document the Change 220

Evaluate Impact and Provide Justification 222

Develop a Regression Plan 222

Identify Approval Authority and Obtain Approval 222

Implement Change 223

Validate Change and Check Quality 223

Update Documents 223

Change Communication 224

Project Change Types 224

Schedule Changes 225

Budget Changes 227

Risk Events 228

Requirements Changes 229

Quality Changes 229

Resource Changes 230

Scope Changes 231

Communication Changes 231

Stakeholder Changes 232

Procurement Changes 232

Emergency Changes 233

Organizational Changes 233

Business Merger/Acquisition and Demerger/Split 234

Business Process Change 235

Internal Reorganization 235

Relocation 236

Outsourcing 236

Exam Preparation Tasks 237

Part IV: Project Tools and Documentation

Chapter 12 Project Management Tools 243

“Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 243

Foundation Topics 247

Project Scheduling Software 247

Charts and Diagrams 247

Process Diagram 248

Histogram 250

Fishbone Diagram 251

Pareto Chart 251

Run Chart 252

Scatter Chart 253

Gantt Chart 256

Dashboards and Status Reports 257

Knowledge Management Tools 257

Intranet and Internet Sites 258

Wiki Pages 258

Vendor Knowledge Bases 259

Collaboration Tools 259

Performance Measurement Tools 260

Key Performance Indicator (KPI)/Key Performance Parameter (KPP) 260

Balanced Score Card (BSC) 262

SWOT Analysis 263

RACI Matrix 265

Exam Preparation Tasks 266

Chapter 13 Project Documentation 273

“Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 274

Foundation Topics 277

Project Charter 277

Project Management Plan 277

Issues Log 279

Organizational Chart 280

Scope Statement 281

Communication Plan 281

Project Schedule 281

Status Reports 282

Dashboard Information 282

Action Items 283

Meeting Agenda and Minutes 284

Exam Preparation Tasks 284

Chapter 14 Vendor Documentation 291

“Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 291

Foundation Topics 294

Request for Information (RFI) 294

Request for Proposal (RFP) 295

Request for Quote (RFQ) 296

Mutually Binding Documents 297

Agreement/Contract 297

Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) 299

Cease-and-Desist Letter 300

Letter of Intent (LOI) and Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) 300

Statement of Work (SOW) 301

Service-Level Agreement (SLA) 301

Purchase Order (PO) 301

Warranty 302

Exam Preparation Tasks 302

Part V: Getting Ready for the Exam

Chapter 15 Final Preparation 307

Take Advantage of the Tools in This Book 307

Retake the “Do I Know This Already?” Quizzes 307

Prepare for Vocabulary Differences on the Project+ Exam 307

Work Through the “Exam Preparation Tasks” Sections 308

Complete the Memory Tables Appendixes 309

Review the Examples 309

Practice with Pearson Test Prep 309

Ready, Set, Test! 309

Appendix A Answers to the “Do I Know This Already?” Quizzes and Review Questions 311

Glossary 331

Elements Available On the Book’s Website

Appendix B Memory Tables

Appendix C Memory Tables Answer Key

Glossary

9780789758835 TOC 7/11/2017

CompTIA Project+ Cert Guide: Exam PK0-004, 1st edition

Explore

Products & Services

Support

Extend Your Learning

About us