CompTIA Project+ Cert Guide: Exam PK0-004, 1st edition
Published by Pearson IT Certification (October 10, 2017) © 2018
- Robin Abernathy
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The number one goal of this book is to help individuals pass the Project+ exam.
This book will focus in on the topics needed to pass the exam. Historical and introductory information that is not needed to pass the exam will not be covered. This is because most professionals already have some exposure to this information.
- The smartest, fastest, most effective preparation for the new Project+ exam!
- Test-taking strategies, tips, notes, and two full sample exams delivered by test engine
- Written by an author with extensive experience preparing students for this exam with project management training materials
- Concise and written to map to the Project+ exam from CompTIA
- Companion uCertify online course and labs available
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
Robin M. Abernathy has been working in the IT certification preparation industry at Kaplan IT Training, the owners of the Transcender brand, for more than 15 years. She has written and edited certification preparation materials for many (ISC)2, Microsoft, CompTIA, PMI, Cisco, EC-Council, and ITIL certifications and holds multiple IT certifications from these vendors.
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