Messages posted by: ospinternational

A work breakdown structure (WBS) in project management and systems engineering, is a tool used to define and group a project's discrete work packages in a way that helps organize and define the total work scope of the project. A work breakdown structure element may be a product, data, a service, or any combination. A WBS also provides the necessary framework for detailed cost estimating and control along with providing guidance for schedule development and control. Additionally the WBS is a dynamic tool and can be revised and updated as needed by the project manager.

One of the most important Work Breakdown Structure design principles is called the 100% Rule. This Rule states that the WBS includes 100% of the work defined by the project scope and captures all deliverables – internal, external, interim – in terms of the work to be completed, including project management. The 100% rule is one of the most important principles guiding the development, decomposition and evaluation of the WBS. The rule applies at all levels within the hierarchy: the sum of the work at the “child” level must equal 100% of the work represented by the “parent” and the WBS should not include any work that falls outside the actual scope of the project, that is, it cannot include more than 100% of the work. At the same time, it cannot contain only 95%. It must contain 100% of the work. It applies to the activity level. The work represented by the activities in each work package must add up to 100% of the work necessary to complete the work package.

The PMBOK Guide 4th Edition states that Create WBS is the process of subdividing project deliverables and project work into smaller, more manageable components. The work breakdown structure (WBS) is a deliverable-oriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables, with each descending level of the WBS representing an increasingly detailed definition of the project work. The WBS organizes and defines the total scope of the project, and represents the work specified in the current approved project scope statement. The planned work is contained within the lowest level WBS components, which are called work packages. A work package can be scheduled, cost estimated, monitored, and controlled. In the context of the WBS, work refers to work products or deliverables that are the result of effort and not to the effort itself.

Read more about the WBS at the PMBOK Guide 4th Edition starting in section 5.3.

Until next time,
Cornelius Fichtner, PMP
President, OSP International LLC
The Project Management PrepCast™ - http://www.project-management-prepcast.com
The Project Management Podcast™ - http://www.project-management-podcast.com

All,

The following PMP® exam sample question is taken from http://www.free-pm-exam-questions.com - The answer is at the very bottom:

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CPI is 1.03 and AC is 6000. How much is EV?

A) 200
B) 7000
C) 6180
D) 7200
------------------------------

All our free questions are updated to the latest PMBOK® Guide standard. Stop by at : http://www.free-pm-exam-questions.com to receive the questions via email. We are a PMI Registered Education Provider.

Until next time,
Cornelius Fichtner, PMP
The Project Management PrepCast™ - http://www.project-management-prepcast.com
The Project Management Podcast™ - http://www.project-management-podcast.com
The Answer is C.

All,

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Until next time,
Cornelius Fichtner, PMP
The Project Management PrepCast™ - http://www.project-management-prepcast.com
The Project Management Podcast™ - http://www.project-management-podcast.com

One of the more obscure terms that you need to know for the PMP Exam is the "Tornado Diagram". Basically, the tornado diagram is a typical display format of the sensitivity analysis. Let's look at this in more detail.

A Tornado diagram, also called tornado plot or tornado chart, is a special type of Bar chart, where the data categories are listed vertically instead of the standard horizontal presentation, and the categories are ordered so that the largest bar appears at the top of the chart, the second largest appears second from the top, and so on. They are so named because the final chart appears to be one half of a tornado. This diagram is useful for sensitivity analysis - comparing the relative importance of variables. For example, if you need to visually compare 100 budgetary items, and identify the largest ten items, it would be nearly impossible to do using a standard bar graph. However, in a tornado diagram of the budget items, the top ten bars would represent the top ten largest items.

This is applicable to wide range of project domains – Financial, Constructions, Software, Sales, Services, etc. Tornado diagram can be used for analyzing sensitivity in other project constraint (cost, time, quality and risk) objectives also. The longer the bar, the greater the sensitivity of the project objective to the factor. The factor that have the greatest impact is located at the top, and the bar ends indicate the low and high value of the factor. It assists the project manager in focusing on the most critical variable of the project, sort and prioritize the variable according to their impact on the project objective, realize how much the value of the project is impacted by the uncertainties of the project, and decide where you need to invest any additional efforts.

You can find the Tornado Diagram in the PMBOK Guide 4th Edition starting in section 11.4.2.2 as part of the sensitivity analysis. Until next time,

Until Next time,
Cornelius Fichtner, PMP
The Project Management PrepCast™ - http://www.project-management-prepcast.com
The Project Management Podcast™ - http://www.project-management-podcast.com

All,

The following PMP® exam sample question is taken from http://www.free-pm-exam-questions.com – The answer is at the very bottom:

——————————

PMBOK Section: Sequence Activities
Process Group: Planning Process Group
Question Type: Calculation
Knowledge Area: Time Management
Difficulty Level: Moderate

Question: "Activity / Duration / Predecessor

A / 4 / START
B / 3 / A
C / 1 / B
D / 5 / START
E / 4 / D
F / 6 / E
G / 2 / C,F
H / 4 / D
I / 2 / H

What is the duration of the critical path?"

A. 10
B. 11
C. 17
D. 18

Hint : Use PDM to calculate.
Reference: PMBOK4 – pg:138

——————————

All our free questions are updated to the latest PMBOK® Guide standard. Sign up here: http://www.free-pm-exam-questions.com to receive the questions via email. We are a PMI Registered Education Provider.

Until next time,
Cornelius Fichtner, PMP
The Project Management PrepCast™ – http://www.project-management-prepcast.com
The Project Management Podcast™ – http://www.project-management-podcast.com

The answer is C.
Explanation: The duration of the critical path for the given data is 17. Hence choice C is correct while rest of the choices are incorrect.

Hello All,

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Hello All,

One of the more important steps in preparing for the PMP exam is to schedule you exam date as soon as you meet all the eligibility requirements. This will give you a specific date toward which you can work. Now you have deadline - a big red "X" on your calendar - and this will motivate you in your studies. If you don't have the date scheduled you can always find excuses for not studying and delaying things. But having the date in your mind and calendar will drive you to study regularly.

Now that you see your exam approaching, here are a few good study activities:

Read the PMBOK. Read it twice. Because the PMP exam is largely based on the PMBOK contents, it makes sense to know what it says. However, the PMP exam requires far more than just recounting facts. You can’t just memorize the PMBOK and pass the exam. You must understand how each of the Pod MBOK’s processes, along with their inputs, outputs, and tools and techniques would be applied in real live project situations. So a good way to enhance your studies is to apply the concepts you learn from the PMBOK Guide on your projects right away.

Next, read the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, and as with the PMBOK, read it at least twice. Think of project scenarios for each topic that will be more meaningful and help you remember the concepts as you study the Code. Learn how each section in the Code is different and why each one is necessary for the project management profession.

And lastly, don't forget to discuss project management topics with others to really learn the material. Find a local or online study group and meet with them as you study for the exam.

Until next time,
Cornelius Fichtner, PMP
President, OSP International LLC
The Project Management PrepCast™ - http://www.project-management-prepcast.com
The Project Management Podcast™ - http://www.project-management-podcast.com

All,

The following PMP® exam sample question is taken from http://www.free-pm-exam-questions.com - The answer is at the very bottom:

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Which of the following processes is not a part of Project Communications Management?

A) Plan Communications
B) Distribute Information
C) Identify Stakeholders
D) Control Communications
------------------------------

All our free questions are updated to the latest PMBOK® Guide standard. Sign up here: http://www.free-pm-exam-questions.com to receive the questions via email. We are a PMI Registered Education Provider.

The Answer is D.

Hello All,

There's another helpful video on YouTube about 'PMP Exam Preparation Made Easy'.

You can check and watch it at : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aveiXWkD1cM

There is a bit of a disconnect that PMP Exam takers report as they are preparing for the exam. Because you must be an experienced project manager to take the exam, you bring years of experience in managing projects and using tools & techniques with you. Often, these are based on company internal project management best practices and tactics that you found working for you. However, the PMP Exam requires that you apply the concepts from the PMBOK Guide to real-life situations as presented in the exam questions. If the methodology that you are experienced in using is not aligned with the PMBOK Guide, then you may pick the wrong answers in your test.

Furthermore, the projects you manage may not have required you to deal in all the PMBOK Guide's Knowledge Areas. For instance, risk management was something I did very rarely on my projects and maybe in your career you never had to deal with procurement. So it is likely that you’ll be more comfortable with some project management knowledge areas and processes than others. This can lead to two problems:

First you may feel that because you are an absolute pro in scheduling (after all you have years of experience here) you can slack off in your studies and rely on your own project management experience instead. You tend to minimize studying for the areas you know best. But this can hurt you because the PMBOK’s approach is the correct approach for the PMP exam.

The second is the tendency to minimize the importance of project management areas with which you are unfamiliar. Just because I didn't do much risk management doesn't mean that it isn't important. But we are creatures of habit, so it's only normal to also think that the "unimportant" areas on our projects are also "unimportant" on the exam. PMPs are expected to demonstrate a good understanding of all aspects of project management as defined in the PMBOK. So pay particular attention to the processes with which you are not familiar.

So what's the best approach? I always recommend to my students that they study the PMBOK Guide at least twice before taking the exam and that they immediately start using the practices learned on their projects. Applying the theory from the PMBOK Guide on your projects is the best way of learning it and passing the exam.

Until next time,
Cornelius Fichtner, PMP
President, OSP International LLC
The Project Management PrepCast™ - http://www.project-management-prepcast.com
The Project Management Podcast™ - http://www.project-management-podcast.com

All,

The following PMP® exam sample question is taken from http://www.free-pm-exam-questions.com - The answer is at the very bottom:

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PMBOK Section: Control Costs
Process Group: Monitoring and Controlling
Question Type: Calculation
Knowledge Area: Cost Management
Difficulty Level: Moderate

Question: You are managing a construction project and your project budget is $20,000. You have spent $17,000 so far and the project is 75% complete. A new project budget of $25,000 has been approved. What should be your cost performance if you want to complete your project within the new approved budget?

A. 1.667
B. 0.882
C. 0.625
D. 0.521

Hint : Calculate the TCPI based on EAC.
Reference PMBOK4 - pg:185

-----------------------------

All our free questions are updated to the latest PMBOK® Guide standard. Stop by at http://www.free-pm-exam-questions.com to receive the questions via email. We are a PMI Registered Education Provider.

Choice C is the correct answer to this question.

Explanation: Since you need to calculate your desired future cost performance, you should calculate the TCPI based on EAC by the formula TCPI = (BAC-EV)/(EAC-AC) = (20,000 - 15,000) / (25,000 - 17,000) = 5,000/8,000 = 0.625.

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OK, I really hope that you will NEVER have to make use of this week's PMP Exam tip: If you fail your PMP Exam twice, then consider waiting a bit instead of taking it for a third time right away. Here's why:

Once your PMP Exam application is approved you are given one year and three attempts to pass. In case you fail all of these three attempts, you need to wait one year before filing another application to try again.

So... If we assume a worst case scenario of you failing the exam twice within ten months, this means that you now have two months and one more attempt to pass the exam left. But think about it: you are already nervous, studying to pass the exam has become a real chore and you may question your ability to pass the exam. Add to this your personal life, your work load that may come in the way of your studies and you can see that your third attempt might not go well either. And if you really fail a third time, then you'll have to wait one year to re-apply.

So why not give yourself a clean slate?

Instead of going head first through this wall and failing for a third time, simply let your PMP Exam application expire, apply again and give yourself another year and 3 fresh attempts. Granted, doing this is more expensive (PMI members pay $275 for a re-examination vs. $405 for a full application), but it removes the pressure of having to cram for your 3rd attempt in the short time left as well as as the mandatory 1 year wait after the failed 3rd attempt.

Of course, this is a very personal choice and the timing of when you failed your first two attempts must be considered as well. If you take good measures to pass on your third attempt, or if your two failed attempts happen early on in your eligibility period then it might be better for you to go and try for a 3rd time right away. But if you're unsure about your readiness or if time is running out, then letting your application expire is a valid choice.

All,

The following PMP® exam sample question is taken from http://www.free-pm-exam-questions.com - The answer is at the very bottom:

------------------------------
What does cost a performance index (CPI) of less than 1.0 indicate?

A) Cost overrun of the estimates
B) Cost underrun of the estimates
C) Cost according to the estimates
D) Early progress
------------------------------

All our free questions are updated to the latest PMBOK® Guide standard. Stop by at http://www.free-pm-exam-questions.com to receive the questions via email. We are a PMI Registered Education Provider.

The Answer is A.

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