Memorizing the PMBOK alone is rarely enough; you must practice situational questions. Below is a distilled cheat-sheet arranged by knowledge area, focusing on what the exam actually tests.
- Foundational Concepts
- Phase-gate = go / no-go checkpoint.
- Hybrid lifecycle = Predictive + Adaptive.
- Adaptive = Iterative + Incremental; deliverables accepted each iteration.
- Project success criteria agreed with sponsor & key stakeholders.
- Benefits management plan: target benefits, strategic alignment, benefit owner.
- Operating Environment
- Conflict over shared expert → consult expert + negotiate with other PM.
- Org structures: Functional (dual authority), Matrix (resource sharing), Projectized (PM authority high).
- PMO types: Suportive, Controlling, Directive.
- Sponsor funds; escalate beyond PM’s control.
- Integration
- All changes must be formal; unauthorized work → stop → follow change process.
- Issue log created during Direct & Manage Project Work.
- Close Project = administrative + financial + legal closure; contract closure per contract.
- Configuration control = technical specs; change control = baselines.
- Scope
Process flow: Plan Scope → Collect Requirements → Define Scope → Create WBS → Validate Scope → Control Scope.
- Scope baseline = scope statement + WBS + WBS dictionary.
- Adaptive: backlog grooming each iteration.
- Rolling wave planning = near-term detail, future high-level.
- Requirement traceability matrix links each need to deliverable & status.
- Schedule
Sequence: Plan Schedule → Define Activities → Sequence → Estimate Durations → Develop Schedule → Control.
- Fast-tracking = perform activities in parallel; first check dependencies.
- Resource leveling may alter critical path; resource smoothing does not.
- Three-point estimate (Beta): (O + 4M + P) / 6; σ = (P – O) / 6.
- Agile: story points for size; velocity measures throughput.
- Cost
- Cost baseline = direct cost + contingency reserve.
- Total funding requirement = baseline + management reserve.
- EV > PV → ahead of schedule; EV < AC → over budget.
- TCPI = (BAC – EV) / (BAC – AC); lower is easier.
- Quality
- Plan Quality: define standards & how to demonstrate compliance.
- Manage Quality: process improvement, audit non-conformance.
- Control Quality: verify deliverables meet requirements.
- Quality cost categories: prevention, appraisal, internal failure, external failure.
- Control chart: UCL/LCL (process voice), USL/LSL (customer voice).
- Resources
- Staff skill gap → training, reassignment, or revise plan.
- Resource calendar = availability of people & equipment.
- Control Resources (Monitoring) = physical resources; Manage Team (Executing) = people.
- Team-building most efffective for relationship issues.
- Communications
- Too much unstructured info → revise communications management plan.
- Meeting interruptions → ground rules not enforced.
- Uninformed stakeholder → update communications plan.
- Risk
- Risk register updated after Identify Risks.
- Qualitative = probability-impact matrix; Quantitative = Monte Carlo, decision tree.
- Risk response: choose reliable vendor = mitigation.
- Risk Breakdown Structure (RBS) categorizes risks.
- Procurement
- Procurement SOW: specs, quantity, quality, performance data, period & place of performance.
- RFP must balance detail with flexibility for seller innovation.
- Stakeholders
- New stakeholders appear at phase gates, personnel changes, or re-orgs → update Stakeholder Register.
- High-power/low-interest → keep satisfied; low-power/high-interest → keep informed.
- Stakeholder engagement assessment matrix compares current vs. desired participation.
- Project charter captures high-level needs from key stakeholders.
- Agile Highlights
- Product roadmap precedes release plan; release plan precedes iteration plan.
- Definition of Done (DoD) checklist gates every increment.
- Task board visualizes To-Do / In-Progress / Done.
- Fist-to-Five consensus: ≥3 fingers = agreement.
- Timeboxed iterations cannot be extended; new work waits for next sprint.
- Product Owner alone accepts or rejects work.
- Tools Quick Reference
- Exam Answering Strategy
- "What should the PM do FIRST?" → choose the earliest process step.
- "What should the PM do NOW?" → pick the most comprehensive, compliant option.
- Future-oriented questions → look for lessons learned.
- Preventive focus → select the proactive, best-practice answer.