Category Archives: PMP

PMP Archive

Attention Haters – Big Numbers For PMPs In 2009

– January 22, 2010Posted in: PMP

This morning I picked up my January 2010 issue of PMI Today hoping to find something inspirational to write about. Upon realizing PMI Global Congress 2010 – North America is going to be in Washington DC, this October, I decided to write a blog post about it. Just when I thought I had something local to write about, I noticed some statistics on PMI® Certified Project Management Professionals (PMPs) on the same page. Though the statistics are only through November, they were very compelling. You may ask, how did I create the chart depicted above? I went back to each copy of PMI Today and located the monthly data on PMP credential holders. I know there are haters out there who go on and on about how having the PMP doesn’t make you a better project manager. No, but it does say you speak and understand the same “PMI” language. According to the data, 356,419 people are currently certified in “speaking” the language. That is one hell of a number! We may have all drank the cool-aid but let’s face it, the credential IS recognized when people are looking to hire a project manager.

So, here are some interesting specifics. In January 2009, there were 322,250 Active PMPs. In November, the most recent data available, there were 356,419. Do the math and you find an overall increase of 34,169 in 11 months. As I looked at the month-to-month numbers, I did find some attrition. That attrition really surprised me in October. Even with 3,102 new PMPs, there was still an overall loss of 14,092. With an individual membership renewals priced at $129, I imagine that opened a few eyes. Did these people no longer find value in the credential? Did they retire? Did they die?

Another interesting data point was for the months of June and July. June saw the certification of 13,920 new PMPs, up from 8,419 the month before. That number plummeted to a mere 689 in July. Again, what happened? Did everyone go on vacation?

One of my jobs is to see trends in data. I’ve been doing it for years. When you look at two dimensional data over time, it does some really interesting stuff.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to post them below.

Popularity: 1%

Tags: Certification, PMI, PMP

Review of the iStudy PMP App for iPhone and iPod Touch

Derek Huether

– January 15, 2010Posted in: Application Development, PMP

Disclaimer: Though I recommend this product, I am not financially benefiting from this review.

Main Screen

Question and Answer

Result

Correct/Incorrect

The iStudy PMP is an iPhone and iPod Touch application specifically designed to help those aspiring to pass the PMP® Exam.

If you have seen sample questions from the PMP exam, you know the pain points; double-negatives, lengthy questions, what is the “best” answer… When I prepared for the PMP Exam a few years ago, I spent several hundred dollars for a program that simulated the PMP exam. I’ll admit, it worked great! But, what if I could have passed the exam and also saved several hundred dollars? If this application was around when I was preparing to sit for the exam, I would have purchased it first.

Interface

iStudy PMP contains 200 questions that intend to replicate the PMP exam. The interface is clean and it allows the user to concentrate on answering the questions. If you come to a question you’re not sure about, you can Mark (skip) it. I thought I ran into some problems with the Mark feature. Swiping my finger across the screen didn’t always advance me to the next card. After some practice, I realized it was just me. The application was working just fine.

Not to get ahead of myself, but there is a results page to see correct/incorrect results. One thing missing is a similar navigation page showing the skipped questions. You’re given the opportunity to go though the skipped questions at the end of the exam but you can’t see how many skipped you have. You just have to go through them one by one. I contacted the creator of the application and he confirmed this is something to be resolved in a future update.

Tests

iStudy PMP has 4 different modes designed to cater to different learning styles.

Normal - This mode displays all 200 (randomized) questions and allows you to sequentially browse. You can go back and forth as many times as you wish, but you have to go in sequential order.

Exam - This mode is similar to the Normal mode minus the fact you have a time limit of 4 hours to answer all of the questions. You can go back and forth between questions as many times as you need to change answers. If after 4 hours you have not answered all of the questions, the exam will automatically end and your results calculated. This is good because if there was one thing I took away from doing full length practice exams, they help you build up your stamina.

Stress Test - This is a pretty interesting mode. I like that you choose the number of questions you want to answer (out of 200) and an amount of time you wish to allow yourself. If you fail to answer a question before the timer hits zero then that question is marked as incorrect and the application advances you to the next question. Let’s say you set the stress test to 15 questions and 2 minutes per question. Your stress test will be done in 30 minutes. Pretty cool.

Knowledge Area - The PMP Exam assesses your competency from 9 Knowledge Areas. This mode is like the normal mode but it allows you choose a specific knowledge area. This is a nice feature when you know you have specific knowledge weaknesses.

Results Screen

Once you have completed a test, or if you intentionally end it, you will be presented with the Results screen. Here you will see whether or not you passed the practice exam. Results will be broken down by knowledge area so you can see where you need to improve. All questions will be listed as either correct and incorrect with an option to display the entire question and answers.

Summary

For $10, I say go for it! One feature I really like is the questions appear completely random. So, each test should be unique. If you’re interested in this app, you can get it from the iTunes store, go to www.istudyapps.com or click here.

Popularity: 1%

Tags: Apple, Application, iPhone, iPod, PMP, Review

2 of 100 Items Missing From the PMBoK

Derek Huether

– December 29, 2009Posted in: PMP

Variance At Completion (VAC) is the difference between what the project was originally expected (baselined) to cost, versus what it is now expected to cost.

Every month, our vendor is required to report this total on the project as a whole and on key deliverables. I’m used to seeing the numbers reported and how to calculate them. I’m not asking for the Cost Performance Index (CPI). I want to know how far over or under we’re going to be compared to the budget.

The formula I memorized for the PMP exam and the same formula I use to calculate VAC today is: Variance At Completion = Budget At Completion – Estimate At Completion
(VAC = BAC – EAC)

So, I ask myself, [1] why is there no VAC definition and [2] VAC formula in the PMBoK?

Popularity: 2%

Tags: Cost, CPI, EVM, Formula, PMBOK, SPI, Time, VAC, Variance

Calculating Variance of Activity the PMP way

Derek Huether

– December 28, 2009Posted in: PMP

When I was studying for the PMP exam, a few years ago, I remember memorizing a group of formulas. One of those was the “Variance of Activity.” At this point, don’t remember if it was even referenced in the exam. There were no direct questions asking “what is the formula for…” On my exam, I remember having numerous questions resulting from schedule variance calculations and cost variance calculations. To my surprise, I went searching for the Variance of Activity formula in the PMBOK (4th Edition) and I can’t find it! So as not to lead people astray when giving PMP study advice, I’m now researching each formula I was once told to memorize. I’m very surprised PMI didn’t save us a lot of trouble and list known formulas in the back of the PMBOK.

Popularity: 5%

Tags: Activity, Cost, Formula, PMBOK, PMP, Schedule, Variance

My First Year In A Directive PMO

Derek Huether

– December 10, 2009Posted in: Agile, Application Development, PMP, Scrum

Today I realized I’ve been supporting and advising a Federal Government PMO for a whole year. Prior to that, I was the Manager of Software Engineering at an online company that had recently gone public. I was the sole PMP (Project Management Professional) and sole Agile Evangelist. Upon my leaving that company, I told my superiors they really needed a PMO if they wanted to offer consistent results, measurable improvements, and increase stakeholder satisfaction. It was hard at first to shift gears, away from a private profit-driven organization, to Federal governance-driven organization. At the private company, it was all “being creative” to meet unrealistic goals set by those not versed in best practices. Since there were no other PMPs, I felt like the lone sheriff in the Wild West. Now that I’m dealing with the government, I’m surrounded by other PMPs. There is policy, process, and governance. Everyone knows their jobs very well. They know best practices.

So you can differentiate the type of PMO I work in compared to others, I’ve included the 3 basic types below with their definitions.

There are 3 basic types of Project Management Office (PMO) organizations are [1] supportive, [2] controlling, [3] directive.

1. Supportive PMO generally provides support in the form of on-demand expertise, templates, best practices, access the information and expertise on other projects, and the like. This can work in an organization where projects are done successfully in a loosely controlled manner and where additional control is deemed unnecessary. Also, if the objective is to have a sort of ‘clearinghouse’ of project management info across the enterprise to be used freely by PMs, then the Supportive PMO is the right type.

2. Controlling PMO has the desire to “reign in” the activities – processes, procedures, documentation, and more – a controlling PMO can accomplish that. Not only does the organization provide support, but it also REQUIRES that the support be used. Requirements might include adoption of specific methodologies, templates, forms, conformance to governance, and application of other PMO controlled sets of rules. In addition, project offices might need to pass regular reviews by the Controlling PMO, and this may represent a risk factor on the project. This works if a. there is a clear case that compliance with project management organization offerings will bring improvements in the organization and how it executes on projects, and b. the PMO has sufficient executive support to stand behind the controls the PMO puts in place.

3. Directive PMO goes beyond control and actually “takes over” the projects by providing the project management experience AND resources to manage the project. As organizations undertake projects, professional project managers from the PMO are assigned to the projects. This injects a great deal of professionalism into the projects, and, since each of the project managers originates and reports back to the Directive PMO, it guarantees a high level of consistency of practice across all projects. This is effective in larger organizations that often matrix out support in various areas, and where this setup would fit the culture.

Definition Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=John_Reiling

Popularity: 2%

Tags: Advise, Agile, Government, PMO, PMP, Waterfall