PMP® examination preparation course

The Project Management Professional (PMP®) certification administered by the Project Management Institute (PMI®) is the passport to international recognition for experienced project managers. Candidate Project Management Professionals are required to have at least 7 500 hours or a college/university/equivalent degree plus 4 500 hours of project management working experience.   Candidates must also have at least 35 contact hours of project management education.

Please take note - the PMP® certification preparation course is more about how to interpret and respond to the exam questions and less about practical project management. It is assumed that delegates know the basic principles as defined in the PMBOK® Guide and other practice standards.

Who should attend?

Practicing project managers that want to increase their marketability or want international recognition as a professional project management practitioner and:
  • Meet the above required experience.
  • Have a basic knowledge of the project management principles as defined in the PMBOK® Guide.
  • Need coaching on how to approach the PMP® certification exam.

Course objectives

  • ​To give guidance in applying for the PMP® examination.
  • To discuss the components that will be tested.
  • To provide a comprehensive review of the PMBOK® Guide.
  • To practice with sample questions.
  • To understand the rationale behind the answers.
  • To share tips, experience and best practice guidelines.
PMBOK processes
Project Management Processes

Course content

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to apply the generally recognized practices of project management acknowledged by the Project Management Institute (PMI) such as:
  • What Is a Project? 
  • Creating the Project Charter 
  • Developing the Project Scope Statement 
  • Creating the Project 
  • Developing the Project Budget and Communicating the Plan
  • Risk Planning 
  • Planning Project Resources 
  • Developing the Project Team 
  • Conducting Procurements and Sharing Information 
  • Measuring and Controlling Project Performance 
  • Controlling Work Results 
  • Closing the Project and Applying Professional Responsibility

Course Outline

Course Outline
Day 1 - Morning Session
  • Introduction
  • PMP Prerequisites
  • What is the PMPBOK Guide
  • Suggested PMP Exam Reading Material
  • PMP Exam Content and Objectives
  • Exam Preparation tips
  • Pre-course assessment
Chapter 1 - What is a project
  • What Is a Project?
  • Projects vs Operations
  • What Is Project, Programme and Portfolio Management?
  • Project Management knowledge and skills needed
  • Understanding Organizational Structures
  • Understanding Project Life Cycles and Project Management Processes
  • Agile Project Management
  • Important for the exam
  • Review Questions
Day 1 - Afternoon Session
Chapter 2 – Creating the Project Charter
  • Project Management Knowledge Areas
  • The 49 Project Management processes
  • Enterprise Environmental Factors
  • Organizational Process Assets
  • Project Selection Methods
  • Develop the Project Charter
  • Identify and analyse Stakeholders
  • The roles of the Project Sponsor, Project Manager and team
  • The role of the Project Management Office
  • Important for the exam
  • Review Questions
Chapter 3 – Developing the Project Scope Statement
  • Developing the Project Management Plan
  • Plan Scope Management
  • Requirements management plan
  • Collecting Requirements
  • Requirements documentation and traceability matrix
  • Decision-making Techniques
  • Defining Scope
  • Writing the Project Scope Statement
  • Creating the Work Breakdown Structure
  • The Work Breakdown Structure dictionary
  • Important for the exam
  • Review Questions
Day 2 – Morning Session
Chapter 4 – Creating the Project Schedule
  • Creating the Project Schedule
  • The Schedule Management Plan
  • Define Activities
  • The Schedule Baseline
  • Sequencing Activities
  • The Project Schedule Network Diagram
  • Critical Path
Day 2 – Afternoon Session
  • Estimate Activity Resources
  • Estimate Activity Durations
  • Estimation Techniques
  • Develop the project Schedule
  • Critical chain
  • Reserve Analysis
  • Resource Optimisation
  • Schedule Compression
  • Important for the exam
  • Review Questions
Day 3 – Morning Session
Chapter 5 – Develop the Project Budget and Communication plan
  • Developing the Project Budget
  • The time-phased Cost Performance Baseline
  • Plan Cost Management
  • Estimate Costs
  • Project Cost Estimating Techniques
  • Determine the Budget
  • Project Funding Requirements
  • Funding Limit Reconciliation
  • The Project Budget Components
  • Plan Stakeholder Engagement
  • Plan Communications Management
  • Communication Technology
  • The Communication Model
  • Communication Methods
  • Types of Communication
  • Communication Channels
  • Important for the exam
  • Review Questions
Day 3 – Afternoon Session
Chapter 6 – Risk Planning
  • Risk Management Terminology
  • Plan Risk Management
  • Identify Risks
  • Root Cause Analysis
  • Assumption and Constraint Analysis
  • SWOT Analysis
  • Risk Breakdown Structure
  • Risk Register and Risk Report
  • Qualitative Risk Analysis
  • Probability and Impact
  • Assessment of other Risk Parameters
  • Quantitative Risk Analysis
  • Representation of Uncertainty
  • Simulation
  • Sensitivity Analysis
  • Decision Tree Analysis
  • Influence Diagrams
  • Critical Analysis
  • Plan Risk Responses
  • Data Analysis
  • Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis
  • Important for the exam
  • Review Questions
Day 4 – Morning Session
Chapter 7 – Planning Project Resources, Procurement and Quality
  • Plan Procurement Management
  • The Buyer-Seller relationship
  • The Procurement Process
  • Procurement Management Related Terminology
  • Contract Types
  • Contract Type and Risk
  • The Procurement Management Plan
  • Bid Documents
  • The Procurement Statement of Work
  • Source Selection Criteria
  • Plan Resource Management
  • Hierarchical Charts
  • Responsibility Assignment Matrix
  • Organizational Structures
  • Organizational Theory
  • Plan Quality Management
  • Quality Metrics
  • Quality Planning Techniques
  • Cost of Quality
  • Important for the exam
  • Review Questions
Chapter 8 – Developing the Project Team
  • Direct and Manage Project Work
  • Acquire Resources
  • Virtual Teams
  • Resource Calendars
  • Develop Team
  • Tuckman Ladder
  • Manage the Team
  • General Techniques for resolving Conflict
  • Implement Risk Responses
  • The Power of Leaders
  • Leadership Styles
  • Important for the exam
  • Review Questions
Day 4 – Afternoon Session
Chapter 9 – Conducting Procurements and Sharing Information
  • Manage Project Knowledge
  • Lessons Learned Register
  • Manage Quality
  • Manage Quality Tools and Techniques
  • Manage Communications
  • Conduct Procurements
  • Bidders Conference
  • Contracting Life-Cycle stages
  • Manage Stakeholder Engagement
  • Important for the exam
  • Review Questions
Day 5 – Morning Session
Chapter 10 – Measuring and Controlling Project Performance
  • Monitor and Control Project Work
  • Analysis Methods
  • Forecasting Methods
  • Perform Integrated Change Control
  • Monitor Communications
  • Control Procurements
  • Settlement of Claims
  • Inspections vs Audits
  • Monitor Stakeholder Engagement
  • Important for the exam
  • Review Questions
Chapter 11 – Controlling Work Results
  • Validate Scope
  • Verified vs Accepted deliverables
  • Control Scope
  • Control Schedule
  • Earned Value Management
  • Control Cost
  • Trend Analysis
  • Reserve Analysis
  • Control Quality
  • Data representation Techniques
  • Control Resources
  • Monitor Risks
  • Important for the exam
  • Review Questions
Day 5 – Afternoon Session
Chapter 12 – Closing the Project and Applying Professional Responsibility
  • Close Project or Phase
  • Administrative Closure
  • PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct
  • Important for the exam
  • Review Questions
  • The Way Forward

Course Duration, Materials and Support

  • This 5-day course comprises 35 hours of instructor-led training.
  • An assessment test is taken at the beginning of the course.
  • Delegates will take chapter tests during the course (maximum 240 questions).
  • A printed delegate workbook is provided.
  • Delegates are provided with an e-book version of the book PMP: Project Management Professional Exam Study Guide 9th Edition by Kim Heldman.
  • Access to a test bank with 572 PMBOK© Edition 6 questions are provided (One-year access).
  • Delegates have access to 215 flashcards (One-year access)
  • Over two hours of audio instruction with the author (Kim Heldman) reviewing essential PMBOK concepts are also provided (One-year access).
  • Please note that the course is based on the Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) - 6th Edition, but due to the fact that electronic copies of  the PMBOK® Guide are available to PMI members, this guide will NOT be provided as part of the course material.
  • Support with registering for the PMP® exam. (Exam costs of $555 not included)