PMP® examination preparation course
Updated for the 2021 Exam format covering predictive as well as agile life cycles.

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 project management experience 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® Guides 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 PMI Exam Content Outline (2021).
  • 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 and the PMI Exam Content Outline.
  • 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 outcomes

Upon completion of this PMP preparation course, participants will be able to:
  1. Articulate the PMP exam format, structure, and key study strategies to effectively prepare for certification, demonstrating an understanding of the PMI framework.
  2. Apply fundamental project initiation processes, including the development of a Project Charter and identification of key stakeholders, to formally authorize and define a project.
  3. Develop comprehensive project plans by defining scope, creating Work Breakdown Structures (WBS), establishing baselines for schedule and budget, and outlining quality, procurement, and communication management strategies.
  4. Analyze and apply appropriate project methodologies (e.g., Agile, Waterfall, Hybrid) based on project characteristics and stakeholder needs, ensuring effective project setup.
  5. Lead and empower project teams by defining ground rules, fostering effective communication, managing conflicts, and supporting performance through coaching and addressing impediments.
  6. Implement effective project execution strategies, including managing changes and issues proactively, empowering team members, and ensuring project progression with urgency and quality.
  7. Monitor and control project performance by validating scope, collaborating with stakeholders, building shared understanding, and effectively managing project artifacts to ensure alignment with the project plan.
  8. Identify, assess, and mitigate project risks across all project phases, and ensure compliance with legal, regulatory, and organizational governance structures.
  9. Facilitate smooth project closure by ensuring comprehensive knowledge transfer, documenting lessons learned, and effectively demobilizing resources.
  10. Integrate all project planning and execution activities into a cohesive Project Management Plan, demonstrating the ability to align scope, schedule, budget, and resources for successful project delivery.

Course Outline

Course Outline
Introduction (1 hour)
  • Introduction to the PMP exam and its format
  • Study material
  • Preparation tips.
  • Overview of the PMI framework
Initiating (2 hours)
  • Develop Project Charter
  • Identify Stakeholders
  • Determining Appropriate Project Methodology (partially) (Task 2.13): Agile vs. Waterfall, hybrid approaches, selecting the right methodology.  
 Planning (15 hours)
  • Planning and Managing Scope (Task 2.8): Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) development, defining deliverables, scope baseline creation.  
  • Planning and Managing Schedule (Task 2.6): Scheduling techniques, critical path identification, project milestones, schedule baselines.  
  • Planning and Managing Budget and Resources (Task 2.5): Cost estimation, resource allocation, budget monitoring and control.  
  • Defining Team Ground Rules (Task 1.12): Communication protocols, conflict resolution mechanisms, decision-making processes.
  • Ensuring Team Member/Stakeholder Training (Task 1.5): Identifying training needs, developing training plans, evaluating effectiveness. 
  • Planning and Managing Quality (Task 2.7): Defining quality standards, quality management plan development, inspection, and verification processes.  
  • Planning and Managing Procurement (Task 2.11): Selecting vendors, negotiating contracts, managing supplier relationships.  
  • Managing Communications (Task 2.2): Selecting appropriate channels, ensuring clarity and consistency, managing information flow.  
  • Assessing and Managing Risks (Task 2.3): Identifying, analyzing, and mitigating potential risks throughout the project.  
  • Establishing Project Governance Structure (Task 2.14): Roles, responsibilities, authority levels, communication channels.  
  • Analysis of legal and regulatory compliance requirements, industry trends, and potential social/environmental impacts. (Task 3.1, 3.2)
  • Evaluating External Environment Impact on Scope (partially) (Task 3.3): Market trends, competitor analysis, potential risks, and opportunities.  
  • Support Organizational Change (Task 3.4) Aligning project goals with organizational objectives.
  • Integrating Project Planning Activities into the Project Management Plan (Task 2.9): Aligning scope, schedule, budget, and resources, ensuring consistency and feasibility. 
 Executing (13 hours)
  • Building a Team (Task 1.6): Roles, responsibilities, team composition, recruitment strategies, diversity considerations.  
  • Empowering Team Members & Stakeholders (partially) (Task 1.4): Delegation, skills development, stakeholder engagement strategies.  
  • Leading a Team (Task 1.2): Motivating, inspiring, and guiding team members towards project goals. 
  • Managing Conflict (Task 1.1): Conflict identification, resolution techniques, maintaining team cohesion.  
  • Executing Project with Urgency (Task 2.1): Prioritizing tasks, managing deadlines, balancing speed and quality. 
  • Supporting Team Performance (Task 1.3): Coaching, providing feedback, addressing performance issues, fostering collaboration.  
  • Addressing and Removing Impediments for the Team (Task 1.7): Identifying obstacles, removing roadblocks, ensuring project progress.  
  • Engaging and Supporting Virtual Teams (Task 1.11): Effective communication strategies, remote team management techniques, fostering trust and collaboration.  
  • Promoting Team Performance through Emotional Intelligence (Task 1.14): Self-awareness, social awareness, relationship management, self-regulation in team dynamics.  
  • Mentoring Relevant Stakeholders (Task 1.13): Providing guidance, feedback, and support to key stakeholders. 
  • Negotiating Project Agreements (partially) (Task 1.8): Finalizing contracts, resolving disputes,  
  • Managing Project Changes (Task 2.10): Evaluating change requests, impact assessment, updating project documents, implementing changes effectively.  
  • Managing Project Issues (Task 2.15): Identifying, analyzing, and resolving project issues proactively.  
 Monitoring & Controlling (3 hours)
  • Monitor and validate scope (Task 2.8)
  • Collaborating with Stakeholders (Task 1.9): Building relationships, managing expectations, resolving concerns.  
  • Building Shared Understanding (Task 1.10): Ensuring clear communication, fostering alignment, addressing misunderstandings.  
  • Managing Project Artifacts (Task 2.12): Documents, reports, data, and other project materials, ensuring proper storage, access, and version control.  
 Closing (1 hour)
  • Ensuring Knowledge Transfer (Task 2.16): Capturing lessons learned, documenting knowledge, sharing information with future teams.  
  • Planning and Managing Project Closure (Task 2.17): Demobilizing resources, conducting final reviews, evaluating project success, archiving documents. 

Course Duration, Materials and Support

  1. This 5-day course comprises 35 hours of instructor-led training.
  2. Delegates will answer chapter practice tests questions during the course (200+ questions).
  3. A copy of the training slides.
  4. Access to the recordings of the training sessions.
  5. Support from the trainer in your studies for the exam.
  6. Three-months subscription to PMI Study Hall Essentials that includes:
  •  246 lessons
  • 354 Flashcards
  • 717 practice questions
  • 17 Practice exams (560 questions)
  • Gam e Center (7 games)