Assessing the Business Environment and Changes (2021 Update)

Assessing the Business Environment and Changes (2021 Update)

• discover the key concepts covered in this course
• recognize characteristics of the organizational culture
• recognize the impact of organizational change and changes to the external business environment on projects
• recognize the risk of uncontrolled changes to a project
• recognize the role of the project manager in managing change requests
• recognize the importance of integrated change control
• recognize the process of changing the project scope or product backlog
• recognize how accepted changes are monitored to confirm their effectiveness
• recognize the Agile approach to project changes
• identify the steps of backlog refinement
• Knowledge Check: Reviewing Your Knowledge of Assessing the Business Environment

No project exists in a vacuum. It is always going to be subject to organizational culture, enterprise environment factors, and the company's risk appetite. And that's just some of the internal issues. The market landscape is a whole other layer. As a project manager, you must be aware of, and plan for, all manner of change.

In this course, you'll learn best practices for change control, including adapting to internal and external changes, change requests and integrated change control, monitoring approved changes for effectiveness, and the Agile approach to change. You'll explore the relationship between project changes and risk, as well as how processes like relative prioritization, adaptive planning, and backlog refinement can help you avoid scope creep and keep your project on track even as the winds of change are blowing. 

Building and Training the Project Team (2021 Update)

Building and Training the Project Team (2021 Update)

• discover the key concepts covered in this course
• identify different types of organizational charts
• recognize the types of influences on project resources
• identify tools for acquiring and assigning resources
• recognize tools for identifying and collaborating with stakeholders
• identify approaches and techniques to engage stakeholders
• recognize agile considerations for engaging stakeholders
• identify the steps to creating the project charter and conducting a kickoff meeting
• recognize the considerations a project manager can make to support and facilitate virtual teams
• identify ways that resource needs can be estimated
• Knowledge Check: Reviewing Your Knowledge of Building and Training Project Teams

You may be the project manager, but no project is an island. It requires teamwork, and project management means taking the proper actions to ensure the team works effectively to address the project characteristics and needs.

In this course, you'll explore best practices for building a project team, including assessing the functional organization structure, resources management, and staffing plans. You'll also learn about tools like Responsibility Asset Matrices, RACI charts, multi-criteria decision analysis, and stakeholder analysis and how they are used to see the product vision to fruition. Finally, you'll look at how using political awareness, a project charter, and team ground rules will enable your team, including virtual team members, to work efficiently together.

Communicating and Engaging Teams and Stakeholders (2021 Update)

Communicating and Engaging Teams and Stakeholders (2021 Update)

• Communicating and Engaging Teams and Stakeholders (2021 Update)
• identify essential strategies for achieving stakeholder commitment in an Agile project
• recognize the role of stakeholders throughout the phases of the APM model
• identify characteristics of effective decision-making techniques for Agile projects
• recognize characteristics of a cohesive and effective Agile team
• identify considerations to make when scaling Agile teams
• identify strategies to improve team performance
• distinguish between common developmental mastery models in Agile
• recognize effective communication tools for information flow in an Agile environment
• recognize benefits of Agile games
• recognize attributes of a product vision box and an elevator test statement
• recognize characteristics of an Agile team's physical space
• Knowledge Check: Reviewing Your Communication and Engagement Skills

Agile projects are only successful when the project team is cohesive, productive, and engaged. As an Agile project manager, you must encourage active involvement to ensure your team has a clear understanding of project requirements and stakeholder expectations.

In this course, you'll learn about characteristics of effective stakeholder engagement when managing Agile projects. You'll explore important Agile project management tools and techniques, such as team development strategies, developmental mastery models, and shared product vision. You'll learn how effective communication and facilitation techniques like Agile games foster collaboration and cooperation in the Agile team. Finally, you'll recognize the benefits of collocated Agile teams when managing projects, including osmotic learning and communication. 

Communicating Effectively (2021 Update)

Communicating Effectively (2021 Update)

• discover the key concepts covered in this course
• identify guidelines for planning an appropriate approach to project communications management
• identify the types of information that will help you when performing a communication requirements analysis
• calculate the potential number of communication channels for a project, given the number of stakeholders involved
• identify elements of communication models
• recognize the factors to consider when planning communication technologies
• identify the tools and techniques to manage project communications
• distinguish between the tools and techniques you can use to monitor project communications
• Knowledge Check: Assessing Your Effective Communication Skills

Project management success entails effective project communications management. Whether with team members or other stakeholders, PMs must monitor the flow of information following a detailed communications management plan, and overcoming communication barriers as they arise.

In this course, you will learn about communication methods, models, channels, and technologies that facilitate effective and efficient communication management. These include push and pull communication, the sender-receiver model, and other information management systems. Finally, you'll explore how to mold a communication requirements analysis. 

Deep Dive into Project Costs and Estimates (2021 Update)

Deep Dive into Project Costs and Estimates (2021 Update)

• discover the key concepts covered in this course
• recognize the decomposition of work in traditional projects
• list the traditional tools and techniques for estimating costs
• recognize the process of three-point estimating
• recognize the traditional approach to refining cost estimates
• define the traditional approach to monitoring cost performance
• identify the traditional approach to budget forecasting
• identify the agile tools and techniques for estimating costs
• identify the agile tools and techniques for estimating costs
• Knowledge Check: Reviewing Your Project Management Knowledge

Project management means being in charge of the purse strings, and that means being responsible for budgeting. In order to budget effectively, project managers need to understand the ins and outs of costs and estimates, fulfilling project requirements.

In this course, you'll explore the planning and management of the project budget from traditional and Agile project management perspectives. You'll learn about the project lifecycles and how to use predictive tools to make plan-driven, solid estimates to control costs and keep the project in scope. 

Deep Dive into Project Procurement (2021 Update)

Deep Dive into Project Procurement (2021 Update)

• discover the key concepts covered in this course
• identify the process of performing a make-or-buy analysis
• recognize the different types of contracts and procurement considerations that must be made
• identify variations of fixed price contracts
• identify variations of cost-reimbursable contracts
• identify the characteristics of each contract type
• recognize the process of selecting a vendor
• recognize the process of signing a contract and evaluating vendor performance
• identify procurement documents and deliverables
• recognize how the characteristics of procurement are different when using an agile approach
• Knowledge Check: Assessing Your Project Procurement Skills

Whether products or services, procurement is a major part of project and project risk management. Recognizing risks, threats, and opportunities is crucial when making decisions around vendors and vendor contracts.

In this course, you'll explore tools and process around project procurement, including SWOT and make-or-buy analysis, and quantitative and qualitative risk analysis. You'll learn about common contract types, vendor selection, and managing vendor performance. Finally, you'll also learn about understanding the use of risk registers, risk reports and audits, and risk response and ownership in relation to procurement. 

Deep Dive into Project Quality (2021 Update)

Deep Dive into Project Quality (2021 Update)

• discover the key concepts covered in this course
• recognize the international standards for quality
• recognize the traditional approach to requirements gathering
• identify key quality terminology
• recognize the cost of quality
• identify quality metrics and tools
• recognize the relationship between quality and change control
• recognize the agile approach to quality
• recognize how Sprint Reviews are used to assess quality
• Knowledge Check: Reviewing Your Project Quality Knowledge

No matter how well planned, scoped, and budgeted, a poor quality result means poor project management. Project quality is paramount.

In this course, you'll explore the factors that help determine project quality and how it is achieved. You'll learn about acceptance criteria, quality audits, and quality assurance, and how they are used to ensure projects are completed successfully. Finally, you'll learn how to use accuracy, grading, gold plating and the definition of done to bring a quality project to the finish line. 

Deep Dive into Project Risk (2021 Update)

Deep Dive into Project Risk (2021 Update)

• discover the key concepts covered in this course
• identify commonly used risk management terminology
• recognize the tools and techniques that can be utilized for risk identification
• identify the characteristics of the risk register and risk report
• recognize the process of performing qualitative risk analysis
• recognize the process of performing quantitative risk analysis
• recognize the purpose of expected monetary value in making risk management decisions
• identify the process of planning and implementing risk responses
• recognize how risk audits and reassessments are used to monitor project risks
• recognize how project risks are managed in Agile projects
• Knowledge Check: Reviewing Your Understanding of Project Risk

Managing risk is a significant part of the project manager's job. It involves planning for threats and opportunities, both known and unknown, and preparing a risk response that will keep the project on track.

In this course, you'll explore the planning and management of project risk from both traditional and Agile project management perspectives. You'll learn about tools like risk and sensitivity analysis, SWOT analysis, and expected monetary value (EMV), and the role of the risk owner. You'll also learn how risk audits and tolerance can help to avoid, share, and mitigate threats to you project. 

Deep Dive into the Project Schedule (2021 Update)

Deep Dive into the Project Schedule (2021 Update)

• discover the key concepts covered in this course
• identify the activities and milestones in a project
• recognize the relationships and dependencies between activities
• recognize the process for creating a schedule network diagram
• list the steps to identify a critical path
• identify and calculate float in the project schedule
• recognize the schedule tools and deliverables related to traditional projects
• recognize how Agile takes an adaptive approach to planning the schedule
• identify the timebox approach to scheduling within the Scrum framework
• Knowledge Check: Reviewing Your Project Schedule Knowledge

Project management, in part, means time management. Your project characteristics, scope, and available resources will all play a role in defining the schedule activities and milestones, but it's up to you to create and maintain the schedule for efficient progress.

In this course, you'll explore the planning and management of the project schedule from traditional and Agile project management perspectives. You'll learn about creating a schedule management plan, the use of Gantt charts, product roadmapping, and forward and backward passing. You'll also learn about Agile-specific processes like Scrum, product backlog, and sprint planning. 

Deep Dive into the Project Scope (2021 Update)

Deep Dive into the Project Scope (2021 Update)

• discover the key concepts covered in this course
• recognize the importance of a shared product vision
• identify the traditional approach to requirements gathering
• recognize characteristics of traditional scope planning
• recognize characteristics of a traditional scope baseline
• identify how the Agile approach promotes an evolving scope
• define the minimum viable product
• identify the Agile approach to prioritizing requirements
• recognize how the product scope evolves in Agile projects
• identify how to formalize acceptance of the project deliverables
• Knowledge Check: Reviewing Your Project Management Knowledge

Keeping your project focused, on time, and on budget means keeping a close eye on project scope. Project management requires understanding project requirements and the project lifecycle.

In this course, you'll learn about planning and management of the project scope from traditional and Agile project management perspectives. You'll explore how the product scope, vision, and minimum viable product (MVP) play into the planning process. Finally, you'll learn different methods and tools for scope planning. 

Defining and Identifying Project Risk (2021 Update)

Defining and Identifying Project Risk (2021 Update)

• discover the key concepts covered in this course
• define what is meant by project risk
• recognize examples of project risk
• identify three factors about a risk you need to determine in order to reduce uncertainty
• identify the tools and techniques used for planning risk management
• distinguish between the three risk ratings in an ordinal scale
• identify activities that should be part of a document analysis to identify project risks
• identify guidelines for conducting a brainstorming session to identify project risks
• recognize when interviewing is a good method for gathering risk information
• match types of causes of project risk with examples
• categorize items that would be used to perform a SWOT analysis
• identify the questions that would be asked during an assumption and constraint analysis
• identify two documents you may gather information from when using checklists to identify risks
• Knowledge Check: Reviewing Your Project Risk Analysis Skills

Managing risks means preparing ahead of time for all the things that could happen, good or bad. If you're responsible for project management, it's necessary to identify risks so that you can make a plan to deal with them. Project risk management improves the chance of project success enormously.

In this course, you'll explore risk identification, including its attendant threats and opportunities and its probability and impact. You'll learn about establishing a risk threshold and risk tolerance based upon project assumptions and constraints. You'll also learn the value of root cause analysis and SWOT analysis when defining your project's risk appetite.

Delivering Project Benefits and Value (2021 Update)

Delivering Project Benefits and Value (2021 Update)

• discover the key concepts covered in this course
• identify and estimate tangible and intangible project benefits
• identify various techniques for calculating tangible benefits and value
• recognize how value is tracked in traditional projects
• recognize how value is delivered more quickly in Agile projects
• identify Agile techniques for value delivery
• identify metrics that can be used to assess value in Agile projects
• recognize the importance of a shared product vision and stakeholder consensus
• recognize the characteristics of value-based management and value drivers
• recognize the characteristics of performance-based earned value management
• Knowledge Check: Assessing Your Knowledge of Project Benefits and Value

The point of any given project is the benefit, the value, it provides. Project management requires continually keeping the payoff in mind. Whether that is increased revenue, efficiency, effectiveness, or more intangible benefits, value delivery is at the heart of any project.

In this course, you'll explore the delivery of project benefits and value, and how project success means more than providing tangible value. You'll learn about the concepts of intangible value, including engaging stakeholders, and ensuring the project deliverable is perceived to be valuable and useful. You'll also learn techniques for prioritizing requirements, gathering feedback, reducing inefficiency and waste, and increasing throughput. Finally, you'll review the concepts of organizational value and value-based management. 

Delivering Project Quality (2021 Update)

Delivering Project Quality (2021 Update)

• discover the key concepts covered in this course
• recognize the characteristics of quality management
• recognize the characteristics of quality control
• recognize the relationship and distinction between quality management and quality control
• recognize activities that are part of the Lean methodology
• match Lean principles to their descriptions
• recognize key characteristics of the Six Sigma methodology
• recognize quality management practices that result in continuous improvement
• recognize characteristics of a Kanban pull system
• identify the types of information revealed by a value stream map
• identify key principles of the ISO 9000 quality standard
• Knowledge Check: Assessing Your Skills at Delivering Project Quality

In many ways, project management is quality management. To provide products or services that are of a consistently high quality, you’ll need a project management methodology that focuses on continuous process improvement initiatives and adherence to applicable industry standards.

In this course, you'll explore industry standards and process methodologies like Lean, Six Sigma, Kanban, ISO 9000, and the International Organization for Standardization. You'll also learn about using tools like value stream mapping and quality metric for project quality and process improvement.

Engaging Stakeholders (2021 Update)

Engaging Stakeholders (2021 Update)

• discover the key concepts covered in this course
• recognize examples of stakeholders
• distinguish between the tools and techniques you use for identifying stakeholders
• distinguish between types of information included in a stakeholder register
• determine appropriate strategies for engaging stakeholders
• identify methods to establish stakeholder relationships and expectations
• identify methods to collect feedback you can use for managing stakeholder engagement
• recognize the interpersonal and team skills you can use for managing stakeholder engagement
• recognize the tools and techniques you can use for monitoring stakeholder engagement
• recognize effective methods for managing stakeholder expectations
• Knowledge Check: Assessing Your Stakeholder Engagement Skills

Successful project management requires strong stakeholder management skills. Stakeholder engagement requires you to identify stakeholders and establish the levels of engagement necessary for each.

In this course, you'll explore the communication methods and management and interpersonal skills necessary to meet and manage stakeholder expectations and needs. You'll learn about performing stakeholder analysis and using power-interest grids to complete a stakeholder engagement assessment matrix to provide insight into who needs to be communicated with in which circumstances.

Engaging Team Members and Stakeholders (2021 Update)

Engaging Team Members and Stakeholders (2021 Update)

• discover the key concepts covered in this course
• identify techniques for effective decision-making
• recognize the sources of conflict and types of conflict resolution
• identify the categories and behaviors of emotional intelligence
• identify tools and techniques for assessing team member skills and personality traits
• identify techniques for managing project and organizational change
• recognize the impact of team member skill sets on work in progress
• identify characteristics of Agile teams
• recognize characteristics of Agile team work spaces and tools
• Knowledge Check: Reviewing Your Team and Stakeholder Engagement Skills

Project management is more than just basic decision-making and scheduling. It's leadership. It's coaching, training, cross-training, and motivating. It requires both self-awareness and self-regulation, employing your emotional intelligence, or EQ, skills to keep a diverse team of professionals engaged and working effectively together.

In this course, you'll learn about tools and techniques that project managers can use to engage team members and stakeholders, including effective decision-making and conflict management and resolution. You'll also explore how your social skills and empathy can be employed to keep you team motivated and on point.

Establishing Quality Standards (2021 Update)

Establishing Quality Standards (2021 Update)

• discover the key concepts covered in this course
• recognize aspects of managing project quality
• match quality management concepts with examples
• recognize the tools and techniques you can use to plan project quality management
• categorize examples of costs of quality
• describe how to perform a cost-benefit analysis
• identify elements to include in a quality management plan
• recognize examples of activities that are conducted in an effective quality audit
• sequence the steps of a root cause analysis
• recognize the tools and techniques you can use to control quality
• sequence the steps in creating a Pareto diagram
• use a control chart to determine when a process is out of control
• Knowledge Check: Applying Your Skills at Establishing Quality Standards

For project managers, ensuring project quality meets customer expectations is paramount. Close attention to grade, precision, and accuracy enhance your effectiveness in quality management and help you plan and monitor quality standards at every stage of the project to ensure customer satisfaction.

In this course, you'll explore tools and techniques for managing quality, like cost-benefit and root cause analysis, Pareto analysis, and the 80/20 rule. You'll also learn about using visual tools like scatter diagrams, control charts, and histograms to convey quality information and help discover the factors that threaten it.

Estimating Agile Project Work (2021 Update)

Estimating Agile Project Work (2021 Update)

• discover the key concepts covered in this course
• recognize Agile estimating techniques
• identify considerations to keep in mind when estimating team velocity
• identify the key activities that take place in the iteration planning meeting
• identify the benefits of setting WIP limits
• distinguish between different types of scheduling buffers
• sequence the steps of the Square Root of the Sum of the Squares method for calculating project buffer
• identify the steps of the backlog grooming process
• recognize examples of waste
• identify characteristics of the Kanban Pull system
• identify features of Kanban boards
• identify characteristics of lead time and cycle time
• recognize the formula for calculating process cycle efficiency (PCE) and the relationship between the formula variables
• recognize how the Little's Law formula is applied
• Knowledge Check: Reviewing Your Agile Project Work Estimation Skills

Properly estimating activities and effective time and resource management are critical when planning projects.

In this course, you'll explore common Agile estimation techniques used when managing projects, like story points and ideal days, identifying any adjustments that need to be made, and completing your release plan. You'll explore setting work in progress limits and implementing project buffers. This course also covers recommended project time management processes for monitoring and tracking progress at both the iteration and project levels. Finally, you'll learn about key Agile exam concepts such as muda or waste, the Kanban system, work in progress, Little's Law, and process cycle efficiency. 

Exploring Project Management, Then and Now (2021 Update)

Exploring Project Management, Then and Now (2021 Update)

• discover the key concepts covered in this course
• describe the history of project management
• recognize the evolution of the project manager role
• distinguish between the traditional and agile project life cycles
• recognize characteristics of traditional and agile approaches
• identify the characteristics of an agile approach
• recognize examples of hybrid project management approaches
• identify the triple constraints and how they interact in different project approaches
• recognize the structure of the PMP exam
• recognize characteristics of the PMP exam domains, tasks, and enablers
• Knowledge Check: Reviewing Your Project Management Knowledge

The history of business is the history of project management. Just as our ideas of how to conduct business continue to evolve, so do our conception of the project manager's role, the characteristics of a project, and the project life cycle itself. Traditional project management had its time and place, but today's landscape calls for innovation and adaptive leadership.

In this course, you'll explore how project management approaches have evolved to address changing project environments. You'll learn about the transition from purely empirical, waterfall models of PM to more adaptive, hybrid, and agile project management techniques. 

Implementing a Procurement Strategy (2021 Update)

Implementing a Procurement Strategy (2021 Update)

• discover the key concepts covered in this course
• label individuals in a scenario as either buyer or seller
• determine whether a given contract term will reduce the risk for the buyer or for the seller
• identify types of fixed-price contracts
• classify agreements as either cost-reimbursable or time-and-materials contracts
• identify the tools and techniques used to plan procurement management
• recognize activities in a make-or-buy analysis
• perform a make-or-buy analysis and determine the breakeven point
• recognize examples of documents used in solicitation and procurement activities with prospective vendors
• match tools and techniques for conducting procurements with the most appropriate activities
• distinguish between tools and techniques for controlling procurements
• Knowledge Check: Assessing Your Procurement Strategy Implementation Skills

Project management includes planning the procurement process to obtain the materials, products, and services required for your project. This means having a procurement management process in place to identify suitable vendors, evaluate proposals, manage relationships with sellers, monitor procurement activities, and make changes and corrections when necessary.

In this course, you'll explore methods and strategies to plan, conduct, and control the procurement process, from bidding and estimates to statements of work (SOW) to records management. You'll learn about contracts, procurement management tools and techniques, and make-or-buy analysis. 

Integrating Project Activities and Changes (2021 Update)

Integrating Project Activities and Changes (2021 Update)

• discover the key concepts covered in this course
• identify the role of project integration management in a project
• recognize the relationship between the project charter and the project management plan
• recognize the types of information that should be included in a project management plan
• identify the tools and techniques used to direct and manage project work
• recognize monitoring and controlling activities
• identify the tools and techniques used to monitor and control project work
• recognize the principles associated with updating project baselines
• identify key principles of how to control change during a project
• recognize configuration management activities
• determine the outcome of a change control process, given an example
• recognize how tools and techniques are used to close a project or project phase
• Knowledge Check: Assessing Your Project Activity and Change Integration Skills

Successful project management requires a high degree of coordination, and integration management skills are required to enable a project team to handle change requests and keep projects on course from initiation and planning to successful project closure.

In this course, you'll explore techniques and strategies for the integration and coordination of all project activities and changes, including change control and configuration management. You learn about the project charter and project management plan, and techniques for directing, managing, monitoring, and controlling project work. And you'll learn about version control using change logs and control boards, and how to use work performance data to maintain a schedule baseline and bring your project in on time, even as changes inevitably occur.

Leading the Team (2021 Update)

Leading the Team (2021 Update)

• discover the key concepts covered in this course
• identify best practices in team building and engagement
• recognize the stages of personal and team development
• identify theories for personal and team motivation
• identify tools for identifying and collaborating with stakeholders
• recognize characteristics of servant leadership
• recognize the communication needs of stakeholders
• identify tools and techniques for effective communication
• recognize the impact of team size on the number of communication channels
• recognize the benefits of managing by objective and providing specific feedback
• Knowledge Check: Reviewing Your Team Leadership Skills

A project manager is only as good as the project team they lead. Team development isn't simply a matter of telling others what to do and when to do it, but rather requires the team building, interpersonal skills, and communication models of agile leadership.

In this course, you'll learn about best practices for leading a team, including the importance of diversity and inclusion, and team motivational theories like Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, among others. You'll also explore the stages of team development, theories like servant leadership, and the barriers to communication, along with the communication methods and channels you can use to overcome them. 

Maintaining Project Artifacts and Knowledge (2021 Update)

Maintaining Project Artifacts and Knowledge (2021 Update)

• discover the key concepts covered in this course
• identify characteristics of lessons learned
• distinguish between different types of knowledge
• sequence the steps for conducting lessons learned
• identify sources of lessons learned
• recognize best practices for conducting a lessons learned meeting
• select tools and methods for analyzing lessons learned information
• recognize effective lessons learned implementation activities
• recognize elements that should be included in a lessons learned register
• recognize how best practices and benchmarking support continuous improvement
• Knowledge Check: Applying Your Skills at Maintaining Project Artifacts & Knowledge

To help an organization grow and experience superior performance, it's necessary for project managers to learn from past experiences. Preserving lessons learned can then be incorporated when managing projects in the future, resulting in fewer mistakes, lower costs, more accurate estimates, and many other project efficiencies.

In this course, you'll explore the project manager's role in maintaining project artifacts and project knowledge, and how they bolster overall organizational knowledge and foster continuous improvement. 

Managing Project Risks (2021 Update)

Managing Project Risks (2021 Update)

• discover the key concepts covered in this course
• recognize examples of common risk responses
• identify strategies for responding to negative risks
• identify strategies for responding to positive risks
• recognize examples of using contingent response strategy
• recognize examples of risk audit outcomes
• distinguish between technical performance analysis and reserve analysis measurement criteria
• recognize appropriate risk response strategies
• Knowledge Check: Applying Your Project Risk Management Skills

All projects face risks. Effective project risk management can be the difference between success or failure for a project manager. The ability to monitor risk and create strategies to implement risk responses is key to effective project management.

In this course, you learn about the role of risk owner, and how to run risk audits and risk reassessments. You'll explore variance and trend analysis, technical performance measurement, reserve analysis, and responses to negative and positive risks. Finally, you'll learn how to assess risk triggers and secondary risks.

Managing the Project Resources (2021 Update)

Managing the Project Resources (2021 Update)

• discover the key concepts covered in this course
• recognize the role of the project manager in project resource management activities
• identify the tools and techniques for planning resources
• recognize the components of a RACI chart
• identify the purpose of estimating activity resources
• identify the tools and techniques you use for estimating activity resources
• recognize the principles of using the bottom-up estimating technique
• identify a resource breakdown structure, given a scenario
• recognize effective techniques for controlling resources
• Knowledge Check: Reviewing Your Project Resource Management Skills

Project managers must play close attention to resource management. They must assess the project's needs, in terms of both materials and staffing, create organizational charts and position descriptions, and acquire all of the necessary resources. Further, managing human resources also requires interpersonal skills to build and manage teams.

In this course, you'll learn about planning, estimating, acquisition, and coordination of project resources. You'll also explore meeting training and development needs, setting ground rules, and strategies for mixing virtual and collocated team members. Finally, you'll learn how to apply personnel and team performance assessments and conflict management skills. 

Managing the Project Schedule (2021 Update)

Managing the Project Schedule (2021 Update)

• discover the key concepts covered in this course
• recognize tools and techniques used to control the schedule
• perform earned value management calculations to assess a project’s schedule performance
• recognize if resource leveling is the ideal resource optimization technique, given a scenario
• recognize if resource smoothing is the ideal resource optimization technique, given a scenario
• recognize if crashing is the most appropriate schedule compression technique, given a scenario
• recognize if fast tracking is the most appropriate schedule compression technique, given a scenario
• Knowledge Check: Reviewing Your Project Schedule Management Skills

Successfully managing projects requires monitoring activities to discover and correct any project schedule variance, evaluating the effective schedule changes on all project activities, and making adjustments as required to minimize risk to your project schedule.

In this course, you'll learn about scheduling tools and techniques for creating project calendars and controlling the project schedule. You'll explore concepts like earned value management (EVM) and schedule performance index (SPI) that will aid you in resource smoothing and leveling and managing schedules more efficiently and effectively.

Managing the Project Scope (2021 Update)

Managing the Project Scope (2021 Update)

• discover the key concepts covered in this course
• define the term project scope
• identify the tools and techniques you use to collect project requirements
• recognize examples of good project requirements
• recognize the tools and techniques you use to define project scope
• distinguish between the components to include in a project scope statement
• describe ways in which a work breakdown structure can be useful when planning and managing a project
• recognize how to organize the layers of a work breakdown structure
• recognize decomposition activities
• recognize best practices for decomposing project deliverables
• identify characteristics of verified deliverables in a WBS
• identify the key activity for finalizing a WBS
• recognize the role of the WBS dictionary in a project's scope baseline
• recognize key activities performed while validating the scope
• distinguish between Validating the Scope and Controlling Quality
• identify the purpose of controlling the scope
• recognize activities in the variance analysis technique
• Knowledge Check: Reviewing Your Project Scope Management Skills

Efficient project management means planning carefully and controlling the project scope. Scope management requires creating the work breakdown structure (WBS), establishing baseline requirements, and validating and controlling the scope management plan.

In this course, you'll explore project scope management, including working with focus groups and facilitating workshops and group creativity sessions to gather project requirements and document them. You'll also learn about using tools like WBS dictionaries, project scope statements, and variance analysis to help avoid scope creep and keep your project on track and on schedule.

Performing a Critical Path Analysis (2021 Update)

Performing a Critical Path Analysis (2021 Update)

• discover the key concepts covered in this course
• identify the elements of a typical project schedule
• identify tools and techniques used to develop the schedule
• recognize characteristics of the critical path method
• determine start and finish dates for activities in a given network diagram
• identify techniques used to shorten overall schedule duration
• perform a forward pass using the critical path method
• perform a backward pass using the critical path method
• identify the total float of each noncritical path
• identify the free float of each activity on a noncritical path
• identify the critical path and its characteristics
• recognize how to create a schedule network diagram from a table
• Knowledge Check: Assessing Your Critical Path Analysis Skills

Successful project management involves effective plan schedule management. Performing a critical path analysis is a proven way to create a strong, workable project schedule.

In this course, you'll learn about the critical path method and the use of project schedule network diagrams. You'll explore aspects of planning like total and free float, leads, lags, and forward and backward passes. Finally, you'll learn to properly sequence activities for maximum efficiency and success. 

Performing Risk Analysis (2021 Update)

Performing Risk Analysis (2021 Update)

• discover the key concepts covered in this course
• identify the tools and techniques you can use when performing qualitative risk analysis
• prioritize risks based on given probability and impact ratings
• recognize examples of information you should gather about risks during an interview
• identify the four common types of continuous distribution
• identify the purpose of sensitivity analysis
• calculate the expected monetary value of a risk
• describe how to interpret a cost risk simulation graph
• identify the sections of the risk report you typically update as a result of performing quantitative risk analysis
• Knowledge Check: Reviewing Your Risk Analysis Skills

Project risk management is a key responsibility of the project manager. It requires qualitative and quantitative risk analysis in order to assess risk probability and impact in order to prepare for and mitigate against factors that can derail the project.

In this course, you'll explore using tools like a probability and impact matrix, risk categorization, and risk urgency assessments to define potential risks. You'll also learn about data gathering and representation techniques for risk modeling, including decision trees, tornado diagrams, and expected monetary value (EMV).

Planning and Managing Project Compliance (2021 Update)

Planning and Managing Project Compliance (2021 Update)

• discover the key concepts covered in this course
• identify compliance requirements for a project
• identify the categories of compliance
• recognize potential threats to compliance
• identify performance metrics to support project compliance
• identify techniques for assessing project compliance and variance
• identify the consequences of noncompliance when managing a project
• recognize tools and technology that can be used to ensure compliance
• identify project ethics and the value of individual contribution and diverse teams
• Knowledge Check: Reviewing Your Project Compliance Planning and Management Knowledge

No project is an island. Project managers must know, understand, and reckon with the environment in which their project lives, and they must comply with it. Be it regulatory compliance, workplace safety issues, or corporate social responsibility considerations, all projects require compliance governance.

In this course, you'll explore planning and managing project compliance, including identifying compliance requirements, establishing performance metrics, assessing compliance, and taking action to correct noncompliance. You'll also learn about aspirational goals to exceed compliance standards, including project ethics, team diversity, and values. 

Planning and Managing the Project Budget (2021 Update)

Planning and Managing the Project Budget (2021 Update)

• discover the key concepts covered in this course
• distinguish between the tools and techniques you can use to estimate project costs
• describe how to use the bottom-up estimating technique to estimate project costs
• recognize the tools and techniques you can use to determine your project budget
• recognize the tools and techniques you can use to control project costs
• match earned value management values with their formulas
• recognize the situations in which different estimate at completion (EAC) formulas are used
• calculate the to-complete performance index (TCPI) for a project given earned value management (EVM) figures
• calculate the planned value and earned value, given the budget, percent of time passed, and percent of work completed
• calculate the schedule variance and schedule performance index, given the earned value and planned value
• calculate the cost variance and cost performance index, given the earned value and actual costs
• determine project performance, given a set of raw data points
• utilize work performance data to determine project performance
• determine the estimate at completion, using the formulas for scenarios 1 and 2
• recognize how the choice of EAC formula depends on the project situation
• Knowledge Check: Assessing Your Project Planning and Management Skills

Project management requires some financial savvy. Project cost management involves cost estimates, vendor bid analysis, and determining realistic budgets and then keeping them on track. While terms like cost aggregation and baseline, reserve analysis, and earned value management (EVM) are initially daunting, with some background and work, these tasks and tools can be understood and mastered.

In this course, you'll learn to the basics of creating budgets and estimating and controlling costs. You'll explore cost forecasts, estimating using methods like estimate to complete (ETC), estimate at completion (EAC), cost performance index, and bottom-up and analogous estimating. 

Planning the Project Schedule (2021 Update)

Planning the Project Schedule (2021 Update)

• discover the key concepts covered in this course
• identify components of the schedule management plan
• identify the tools and techniques for defining project activities
• choose the appropriate technique to define activities for a given project
• recognize the roles that the activity list and activity attributes play in project management
• recognize the roles that the milestone list plays in managing a project
• recognize the nature of dependencies between project activities
• match types of precedence relationships with their descriptions
• identify tools and techniques for estimating activity durations
• recognize the parametric estimating formula
• recognize the three-point estimating types
• Knowledge Check: Assessing Your Project Schedule Planning Skills

Part of project management is creating and keeping to a schedule. PMs must list, define, and sequence a project activity list, including activity attributes and product milestones, and they must take into consideration lead and lag time. It can be a lot to keep track of.

In this course, you'll explore methods for creating workable project schedules using tools like a work breakdown structure (WBS) and methods like precedence diagramming, network diagrams, and analogous estimating. You'll also explore parametric and three-point estimating and tools for defining activities. 

Prioritizing and Delivering Value (2021 Update)

Prioritizing and Delivering Value (2021 Update)

• discover the key concepts covered in this course
• distinguish between the key tasks of release planning and iteration planning
• identify best practices for creating personas as part of requirements definition
• identify wireframing best practices for formatting user stories
• identify benefits of story mapping
• distinguish between the different customer-valued prioritization methods
• identify the four MoSCoW model categories
• distinguish between characteristics of the Kano model and priority matrices
• distinguish between tracking tools for the iteration level and the project level
• identify the required parameters for EVM
• recognize common review and feedback methods for Agile projects
• identify common risk management strategies for Agile projects
• recognize characteristics of Agile testing
• Knowledge Check: Applying Your Value Prioritization & Delivery Skills

Properly estimating and prioritizing project requirements is critical when planning projects. When managing Agile projects, you need to be able to map out the work necessary for your product release.

In this course, you'll learn about vital Agile planning activities including creating personas and wireframing. You'll explore value-based prioritization methods, and you'll learn about tools and techniques like the MoSCow model, Kano model, 5 Whys, fishbone diagrams, story mapping, and value stream mapping. You'll also learn about key risk management and product quality, testing, and integration strategies you can use when managing Agile projects to help ensure you are creating and maintaining their intended value as they progress. 

Selecting a Project Management Approach (2021 Update)

Selecting a Project Management Approach (2021 Update)

• discover the key concepts covered in this course
• recognize characteristics of projects
• recognize responsibilities of effective project managers
• distinguish between the three types of project management competencies
• recognize characteristics of portfolios and programs
• recognize organizational stakeholder roles
• identify aspects of organizational culture that will influence a project
• recognize examples of enterprise environmental factors and organizational process assets
• recognize organizational structure types
• recognize characteristics of the Agile methodology
• recognize the characteristics of the project life cycle
• recognize characteristics of the relationship between the product and project life cycles
• identify characteristics of project phases
• Knowledge Check: Reviewing Your Project Management Approach Skills

For those responsible for managing projects, understanding the project basics is essential. Project management is affected at every stage by the organization, the social environment, the project stakeholders, and many other aspects of the context in which the project is carried out.

In this course, you will learn about project characteristics, including key terms and concepts and the project manager's role. You will also explore PM competencies, product and project life cycles, enterprise environmental factors, and organizational process assets that can influence project outcomes.

Supporting Agile Team Performance (2021 Update)

Supporting Agile Team Performance (2021 Update)

• discover the key concepts covered in this course
• identify the Agile values and principles that guide Agile project work
• recognize the value of user stories and personas in defining product requirements
• identify the five levels of planning and how the scope evolves
• identify the series of events and activities that make up the Scrum framework
• identify the roles and responsibilities of the Scrum Team
• recognize the activities that take place during the Sprint Planning meeting
• recognize the activities that take place during the Daily Scrum meeting
• recognize the activities that take place during the Sprint Review meeting
• recognize the activities that take place during the Sprint Retrospective meeting
• Knowledge Check: Assessing Your Agile Team Performance Support Skills

Project managers are leaders and as such, they are responsible for their team's performance. As Agile leaders, they must create Agile teams.

In this course, you'll learn about Agile principles and Scrum frameworks, and the various events and tools that support team performance, like Sprints and Sprint Planning, the Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, and a Sprint Retrospective. You'll also explore concepts such as adaptive planning, product vision, product roadmaps, storymaps, and backlog refinement, as well as information radiators, iteration, and task boards. 

TestPrep: Project Management Professional (PMP) 2021 Update Aligned

Understanding Agile Fundamentals (2021 Update)

Understanding Agile Fundamentals (2021 Update)

• discover the key concepts covered in this course
• identify characteristics of the Agile method
• distinguish between primary and secondary Agile values
• identify the five phases of the Agile project management model
• identify some of the methodologies that can be used for Agile project management
• recognize the four Scrum inspect and adapt events
• identify the five ADAPT steps required to transition to Agile
• identify the recommended components of a business case
• recognize the elements of a project charter
• identify the contract types suitable for Agile projects
• identify helpful types of documentation for Agile projects
• Knowledge Check: Reviewing Your Agile Fundamentals Knowledge

Project leadership is Agile leadership. Agile projects use short work iterations and incremental development of products that focus on business priorities and customer value.

In this course, you'll learn about fundamental Agile concepts that are essential to managing projects, including the Agile values and Agile principles. This course also covers the phases of the Agile project management model, and introduces you to the most common Agile methodologies and frameworks. Finally, this course introduces key activities for managing Agile projects, including creating a product vision and project charter, and the best contract and documentation types.