Monday, September 1, 2014

Dear PM Advisor. Sep 1, 2014

Dear PM Advisor,

I’ve been taking practice PMP tests and struggle with ones where they ask me something is a tool or technique in one of the processes. Other than memorizing every single tool, technique, input and output in every process, how am I supposed to know these?

Feeling like a tool in San Diego.

Dear Tool,

And I mean that in the nicest sense of the word. There are a few tricks I’ve discovered to help you with this problem. The first one is, as you’ve suggested, memorizing every input, tool, technique and output in every process. I have a cheat sheet that you can memorize linked here. It will take a normal person about five hours to do so. If you are willing to spend the time on this, bring it with you in your mind and spend the first 10 minutes of your four hours transcribing this on the pieces of paper they give you when you take your test. Then, when you are faced with these questions, look them up and you know you got another question right.

For those who’d rather spend their time doing other things, here are some hints:
  • Tools or techniques = doing something
  • Inputs or outputs = something you can hold


About half the time, the question will ask which of the following is or is not a tool or an input or an output.

Eg: Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis

Inputs = Risk mgmt plan
Scope baseline
Risk Register
EEF, OPA

Outputs = Project Doc updates

Tools = Risk prob and impact assessment
Prob & Impact matrix
Risk data qual assessment
Risk categorization
Risk Urgency assess
Expert Judgment

Good luck,

PM Advisor


Send your questions to Bruce@RoundTablePM.com

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