CompTIA Project+ Cert Guide

Robin M. Abernathy has been working in the IT certification preparation industry at Kaplan IT Training, the owners of the Transcender brand, for more than 15 years. She has written and edited certification preparation materials for many (ISC)2, Microsoft, CompTIA, PMI, Cisco, EC-Council, and ITIL certifications and holds multiple IT certifications from these vendors. Robin provides training on computer hardware and software, networking, security, and project management. She has served as technical editor for several publications and coauthored Pearson’s CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP) CAS-002 Cert Guide and CISSP Cert Guide, Second Edition. She also gives presentations at technical conferences and hosts webinars on IT certification topics.

Introduction xxi

Part I: Project Basics

Chapter 1 Project Properties and Phases 3

“Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 3

Foundation Topics 7

    Definition of a Project 7

    Temporary 8

    Start and Finish 8

    Unique 8

    Reason/Purpose 9

Project as Part of a Program 9

Project as Part of a Portfolio 9

Project Phases 10

    Initiating Phase 11

        Project Charter 11

        Business Case 12

        High-Level Scope Definition 12

        High-Level Risks 12

        Stakeholder Register 12

    Planning Phase 12

        Schedule 13

        Scope Management Plan 13

        Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) 14

        Scope Baseline and Scope Statement 14

        Resources 14

        Detailed Risks 14

        Requirements and the Requirements Management Plan 14

        Communication Plan 15

        Stakeholder Management Plan 15

        Procurement Management Plan 15

        Change Management Plan 15

        Budget 15

    Executing Phase 16

    Monitoring and Controlling Phase 16

        Issues Log 16

        Performance Measuring and Reporting 17

        Quality Assurance/Governance 17

        Change Control 17

        Budget 18

    Closing Phase 18

        Transition/Integration Plan 18

        Project Sign-Off 18

        Archiving Project Documents 19

        Lessons Learned 19

        Releasing Resources 19

        Closing Contracts 19

Project Knowledge Areas 19

    Project Integration 20

    Scope Management 20

    Time Management 20

    Cost Management 21

    Quality Management 21

    Human Resource Management 21

    Communication Management 21

    Risk Management 22

    Procurement Management 22

    Stakeholder Management 22

Exam Preparation Tasks 23

Chapter 2 Project Roles, Responsibilities, and Team Structures 29

“Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 29

Foundation Topics 33

Project Roles and Responsibilities 33

    Project Sponsor 33

    Project Manager 33

    Project Coordinator 34

    Stakeholder 34

    Scheduler 35

    Project Team 35

    Project Management Office (PMO) 36

Project Team Structures 36

    Functional Team Structure 37

    Matrix Team Structure 38

    Projectized Team Structure 40

Exam Preparation Tasks 41

Chapter 3 Project Cost Control 47

“Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 47

Foundation Topics 50

Cost Baseline 50

Total Project Cost 50

Expenditure Tracking and Reporting 50

Cost Control Calculations 51

    Earned Value Management (EVM) 52

    Forecasting 54

    To-Complete Performance Index (TCPI) 56

    Reserve Analysis 57

    Change Requests 57

Exam Preparation Tasks 58

Chapter 4 Project Schedules 63

“Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 63

Foundation Topics 67

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) 67

Scheduling Activities 70

    Determine Tasks 70

    Determine Milestones 71

    Determine Task Durations and Start/Finish Dates 71

    Set Predecessors and Dependencies 71

    Sequence and Prioritize Tasks 72

    Determine Critical Path 72

    Allocate Resources 76

    Set Baseline 77

    Set Quality Gates 77

    Set Governance Gates 78

Exam Preparation Tasks 78

Chapter 5 Personnel and Physical Resource Management 85

“Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 85

Foundation Topics 89

Personnel Management 89

    Team Building and Trust Building 89

    Team Selection and Skill Sets 90

    Remote Versus In-House 91

    Personnel Removal/Replacement 92

    Communication Issues 92

    Conflict Resolution 94

        Smoothing 94

        Forcing 94

        Compromising 95

        Confronting 95

        Avoiding 96

        Negotiating 97

Resource Management 98

    Shared Versus Dedicated Resources 98

    Resource Allocation 99

    Resource Shortage Versus Overallocation 100

    Low-Quality Resources 100

    Benched Resources 101

    Interproject Dependencies and Resource Contention 101

Exam Preparation Tasks 102

Chapter 6 Agile Methodology 107

“Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 107

Foundation Topics 111

Adaptive Planning 111

Iterative and Incremental Processes 111

Requirements Gathering and User Stories 112

Scrum Development 113

    Sprint Planning 114

    Daily Scrum Meetings 114

    Continuous Feedback 115

    Burndown Charts 115

    Scrum Retrospectives 119

    Self-Organized and Self-Directed Teams 120

Exam Preparation Tasks 120

Part II: Project Constraints, Infl uences, and Risks

Chapter 7 Project Constraints and Influences 125

“Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 125

Foundation Topics 129

Common Constraints 129

    Cost Constraint 130

    Scope Constraint 131

    Time and Scheduling Constraints 131

    Deliverables Constraint 132

    Quality Constraint 132

    Environment Constraint 133

    Resources Constraint 134

    Requirements Constraint 135

Project Influences 136

    Change Requests 136

    Scope Creep 137

    Constraint Reprioritization 138

    Interaction Between Constraints 139

    Stakeholder, Sponsor, and Management Influences 140

    Influence by Other Projects 140

Exam Preparation Tasks 141

Chapter 8 Risk Activities and Strategies 147

“Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 147

Foundation Topics 151

Risk Activities 151

    Risk Planning 151

    Risk Identification 152

    Risk Quantification and Prioritization 153

    Risk Response Planning 154

    Risk Review 155

    Risk Register 155

    Risk Communication 159

Risk Strategies 160

    Accept Risk 160

    Mitigate Risk 161

    Transfer Risk 161

    Avoid Risk 161

    Exploit Risk 162

    Enhance Risk 162

    Share Risk 162

Exam Preparation Tasks 162

Part III: Communication and Change Management

Chapter 9 Communication Methods and Influences 169

“Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 171

Foundation Topics 173

Communication Methods 173

    Meetings 173

        Kickoff Meetings 173

        Virtual Versus In-Person Meetings 174

        Scheduled Versus Impromptu Meetings 175

        Closure Meetings 175

    Email and Fax 176

    Video and Voice Conferencing 176

    Instant Messaging and Text Messaging 177

    Face-to-Face Communication 178

    Distribution of Printed Media 179

    Social Media 179

Communication Influences 180

    Language Barriers 180

    Time Zones and Geographical Factors 181

    Technological Factors 182

    Cultural Differences 183

    Interorganizational and Intraorganizational Differences 184

    Personal Preferences 184

    Building Rapport and Relationships 185

    Message Content and Criticality Factors 186

    Stakeholder Communication Requirements 186

        Communication Frequency 186

        Level of Report Detail 187

        Types of Communication 187

        Confidentiality Constraints 187

        Communication Style 188

Exam Preparation Tasks 188

Chapter 10 Communication Triggers and Target Audiences 195

“Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 195

Foundation Topics 199

Audits 199

Project Planning 200

Project Changes 201

    Schedule Changes 203

    Stakeholder Changes 204

    Resource Changes 204

    Budget Changes 205

Risk Register Updates 206

Milestones 206

Task Initiation/Completion 207

Gate Reviews 207

Incident Responses and Business Continuity Responses 208

Exam Preparation Tasks 209

Chapter 11 Change Control 215

“Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 215

Foundation Topics 219

Change Control Process 219

    Identify and Document the Change 220

    Evaluate Impact and Provide Justification 222

        Develop a Regression Plan 222

    Identify Approval Authority and Obtain Approval 222

    Implement Change 223

    Validate Change and Check Quality 223

    Update Documents 223

    Change Communication 224

Project Change Types 224

    Schedule Changes 225

    Budget Changes 227

    Risk Events 228

    Requirements Changes 229

    Quality Changes 229

    Resource Changes 230

    Scope Changes 231

    Communication Changes 231

    Stakeholder Changes 232

    Procurement Changes 232

    Emergency Changes 233

Organizational Changes 233

    Business Merger/Acquisition and Demerger/Split 234

    Business Process Change 235

    Internal Reorganization 235

    Relocation 236

    Outsourcing 236

Exam Preparation Tasks 237

Part IV: Project Tools and Documentation

Chapter 12 Project Management Tools 243

“Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 243

Foundation Topics 247

Project Scheduling Software 247

Charts and Diagrams 247

    Process Diagram 248

    Histogram 250

    Fishbone Diagram 251

    Pareto Chart 251

    Run Chart 252

    Scatter Chart 253

    Gantt Chart 256

Dashboards and Status Reports 257

Knowledge Management Tools 257

    Intranet and Internet Sites 258

    Wiki Pages 258

    Vendor Knowledge Bases 259

    Collaboration Tools 259

Performance Measurement Tools 260

    Key Performance Indicator (KPI)/Key Performance Parameter (KPP) 260

    Balanced Score Card (BSC) 262

SWOT Analysis 263

RACI Matrix 265

Exam Preparation Tasks 266

Chapter 13 Project Documentation 273

“Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 274

Foundation Topics 277

Project Charter 277

Project Management Plan 277

Issues Log 279

Organizational Chart 280

Scope Statement 281

Communication Plan 281

Project Schedule 281

Status Reports 282

Dashboard Information 282

Action Items 283

Meeting Agenda and Minutes 284

Exam Preparation Tasks 284

Chapter 14 Vendor Documentation 291

“Do I Know This Already?” Quiz 291

Foundation Topics 294

Request for Information (RFI) 294

Request for Proposal (RFP) 295

Request for Quote (RFQ) 296

Mutually Binding Documents 297

    Agreement/Contract 297

    Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) 299

    Cease-and-Desist Letter 300

    Letter of Intent (LOI) and Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) 300

    Statement of Work (SOW) 301

    Service-Level Agreement (SLA) 301

    Purchase Order (PO) 301

    Warranty 302

Exam Preparation Tasks 302

Part V: Getting Ready for the Exam

Chapter 15 Final Preparation 307

Take Advantage of the Tools in This Book 307

    Retake the “Do I Know This Already?” Quizzes 307

    Prepare for Vocabulary Differences on the Project+ Exam 307

    Work Through the “Exam Preparation Tasks” Sections 308

    Complete the Memory Tables Appendixes 309

    Review the Examples 309

Practice with Pearson Test Prep 309

Ready, Set, Test! 309

Appendix A  Answers to the “Do I Know This Already?” Quizzes and Review Questions 311

Glossary 331




Elements Available On the Book’s Website

Appendix B Memory Tables

Appendix C Memory Tables Answer Key

Glossary

 

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