Getting Ready to Apply for PMP - Need to valiadate credentials 2

[Clzeus10]

Hello All,

I found this great forum while searching for answers on Google about queries about correctly filling out the PMP application.

I just want to run my information by experienced professionals like you all so that I can be fairly certain that they won't reject my app - kind of paranoid of me, am trying to make sure I don't lose my $ 200 if they turn down my app.

I have an MBA degree and 6 years of experience as a Business Systems Analyst where I was involved with pretty much all software development projects from the concept to the delivery stage, and we used MS Project extensively to plan and track everything.

I have tallied my hours and so far I have narrowed down to 5 major projects in the past 4 years and they give me about 43 months with over 5000 hours.

About the contact hours course work - I took lot of courses on managment in Grad school on Finance, Marketing, International Marketing, Management etc. But only 1 course that dealt directly with Processes and it was called Operations and Process Management. (36 Hours of class work)

I have taken 1 more courese on using MS Project 2000 at a private learning institute, I also took 3 other courses were at learning tree - namely

Identifying User Requirements
Software Systems Analysis and Design
Relational Databases: Tools and Techniques

So from looking at these credentials do you guys think they meet PMI's requirements for both Experience and Education?

I also need some tips on how do I fill out the section that says "Your Role On Project" in the application in the miniscule space that the form provides. As the way I see it, that would have to delve in to some detail, what did you guys do?

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[thedaver]

I completed the education/experience section entirely with my MBA classes that had anything about management in them.

Remember that any training provided by your company relevant to using a project management system or other methdology matters also applies. You just need evidence of attendance.

D.E.R. Management - IT Project Management Consulting

http://www.dermanagement.com/

 

[Clzeus10]

Thanks thedaver for your response.

That clears my doubts about the contact hours education and I think I have more than enough of them.

Can you please advise me on how to fill out the "Your Role On Project" field, as I don't know how much detail to provide there.

I was thinking about simply listing my role for each project i.e. Project Manager, Requirements Analyst etc. But I suspect that may not be enough, should I be detailing some of the tasks that I performed in that role?

Thanks

 

[thedaver]

Don't remember, it's been a while. I don't think you need to concern yourself a great deal.

D.E.R. Management - IT Project Management Consulting

http://www.dermanagement.com/

 

[Clzeus10]

So you think just the title on the project will suffice for that field?

 

[thedaver]

Unless the title is "janitor" or "moron" I would expect your qualifications to be sufficient?! ;-)

D.E.R. Management - IT Project Management Consulting

http://www.dermanagement.com/

 

[PDQBach]

A couple of points.

The education contact hours has been satisfied by your courses but you might still want to think about taking one more course: a 35-hour PMP exam prep course. Almost everyone I know has told me that taking the PMP exam prep course was critical to their success. The exam prep course I took (and the sections I have taught) have been *highly* focused on a structured understanding of the PMBOK content.

When you get asked a question on the exam, you are not expected to answer the question but, instead, to answer it within the PMBOK context (initiate, plan, execute, control, close; knowledge areas; inputs, tools & techniques, outputs; definitions). Until you are comfortable enough to know that you can write out every process and identify it within the appropriate intersection of knowledge area and process group then you should not write the exam.

As for the submission of your application: you should be able to structure your answer showing how the work you did was at the intersection of one of the knowledge areas and one of the process groups. You will *not* be able to fill in all possible intersections (some are blank, btw) because it is unlikely that you will have worked in every one. The point is: you want to demonstrate the your work was project and not process. You mentioned the roles you played. You could include that but the role name is not the work performed and it's the work performed that you are using to demonstrate the you have project experience.

 

[Clzeus10]

Thanks PDQBach for a very thorough answer.

I think you have a very valid point about the Prep Course and I will most likely take it, one issue is that my company will not pay for it so I have to keep tabs on the expense as some of the courses I have looked at costs around 2K if not more.

I also just found out that the application can be submitted online and I am in the process of filling it out right now. I am finding that the online process is MUCH more detailed and they are infact asking for hours on each of the 5 areas which are again individually broken down in to specific targeted questions for each area.

I was confused earlier about the application as I failed to look at page 17 of the hard copy application which actually is the form where you describe your project/deliverables. Earlier I was just flabbergasted that there was no where where one actually talked about the project and people were suppose to simply note down the hours. After seeing that page it made a lot of sense, as I would have used that for each of my project to describe what I did and not worry too much about the "Your Role in Project" field.

You also rightly addressed another question that I was about to ask which is the fact that some of the specific tasks that are listed under each of the 5 areas do not apply to me in some projects as we had other members on the team who took care of those things.

So I should leave them blank and it is the correct way to document the project.

I however did find that the 2 projects where I was the PM, there was some contribution in pretty much all areas as I was involved with "Everything" relating to those projects. I hope that is not unusual and it does not raise a red flag.

Thanks

 

[PDQBach]

A final thought. Or, perhaps, more than one.

Your local PMI chapter should be able to point you to local PMP exam prep courses. Our chapter runs them semi-annually. We've done them ourselves and done them with a third-party organization. Both courses were as good as the instructors teaching them (which, if you read between the lines, says volumes).

I wouldn't worry about red flags. PMI does significant auditing of all submissions so even if you have one that doesn't raise a single red flag, you may still be asked to provide additional follow-up, supporting materials. In short: you're not being picked on, you're just being picked.

You probably already know this but ... Once you are inside the exam room with the permitted calculator, authorized notepaper and pen and you have signed on to the computer, take a deep breath because the exam clock hasn't started.

At that time, do your brain dump (processes, knowledge areas, equations, etc.). Take another deep breath. Read through your brain dump. Take another deep breath. Now you can start. When you start the exam and go to the first question, that's when the 4 hour clock starts counting down. Some do it in two hours, some take the full four. At the end of the day, nobody asks how long you took or what your mark is. They just ask if you have passed.

Don't try faking that you have passed, by the way. The PMI website has a location where anyone (or is it PMI members only?) can verify if you have earned the PMP designation.

 

[A0C61ZZ]

I'm one step behind Clzeus10, pondering if it is really beneficial to be a certified PMP.

I understand it has its value in industry but still some questions persist

Since there are multiple project management methodologies, is PMBOK methodology the best amongst these?

Doesn't it strait-jacket an aspiring project manager to one specific methodology when there could be multiple methodologies applicable?

 

[thedaver]

AOC;

I just attended the Chicago PMI chapter meeting this week. In discussing the state of larger IT organizations, it is becoming almost imperative that PMs have the PMP to demonstrate that they are fit-for-purpose.

I can assure you too that these organizations use their own methodologies, weighing financial and risk decisions differently an approaching activities such as requirements elaboration or software design in different manners as well.

I am aware that Europe, for one, has "other" certifications available (e.g. PRINCE2) which are at different levels of proficiency to the PMP.

I guess that my point here is that the PMP demonstrates your professionalism and capability. It does not bind you to a methodology/approach. You bring best practices and techniques to the table as a PMP. You are not a robot.


D.E.R. Management - IT Project Management Consulting

http://www.dermanagement.com/

 

[Maximizer]

PDQBach:

It's open to the public to verify PMPs from Project Management Institute (PMI) certification at:

https://www.pmi.org/CertApp/Registry.aspx

Thanks

James Keep, PMP
Crystal Reports(tm) Certified Consultant 8.5 (CRCC)
Authorized Crystal Engineer (ACE)
CMRC
Crystal Decisions Business Partner
Montreal, Qc, Canada

http://www.cmrc.qc.ca

 

[Clzeus10]

Hey guys

I am almost done with my application online, however, the project description part is a bit tough as I am not sure if I am providing the right information there. The issue is the 500 character limit, which unfortunately also includes spaces, so it is infact more like a 400 char limit and within that they want you to talk about Objectives, Key Deliverables and the Project outcome.

400 charactes is barely 2 sentences, how did you guys respond to this? Please help.

I am listing a sample from one of my Software development projects where I was the Project Lead, please comment if this is adequate or what I should modify.

Sample Project Description:

Confirmed and documented complete system requirements by interviewing end users.
Tested and verified compliance with user requirements and other quality specifications during the course of development.
Created and managed an active project plan with a detailed WBS and deliverables schedule.
Provided weekly updates to team members on progress and briefed them on anticipated risks that could affect the project
Trained end users, client and deployed the system successfully and on-time.

 

[Clzeus10]

Here is sample # 2 which is divided in to the 5 process areas, which method works better? Is it the concise summary or the individual sections.

Someone please advise..

Project Description Sample :

Initiation – Defined Scope, Project risks, Assisted with developing Project charter and identified key stakeholders

Planning – Defined WBS and developed project requirements, constraints and assumptions

Execution – Flowcharted business processes for all 3 departments for user requirements, Tested and verified compliance with user requirements

Control – Measured project performance and ensured deliverables met approved QC standards

Closing – Obtained final acceptance, documented lessons learned, archived project data, created and distributed final project report

 

[thedaver]

I think you're overthinking this. The application is, IMHO, a vehicle by which your fee is accepted. I'm sure some scrutiny is applied, but I strongly doubt that you need to get this clenched up about it.

Spend your energy studying for the test!

My $0.02USD. Good luck.

D.E.R. Management - IT Project Management Consulting

http://www.dermanagement.com/

 

[ilojtnom]

Hi everyone

Before submitting my PMP experience verification form online, is there anyone who already applied for PMP credentials that could possibly review my project summeries or give me some tips before I submit my application to PMI.

Thanks

ilojtnom

 

[pmtroy]

I recently applied and earned my credential. For the project description, thedaver is right, it is a much higher-level summary of the project as a whole. I think I used maybe one sentence per project, eg. "created new point-of-sale functionality for x customer".

Incidentally I also took a prep course and while it was useful, it really more provided a start for a good amount of study on my own.

Good luck to all!