Project Management Professional (PMP®) Exam Preparation
Duration: 5 Days
Description
The Project Management Professional (PMP®) certification, offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI), is the world’s leading project management credential. Recognized globally across industries, the PMP validates a professional’s competency to lead and direct projects using predictive, agile, and hybrid approaches. This intensive 5-day exam preparation course covers all three performance domains outlined in the current PMI Examination Content Outline (ECO) and aligns with both the PMBOK® Guide and the Agile Practice Guide.
Class time is divided between instructor-led discussion (40 percent), hands-on exercises and case studies (35 percent), and practice examination questions (25 percent).
Audience
Project managers, project leads, and team leads seeking to earn or renew the PMP® certification, as well as professionals who want a thorough understanding of modern project management practices across predictive and agile environments.
Objectives
• Understand the PMP® exam structure, performance domains, and ECO task categories
• Apply predictive, agile, and hybrid project management methodologies
• Develop and manage all project management plans and subsidiary plans
• Lead and develop high-performing project teams with emotional intelligence
• Apply risk management, quality assurance, and procurement best practices
• Monitor and control project performance using earned value and other metrics
• Demonstrate PMI’s Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct
• Pass the PMP® certification examination with confidence
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites to attend this course. However, PMI’s minimum requirements to apply for the PMP® certification are:
• A secondary degree (high school diploma, associate’s degree, or global equivalent) with 60 months of project leadership experience
• Or a four-year degree (bachelor’s degree or global equivalent) with 36 months of project leadership experience
• 35 contact hours of project management education or training
• Experience must be accrued within the last 8 years and represent non-overlapping periods
• See the PMP® Handbook at pmi.org for complete eligibility requirements and application instructions
Course Outline
• Module 1: PMP Exam Overview and Framework
• PMP certification requirements, exam structure, and application process
• PMI’s Examination Content Outline (ECO) and three performance domain weightings
• Predictive, agile, and hybrid project delivery approaches
• The PMBOK® Guide 7th Edition: 12 project management principles
• Exam study strategies, reference materials, and PMI’s Code of Ethics
• Module 2: Project Environment and Stakeholder Engagement
• Internal and external factors influencing projects (EEFs and OPAs)
• Stakeholder identification, analysis, and engagement planning
• Communication planning, methods, and information distribution
• Managing stakeholder expectations and conflict resolution techniques
• Governance frameworks, compliance, and organizational structures
• Module 3: Project Initiation and Business Case
• Developing the project charter and defining high-level project scope
• Conducting needs assessments, feasibility studies, and benefit analyses
• Benefits realization planning and value measurement
• Identifying and documenting initial project risks and assumptions
• Defining success criteria, measurable objectives, and key milestones
• Module 4: Project Planning – Scope, Schedule, and Cost
• Scope definition, WBS creation, and establishing the scope baseline
• Activity sequencing, duration estimating, and the critical path method
• Resource planning, leveling, and calendar management
• Cost estimation, budgeting techniques, and cost baseline development
• Integrating scope, schedule, and cost into a cohesive project management plan
• Module 5: Risk, Quality, and Procurement Management
• Risk identification workshops, risk registers, and qualitative/quantitative analysis
• Risk response strategies: avoid, transfer, mitigate, accept, and exploit
• Quality planning, quality assurance, and quality control processes
• Quality tools: control charts, Pareto analysis, and cause-and-effect diagrams
• Procurement planning, contract types (FFP, CPFF, T&M), and vendor selection
• Module 6: Agile and Hybrid Project Management
• Agile values, principles, the Agile Manifesto, and adaptive mindset
• Scrum framework: roles, ceremonies (Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Review, Retrospective), and artifacts
• Kanban, Extreme Programming (XP), and Lean principles in project contexts
• Hybrid delivery: blending predictive planning with agile execution
• Scaling agile with SAFe, LeSS, and other enterprise frameworks
• Module 7: Project Execution and Team Leadership
• Directing, managing, and coordinating project work and deliverables
• Building, developing, and motivating high-performing project teams
• Leadership styles, emotional intelligence, and situational leadership
• Managing change requests, issue logs, and integrated change control
• Maintaining project baselines and implementing corrective actions
• Module 8: Monitoring, Controlling, and Closing
• Earned value management (EVM): SPI, CPI, EAC, ETC, and variance analysis
• Performance reporting, forecasting, and dashboard communication
• Scope, schedule, and cost control: identifying and responding to variances
• Project closure: final deliverable acceptance, lessons learned, and archiving
• Benefits realization review and transition to ongoing operations