PMP® Certification Program

Project Management Professional (PMP)® Examination Content Outline

The following table identifies the proportion of questions from each domain that will appear on the examination. These percentages are used to determine the number of questions related to each domain and task that should appear on the multiple-choice format examination.

Domain 1. People 42%

Task 1 : Manage conflict

Interpret the source and stage of the conflict
Analyze the context for the conflict
Evaluate/recommend/reconcile the appropriate conflict resolution solution

Task 2 : Lead a team

Set a clear vision and mission
Support diversity and inclusion (e.g., behavior types, thought process)
Value servant leadership (e.g., relate the tenets of servant leadership to the team)
Determine an appropriate leadership style (e.g., directive, collaborative)
Inspire, motivate, and influence team members/stakeholders (e.g., team contract, social contract, reward system)
Analyze team members and stakeholders’ influence
Distinguish various options to lead various team members and stakeholders

Task 3 : Support team performance

Appraise team member performance against key performance indicators
Support and recognize team member growth and development
Determine appropriate feedback approach
Verify performance improvements

Task 4 : Empower team members and stakeholders

Organize around team strengths
Support team task accountability
Evaluate demonstration of task accountability
Determine and bestow level(s) of decision-making authority

Task 5 : Ensure team members/stakeholders are adequately trained

Determine required competencies and elements of training
Determine training options based on training needs
Allocate resources for training
Measure training outcomes

Task 6 : Build a team

Appraise stakeholder skills
Deduce project resource requirements
Continuously assess and refresh team skills to meet project needs
Maintain team and knowledge transfer

Task 7 : Address and remove impediments, obstacles, and blockers for the team

Determine critical impediments, obstacles, and blockers for the team
Prioritize critical impediments, obstacles, and blockers for the team
Use network to implement solutions to remove impediments, obstacles, and blockers for the team
Re-assess continually

Task 8 : Negotiate project agreements

Analyze the bounds of the negotiations for agreement
Assess priorities and determine ultimate objective(s)
Verify objective(s) of the project agreement is met
Participate in agreement negotiations
Determine a negotiation strategy

Task 9 : Collaborate with stakeholders

Evaluate engagement needs for stakeholders
Optimize alignment between stakeholder needs, expectations, and project objectives
Build trust and influence stakeholders to accomplish project objectives

Task 10 : Build shared understanding

Break down situation to identify the root cause of a misunderstanding
Survey all necessary parties to reach consensus
Support outcome of parties’ agreement
Investigate potential misunderstandings

Task 11 : Engage and support virtual teams

Examine virtual team member needs (e.g., environment, geography, culture, global, etc.)
Investigate alternatives (e.g., communication tools, colocation) for virtual team member engagement
Implement options for virtual team member engagement
Continually evaluate effectiveness of virtual team member engagement

Task 12 : Define team ground rules

Communicate organizational principles with team and external stakeholders
Establish an environment that fosters adherence to the ground rules
Manage and rectify ground rule violations

Task 13 : Mentor relevant stakeholders

Allocate the time to mentoring
Recognize and act on mentoring opportunities

Task 14 : Promote team performance through the application of emotional intelligence

Assess behavior through the use of personality indicators
Analyze personality indicators and adjust to the emotional needs of key project stakeholders

Domain 2. Process 50%

Task 1 : Execute project with the urgency required to deliver business value

Assess opportunities to deliver value incrementally
Examine the business value throughout the project
Support the team to subdivide project tasks as necessary to find the minimum viable product

Task 2 : Manage communications

Analyze communication needs of all stakeholders
Determine communication methods, channels, frequency, and level of detail for all stakeholders
Communicate project information and updates effectively
Confirm communication is understood and feedback is received

Task 3 : Assess and manage risks

Determine risk management options
Iteratively assess and prioritize risks

Task 4 : Engage stakeholders

Analyze stakeholders (e.g., power interest grid, influence, impact)
Categorize stakeholders
Engage stakeholders by category
Develop, execute, and validate a strategy for stakeholder engagement

Task 5 : Plan and manage budget and resources

Estimate budgetary needs based on the scope of the project and lessons learned from past projects
Anticipate future budget challenges
Monitor budget variations and work with governance process to adjust as necessary
Plan and manage resources

Task 6 : Plan and manage schedule

Estimate project tasks (milestones, dependencies, story points)
Utilize benchmarks and historical data
Prepare schedule based on methodology
Measure ongoing progress based on methodology
Modify schedule, as needed, based on methodology
Coordinate with other projects and other operations

Task 7 : Plan and manage quality of products/deliverables

Determine quality standard required for project deliverables
Recommend options for improvement based on quality gaps
Continually survey project deliverable quality

Task 8 : Plan and manage scope

Determine and prioritize requirements
Break down scope (e.g., WBS, backlog)
Monitor and validate scope

Task 9 : Integrate project planning activities

Consolidate the project/phase plans
Assess consolidated project plans for dependencies, gaps, and continued business value
Analyze the data collected
Collect and analyze data to make informed project decisions
Determine critical information requirements.

Task 10 : Manage project changes

Anticipate and embrace the need for change (e.g., follow change management practices)
Determine strategy to handle change
Execute change management strategy according to the methodology
Determine a change response to move the project forward

Task 11 : Plan and manage procurement

Define resource requirements and needs
Communicate resource requirements
Manage suppliers/contracts
Plan and manage procurement strategy
Develop a delivery solution

Task 12 : Manage project artifacts

Determine the requirements (what, when, where, who, etc.) for managing the project artifacts
Validate that the project information is kept up to date (i.e., version control) and accessible to all stakeholders
Continually assess the effectiveness of the management of the project artifacts

Task 13 : Determine appropriate project methodology/methods and practices

Assess project needs, complexity, and magnitude
Recommend project execution strategy (e.g., contracting, finance)
Recommend a project methodology/approach (i.e., predictive, agile, hybrid)
Use iterative, incremental practices throughout the project life cycle (e.g., lessons learned, stakeholder engagement, risk)

Task 14 : Establish project governance structure

Determine appropriate governance for a project (e.g., replicate organizational governance)
Define escalation paths and thresholds

Task 15 : Manage project issues

Recognize when a risk becomes an issue
Attack the issue with the optimal action to achieve project success
Collaborate with relevant stakeholders on the approach to resolve the issues

Task 16 : Ensure knowledge transfer for project continuity

Discuss project responsibilities within team
Outline expectations for working environment
Confirm approach for knowledge transfers

Task 17 : Plan and manage project/phase closure or transitions

Determine criteria to successfully close the project or phase
Validate readiness for transition (e.g., to operations team or next phase)
Conclude activities to close out project or phase (e.g., final lessons learned, retrospective, procurement, financials, resources)

Domain 3. Business Environment 8%

Task 1 : Plan and manage project compliance

Confirm project compliance requirements (e.g., security, health and safety, regulatory compliance)
Classify compliance categories
Determine potential threats to compliance
Use methods to support compliance
Analyze the consequences of noncompliance
Determine necessary approach and action to address compliance needs (e.g., risk, legal)
Measure the extent to which the project is in compliance

Task 2 : Evaluate and deliver project benefits and value

Investigate that benefits are identified
Document agreement on ownership for ongoing benefit realization
Verify measurement system is in place to track benefits
Evaluate delivery options to demonstrate value
Appraise stakeholders of value gain progress

Task 3 : Evaluate and address external business environment changes for impact on scope

Survey changes to external business environment (e.g., regulations, technology, geopolitical, market)
Assess and prioritize impact on project scope/backlog based on changes in external business environment
Recommend options for scope/backlog changes (e.g., schedule, cost changes)
Continually review external business environment for impacts on project scope/backlog

Task 4 : Evaluate and address external business environment changes for impact on scope

Assess organizational culture
Evaluate impact of organizational change to project and determine required actions
Evaluate impact of the project to the organization and determine required actions

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The PMP® (Project Management Professional) certification, accredited by the Project Management Institute (PMI), is a globally recognized credential for experienced project managers. It validates their knowledge, skills, and expertise in leading and directing project teams to deliver successful outcomes. PMP® certification holders demonstrate proficiency in all aspects of project management, including initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, controlling, and closing projects. to professional excellence in project management.

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