CAPM Certification: 37 PDU CAPM Exam Prep & 1700+ Questions

In this lecture I will talk about the definition of Project, Program, and Portfolio. First, I will explain what a Project is, and after that, we will discuss why we initiate projects. Then, we will understand what the Program and Portfolio are.

In the previous lecture, we learned the differences between a project, a program, and a portfolio. Now we can talk about Project Management and why it is important.

In the previous lecture, we talked about Project Management. Now let’s discuss Program Management and Portfolio Management.

In this lecture, we will understand what the operation is and we will see the differences between an operation and a project.

In this lecture, we will learn what a Project Management Office is and what it does.

In this lecture, we will talk about Organizational Project Management, Organizational Governance, and Project Governance.

In this lecture, we will talk about the Organizational Structure.

In the previous lecture, we have seen the Organizational Structure Types. Now, in this lecture, we will talk about the characteristics of the major Organizational Structure types.

In the previous lecture, we learned what project management is. Now it is time to talk about some key stakeholders and their roles. Please note that these are the roles in predictive environments. We will talk about the roles in adaptive environments in future lectures. Let’s start with the roles of the Project Manager first.

In the previous lecture, we talked about the role of the Project Manager. Now, it is time to talk about the Stakeholders.

In this lecture, we will learn who the Project Sponsor is and after that, we will talk about the role of the Project Sponsor.

In this lecture, we will talk about the Project Team and its role.

In this lecture, we will talk about the role of the Functional or in other words the Resource Manager.

Up to now, we have seen most of the stakeholder roles. In this lecture, we will talk about two more: The Role of the Program Manager and the Role of the Portfolio Manager.

In this lecture, we will talk about the differences between two concepts: The Project Life Cycle and The Project Management Processes.

Now, we are done with the first section of this course. In this lecture, I would like to talk about which tasks and enablers we have discussed in this section. By doing so, you can understand which concepts are more important than others. I mean if a concept is mentioned in the CAPM Examination Content Outline, then you will know that this concept is a crucial one for the exam.

Introduction to the section.

In this lecture we will talk about processes.

In the previous lecture, we learned what a process is. Now, we are ready to talk about the Process Groups.

In this lecture, we will talk about the Knowledge Areas. At the end of this lecture, you will have a general idea about each knowledge area; so after we start the knowledge areas sections, you will be able to understand the concepts better.

As I said in the previous lectures, the 7th edition of the PMBOK guide focuses on the high-level steps and methods we can apply when conducting the project from the beginning until the end. They introduced eight areas we need to focus on, and these areas are called the Performance Domains. So, let’s talk about these Performance Domains a little.

Introduction to this section.

In this lecture, I will briefly mention the Integration Management knowledge area.

In this lecture, we will learn what a Project Charter is. Then, we will talk about another crucial document, the Assumption Log.

In this lecture, we will discuss how we will develop these two crucial documents.

In the previous lecture, we have seen that we use some Data Gathering methods like Brainstorming, Focus Groups, and Interviews in the Develop Project Charter Process. In future lectures, we will see that these methods are used for several different reasons. So, here, I would like to talk about these methods briefly.

In the previous lecture, we discussed Data Gathering methods. Now, in this lecture, we will talk about Interpersonal and Team Skills.

Up to here, we have covered almost everything about how to develop the Project Charter. In this lecture, I will mention some important notes about this process.

In this lecture, we will talk about the Project Management Plan. The Project Management Plan is developed in the Develop Project Management Plan process which is an Integration Management process. For the exam, you need to know the Project Management Plan and understand why we need this plan.

In this lecture, we will talk about the Performance Measurement Baseline which is a component of the Project Management Plan.

In this lecture we will talk about the Change Management Plan, which is a component of the Project Management Plan.

In this lecture we will talk about the Configuration Management Plan, which is a component of the Project Management Plan.

Up to here, we have learned what the Project Management Plan is and what the components are. Now we are ready to talk about how to develop this plan.

We are almost done with the Develop Project Management Plan process. I said “Almost done” because I still have some important notes on this process for you.

In this lecture, we will talk about the Direct and Manage Project Work process.

Information about Benefits Management Plan.

Until this lecture, we have discussed three processes of the Integration Management knowledge area. Here, I would like to schematize what is going on during these processes basically. This is going to be a good reminder for you in the future, so you may want to bookmark this lecture.

In this lecture, we will discuss the Manage Project Knowledge process.

Before completing the lectures about the Manage Project Knowledge process, let’s talk about some important notes.

In this lecture, we start with another process of Integration Management; this is the Monitor and Control Project Work process.

In this lecture, we will discuss how we measure project performance in a high-level manner.

In this lecture, we will talk about what metrics we can use to measure project performance.

We continue with Metrics we can use in our Projects. In this lecture, we will discuss the metrics we can use to measure the Business Value.

In the previous lectures, we discussed which metrics we can use in our Projects. Now, we will talk about what we should consider when establishing these metrics.

Up to here, we have talked about almost everything about the Monitor and Control Project Work process. But I still have some notes for you.

In this lecture, we will start talking about a new process named Perform Integrated Change Control.

Here in this lecture, we will talk about changes and how to deal with them in detail. We will also take a look at the big picture so that we understand this process clearly.

Until now, we have talked about almost everything about the Perform Integrated Change Control Process. I have only a few reminders for you in this lecture.

We are almost done with the Integration Management knowledge area. We have only one process left: The Close Project or Phase process.

In this lecture, we will talk about the Agile Considerations of the Integration Management knowledge area.

We are done with the Integration Management section. Now, let’s take a look at which topics we have covered on the CAPM Exam Content Outline until this lecture. This is a good way of understanding which concepts are more important than others.

Introduction to this process.

In this lecture, we will talk about what Scope Management is and why we need such a knowledge area.

In this lecture, we will talk about the Plan Scope Management process.

In this lecture, we will discuss what we need and what we use to develop the Scope Management Plan and the Requirements Management Plan.

In this lecture, we start the second process of the Scope Management knowledge area. This is the Collect Requirements process.

In this lecture, we will learn how to deal with competing requirements and how to balance these kinds of requirements. This is not going to be a long lecture, but this is an important one since you will be dealing with these kinds of situations both in real life and in the exam.

Now, let’s talk about the Define Scope process.

I have counted my words up to here, and guess how many times I said WBS or Work Breakdown Structure up to this lecture? I said this word 17 times! Therefore, yes, this is an important process. For the exam, you need to learn what the Work Breakdown Structure is, where we use it, and what benefits we get from it. Here, starting from this lecture, we will be answering these questions.

In this lecture, we will talk about the WBS Dictionary.

Up to here, we have discussed the Scope Baseline a few times in our previous lectures. In this lecture, we will talk about it in detail, so that you can understand it clearly.

Up to this lecture, we have learned almost everything about the Create WBS process. But I want to draw your attention to some important things.

We have completed the planning processes of this knowledge area. We have two more processes left: The Validate Scope and the Control Scope processes. These are the Monitoring and Controlling processes of Scope Management. In this lecture, we will talk about one of these two monitoring and controlling processes: The Validate Scope process.

In the previous lecture, we have seen the big picture of Scope Management and now we are ready to talk about the Validate Scope process.

In this lecture, we will discuss the Control Scope process, which is the last process of this knowledge area.

Now we are done with the Scope Management section. This means, we can look at which topics we have covered on the CAPM Exam Content Outline in this section.

Introduction to this section.

In this first lecture about Schedule Management, I would like to talk about this knowledge area briefly.

In this lecture, we will talk about the Plan Schedule Management process.

In this lecture, we will talk about the Define Activities process of the Schedule Management knowledge area.

Up to here, we have created our Schedule Management Plan and we have determined the activities and the milestones. Now, we need to sequence the activities. Here in the Sequence Activities process, we will talk about how we sequence the activities.

In this lecture, we will learn how to draw a network diagram from a given activity list with dependencies.

Until this lecture, we have determined the activities and then arranged them by drawing the network diagram. Now it is time for estimating the activity durations.

In the previous lecture, we have seen One Point Estimating, Analogous Estimating and Parametric Estimating techniques. Here in this lecture, we will discuss the Three-Point Estimating technique.

In the previous lectures, we have seen the Estimation Techniques. Now, we continue to talk about the Estimate Activity Durations process. This process is not a Calculation Only process. In other words, we need to know some other information in addition to doing calculations. So, let’s start to talk about them.

In this lecture, we will have some important notes about the estimating processes. You need to know these not only for the duration estimates but also for the cost estimates too.

We will learn how to do scheduling calculations here in this process. I will explain how to do the calculations in a step-by-step manner.

Here in this lecture, we will learn how to conduct scheduling calculations by using the Critical Path Method.

In this lecture, we will learn how to do the Critical Path Method calculations. First, we will talk about the Forward Pass and the Backward Pass. Then, we will learn how to calculate the Floats and how to find the Critical Paths.

Erratum: Correction on Total Float Calculation

Up to here, we learned how to do the CPM calculations. By doing these calculations, we get the Project Schedule. This schedule includes the Schedule Network Diagrams, Bar Charts, and Milestone Charts. We have already talked about the Schedule Network Diagrams, but we haven’t mentioned the Bar Charts and the Milestone Charts yet.

In the previous lectures, we have learned, how to make schedule calculations; so, we know how to find the critical path and how to calculate the total duration of the project. OK, what about this? Let’s say you calculated the project duration and when you present it to your sponsor, she said: “We need to complete the project in a shorter time”. What would you do?

There may be hundreds of activities in a network diagram. Each activity has its own source. For example, resources are different for each activity. Differences in these sources may result in different results on the Project. We use simulation techniques to investigate the different results of different scenarios.

In this lecture, we will talk about two Resource Optimization techniques: Resource Leveling and Resource Smoothing.

In this lecture, we will discuss the Control Schedule process.

We have completed all the Schedule Management processes. Here in this lecture, I would like to talk about Agile Considerations a little.

Now we are done with the Schedule Management knowledge area. Let’s mark what we have learned in this section on the CAPM Examination Content Outline and understand which concepts are crucial for the exam.

Introduction to this section.

In this lecture, we will take a look at what we will learn in this knowledge area.

In this lecture, we will discuss the Plan Cost Management process of the Cost Management knowledge area.

In this lecture, we start to discuss the Estimate Costs process, which is another Planning process of the Cost Management knowledge area.

In this lecture, we will talk about the Determine Budget process.

We have learned all the planning processes of the Cost Management knowledge area. There is only one process left and it is a Monitoring and Controlling process; it is the Control Costs process. The most important subject you need to learn in the Control Costs process is the Earned Value Analysis. This is why I have created separate lectures for Earned Value Analysis before starting the Control Costs process. I will explain this concept as simple as possible so that you can understand it easily.

As I said at the beginning of the Earned Value lectures, to explain the EVM Concepts, we will go through an example.

In this lecture, we will discuss the 4th and last process of this knowledge area, the Control Costs process.

In this lecture, I would like to talk about Agile Cost Management.

So, we have completed all the lectures about the Cost Management knowledge area. Let’s take a look at the CAPM Examination Content Outline and see which tasks and enablers we have covered in this section.

Introduction to this section.

Before talking about Quality Management, let’s take a general look at this knowledge area and see what Quality Management all is about.

In this lecture, we will discuss Plan Quality Management, which is the only Planning process in this knowledge area.

In the previous lectures, we talked about the only Planning process of this knowledge area, the Plan Quality Management process. Now, it is time to discuss the only Executing process of this knowledge area, the Manage Quality process.

Welcome to the last process of the Quality Management knowledge area; this is the one and only monitoring and controlling process of Quality Management.

Although we have discussed all 3 processes of this knowledge area, I still have some notes for you.

No matter if it is a Predictive or an Adaptive environment, we need to do Quality Management in every circumstance. In this lecture, we will talk about Quality Management in Adaptive Environments.

Now, let’s take a look at which tasks and enablers we have covered in this section.

Introduction to this section.

In this first lecture on the Resource Management knowledge area, we will take a general look at this knowledge area.

In this lecture, we will learn what activities are done in the Plan Resource Management which is one of the two planning processes of this knowledge area.

Organizational Theories investigate how organizations can become more successful. These theories are mostly concentrated on the stakeholder’s needs and expectations, to understand how to increase the motivation of the Stakeholders.

There are two planning processes in the Resource Management knowledge area. In the previous lectures, we discussed the first one, the Plan Resource Management process. Now, we will talk about the other planning process, the Estimate Activity Resources.

In this lecture, we will talk about how to estimate activity resources. We will do this by discussing the things we need when estimating the resources and the tools and techniques we can use for this purpose.

In this lecture, we will talk about the Acquire Resources process.

In the previous lectures, we talked about the Acquire Resources process. Now, let’s discuss the Develop Team process.

Let’s discuss the Team Development Models.

In this lecture, we will talk about how to create an effective Project Team Culture.

In this lecture and the following one, we will discuss the Manage Team process. In this process, we will talk about management and leadership styles; we will mention the powers of Project Managers, and we will also discuss how we should deal with conflicts.

Leadership Skills play a crucial role in the way through Project success. So, let’s talk about the core Leadership Skills for Project Success.

No matter how successfully we manage the projects and the stakeholders, there may still be conflicts between us and the team members or between the team members. In such cases, we need to know how to deal with conflicts.

In this lecture, we will discuss how to manage the team.

This lecture is about the last process of the Resource Management knowledge area, the Control Resources process.

We are done with all of the Resource Management processes. In these processes, we talked about how we manage the Resources in a Predictive environment. Now, in this lecture, we will talk about Adaptive environments in terms of Resource Management.

In this lecture, we will look at the CAPM ECO to see which tasks and enablers are covered in this section. I would like to remind you that, this lecture can give you hints about which topics in this section are more important than others.

Introduction to this section.

In this lecture, we will take a general look at Communications Management.

In this lecture, we will talk about the Plan Communications Management process.

In this lecture, we will talk about Communication Types and Communication Methods.

In this lecture, we will discuss the Communication Models.

We calculate the number of communication channels as part of the Communication Requirements Analysis, which is a technique, used for planning Communications Management. In this lecture, we will talk about how to do these calculations. Here please note that they rarely ask questions about calculating the number of communication channels in the real exam, but since it is quite easy to calculate, it is not a bad idea to learn how to do it.

In this lecture, we will discuss the second process of this knowledge area, the Manage Communications process.

In this lecture, we will talk about the Monitor Communications process, which is the last process of the Communications Management knowledge area.

Up to here, we have discussed everything about communications for projects having a predictive life cycle. Communication is important not only for predictive environments but also for adaptive environments. Therefore, we need to talk about how we communicate in adaptive environments.

Now let’s take a look at which tasks and enablers we have covered in this section.