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CompTIA Project+ Certification Guide
CompTIA Project+ Certification Guide

CompTIA Project+ Certification Guide: Learn project management best practices and successfully pass the CompTIA Project+ PK0-004 exam

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CompTIA Project+ Certification Guide

Project Initiation

In this chapter, you will learn about how projects are defined based on different organizational structures, as well as different project-selection techniques that are used to initiate a project.

This chapter will also cover how different knowledge areas influence unique projects and define the role of the project manager. This information is important to understand so you can begin a project effectively based on the circumstances of the organization and your own leadership abilities.

In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:

  • Defining a project
  • Understanding organizational structures
  • Project-selection techniques
  • Project management knowledge areas
  • The role of the project manager

Defining a project

What exactly is a project? A project is something that is temporary and unique, which could literally mean anything from the building of the Colosseum in Rome all the way to building a new data center or upgrading hardware or software for your organization. A project doesn't necessarily have to produce anything that's tangible. It could be a product, service, or result. You may very well be updating a process in your organization or perhaps reorganizing your help desk. These would be considered projects as well.

Businesses are concerned with making money and often projects are undertaken for that very reason, whether it's to develop a new product, service, or result or to simply improve business practices to save the organization some money.

There are two phrases that define a project:

  1. Temporary
  2. Unique
...

Understanding organizational structures

Much of your day-to-day lives running projects will be significantly impacted by your organizational processes and the culture of your organization. That could be based on your industry, what regulatory compliance is necessary, or simply because of how your organization chooses to run things.

The biggest impact on how these processes evolve is based mostly on how your organization is structured. Some structures are better than others for projects and sometimes trying to implement new best practices can be a bit painful due to your organizational influences.

I often look at organizational processes as the handbook of how they do things at an organization. The rules, best practices, and set processes. The enterprise environment is when you go to lunch with someone and they tell you how it really is! The organizational culture, the software...

Project selection techniques

There are many reasons why an organization would decide to undertake a project. As mentioned earlier, businesses are concerned with making money, but they are also known to run projects for the greater good.

The categories of why projects may occur include the following:

  • Market demand
  • Business need or opportunity
  • Requests from customers
  • Advances in technology
  • Legal or regulatory compliance
  • Environmental considerations
  • Social need

Regardless of the reason why a project may occur, businesses need to validate their reasoning for taking on a project and determine whether it is feasible and fiscally healthy to do so. Usually in the first few stages of determining what project to undertake and how it can help align to the organization's strategic plan, there are numerous decisions to make about which project to select and how much to spend.

...

Project management knowledge areas

There are 10 areas of expertise or knowledge that can be utilized on most, if not all, projects. The 10 project-management knowledge areas each contain specific processes, input, tools and techniques, and output that relate to specific areas of the project. These knowledge areas come from the Project Management Body of Knowledge or the PMBOK® Guide – 6th edition.

You will cover a variety of best practices and processes from their related knowledge areas as you move through this guide. This is just an overview of each knowledge area and its role in project management. As you go through the overview, ask yourself which of these knowledge areas are part of your day-to-day projects that would need to be planned for, executed, monitored, and controlled.

Some project managers only work with the core constraints of scope, time, and cost...

The role of the project manager

It's probably pretty easy to tell that there is a lot involved in being a project manager. I can tell you after many years as a project manager, there are days when I question the sanity of my stakeholders and, quite frankly, my own. However, the beauty of being a project manager is that we have the ability to work with different kinds of people, produce results, and essentially keep the entire ship sailing straight. It doesn't always work out like that of course, but in a perfect world, we have all the best practices, tools and techniques, and the right attitude to get to the finish line.

The role of the project manager includes the following:

  • Managing the project team
  • Solving problems
  • Managing communications across multiple stakeholders
  • Identifying and analyzing the right requirements for scope
  • Creating and managing a budget and a schedule...

Summary

In this chapter, you learned about how projects are defined based on different organizational structures as well as different project-selection techniques that are used to initiate a project.

Then you reviewed the 10 different knowledge areas that influence unique projects as well as the role of the project manager. This information is important as a stepping stone or baseline that can lead to managing a project effectively based on the circumstances of the organization and your leadership skills as a project manager. In Chapter 3, Project Roles and Responsibilities, you will review the different roles and responsibilities of a variety of stakeholders. This is necessary information for exam considerations as well as your real-world projects.

Questions

  1. What is the definition of a project? Choose all that apply.
    • A group of related programs
    • A temporary endeavor
    • Managed in a coordinated fashion
    • Produces a unique product service or result
    • Managed by a project manager
  2. What is the definition of a program?
    • A group of unrelated projects
    • Temporary and unique
    • A type of organizational structure
    • A group of projects managed in a coordinated fashion
  3. Which of the following represents a portfolio?
    • A group of unrelated projects and programs
    • A group of related projects and portfolios
    • A program and multiple projects
    • None of the above
  4. You are helping your manager expedite a project in your department while still working on your day-to-day work. What type of organizational dynamic are you working in?
    • Matrix
    • Project-based
    • Functional
    • Composite
  5. Which of the following are considered the best organizational structures for project...
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Key benefits

  • Manage project changes and deliver desired project outcomes
  • Gain confidence in passing the PK0-004 exam with the help of practice questions
  • Obtain insight from J. Ashley Hunt, an accomplished subject matter expert

Description

The CompTIA Project+ exam is designed for IT professionals who want to improve their career trajectory by gaining certification in project management specific to their industry. This guide covers everything necessary to pass the current iteration of the Project+ PK0-004 exam. The CompTIA Project+ Certification Guide starts by covering project initiation best practices, including an understanding of organizational structures, team roles, and responsibilities. You’ll then study best practices for developing a project charter and the scope of work to produce deliverables necessary to obtain formal approval of the end result. The ability to monitor your project work and make changes as necessary to bring performance back in line with the plan is the difference between a successful and unsuccessful project. The concluding chapters of the book provide best practices to help keep an eye on your projects and close them out successfully. The guide also includes practice questions created to mirror the exam experience and help solidify your understanding of core project management concepts. By the end of this book, you will be able to develop creative solutions for complex issues faced in project management.

Who is this book for?

The CompTIA Project+ Certification Guide is for entry-level project managers who are looking for a common language and best practices in the IT project management space as well as a certification to excel in their career.

What you will learn

  • Develop a project charter and define team roles and responsibilities
  • Plan the project scope, schedule, budget, and risks
  • Process change requests and work with procurement documents
  • Close a formal project or phase and get an overview of Agile Project Management principles
  • Create a work breakdown structure (WBS) and dictionary
  • Discover best practices for identifying, analyzing, and responding to risk
  • Gain important exam information and discover the next steps
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Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Sep 28, 2018
Length: 358 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781789534498

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Estimated delivery fee Deliver to Greece

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Product Details

Publication date : Sep 28, 2018
Length: 358 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781789534498

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Table of Contents

12 Chapters
Introduction to the CompTIA Project+ Exam (PK0-004) Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Project Initiation Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Project Roles and Responsibilities Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Developing a Project Charter Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Creating a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Developing a Project Schedule Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Resource Management Planning and Communication Considerations Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Budget and Contingency Plans for Risk Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Monitoring and Controlling Project Work Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Formal Project or Phase Closure and Agile Project Management Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Assessments Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Other Book You May Enjoy Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

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JACJL Oct 12, 2018
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Very easy to understand and the author makes difficult and dry content fun and easy to understand. Passed my exam easily. I received the book through a training program and used it to study for my exam.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Jennyfer Feb 08, 2020
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Passed the Project+ Certification exam today and I primarily used this book to study. Although the content can be dull, Ashley Hunt presents the topics in a personable way that makes it easier to read and remember. I am a heavy annotator that likes to engage with the reading material and I remember writing "lol" next to a couple things that were funny (the book can be very entertaining at times). However this wasn't the only resource I used, I also completed a lot of practice questions (including the ones in the book) and watched a couple videos to re-enforce learned concepts. I most definitely recommend this study guide to get your base knowledge in for sure!
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DBA58 Jul 19, 2019
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Very good for preparing for my CompTIA project+ test. I used several other books and references to prepare.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
JamesII Mar 07, 2022
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
I enjoyed the author of this book, she was humorous and her study hints helped me remember the material. I used this book to take the new Project+ Beta exam (not sure if I passed because the results will not be released until Oct 22). The beta exam was different from the book BUT the book was still very helpful study-wise and career-wise.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Binky B Oct 07, 2022
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this book is easy to read to prepare for your exam. I haven't taken the exam yet, but this material seems to be helpful for me to understand
Amazon Verified review Amazon
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