Research firm Gartner, Inc. is highlighting the importance of applying innovation for business success. It has become imperative for business leaders to work with the company’s CIO in order to explore and understand the business benefits that IT brings, as well as the significance of properly investing in it.

Providing an analogous finding, Fortune Magazine notes that more and more CEOs are viewing technology as a strategic tool that does more than just foster efficiency in the workplace. It is high time to realize the value of a strategic IT approach, as technology becomes critically intertwined with the achievement of business objectives.

The 9 Big Mistakes

Owing to these business realities, IT departments are becoming indispensable. Consequently, CIOs tend to play an increasingly influential role in the enterprise, compelling them to exhibit industry-best practices. With that said, CIOs are expected not only to keep up with the increasing IT demands of the organization, but to avoid committing crippling and costly mistakes, such as the following:

1. Refusing to exploit new technology trends
   The emergence of developments in the tech arena gives IT authorities the green light to explore new, and perhaps better and lower cost, tools and strategies. CIOs who choose to stick to old technology – because they still work — are rejecting a golden opportunity to keep the business up with the times. Needless to say, they are contradicting the principle behind not only the tech division, but the IT director headship itself.
2. Disregarding the evaluation process of newly adopted technology
   The implementation of new technologies that are determined to boost business or process productivity is a reassuring phase for a company. However, the risks that come with it can be equally uncertain. Absent from a formalized and careful evaluation, the risk of organizational disruption is heightened, and can in fact lead to overspending and failure to meet objectives.
3. Failing to clarify technology utilization throughout the enterprise
   The significance of ensuring adequate, enterprise-wide knowledge of the purposes and usage of implemented technologies cannot be overstated. Every person in the company should have a general idea about what the new technology can and can’t do, and how it can or cannot help them. Policies on effective technology usage should be in place, and reduce the risk of employees engaging in behaviors that jeopardize safety and productivity.
4. Neglecting the existing business culture and organizational structure
   Conflict in any and all areas of business thwarts a company’s overall success, thereby compelling CIOs to reconcile IT decisions with organizational design, behavioral norms and company priorities. In the presently empowered IT era, the job of a CIO is not anymore exclusively confined to technology management and execution. A Forrester blog underscores that a CIO’s evolving role requires empowering employees and encouraging innovation across the enterprise.
5. Disregarding the value of communication skills
   The ability to negotiate, engage stakeholders and fellow executives, and sell an IT investment is crucial for a CIO to be effective on the job. A CIO who is unable to fully ascribe the business value of an IT project in the works cannot expect management support.
6. Implementing poor security tools and policies
   The importance of information and technology security is an often-heard issue among companies. A CIO should be able to identify and push for the implementation of tech tools and policies to adequately secure data from viruses, and regularly back up critical information to shield the company from intrusion or accidental data loss. Failing to secure company data is tantamount to putting business at high risk and watching it being robbed of productivity, money or time.
7. Paying less (or no) attention to software license updates
   Businesses that are not current with their software licenses are doomed. License updates keep users current with critical updates; as such, failing to keep track of these does not only keep the business from running as productively as possible, but also increases security risks.
8. Settling for the second-best IT team
   Leadership is a key, and so is a strong support team. A top performing workforce that makes delegation less agonizing is out of the question. The fast-paced IT segment of a company that is aiming to enhance productivity and reduce expenses cannot afford to accommodate underperformers.
9. Ignoring employee training
   With the top workforce on board, CIOs cannot afford to assume all employees know everything they need to. Resorting to training – especially when new technologies are being introduced – is a certain mechanism to help surge productivity.

Reshaping the CIO Function with Cloud Computing

Now more than ever, it is important for CIOs to scan the environment for current trends, new developments and breakthrough innovations. However, as the IT leadership role continues to scale with intensifying tech demands, Gartner, Inc. is emphasizing the need for IT frontrunners to “re-imagine” IT and welcome the “post-modern business” driven by an outburst of business systems enabled by the Cloud.

Similarly, a Forbes blog is giving particular emphasis to the strategic value that the role of CIO offers a company in an environment that embraces Cloud computing as a factor to ensure future competitiveness. While reshaped CIO functions still require a thorough understanding of architecture and infrastructure, basic know-how on technical operations may become less important in the future.

With an increased awareness about pitfalls in IT-related decision making that can potentially break a business – and the right knowledge about avoiding them – CIOs are able to create a more meaningful thrust to IT and leverage its value for long-term business success.

Hopefully by the time you’re done reading this article, you will see why the ITIL certification is a perfect complement to your project management skills.

Project vs Service

Let me elaborate at the surface level why the “project vs service” perspective came into existence. A project is a temporary endeavor having an actual start date and an actual end date. A project cannot be called a project unless these two parameters are stamped in writing. Further, the outcome of a project is a unique product.

On the other hand, a service will most definitely have a start date, but there is no logical end to a service. A service is meant to be continuous, prolonging until it is needed. The outcome of a service is not unique, there is no product developed, and generally the target of a service is to maintain status quo.

Role of ITIL in Project Management

ITIL is a certification on services, so it is rational to believe that IT professionals in the service industry would subscribe to it? Not anymore!

The world is flattening; products which are outcomes of projects need servicing, and the era where services took over after a project has ended is a thing of the past. These days, the scope of project planning extends to services as well — how the product would be serviced and what the boundaries would be. Projects and services are running companies hand in hand, and this is the way of the future.

ITIL is unquestionably the unparalleled standard for services. It is gaining popularity by the day, people in service industry have hopped onto the band wagon, and we are beginning to see project managers especially show interest in learning the nuances, and leveraging ITIL for a better outcome on their projects.

How ITIL Can Help Project Managers

ITIL delves into how a service is to be formulated, aspects of design, transition, operation and the improvements that can be identified and implemented. Traditional project management stages include initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and controlling – which is more or less principally similar to what ITIL has to offer.

The outcome of a project will act as a feeder to service in most cases. For example, when Microsoft releases their next version of Windows, the product — Windows 8 — needs servicing. Users are going to have issues with capacity and compatibility, among others. In order to service their customers better, Microsoft will have to doff their project hat, and don the service hat, and do what is necessary to service the customer proactively.

In essence, the product led to a service, so service planning and strategizing should be done during the project phase to predict the service issues that might arise, to implement preventive actions if possible or keep corrective actions ready.

Example: Benefits of ITIL in Projects

Let me consider an example to illustrate how ITIL can benefit projects.

A particular project uses a vendor to perform certain activities, like delivering necessary hardware and servicing the hardware for a certain period of time. Project management is ably supported with processes to find a suitable vendor, through tools such as bidder conferences, contract negotiations and expert judgment.

Project management can ensure that the vendor is selected, and products are delivered on time — but what are the terms of support? Are there any agreements governing the kind of support the vendor would provide their customers? These questions can be tackled with ease by somebody with ITIL knowledge.

Any support that is agreed upon is bound by the Service Level Agreement (SLA). This document contains all the dimensions of a support – support window (24X7 or 15X5 etc), how soon the vendor responds to issues, how soon he will be able to resolve issues, constraints, conditions when a vendor could be penalized for missing targets. SLA negotiations are a specialty of ITIL, and ITIL professionals are best placed to negotiate these terms. Imagine a project manager who is ITIL certified, he is a force to reckon with!

ITIL for Project Managers and More

I’m not saying that ITIL would help project managers alone; project members can very well learn the intricacies of ITIL and become certified. But, a project manager, given his position in a project, would be in the best position to call the shots, and being armed with ITIL will give him a good handle on the project more than the others.

There are a number of theories on the ideal capabilities of a project manager. Some will say that a project manager must be an expert in what he has been hired to do — manage the project to successful completion. If he needs technical consultations, there are experts who can help him through the project. Today’s IT gurus vouch that a project manager is like a one-man-army, who is good with project management as well as technical insight.

Look at the bigger picture. A person capable of handling a project and having insight into various technicalities makes a better project manager. He might leverage on various experts for research and technical view, but the final decision must be that of the project manager. If a project manager has to remain successful over a number of projects, he cannot rely on experts alone, and hope that their judgments are on target time after time — which will generally not be the case as the accountability of delivering a project lies with the project manager.

A good project manager must be a jack of all trades and should judiciously mix his management skills with his technical skills before he can pronounce his decision.

Same argument holds good for ITIL too. An ITIL expert must be hired to opine on things in question, and provide necessary data, but the judgment call must come from the man himself. If the project manager is relying on the ITIL expert to make his decision, then there is something screwy that can come apart anytime. It is time that project managers are not only experts in managing projects, but have practitioner’s knowledge of ITIL as well.

How ITIL Improves Project Manager’s Chances in the Industry

Today (and for a very long time to come), ITIL certification for a project manager is a priced arrow in his quiver. It gives him options. He can take up positions that involve project management alone or a position that needs both the skills – like the transition manager. And, he will be automatically qualified to take up positions in the service industry based on his ITIL knowledge alone (backed with the IT experience in project management) – such as the service delivery manager.

The role of a service delivery manager is just one of the many managerial positions we have in the service industry – others worth mentioning are IT process manager, data center manager, account manager amongst others.

More the flairs, higher the paycheck is the mantra in the industry today. So, our ITIL certified project manager is likely to expect a good package from hiring companies. Private consulting is not a bad idea as well!

How Project Managers Can Get Started with ITIL

Project managers can get started with ITIL fundamentals through ITIL v3 Foundation Training which covers the 5 core ITIL libraries:

1. Service Strategy
2. Service Design
3. Service Transition
4. Service Operation
5. Continual Service Improvement

The ITIL certification will not only help you be a better project manager, but it will improve your employment prospects as more companies, and especially IT organizations, are utilizing ITIL.

Cisco Exams Expiring

The final testing days have come for six Cisco exams, most of which already have or will soon be replaced with updated versions. Three exams were just removed, and another three are ending soon. If you’re planning on taking any of these exams, you’ll need to schedule an exam date before the expiration date.

The Cisco exams already removed are as follows:

• Cisco CCSP – 642-504 SNRS (Securing Networks with Cisco Routers and Switches)
• Cisco CCSP – 642-515 (Securing Networks with ASA Advanced)
• Cisco CCSP – 642-524 SNAF (Securing Networks with ASA Foundation)

The Cisco exams expiring soon include:

• Cisco CCDA – 640-863 DESGN (Designing for Cisco Internetwork Solution) – Last testing date: 4/30/2011
• Cisco CCDP – 642-873 ARCH (Designing Cisco Network Service Architectures) – Last testing date: 5/7/2011
• Cisco CCSP and IPS Specialist – 642-533/IPS v6 (Implementing Cisco Intrusion Prevention Systems) – Last testing date: 5/31/2011

For more information on the CCSP exams, take advantage of the CCSP exam certification tool which will help you determine which exams will count towards your cert and which exams you still need to complete.

For more information on the new DESGN and ARCH exams, take a look at this article from Cisco Learning Network.

Free TechNet Subscriptions for New Virtualization Professionals

Microsoft recently announced that any IT Professionals who pass a Microsoft Virtualization exam between March 1, 2011 and June 30, 2011 will receive a complimentary TechNet Subscription (valued at $199). The eligible Virtualization exams include:

• Exam 70-659: TS: Windows Server 2008 R2, Server Virtualization
• Exam 70-669: TS: Windows Server 2008 R2, Desktop Virtualization
• Exam 70-652: TS: Windows Server Virtualization, Configuring
• Exam 70-693: PRO: Windows Server 2008 R2, Virtualization Administrator

To take advantage of this offer, you’ll need to register here, and only the first 1,000 will be eligible, so act fast!

Microsoft MCITP Lync Server 2010 Administrator Certification

Microsoft has announced a new MCITP cloud certification aimed at IT Professionals who deploy and configure Microsoft Lync Server 2010 (part of Microsoft’s Office 365 SaaS offering.) The certification is scheduled to become available in late April, 2011. You’ll need to pass the following exams:

1. Exam 70-664: TS: Microsoft Lync Server 2010, Configuring
2. Exam 70-665: PRO: Microsoft Lync Server 2010, Administrator

Microsoft Windows Phone 7 Apps Certification in Beta

If you’re interested in becoming certified in designing and developing applications for Windows Phone 7, you might be in luck. Microsoft has just started allowing IT Professionals to register to take the exam in its beta stages from April 19th to May 4th.

If you register soon, you could receive an invitation to take the Designing and Developing Windows Phone 7 Applications Exam 71-599 early, giving you credit for the Microsoft Certified Professional Developer: Windows Phone 7, Developer certification once it is released. You can get more information and find out where to register at Born to Learn.

Google Offers Google Apps Certification

Google is planning to offer two Google Apps certifications conducted remotely by Kryterion. The certifications being released are the Google Apps Deployment Specialist and the Google Apps for Education Certified Trainer certification, which is aimed at professionals who provide training and support to schools that use Google Apps for Education.

The Google Apps Deployment Specialist exam will require a Kryterion Flexible Neck Webcam to remotely supervise the test-taking session. The exam itself will be comprised of 98 multiple-choice questions and will cost $100. You can view the study guide on Google’s Certification Program website.

The Google Apps for Education Certified Trainer certification exam is actually a two-step process. In order to become “qualified”, you will need to pass a total of 6 online exams within 90 days. The exams themselves cost $15 each. You can view the study guide for each of the exams on Google’s free online training site. The second step, which will make you a Certified Trainer, will require an application, references, sample materials you have created, and a short video which demonstrates your ability to teach and train the material in question.

Sun Certs Soon to Require Class Attendance

Beginning August 1, 2011, four Java and Oracle Solaris certification paths will require classroom-based training from an approved training provider (Oracle University Training Center, Oracle Authorized Education Center, Oracle Authorized Education Partner, Oracle Academy and approved programs, and the Oracle Workforce Development Program).

You can however, choose between instructor-led classroom courses, or instructor-led online courses, in case you don’t live near an approved training center. According to Oracle, “self study CD-Rom and knowledge center (including recorded web courses – RWC) courses are excellent study and reference tools but DO NOT meet the hands-on course requirement for certification.”

The Sun certification paths affected by this change include:

• Java Architect
• Java Developer
• Solaris System Administrator
• Solaris Security Administrator

For more information, take a look at this press release.

Oracle Betas in Closing Stages

Oracle has a few exams that have been going through their beta stages and have either ended or are ending soon. So far, six exams have ended and three are set to end in the next few weeks.

So far, the following exams have ended their beta testing:

• Oracle Enterprise Manager Application Quality Management 11g Essentials (1Z1-529)
• StorageTek Tape Libraries Essentials (1Z1-546)
• Sun Flash Storage Essentials (1Z1-552)
• Oracle iStore 12 Essentials (1Z1-555)
• Oracle Insurance Policy Administration Configuration Essentials (1Z1-557)
• Sun Storage 6000 Arrays Essentials (1Z1-563)

The following beta exams are set to end soon:

• Siebel CRM 8 Business Analyst (1Z1-219) – Ending April 16, 2011
• Oracle Live Sciences Data Hub 2 Essentials (1Z1-556) – Ending April 16, 2011
• Oracle Real Application Clusters 11g Release 2 and Grid Infrastructure Administration (1Z1-058) – Ending May 14, 2011

For more information on these exams and more, please visit the Oracle Certification Program Beta Exams page.

Oracle Database 11g Administrator Certified Master

While we’re on the topic of Oracle certifications, it’s worth mentioning that the Oracle Database 11g Administrator Certified Master exam is now available. While this exam definitely isn’t for everyone, those who are Oracle experts can sign up for the new 2-day, hands on exam for around $2,000. Visit Oracle to learn more or to register.

HP AIS StorageWorks Certification

HP recently released the new AIS StorageWorks Integration 2011 certification as an update and replacement to the older HP AIS StorageWorks 2008 certification. The new certification will require passing two new exams.

Unfortunately, because of the many changes involved, there is currently no upgrade or “fast track” path available to those who already hold the 2008 certification.

PMI Agile Certification

Much like the Project Management Institute’s Project Management Professional certification, the new Agile Certification focuses on teams and project management.

However, while the PMP certification is aimed more at leading and directing teams, the Agile Certification focuses more on the Agile principles and practices used to manage projects. The exam is scheduled for release sometime in the third quarter of 2011, and applications will be available in May.

Visit the PMI.org Agile Certification page for more information.

Negotiation in common sense is the best value we can get for our money. But, in a project, where long term relationships are involved, this may not hold true at all times. Good negotiators strive to bring in harmony and to ensure that both parties have something to boast — in other words, it’s a win-win situation.

A win-lose situation might hold in good stead for a shorter term, and the party on the losing side might not be happy to do business again. Think again the next time you negotiate, whether both the sides are winning.

Types of Negotiation in a Project

When I was talking to a co-worker on this proposed article which I was penning on negotiations, he seemed interested. He pointed out that negotiations were a regular feature in his work area, and he felt at ease whenever he was a part of negotiations with suppliers.

I agreed that it is indeed fun, but pointed out to him that I will dedicate a small section in my article with respect to negotiation with vendors. He was puzzled and said – “What do you mean by small part? Negotiation is the activity meant when dealing with vendors”.

I paused, smiled and quipped — “Well, negotiations start even before a project gets underway. Client managers spend days and months on negotiating desks, and when a project manager comes onboard, he negotiates the scope, time, cost and quality with the stakeholders. At the time of handing out activities to resources, there are negotiations involved regarding timelines and the quality that can be achieved.”

He didn’t blink for a second and I continued — “And, of course, you have the negotiations with vendors. Through the project lifecycle, project manager and team members negotiate with full vigor with the compliance teams trying to push our product towards compliance. During project closure, the project manager along with the program manager and senior management negotiate with the customer to rationalize that they have delivered the best they could within the agreed budget and time. Now tell me, is negotiating with vendors a small segment or everything?”

My co-worker walked away without a word, and that was the last time we spoke about project work despite meeting for lunch and coffee every day.

Negotiator Types

There are two kinds of negotiators: black and white, and grayscale. Black and White negotiators would have a predetermined figure or an offer, and will not budge on either side. It is either their way or the highway. Grayscale negotiators are flexible, they try not to preempt the fate of negotiations, and aim to balance the scale somewhat.

Industry experts believe that grayscale negotiators are mostly successful and are preferred at the negotiation table, but from my experience, I believe that each one of them has their place and both are as important as the other.

The black and white types are extremely focused on the end result. They have a figure in their mind and will not go over it at any given point in time. They stick to their guns and bring the other party to their knees. I would go with these kind of negotiators in a project that has a fixed budget, and there is no room for expandability.

The grayscale kind are the people who can influence others. They have the ability to read the situation, estimate on the fly whether the deal is good for both parties, and persuade the opposite party to come to an agreement. They can go under the hammer in any such situation that does not put a cap on budgets.

p.s. Agreement is the lingo we use to replace the word compromise, which has a negative connotation to it.

The Art of Negotiation: Preparing for the Bout

Preparations are key to successful negotiations. You need to know the intricacies involved in the business, including the technicalities before the meeting starts.

Understand what the market is offering and get an estimate from estimation professionals on what would be a fair deal and how far can it be stretched. And most importantly, understand what your goals are from the negotiation meet.

Rehearse the opening, and the juncture when you know that the party is not going your way. You need to have a comeback strategy and its best displayed with words which are rehearsed.

Getting Ready to Haggle

There will be compromises made at both ends of the table. To ensure a fair deal for your side of the table, fatten your cow before you lay it for slaughter. Add (good to have) items to your list to make your shopping bag look bulky. Let’s say you are in for a bulk PC purchase. Although you need Windows XP, ask for a free upgrade to Windows 7 and a RAM upgrade from 512 MB to 1 GB.

When both sides start to negotiate prices, you can drop things off which you didn’t really want in the first place and demand for a compromise from the other side. There is a good chance you will get one.

Be sure not to let go anything off your list without a concession from the other side. And, always try to get a bigger piece of meat from the opposite party compared to what you have struck off your list.

Negotiating with Vendors

Although negotiations are a part and parcel of project lifecycle, the real deal still lies with what you say and do with vendors. I don’t blame my colleague for arguing that negotiation in this area is everything, most people still believe that this is it.

Remember that vendors are much more experienced than you are across the negotiation table. They deal with multiple clients and have enormous experience in this field. They might read your trick before you execute it. Play your cards safely, and don’t expose your trump cards all at once. It’s like poker!

Remember that relationships with vendors are generally long term and you would need their support at every juncture. For example, if you are dealing with a vendor who has laid optic fiber cables between your offices, you need his support as long as the cable lies in active state. The last thing you want is a disgruntled vendor who does not provide on time service, and this resulting in irreparable financial losses.

As I mentioned earlier, ensure a win-win situation exists between your vendor and you. Vendors support your project indirectly and are as important as project resources.

Who is a Good Negotiator?

Nobody comes out of college as a good negotiator. It is a skill that is developed on the field, and through experiences, although some folks have native talent to negotiate over others. I recommend that you grab some books on this subject to get the theoretical knowledge.

But, as I said earlier, the real deal lies in the practicalities. If you are not into project negotiations yet, ask your manager to involve you as a silent spectator.

Negotiation on the Project+ Exam

Negotiation is part of project management, and thus the skill is included on the CompTIA Project+ exam as part of objective 3.1: Coordinating human resources to maximize performance. But far more than exam prep, developing your negotiation skills will come in handy in many phases of project management.

Likewise, in a project, communication is the key to success and experienced project managers say that three fourths of the project time is spent in communication. This is actually not a bad thing and as a project manager, you should never think that communication is a waste of time.

Creating a Communication Management Plan

A project is a set of activities undertaken to achieve a single goal. A project needs people to perform the required activities, and people who can lead the project, such as a project manager. There will be customers who provide the project requirements. A project will also need suppliers for the infrastructure; examples where suppliers are involved are in provisioning desktops, phones, software, internet etc. Plus, there are other invisible stakeholders within organizations such as security heads, compliance leads and HR; and on the outside, governmental agencies and green activists.

When all the aforementioned people are involved in a project, communication becomes a challenge. There will be certain information which customers need to know, information the government requires, and the list goes on. To tackle this inconsistency, as project managers we come up with a communication management plan.

The communication management plan is basic and simple. It is tabulated generally and tells the reader which communication should go to who, and by what means along with when and where.

Here is a link to a sample project communication plan that you can take a look at as an example.

Types of Communications in a Project

As mentioned earlier, there are multiple stakeholders within and outside the organization to receive inputs and updates from a project.

To start with, we have team members in a project and internal communication is perhaps one of the arduous tasks a project manager has to deal with. And, it becomes complicated when more people are involved.

A project team of 10 will find it easy to share activity updates than say a team of 20. Using the equation – N(N-1)/2 , we can determine how many communication lines cut across a project where N is the people in the team. For simplicity, I am not considering customers, and other stakeholders. Applying the formula, a project team of 10 would have 45 communication lines and the number quadruples to 190 when the project team size doubles. Just imagine how much harder it gets to maintain successful communication in bigger projects.

A major form of communication include reports, memos and briefings to customers, program managers and others in the organization who are interested in the progress of your project.

These days, project members are generally not co-located. If the coding team sits in San Jose, the testing activities are probably bangalored to some part of India. Communication hence becomes tricky. Companies leverage telephones and video conferences to shrink the distance between multiple brains working towards a single goal, but it cannot be used at all times, albeit it is the best option. Emails have come into the fore and have overtaken all forms of communication. People can communicate with each other whenever and wherever they want and there is no question of privacy intrusion or availability issues of the recipient.

Interestingly, researchers say that written communication is effective only 7% of the time whereas body language and oral communication account for the remaining 93%. And yet, most projects, successful ones at that, run on written communication. Just imagine how successful projects would have been if all communication forms were through body language and words that come of our mouths.

What Constitutes Good Communication Skills?

You would have probably heard that a good communicator is blessed with the talent of hearing out every vowel and consonant, and putting the right words across at the right instant of time. This is so true in the world of projects as well. A project is a set of activities that a group accomplishes and the direction to the set of activities is a result of communication.

First, the customer spells out what he needs and this mostly happens over a video conference or a phone call. The project manager along with his top dogs sit glued to their telephone sets to ensure that they get everything right. Getting the correct requirements solves a major stage in the jigsaw puzzle. The project manager does not want the project to start with wrong specifications, only to realize later that the work has gone to the bins.

So, in a project sense, communication is principal. Listening plays a great part to understand in detail what exactly the customer wants. Once you get a hang of it, fill the gaps by probing with the right darts. This process cascades down to project team members who need to understand the intricacies from their manager. An eager team member who is always on the lookout to ask questions and show off may never grow to great heights. As I said earlier, communication makes or breaks the subject on hand.

Other areas where communication comes in handy are – setting the right expectations, influencing people to take the action you desire, negotiating deals beneficial to both parties, conflict resolution, summarizing and identifying the next steps to take.

The Communication Process

In a typical project sense, communication process if fivefold. My list is not comprehensive but is recommended by project management bodies.

1. Identify Stakeholders

It is significant to know who the stakeholders are. A project might typically have customer organization with various layers, suppliers, governmental organizations, organizational heads and maybe indirect stakeholders – spouses.

2. Plan Communications

You know who needs to be informed or consulted but what completes the cycle is the kind of communication a stakeholder is supposed to know, and the frequencies. This will be a part of your project communication plan as discussed earlier. For example, a supplier may not be interested in knowing where the project team is headed for dinner. He might be keen to understand the business he gets, which might be trivial to a person who produces technical documents.

3. Communicate

Well, you have done all the hard work of identifying people involved and a plan to communicate. What is pending is the execution itself! Emails, newsletter, phone calls, video conferences, TV broadcasts, radio telecasts and internet streaming is carried out as per the bible – project communication plan.

4. Manage Stakeholder Expectations

This is a course in a master’s degree of business administration. Influencing stakeholders’ expectation is an art of communication that is perfected by a very few, and thousands who talk about it like they own it are mere hypocrites. The idea is not to put all expectations on paper and sweat over achieving them at a later time. But, setting the right expectations on whether a particular job can be done at the price, time and quality quoted is the right way to go about it. I hope you got the idea, I can write on this topic all night long!

5. Report Performance

How does anybody know how a project is progressing? Whether they are ahead of time or behind the costs? Reports! It’s the world of reporting that we managers love. Reports give stakeholders the marker to judge the performance of a project, and a chance to change things around during the project as opposed to – at the end. The art of reporting is to account what is needed and to cut out things that add little value. It is like removing chaff from the wheat before feeding your sweetheart.

Managing people effectively is an art which is yet to be perfected for the most part, and the accountability solely lies with the project manager — most of the time. It is indeed most of the time, as there are certain types of organizations where people management is offloaded from the project manager’s plate, onto a manager who only deals with people. These types of organizations are minority and will not be considered in the reminder of this article.

Who is a People Manager?

Just as a business would manage its finances and sales targets with professionals from respective fields, a people manager is a person who manages employees of an organization. It is a job meant only for specialists, and verticals that are responsible for people are generally called the human resources department.

Organization structure aside, a people manager looks after employees’ professional needs from the time of employment, and as long as the employee continues to be a part of the organization. You could also say that he acts as a guardian angel in tending to the employee’s needs.

Some qualities that a people manager should possess are – the ability to be trusted, understand people issues, ability to resolve them and to understand the human resource requirements of the organization.

Responsibilities of a People Manager

Here are the main responsibilities of a people manager in an organization. This list is not comprehensive but covers most common ones.

• Understand the human resource requirements of the organization
• Hire people who fits the needs or the organization – read as people who are self motivated, competent and good at what they do. The unstated requirement is to find people who can swallow the whole hand when you show them your thumb.
• Issues and conflicts arise from time to time, and it is the responsibility of the people manager to sort things out within limits of the organizational policies and guidelines.
• Feedback is a strong mechanism to reflect the performances, and employees receive performance feedback on a regular basis. In this process, he would highlight the strengths and weaknesses of an employee from his purview and suggests improvement measures. This entire process in organizations is generally referred to as the performance appraisal process.
• Take action against erring employees, which might include demotion, termination or being innovative by grounding employees from attending monthly luncheons.
• Recommend training for employees to improve their competency, and to increase employee satisfaction

A Look at Human Resources from Project Management Perspective

If we are talking about managing people in a project, the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) should definitely have processes around it. Let’s take a cursive look at it.

There are four processes listed in it, and they are:

1. Develop human resources plan – Before a project gets underway, the project manager has to estimate the number of people he would need, and the skill sets that are needed in achieving the project.
2. Acquire project management plan – This is the process of interviewing people and getting them on board.
3. Develop project team – It is imperative that anything that does not grow will perish. A team that does not grow will find the same fate as well. The project manager needs to ensure that during the team’s stay in a project, their competencies and skill levels improve, thereby improving the project performance.
4. Manage project team – Getting a team together is one thing, while managing them throughout the life of a project is another. Management includes resolving conflicts, providing project performance feedback and other day to day activities.

Common Challenges in People Management

Managing people is a huge challenge. The one who comes out on the top is the one who completes the project with least amount of conflicts and indifferences.

A new project manager is bound to struggle while managing a project team. He may have learnt about issues of various kinds pertaining to people, and also might have theoretical knowledge while preparing for the PMP, but experience teaches him things that are generally mostly not in the book.

No situation has a fixed solution. One cannot use a standard set of practices to deal with people issues; while you could very well do that with Windows servers. Later on in the career, a project manager might have déjà vu moments that could deem helpful.

I have been managing people for some time now, and I want to share some issues that cropped up and how they were mitigated.

• Trust

I was a new manager then, and I replaced the earlier project manager due to resignation. The team knew more than I did on the project, obviously! Many seniors in the team doubted some of the decisions I made, and I knew the frequency of their brain waves within a couple of working weeks. I had to gain their trust, and show them that I knew what I was doing, and was quite competent at it. Proving your worth to your juniors is a mandatory exercise if you ask me.

Gaining trust is not a one day job, it is a process that could take several days, and luckily for me, I was on a long term project.

I stuck to the task. I was there when my team members needed me. I ensured that I attended each and every meeting including the technical ones, and got into the nitty gritties of the project activities.

When my team knew that I was identifying myself as a part of the unit, and was offering my support rather than just ensuring that the project performance was at par, they started to trust me, and my decisions were accepted fairly.

Being a part of the team, attending meetings and looking out for my team helped me gain their trust. It may not work in all situations. If you are looking into reining your team in, be innovative and earn what pushes their buttons the right way.

• Team Building

Most organizations are rigorously working on this concept, and the key to success will be shouldered on how well the team gels and the result will reflect it. Tons of team building exercises are available today.

Like gaining trust, building a team is an arduous task. It is harder if the team is spread across different geographies, worst if they are in different time zones. Co-location works best if team building is a priority.

In my project, my team sat on the same floor, and they knew each other pretty well even before I joined. This made my job simpler. And yet, I wanted to build it further, so I organized Friday luncheons, monthly outings, and a big outing every quarter. The big outing was sponsored by our client, and the rest were paid from our pockets, and my team members had no qualms over it as long as they had a good time.

During these outings, I never ever spoke about work. I wanted keep work where it belonged, and bring the team together outside the usual boundaries. By doing this, the team knew that their bonding was not restricted professionally, but also at a personal level. Each person knew the other well, and that knowledge helped them perform better. I was amazed to know that several of my team members were far more talented than I assumed. This method is one of the tried and tested ones, and the failure rate is close to nil.

• Conflict Resolution

If any manager says that he will ensure that conflicts don’t crop up, I would say that he’s blatantly lying. Each individual in a project team has a different mindset, approach and mannerisms, and conflicts are bound to surface. The longer the project duration, higher the conflicts within the team. Keeping them to a bare minimum is smart management rather than trying to eliminate it.

There is no single potion to manage conflicts. Managers are required to wear different hats while they try and resolve differences in the team.

One such hat is that of a facilitator. Let’s say that your team members are fighting out on an approach to follow. They find it hard to come up with a solution that screams consensus. You, as the project manager can put all the things on the table, bring out the pros and cons of all the approaches on offer, and basically facilitate in arriving at a solution. Your team members will appreciate this approach more than anything else.

In the second case, let’s say that a project team member is erring, and project delivery is at stake. At this point in time, there is no sense in facilitating to bring the erring employee back in line. Time is money, and errors are generally not paid for. You have to don the hat of a dictator, and take appropriate action as deemed best by you. You don’t have to consult your team, and your decision stays final unless it is vetoed by the higher ups.

The in-between approach is finding support amongst project managers these days. The project manager brings his team together, asks them to share ideas, and take note of all the brilliant ones. This brings in a feeling among team members that their inputs are well considered. On the other hand, the project manager would have already made up his mind on the decision to take; maybe he will enhance it with the ideas of his team. He plays dictator while his team sees him as a facilitator; two birds in one shot.

I have played donned all three hats, and it is indeed important to know which one to use. Things can slip out of your hands if you end up wearing the wrong mask, beware!

I like to think of the project management plan as an encyclopedia that tells me what will go on in a project, providing insight into the strategy and execution of the project.

Planning is the Key in Project Management

The key word is “plan”, and you may have probably heard earlier that planning solves half the problem, while execution takes care of the rest. This statement is an axiom, and a major portion of the effort in the initial stages goes into planning a project. And, as you would expect, it is the responsibility of a project manager.

When a project manager sits down to draft a project management plan, he pretty much will have to visualize the project in motion. It’s a lot like a movie director envisioning the movie in his head before it pans out on the theatre screen.

Timing: When Do You Plan?

Planning is done in the initial stages of a project. The project management plan is most definitely drafted in the nascent stages, and agreed upon with the stakeholders before the first brick is laid in realizing the project.

To give you an idea of the sequence of events before a project starts executing, a project manager is chosen first, and the initial document that he is entrusted to prepare is a project charter. The project charter is similar to a project management plan, but just scans the surface and gives a very brief idea of what will go on in this project. It’s a lot like a movie trailer; an agreed project charter gives way to the creation of project management plan.

Contents of a Project Management Plan

As I mentioned earlier, the project management plan consists of anything and everything that the project encompasses. You think of an element in a project, and voila! You can find it in the project management plan.

The following are some key elements of a project management plan

• Project Schedule

The key milestones in a project definitely finds mention in a project management plan. These milestones are important to track the progress, and for the client to expect part deliverables and the final one of course.

• Cost Plan

Those in business know that money plays a major part in any project. Project cost estimates are a part of a project management plan, along with the degree of variation from plan to reality.

• Resources

Human resources who are involved in the project and the material resources that are needed during the project is planned in. For the human resources, the general practice is to name the roles and the responsibilities they are entrusted with.

• Risks

No project is free from risks. Assessing risks before the project kicks off is an art of experience, and risk management specialists are generally employed for inputs for this section.

• Quality

For a client to accept a deliverable, the output of a project should be in compliance with certain quality requirements. The required quality is agreed with the client during the initial stages and is put in writing in the plan. A classic example of quality in the software industry is the number of defects that are injected into the system.

• Communications

Experts believe that communication consists of 70% of a project in general. A specific plan is needed to address the various communications that will go out on a regular basis, and the medium is generally planned in as well. An example could be a progress report that goes to the client every Friday by email and a monthly status call done via video conference on the first business day of every month. It could be drilled further by stating that the email will be sent to XYZ and project sponsor, project stakeholder ABCD, quality expert and project management office will be copied in.

• Changes

A project management plan once created will not stay in the locker until completion. It goes through changes as and when new risks crop up, and due to unexpected turn of events. There has to be a plan to address a change in the project, for a simple reason that any change in the project will alter the entire characteristic of a project, the quadruple constraints mainly. Two cents – If a project manager can control changes effectively, a project will succeed more often than not.

Sample Project Management Plan

Here’s a sample project management plan, thanks to Washington State transport department for sharing it on the net.

It starts with a brief project description which defines the purpose of the project. Milestones come in next followed by the roles and responsibilities of people resources. Another vital section in a plan is the compliances, which is covered in the example document. Compliances generally draw a boundary line to make the delivery acceptable in lieu of government guidelines and ISO certifications.

Every project management plan is different as the nature is highly subjective, and a common template might not fit every project under the sun. However, this project management plan template by PM Docs covers most of the sections that an average plan consists of. Using it as a base will help you avoid reinventing the wheel for the most part.

Schedule is NOT a Plan

MS Project is a tool developed by Microsoft that is used widely to create a project management schedule. As I mentioned earlier, the schedule consists of all the major milestones and the list of activities against the project timelines of completion.

Many project resources and junior project managers (and leads likewise) I have interacted with, point to a project schedule and call it a project management plan. It is a common slip-up in the IT industry especially.

To reiterate, a project schedule is not a project management plan, but a subset of it. Generally a project management plan is a word or a PDF document with plenty of attachments embedded in it, along with myriad of information.

A Project without a Project Management Plan is NOT a Project

Sure, you can have projects without a plan, but it won’t be considered a project in the most common sense, and no client will shell out a single dollar without seeing a plan of action.

My last comparison of the day, as one would need a roadmap to reach a destination in an unknown land, a project needs a project management plan to realize its existence.

Here are top 3 reasons why project management is a must have for 2010 and how the Project+ certification can help you break into this field fast.

1. Project Management is a Top Skill for 2010

Project management has made nearly every list of the top IT skills for 2010.

TechRepublic’s Top 10 tech skills for 2010, Windows IT Pro’s Top 10 IT Skills and Cities for 2010 and Computerworld’s 6 hottest IT skills for 2010 are just a few examples showing that project management is an in demand skill right now.

2. Project Managers Make $100,000 a Year

Recent research by the Project Management Institute shows that salaries of project managers continue to grow, despite the slow economy. According to PMI’s 2009 salary survey, the median base salary for Project Management professionals in the US is $100,000 and a global median salary is over $90,00 USD. You can read more about project manager salaries at pmi.org.

3. Project Managers are in High Demand

The availability of project management jobs has also been on the rise despite the slowing economy, increasing by 2% in the past two years according to Simply Hired and Indeed.

A big advantage for project managers is the variety of positions and the many opportunities that the profession has to offer.

Project managers can work as:

• project leaders,
• project coordinators,
• project executives,
• project directors,
• project administrators,
• project analysts,
• product managers,
• development managers,
• program managers,

and the list goes on.

In short, project management is a great field to get into right now and CompTIA’s Project+ certification is the perfect way to break in.

Why Get Project+ Certified?

The CompTIA Project+ certification has recently been updated and a new exam (PK0-003) validates your knowledge of project management, including project life cycle, project planning, scheduling, budget control and a whole lot more. The Project+ exam objectives focus on building skills needed to successfully plan, execute and manage business and IT projects.

The biggest advantage of the Project+ certification is that it’s vendor neutral, widely accepted and can be earned very quickly, which is ideal for those who are new to the field. Project+ is also an affordable option at only $239 USD.

Unlike other project management certifications, (for example, the PMP cert) there are no prerequisites, no lengthy applications, and continuing education requirements — the Project+ exam is the only thing you need to worry about. Experience with project management is a huge plus and it’s highly recommended, but it’s definitely something you can accomplish while preparing for the Project+ exam.

The CompTIA Project+ exam is 90 minutes long and has 100 questions. Training for the Project+ certification is now available — see below.

CompTIA Project+ Training Now Available

In response to the need for skilled project managers, Train Signal has released it’s first project management training CompTIA Project+ Training by instructor Bill Kulterman.

The key advantages of the new training are complete exam coverage and a focus on building real world skills including an overview of project management tools and the use of helpful templates and sample documents throughout the course.

Bill spends a great deal of time on not only explaining complex concepts but also showing plenty of examples that help illustrate them.

The training also includes a free Transcender practice exam as well as a 90 day total experience guarantee.

Learn more about the new CompTIA Project+ Training and see what Bill has to say about his new training course in the video below.

CompTIA Project+ Instructor, Bill Kulterman, Talks About His New Training

You might hear housewives say that they have taken up a new project to redo their garden or a high school kid talking about a science project. Even though it means something different to different people, the core idea behind a project always remains the same. Albeit it’s used in a wrong sense by others who might say that living their lives or playing a sport is a project.

Formal Definition of a Project

The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) is considered as the bible of project management. As per the bible, the definition goes something like this:

A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service or result. The temporary nature of projects indicates a definite beginning and end. The end is reached when the project’s objectives have been achieved or when the project is terminated because its objectives will not or cannot be met, or when the need for the project no longer exists.

So, the next time you use the word project, ponder over the following questions:

1. Is the activity that you refer to a project, temporary?
2. Does it produce a unique solution?
3. Does it have a definite beginning and an end?

If you answer yes to all of the above, then you’re definitely dealing with a project.

Project in Layman Terms

A project is a set of activities that are grouped together to collectively bring in a desired solution. The activities could be as simple as buying a commodity or as complicated as building a solar powered car; in short, an activity is subjective and complexity varies according to the desired solution and the required skill set.

Let me consider a simple example to illustrate a project. Cleaning a car sounds easy and something most of us would have done at some point in time. Confession time! I don’t do it anymore.

The process involved in cleaning a car varies but I will try to keep it straightforward and uncomplicated:

1. Bring the cleaning supplies, hose pipe and other accessories that you might need
2. Rinse your car with water to remove loose dirt
3. Mix water with car shampoo in a bucket
4. Apply the soapy water on the car’s body using a soft cloth
5. Rinse the soap with water
6. Dry the car using a dry cotton cloth

Although cleaning your car sounds like an activity, it can be further broken down into seven individual activities, or maybe more. In this case, car cleaning is a project and the seven tasks listed above need to be accomplished to complete your project, right?

I am going to pose the same questions which I asked you earlier for the car cleaning illustration:

1. Is the activity that you refer to a project, temporary?

Yes, cleaning a car is a temporary endeavor, although it can be repetitive in nature over a period of time.

2. Does it produce a unique solution?

Most definitely, a clean car is unique.

3. Does it have a definite beginning and an end?

Yes, it does.

Key Elements in a Project

I need to probably write a thesis on the key elements if I have to cover each and every bit of a project. I am going to wear blinders and talk about the primary ones, and scan the surface to give you a gist of what constitutes a project.

1. Project Manager

Just as every kingdom needs a ruler, a project needs one too, and he’s the project manager. He is the alpha and the omega, and is omniscient of the project’s needs, progress and outcomes.

The project manager is responsible for running a project, and it includes all aspects of a project, be it finances, client communication, people management, vendor management and the list of responsibilities can go on and on for pages, and I am not kidding.

2. Human Resources

However good the project manager is, he cannot alone run the project with computers and servers. He needs people who do the actual work. People (human resources) form an integral part of a project. Talented and skilled personnel have a higher chance of ensuring a project’s success, and hence are in demand. The project manager falls under human resources as well.

3. Balancing Quadruple Constraints

Scope, cost, time and quality are considered the four constraints that make or break a project.

Scope provides the boundary line and a direction towards the realization of the project’s goal. Cost refers to the financials that are required for the project to complete, and the time reflects when the project needs to be complete. The latest addition to constraints is quality; it provides a benchmark for the delivery to be accepted by the client.

Increasing one of the constraints will affect the rest. For example, if you decrease the time of a project, quality is likely to go down as well, and there might be some questions raised on the scope. If the scope increases, time and cost will go up; and in all likelihood quality usually lags due to lack of preparation.

Right, the examples above were meant to provide an understanding of the quadruple constraints. Balancing the four in optimum levels is a challenge that will plague a project from the initial stages until closure. If this can be taken care of, a project is successful more often than not. In reality, projects will tweak the four constraints throughout its life-cycle.

4. Communication

Communication in a project is prime. Like the constraints, the project hinges on to communications at each and every activity and phase. A project is a collection of activities working towards a common goal, and if the communications are not managed, you can imagine where the project heads to.

Project management practitioners believe that around 70% of the project hours in successful projects accounts towards communication. It could be discussions, war room meetings, stakeholder communication or generating reports.

In essence, actual work amounts to 30% of the total hours in successful projects.

Operations are Not Projects

Operations are ongoing and repetitive. They don’t have a definite end date although they may have a start date. The work performed may not lead to a unique solution.

An example could be MS Exchange administration, where the administrator is in charge of adding and deleting users, managing group mailboxes and troubleshooting exchange issues amongst others. The outcome of this activity is repetitive and will keep going on and on. It’s operations, and contradicts projects from every angle.

If you are to upgrade MS Exchange from MS Exchange 2007 to MS Exchange 2010, then the activity of transitioning from a lower version to a higher one can be considered as a project. In this case, you do have a start and end date, the upgrade is temporary and it produces a unique result.

The Art of Project Management

Managing projects is an art, and it requires your right brain as much as the left one. Project management is a vast study in vogue, and is on a continuous improvement mode.

The Project Management Institute (PMI) acts like a legal guardian for project management in providing direction and certifying project managers across the globe.

I have studied and worked on project management aspects for a number of years, and yet find a number of things that could have been dealt differently for better results. It is knowledge that tinkers with your thinking cells in your brain, and keeps you on your toes even in sleep.

Project management is a good career aspiration and it can take you places where you’ve never been before.

Management has become the ultimate pinnacle of most career oriented workers today. One way to reserve a chair at the management table is through business schools; the alternative and more professional approach is to obtain management certificates.

As NetworkWorld.com pointed out a couple of weeks ago, project management certifications do matter. The article states “more and more CIOs believe in the importance of project management certifications” and the PMP credential is in high demand.

Today I’m going to discuss the very popular and reputable option — Project Management Professional (PMP) certification which is soon catching up as the arrow in the quiver that all managers dream of.

Overview of PMP Certification

Let’s start by defining a project. A project is a set of activities that are grouped together to achieve a specific goal. It has a specific start date and an end date, which implies temporary endeavor.

A project goes through various stages to achieve the purpose of its existence, and there is one person who owns the project from the beginning until completion.

This person is the Project Manager.

The PMP certification is a formal recognition implying that the individual understands the art of managing projects through various stages of development.

PMP is internationally recognized and respected. It is one of the most sought after certifications in the IT field. It empowers professionals in bagging crucial high profile project manager roles across the globe.

The Project Management Institute (PMI) is a nonprofit organization responsible for handing over PMP certifications and better project management practices for the community.

Pre-Requisites for the PMP Exam

You need to have several ducks in a row to be eligible to take up the PMP certification.

If you have a bachelor degree and above, you are required to have 4,500 hours of project experience and should have worked in projects for at least 3 years. Things get worse if you don’t hold a bachelor’s degree; for those with associate degrees and high school diplomas, 7,500 hours of project experience is sought with at least 5 years of project experience.

Apart from the long and exhausting project experience, you are required to take up a PMP training course from one of the PMI certified trainers. At the end of the training session followed by a quiz, you will receive 35 contact hours; provided you pass the quiz.

PMP Application Process

The PMP application process is rather tedious. I would rather apply for a Master’s examination and clear it rather than applying for the PMP exam. Just kidding!

For sure, it takes a good four hours to complete the application process.

You are required to enter your work experience based on different stages of project management; it includes listing the exact hours you worked on certain aspects of project management along with the contact details of your managers, which is required to verify your claims.

This is followed by details of the PMP training that you have undertaken and the number of contact hours it amounts to.
After you hit a final submit on the application process, it will take a maximum of five business days for the application to be reviewed.

15% of the total applications go under the hammer, in other words, get audited. If your application is audited, you are asked to provide material evidences of your experience which includes signatures from your managers and supervisors under whom you have performed for the activities that are listed on the application.

These attested copies are to be sealed in an envelope and mailed to your regional PMI office after which you will receive a response within 5 business days. The auditing part is extremely energy sapping and I am fortunate that I was spared from it.

Looking at the Economics of PMP

There are two different pricing cycles to apply for the PMP exam.

The first is rather a straightforward approach, where you pay the exam fees – $555 and take the exam. Else, the cheaper option is to become a member with the PMI organization by paying $129 and taking the exam for $405, which totals to $534 — $21 cheaper than the former alternative.

Why not save while we can? Plus, you have other advantages with the membership like obtaining a free copy of Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) guide, the bible that is instrumental for the salvation of PMP certification.

If you fail to clear the PMP examination, the retake fee is $375 for non-members and $275 for members of PMI, which points to additional savings for PMI members.

I would also advise you to become a member of the local PMP chapter by paying $10, which is a great way to meet other project managers in your area, and goes towards activities that are required for you to undertake post certification.

Tips for Passing the PMP Exam

I would strongly advise you to read the PMBOK — Project Management Body of Knowledge at least 3 times in detail. And this time, I’m not joking.

All of the exam questions will be based on this guide. All other commercially available resources are a filtered copy of the original, and in some cases, a derivative of the author’s opinions, which may be useful but not for the exam.

Another book that is worth investing in is the PMP Exam Prep by Rita Mulcahy. This book extracts portions of the PMBOK and simplifies some of the hard-to-understand concepts. In addition, it contains practice exams for each of the chapters and a full length exam. I personally felt that the questions in the exam were a grade or two higher than the full length quiz provided in this book.

To clear the PMP examination, you will need at least fifteen days of undivided attention with at least 12 hours of preparation per day to be confident of passing. That being said, I know people who have prepared for ten days, and are PMP certified. But, why take the risk when you can help yourself by giving the extra time and confidence?

I gave myself one and a half months before I took up the exam. During this time, I worked full time and sacrificed my social life by immersing in PMBOK and PMP Exam Prep books. I even utilized the time I drove to office by listening to a few podcasts relating to the PMP exam. I took time off from work during the last ten days, and was working at it for 10-12 hours a day. I felt that I had over prepared at times, but it is far better than the other way around. During the entire period, I had read the PMBOK three times, PMP Exam Prep twice and had taken around 700 practice questions, including three full length quizzes.

The PMP Examination

The PMP exam consists of 200 questions and you have four hours to complete it. Of the 200 questions, 25 are dud questions, and will not be considered for scoring purposes. You will not know the dud questions, before and even after the exam.

The total number of questions that you need to answer successfully to pass the exam is a mystery. But, experts feel that the magic number is 106, and you need to get 106+25=131 questions right to be absolutely sure you have passed the exam.

The questions are fairly straightforward. As mentioned earlier, all the questions will be picked from the PMBOK. So make sure to prepare well; give yourself enough time and study with passion.

Learn more the PMP Certification Process at www.pmi.org.