APMP Study Guide

APMP Study Guide

YOUR JOURNEY TO PROFESSIONAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT How to Pass the APMP

The Parallel APMP study guide is the only APMP study guide available as a printed book accredited by the Association for Project Management. It provides a detailed insight into the APM Body of Knowledge and is designed to help individuals preparing for the APMP qualification. It includes numerous exercises, case studies, mini quizzes and opportunities for reflection. It can be used stand alone or as part of the Parallel Learning System which includes on-line e-learning, pod-casts, APMP fast track workshops and support from our on-line moderated forum to help you develop a professional approach to project management. As we say we’re with you all the way.

Contents The contents of this study guide follows the APM Body of Knowledge sections, with improvements to the flow to accommodate the practical case study. The details of each section are:

Section 1 Introduction This sections describes how to use the guide including an overview of the APM Bok, how to study and sources of support.

Section 2 About the Exam This section describes the APMP exam syllabus, the format of the exam, hints and tips including time management, the various forms of the questions and revision tips.

Section 3 Project Management in Context 0845 519 2305 Davidson House, Forbury Square, Reading, RG1 3EU

APMP Study Guide

This section sets project management in the context of the organisation. It describes how projects can be standalone or part of a programme and / or portfolio. It also describes the importance of the external business environment in influencing project success and the role of the project sponsor in influencing this environment. Finally this section describes the support a project office can provide to a project organisation.

Section 4 Organisation and Governance This section describes the role of a project life cycle and the stages in a generic project lifecycle including concept, definition, implementation and hand over and close out. It also discusses the role of project reviews within this life cycle such as project evaluation reviews and stage gates. This section goes on to describe the governance of project management, anticipated roles (sponsor, project manager etc) and the use of procedures such as PRINCE2™ to introduce standard practice and consistency.

Section 5 Techniques This section describes several key techniques that are relevant to the successful delivery of many projects, including a clear definition of requirements, realistic estimating and control of changes through configuration management.

Section 6 Business and Commercial This section describes the role of the business case in justifying the funding for the project and the steps required to procure goods and services from outside the organisation.

Section 7 Planning the Strategy Before starting project implementation it is vital to have a clear strategy in place. This section describes importance of defining clear success criteria for the project and the business, to ensure that the project benefits can be identified and delivered. These underpin the project management plan (PMP) which describes in detail how the project will be delivered. Linked to this is the need for a good understanding of the project stakeholders needs, wants and expectations and a full understanding of the risk to the project and how these can be effectively managed. This section also includes a description of the processes for project quality management and health and safety.

Section 8 Executing the Strategy Executing the strategy is significantly more than just implementing the plan. The project management plan will need further development for each implementation stage if it is going to be used to monitor progress and identify issues. This section includes the processes to translate the project scope into a fully detailed and resources project baseline. Once the project being implemented, significant attention 0845 519 2305 Davidson House, Forbury Square, Reading, RG1 3EU

APMP Study Guide

needs to be paid to the tracking project status and information, the control of changes and the management of emergent issues. These topics are also covered in this section together with earned value measurement and management

Section 9 People and Profession People make projects, and in this section the skills of leadership, team development and communications are explored. The section also examines the sources of conflict in projects, how they can be resolved through informal action or formal negotiation.

Section 10 Glossary of Terms This section contains a condensed glossary of terms covering only those terms relevant to the APMP exam learning objectives.

Section 11 Case Study Throughout the study guide we use this case study to develop you practical skills in project management tools and techniques. We provide you with templates to use on your own projects as part of the training programme.

Section 12 Mock Exam In this section we provide two mock exam papers, if you post you answers to the questions on our forum we will provide you with feedback on how you could improve (if necessary).

Section 13 Index The most useful part of any study guide we provide you with a full index to all the key terms to help you navigate you way through the study guide.

We’re with you all the way

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