This document provides an introduction to Prof. Muzette Charles and her Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) exam preparation course. It outlines Prof. Charles' background and credentials in project management. It then previews the topics that will be covered in the course, including why candidates pursue the CAPM certification, how the CAPM exam compares to the PMP exam, study tips, exam scoring, and recommended study materials. The document serves as a welcome and overview for students taking Prof. Charles' CAPM exam prep course.

1. Welcome To The
Prof. Muzette Charles, PMP
mcharles2@pace.edu
Certified Associate Project Management
CAPM® Exam Prep – Week 1

2. Welcome
Prof. Muzette Charles, PMP
20 year professional career managing financial portfolios and
non-profit fund development projects
Pace University – Adjunct Professor, PMP / CAPM
Media Solutions – Project Manager, Finance & Marketing
Morgan Stanley – Financial Advisor
U.S.P.S. – National Account Manager
Project Management Professional – PMP / PMI Certified
B.S. Electrical Engineering – Fairleigh Dickinson University

3. Why take the CAPM® ?
 Regardless of your career stage, the Certified Associate in Project Management
(CAPM)® is an asset that will distinguish you in the job market and enhance your
credibility and effectiveness working on — or with — project teams.
 Project management is a rapidly growing profession. Through 2020, 1.57 million
new jobs will be created each year and qualified practitioners are in demand.
With the CAPM, you’ll be on the fast track to opportunity.
 If you’d like to manage larger projects and gain more responsibility or add project
management skills into your current role, then the Certified Associate in Project
Management (CAPM) is right for you.

4. Comparison between
PMP ® and CAPM® Exams

5. Tricks of the Trade
Studying for the CAPM® Exam
Chapter 1
 Pass the exam on your first try
 Learn, not just memorize
 Shorten your study time
 Determine the gaps in your knowledge
 Gain insider tips on the exam
 Make sense of the topics on the exam

6.  Apply to Project Management Institute - PMI
 Authorization Notice to make appointment to take exam
 Designated Computerized Testing Sites
 One year from date of Authorization Notice to pass exam
 Can take exam up to 3x within that one year
 If you fail all 3x times, must wait one year to reapply
Tricks of the Trade
Studying for the CAPM® Exam
Chapter 1

7. Rita Mulcahy’s CAPM® Exam Prep
This book combines full knowledge area
coverage, Quicktest reviews, practice
questions and creative ways to reinforce
your understanding of Process inputs, tools
and techniques, and outputs (ITTOs) with
page references to the PMBOK ® Guide.
Tricks of the Trade
Studying for the CAPM® Exam
Chapter 1

8. PMBOK® Guide
“CAPM candidates need to read (and
study) the PMBOK® Guide at least once, if
not twice. It is the primary source for exam
questions, so you need to be familiar with
it.”
Tricks of the Trade
Studying for the CAPM® Exam
Chapter 1

9. Tricks of the Trade
How is the CAPM® Exam Scored?
Chapter 1

10.  150 multiple-choice questions with 4
answer choices per question
 3 hours to complete exam
 15 experimental questions randomly
placed & not scored!!
 Questions weighted by Knowledge Area
 No penalty for wrong answers
 135 questions scored on PASS / FAIL
Tricks of the Trade
How is the CAPM® Exam Scored?
Chapter 1

11.  General PMI-isms
 Planning the Project
 While the Project Work is Being Done
 Closing the Project
Tricks of the Trade
Studying for the CAPM® Exam
Chapter 2

12.  Project
 Project Management
 Program
 Portfolio
 Operations vs. Projects
 Enterprise Environment Factors
 Organizational Process Assets
 Work Performance Data, Information &
Reports
 Organizational Structure: Functional,
Projectized, Matrix
 Project Life Cycle: Predictive, Iterative,
Adaptive
 Project Management Process
 Project Management Office (PMO)
 Stakeholders
 Constraints
Project Management Framework
QUICKTEST – Chapter 2

13. What is a Project?
“A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique
product, service or result. The temporary nature of projects
indicates that a project has 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.”
Project Management Framework
Chapter 2

14. Project Managers
 “… keep the team focused on the business value the project is providing. By constantly
helping each team member to understand how his or her work impacts the project’s
value, the PM makes sure that everyone on the team makes the best decisions to keep the
project on track.”
 Interpersonal Skills
 Leadership
 Motivation
 Team Building & Trust Building
 Influencing
 Coaching
 Conflict Management
 Political & Cultural Awareness
Project Management Framework
Chapter 2

15. Business Value
is the sum of all of the resources a
company is made of; its people,
equipment and the intellectual
property they produce.
Portfolio - Strategic Goals
Program - Shared Benefits
Project – Deliverables
Project Management Framework
Chapter 2

16. Project Management Office (PMO)
 Supports Project Managers
 Manage shared resources across all
projects
 Coaching, training, mentoring, oversight
 Monitor & periodic reviews compliance
by AUDITS
 Develop & manage shared docs (OPAs)
Project Management Framework
Chapter 2

17. OPERATIONS vs.
 Work is REPEATABLE &
ONGOING to produce goods or
services in support of the
business/organization.
 Supports the day-to-day business to
achieve the company’s strategic goals.
 Ex: production, accounting,
software support, maintenance,
manufacturing
PROJECTS
 Gathers a team together to do
TEMPORARY work to create a
UNIQUE RESULT and is
PROGRESSIVELY ELABORATED that
ends when the project is closed
 Produces a product that is handed off
to operations
 Require PM activities & skill sets
 Are not always successful
Project Management Framework
Chapter 2

18.  Stakeholders
 “… include all members of the project team as
well as interested entities that are internal &
external to the organization…. that can have a
positive or negative influence.”
 The team that actually does the work
 The people who pay for the work
 Everybody who will use the product when
the project is done
 Everyone who may be impacted by the
project along the way
 90% of PM’s job is communicating with
everyone to make sure their needs are met
Project Management Framework
Chapter 2

19. Project Constraints
 Any limitation, change or addition that a Stakeholder tries to place on a project.
 PM is responsible to analyze each change & the impact on the other constraints
thru Integrated Change Control.
Project Management Framework
Chapter 2

20. Enterprise Environmental Factors
 “…refer to conditions, not under the control of the project team, that
influence, constrain or direct the project.”
 The company culture, existing systems, “baggage”
 Are INPUTS to most planning processes
Project Management Framework
Chapter 2

21. Organizational Process Assets
 “… are the plans, processes, policies, procedures & knowledge bases
specific to & used by the performing org.”
 aka Corporate Knowledge Base
 Are INPUTS to most planning processes
Project Management Framework
Chapter 2

22. Organizational Structure
 Functional
 Most common, grouped by function/department – Acctg, Mktg,
 PM has no direct reports & Team members work in a “Silo”
 Matrix
 Maximizes strength of both functional & projectized structures
BALANCED - PM shares authority with Func. Mgr & Team members have “Two Bosses”
WEAK MATRIX
 Expeditor – Cannot make/enforce decisions, is a Staff Asst/Communications Coord.
 Coordinator – Has some authority to make decisions & reports to a higher level Mgr
 Projectized
 PM controls the project & Team members have “No Home”
Project Management Framework
Chapter 2

23. Organizational Structure
Project Management Framework
Chapter 2

24. Project Life Cycle
 What you need to do to DO the work!!
 “…is a series of phases that a project passes thru
from its initiation to its closure.”
 “…provides a basic framework for managing the
project regardless of the specific work being
done.”
 “Projects vary in size & complexity, but all follow
the Generic Life Cycle structure”
Project Management Framework
Chapter 2

25. Project Life Cycle
 PREDICTIVE – aka Traditional / Waterfall
are Plan-Driven Projects where Scope, Cost, Time are defined in the beginning
 INCREMENTAL & ITERATIVE – Rolling Wave Planning / Progressive Elaboration
enough early planning to create Time & Cost estimates. Successive iterations/levels of
details to create a usable product.
 ADAPTIVE – aka Agile
are Change-Driven where Time & Cost are defined early, but Scope is defined over many
iterations. Stakeholder changes highly involved & prioritized as a “Backlog”
Project Management Framework
Chapter 2

26. Project Management Process
… is what you need to do to MANAGE the work!!
Only ONE Project Management Process, regardless of the life cycle
Project Management Framework
Chapter 2

27. Project Information
 Work Performance Data – raw observations & measurements
 % completion
 Start & finish dates of activities
 Actual costs & durations
 # of change requests
 Work Performance Information – data collected from control processes analyzed & integrated
 Status of deliverables
 Forecasted estimates to completion
 Work Performance Reports – information compiled into Project Docs to generate decisions, raise issues,
actions or awareness
 Project Status Reports
 Memos
 eDashboards, KPIs, etc
Project Management Framework
Chapter 2

28. Project Management Process
The Goal…
- Deliver the product on time
- Within budget
- Fulfill the customer’s needs & expectations
- Maintain a happy & well-functioning team
Project Management Framework
Chapter 2

29. What makes a great Project Mgr ?