Margit who is studying for the APMP by distance learning has asked me to write down all the trainers tips we discussed on the phone Yesterday. These are just some tips to help you remember the different parts of the APM body of knowledge. They are in general simplifications so are not a replacement for real study, but never the less people find them useful. I am sure there are many others so please feel free to add to the list.
1) Answer to Questions About Benefits
Many of the questions in the APMP ask about the benefits of project management process or clarity of a role. For example describe the benefits of clear requirements. In answering these questions it is useful to use the the triangle of balance as a prompt list i.e. time, cost and quality. I would also add benefits and risk to this prompt list. For example the benefits of clear requirements are
1) The project has a better chance of being delivered on time if the requirements are clearly defined because teams will know what products have to be produced and when. The project is also much less likely to suffer time delays cause by rework during acceptance.
2) The project has a much lower chance of over spend if the requirements are clearly defined because producing and reworking product to emergent requirements can be very expensive. If the requirements can be fully defined before the products are produced then the cost of rework can be significantly reduced.
3) If the requirements are poorly defined then the quality of the product produced will be significantly diminished. Unclear requirements or change requirements make it almost impossible for project trams to produce a good quality product.
4) Poor requirements significantly increase the risk to the project, the chances of a major change emerging as significantly increased if the requirements are poorly defined. One of the most effective risk reduction measure can be to ensure that the requirements are fully documented at an early stage.
5) A project can fail to deliver its full benefits is the requirements are poorly defined. For example failure to understand the user requirements can result in the delivery of a system which deliver less than optimal benefits to the users.
This same prompt list can be used to answer many of the benefits, such as the benefits of good communications, benefits of project management etc.
If you need to test you project management terms and definition try our free project managment flash cards.
http://www.flashcardmachine.com/1176693/3k7q
Another area people struggle with is remembering the principles of governance as applied to project management. One of my delegates came up with SAD BET
Senior Management have a responsibility for governance.
Accountability needs to be defined for governance.
Disclosure of information about the project must be open and honest
Business case must be in place and align with the corporate strategy for every project
Evaluation of project by external peer groups is a required to ensure it remains in control
Termination of projects that don’t have a viable business case must be done.