PMP Exam Content Outline

(Manage conflict)

  • Interpret the source and stage of the conflict  
  • Analyze the context for the conflict 
  • Evaluate/recommend/reconcile the appropriate conflict resolution solution  
(Lead a team)
  • Set a clear vision and mission
  • Support diversity and inclusion (e.g., behavior types, thought process)
  • Value servant leadership (e.g., relate the tenets of servant leadership to the team) 
  • Determine an appropriate leadership style (e.g., directive, collaborative)
  • Inspire, motivate, and influence team members/stakeholders (e.g., team contract, social contract, reward system) 
  •  Analyze team members and stakeholders' influence 
  • Distinguish various options to lead various team members and stakeholders  
(Support team performance) 
  • Appraise team member performance against key performance indicators
  • Support and recognize team member growth and development 
  • Determine appropriate feedback approach 
  • Verify performance improvements  
(Empower team members and stakeholders)
  •  Organize around team strengths
  • Support team task accountability
  • Evaluate demonstration of task accountability 
  •  Determine and bestow level(s) of decision-making authority
(Ensure team members/stakeholders are adequately trained)
  •  Determine required competencies and elements of training 
  • Determine training options based on training needs 
  • Allocate resources for training 
  • Measure training outcomes 
(Build a team)
  •  Appraise stakeholder skills 
  •  Deduce project resource requirements 
  •  Continuously assess and refresh team skills to meet project needs 
  •  Maintain team and knowledge transfer  
(Address and remove impediments)
  • Obstacles, and blockers for the team
  • Determine critical impediments, obstacles, and blockers for the team
  • Prioritize critical impediments, obstacles, and blockers for the team 
  •  Use network to implement solutions to remove impediments, obstacles, and blockers for the team 
  • Re-assess continually to ensure impediments, obstacles, and blockers for the team are being addressed
(Negotiate project agreements)  
  • Analyze the bounds of the negotiations for agreement 
  •  Assess priorities and determine ultimate objective(s) 
  • Verify objective(s) of the project agreement is met 
  • Participate in agreement negotiations
  • Determine a negotiation strategy 
(Collaborate with stakeholders) 
  •  Evaluate engagement needs for stakeholders 
  • Optimize alignment between stakeholder needs, expectations, and project objectives 
  •  Build trust and influence stakeholders to accomplish project objectives  
(Build shared understanding) 
  •  Break down situation to identify the root cause of a misunderstanding
  • Survey all necessary parties to reach consensus 
  • Support outcome of parties' agreement 
  • Investigate potential misunderstandings 
(Engage and support virtual teams)
  •  Examine virtual team member needs (e.g., environment, geography, culture, global, etc.) 
  • Investigate alternatives (e.g., communication tools, colocation) for virtual team member engagement 
  • Implement options for virtual team member engagement 
  • Continually evaluate effectiveness of virtual team member engagement  
(Define team ground rules) 
  • Communicate organizational principles with team and external stakeholders 
  • Establish an environment that fosters adherence to the ground rules 
  • Manage and rectify ground rule violations 
(Mentor relevant stakeholders) 
  • Allocate the time to mentoring
  • Recognize and act on mentoring opportunities 
(Promote team performance through the application of emotional intelligence)
  •  Assess behavior through the use of personality indicators 
  • Analyze personality indicators and adjust to the emotional needs of key project stakeholders
(Execute project with the urgency required to deliver business value)
  •  Assess opportunities to deliver value incrementally 
  • Examine the business value throughout the project 
  • Support the team to subdivide project tasks as necessary to find the minimum viable product 
(Manage communications)
  • Analyze communication needs of all stakeholders 
  • Determine communication methods, channels, frequency, and level of detail for all stakeholders
  • Communicate project information and updates effectively 
  • Confirm communication is understood and feedback is received 
 (Assess and manage risks) 
  • Determine risk management options
  • Iteratively assess and prioritize risks 
( Engage stakeholders) 
  • Analyze stakeholders (e.g., power interest grid, influence, impact) 
  •  Categorize stakeholders 
  • Engage stakeholders by category
  • Develop, execute, and validate a strategy for stakeholder engagement 
(Plan and manage budget and resources)
  • Estimate budgetary needs based on the scope of the project and lessons learned from past projects 
  • Anticipate future budget challenges 
  • Monitor budget variations and work with governance process to adjust as necessary 
  • Plan and manage resources 
(Plan and manage schedule )
  • Estimate project tasks (milestones, dependencies, story points) 
  • Utilize benchmarks and historical data
  • Prepare schedule based on methodology 
  • Measure ongoing progress based on methodology 
  • Modify schedule, as needed, based on methodology 
  • Coordinate with other projects and other operations
  (Plan and manage quality of products/deliverables) 
  • Determine quality standard required for project deliverables 
  • Recommend options for improvement based on quality gaps 
  • Continually survey project deliverable quality 
(Plan and manage scope) 
  • Determine and prioritize requirements
  • Break down scope (e.g., WBS, backlog)
  • Monitor and validate scope 
(Integrate project planning activities)
  • Consolidate the project/phase plans 
  •  Assess consolidated project plans for dependencies, gaps, and continued business value 
  • Analyze the data collected 
  • Collect and analyze data to make informed project decisions 
  • Determine critical information requirements 
(Manage project changes)
  • Anticipate and embrace the need for change (e.g., follow change management practices) 
  • Determine strategy to handle change
  • Execute change management strategy according to the methodology
  • Determine a change response to move the project forward
(Plan and manage procurement)  
  • Define resource requirements and needs 
  • Communicate resource requirements
  • Manage suppliers/contracts 
  • Plan and manage procurement strategy 
  • Develop a delivery solution   
(Manage project artifacts)
  •  Determine the requirements (what, when, where, who, etc.) for managing the project artifacts 
  •  Validate that the project information is kept up to date (i.e., version control) and accessible to all stakeholders
  • Continually assess the effectiveness of the management of the project artifacts 
(Determine appropriate project methodology/methods and practices) 
  • Assess project needs, complexity, and magnitude 
  • Recommend project execution strategy (e.g., contracting, finance) 
  • Recommend a project methodology/approach (i.e., predictive, agile, hybrid) 
  • Use iterative, incremental practices throughout the project life cycle (e.g., lessons learned, stakeholder engagement, risk) 
(Establish project governance structure)  
  • Determine appropriate governance for a project (e.g., replicate organizational governance) 
  • Define escalation paths and thresholds 
( Manage project issues)
  • Recognize when a risk becomes an issue 
  • Attack the issue with the optimal action to achieve project success
  • Collaborate with relevant stakeholders on the approach to resolve the issues
  • Ensure knowledge transfer for project continuity 
  • Discuss project responsibilities within team 
  • Outline expectations for working environment 
  • Confirm approach for knowledge transfers 
  • Plan and manage project/phase closure or transitions 
  • Determine criteria to successfully close the project or phase 
  • Validate readiness for transition (e.g., to operations team or next phase)
  • Conclude activities to close out project or phase (e.g., final lessons learned, retrospective, procurement, financials, resources) 
(Plan and manage project compliance)  
  • Confirm project compliance requirements (e.g., security, health and safety, regulatory compliance) 
  • Classify compliance categories
  • Determine potential threats to compliance 
  • Use methods to support compliance
  •  Analyze the consequences of noncompliance 
  •  Determine necessary approach and action to address compliance needs (e.g., risk, legal) 
  • Measure the extent to which the project is in compliance 
(Evaluate and deliver project benefits and value)
  • Investigate that benefits are identified
  • Document agreement on ownership for ongoing benefit realization 
  • Verify measurement system is in place to track benefits 
  • Evaluate delivery options to demonstrate value 
  • Appraise stakeholders of value gain progress 
(Evaluate and address external business environment changes for impact on scope)
  • Survey changes to external business environment (e.g., regulations, technology, geopolitical, market) 
  •  Assess and prioritize impact on project scope/backlog based on changes in external business environment 
  • Recommend options for scope/backlog changes (e.g., schedule, cost changes) 
  • Continually review external business environment for impacts on project scope/backlog 
(Support organizational change)
  •  Assess organizational culture
  • Evaluate impact of organizational change to project and determine required actions 
  •  Evaluate impact of the project to the organization and determine required actions