Month: September 2016

I lost touch with reality in the month of August while preparing to take the PMP exam, but it was worth the effort because I passed with flying colors!

Action Plan Progress:

• DONE – Completed the Agile PMP training seminar
• DONE – Read Critical Chain by Eliyahu Goldratt
• DONE – Completed the RMC PMP Exam Prep course
• DONE – Read the PMP Handbook
• DONE – Completed the PMP application
• DONE – Passed the PMP exam

The Agile PMP

The Agile PMP course was a part of the Project Management Institute’s SeminarsWorld event. Karl Muenchow led us through 2-days of great content. His presentations have helped me to reconcile the gap between old-world-PMP and new-world-agile frameworks. They are not as far apart as some would have you believe, and this new perspective has helped me a lot at work.

Book Breakdown

• Title: Critical Chain
• Author: Eliyahu Goldratt
• Genre: Non-fiction, Business
• Grade: C

This book was recommended to me by a colleague. It is supposed to do for project management what The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement did for production. I don’t think it is as good as The Goal. The sections about how padding estimates creates more problems than it solves was very well done, and it has helped to solidify my understanding of estimating. I would recommend this book as light reading for project managers.

PMP Exam

The rest of my action plan was geared toward the PMP exam. Submitting the application was a stressful process, but most exam prep classes give you some tips and tools related to completing the application. I also attended a PMI workshop that walked me through the process. I probably could have figured it out on my own, but was glad for the extra support.

I do not think I could have passed the test without taking a prep class. RMC Learning Solutions came highly recommended and I took their 2-Day PMP Exam Prep Course. It is an intense course that comes complete with homework! They helped me to identify the gaps in my knowledge base and tailor a study plan for my needs. In the 2.5 weeks between the course and my exam date I studied for 37 hours and took 2 practice exams. And when I was done I saw the most beautiful email header I have ever seen…

And with that I have achieved my project management goals for the year! Now I am going to focus on other areas of personal development.

Please share any goals you have achieved this year in the comments below. We should all take time to celebrate the wins!