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PMP Certification Cram Sheet
Exam Structure & Domains
- 180 questions | 230 minutes | 2 breaks | ~50% predictive, ~50% agile/hybrid
- People 42% | Process 50% | Business Environment 8%
- Situational questions: choose the BEST answer based on PMI values (servant leader, ethical, proactive)
- PMI favors: proactive over reactive, collaborative over directive, prevention over correction
- PMI talent triangle: Ways of Working + Power Skills + Business Acumen
Earned Value Formulas
- PV = Planned Value (what you planned to spend by now)
- EV = Earned Value (value of work actually completed)
- AC = Actual Cost (what you actually spent)
- SV = EV - PV (positive = ahead of schedule)
- CV = EV - AC (positive = under budget)
- SPI = EV/PV (>1 ahead, <1 behind schedule)
- CPI = EV/AC (>1 under, <1 over budget)
- EAC = BAC/CPI (estimate at completion based on current CPI)
Scrum Framework
- Roles: Product Owner (backlog), Scrum Master (process), Dev Team (delivery)
- Ceremonies: Sprint Planning → Daily Scrum → Sprint Review → Sprint Retrospective
- Artifacts: Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog, Increment
- Sprint: 2-4 weeks, fixed time box, no scope changes during sprint
- Definition of Done: shared criteria for 'complete' story
- Velocity: story points/sprint; used for forecasting capacity
- Burndown chart: remaining work over time within a sprint
Risk Management
- Threats: Avoid, Transfer, Mitigate, Accept (active=contingency, passive=nothing)
- Opportunities: Exploit, Share, Enhance, Accept
- Risk register: ID, probability, impact, response, owner
- Qualitative: probability × impact matrix (prioritization)
- Quantitative: EMV = probability × monetary value; Monte Carlo simulation
- Residual risk: remaining after response | Secondary risk: caused by response
- Contingency reserve: for known risks | Management reserve: for unknown unknowns
Key PM Documents
- Project Charter: authorizes project, gives PM authority (Initiating)
- Project Management Plan: how to execute, monitor, control (Planning)
- WBS: scope decomposition into work packages (deliverable-focused)
- Risk Register: identified risks, responses, owners
- Stakeholder Register: stakeholders, interests, engagement level
- Change Log: all change requests and their disposition
- Lessons Learned: captured throughout; finalized at closing
Agile vs Predictive
- Agile: changing requirements, innovation, fast feedback loops, high uncertainty
- Predictive: stable requirements, regulatory compliance, fixed deliverables
- Hybrid: agile delivery within predictive governance framework
- Scrum: iterations (sprints), Kanban: continuous flow (no sprints)
- Backlog refinement: ongoing process of clarifying and prioritizing user stories
- User story format: As a [user] I want [goal] so that [benefit]
- Acceptance criteria: specific conditions story must meet to be accepted by PO
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