PMI CAPM (Certified Associate in Project Management) Examination Content Outline flashcards

One of the three attributes in the Salience Model, defining the degree to which stakeholder attention is required, based on time sensitivity or criticality of their claims.

• High urgency demands immediate attention.
• Can change over the project lifecycle.
• Project managers must adapt engagement based on changing urgency.

Memory trick: Power, Urgency, Legitimacy: The changing trio of stakeholder salience.

A communication method that involves two or more parties exchanging information in real-time, allowing for immediate feedback and clarification.

• Best for complex issues and conflict resolution.
• Includes meetings, phone calls, video conferences.
• Facilitates active listening and understanding.

Memory trick: Real-time talk tackles tough topics.

Adjusting the content, style, and method of communication to suit the specific needs, interests, and understanding level of the intended audience.

• Enhances clarity and comprehension.
• Increases stakeholder engagement.
• Prevents information overload or underload.

Memory trick: Know your audience, tailor your talk, hit the mark.

The process of identifying all people or organizations impacted by the project and documenting relevant information regarding their interests, involvement, and impact.

• Performed early in the project life cycle.
• Output is the Stakeholder Register.
• Critical for effective stakeholder management.

Memory trick: Identify, Plan, Manage, Monitor – every stakeholder's story.

A stakeholder engagement strategy for stakeholders with high power but low interest, focusing on meeting their basic needs to prevent them from becoming dissatisfied or disruptive.

• Proactive identification of their needs/expectations.
• Avoids over-engagement to prevent increasing their interest.
• Crucial for regulatory bodies or senior management.

Memory trick: Keep the powerful but uninterested satisfied to avoid roadblocks.

A conflict resolution technique where parties work together to find a solution that fully satisfies all their concerns, leading to a 'win-win' outcome.

• Requires open dialogue and mutual respect.
• Focuses on underlying issues, not just positions.
• Best for complex problems and building long-term relationships.

Memory trick: Avoid, force, smooth, compromise, or truly collaborate to solve.

Communication where there is a time delay between sending and receiving messages, allowing participants to respond at their own pace.

• Suitable for geographically dispersed teams.
• Examples include email, project portals, discussion forums.
• Allows for more thoughtful responses and documentation.

Memory trick: Global teams need flexible, documented communication to bridge time and culture.

For critical project issues with significant impact and urgency, interactive and immediate communication methods are preferred to facilitate rapid understanding, discussion, and decision-making.

• Face-to-face meetings are ideal for complex and sensitive issues.
• Enables immediate feedback and non-verbal cues.
• Crucial for gaining buy-in and making quick decisions.

Memory trick: When the project's on fire, talk face-to-face, fast and direct.

Communication with senior leaders, characterized by a focus on high-level impact, strategic implications, and proposed solutions, rather than granular details.

• Concise, clear, and results-oriented.
• Highlights business impact (schedule, cost, risk).
• Presents solutions and recommendations.

Memory trick: Executives want impacts, solutions, and the bottom line, not the technical weeds.

When a risk event occurs that was not previously identified, the first step is to formally document it in the risk register and then proceed with analysis and response planning as if it were a newly identified risk.

• Documenting is the first step.
• Treat it as a 'new' risk.
• Requires subsequent analysis and response.

Memory trick: New risk appears? Document it, then analyze and react!

A quantitative risk analysis technique that calculates the average outcome when the future includes scenarios that may or may not happen. EMV = Probability of Risk x Impact of Risk.

• Used for quantitative risk analysis.
• Calculated as Probability x Impact.
• Helps in decision-making under uncertainty.

Memory trick: EMV is P.I.E. (Probability * Impact = EMV), but only after the pie is baked (mitigated).

The ethical principle that mandates project professionals to make decisions and act impartially and objectively, avoiding conflicts of interest and preferential treatment.

• Impartiality in decision-making.
• Avoiding conflicts of interest.
• Ensuring equal opportunities in processes like procurement.

Memory trick: PMI's 'HRRF' are Honesty, Responsibility, Respect, Fairness.

The process of prioritizing individual project risks or sets of project risks for further analysis or action by assessing their probability of occurrence and impact, using non-numerical methods.

• Prioritizes risks based on probability and impact.
• Uses descriptive scales (e.g., high, medium, low).
• Often uses a Probability and Impact Matrix.

Memory trick: Qualitative is quick and dirty, Quantitative is precise and numeric.

Risks that arise from the execution of the project's day-to-day activities, including issues with processes, systems, people, or internal controls.

• Relates to internal project workings.
• Can impact efficiency and effectiveness.
• Often managed through process improvements and training.

Memory trick: SOEC: Strategic, Operational, External, Compliance.

The mandatory rules, laws, regulations, standards, or contractual obligations that a project must adhere to, often imposed by external authorities or internal policies.

• Mandatory adherence.
• Can be legal, regulatory, or contractual.
• Non-compliance carries penalties or legal repercussions.

Memory trick: GDPR = 'G'overnance 'D'ata 'P'rotection 'R'ules, clearly 'C'ompliance.

The process of continuously tracking project activities and deliverables against identified compliance requirements, ensuring adherence, and taking corrective actions when deviations occur.

• Ongoing process throughout the project.
• Ensures adherence to laws, regulations, and standards.
• Involves tracking, auditing, and corrective actions.

Memory trick: Overlooked rules? That's a monitoring fail!

A component of risk monitoring where identified risks are periodically reviewed to assess if their probability, impact, or status has changed, and if existing response plans remain adequate.

• Part of continuous risk monitoring.
• Triggers re-analysis and potential new responses.
• Ensures risk plans remain relevant and effective.

Memory trick: Risk changed? Re-evaluate, then respond anew!

The ethical principle requiring project managers to understand and convey truth in their communications and conduct. This includes accurate reporting of project status, risks, and financial information.

• Communicate truthfully and accurately.
• Provide information in a timely manner.
• Do not deceive or mislead stakeholders.
• Acknowledge errors and correct them promptly.

Memory trick: Really Fair Honest Respectful.

The ethical principle that requires project professionals to understand and uphold truthfulness in their conduct and communications, ensuring accuracy and avoiding deception.

• Truthfulness in all communications.
• Accuracy in reporting.
• Avoiding misleading statements or actions.

Memory trick: PMI's 'HRRF' are Honesty, Responsibility, Respect, Fairness.

A risk identification technique that involves reviewing each component of the Work Breakdown Structure to systematically identify potential risks associated with each work package or activity.

• Systematic review of project components.
• Helps identify risks at a detailed level.
• Ties risks directly to project deliverables.

Memory trick: Don't just guess risks, break it down like a puzzle!

A technique used in risk identification where various project documents are systematically reviewed to uncover potential risks, inconsistencies, or ambiguities.

• Involves reviewing project plans, requirements, contracts, etc.
• Helps identify risks hidden in project details.
• Requires a thorough and systematic approach.

Memory trick: Experts Brainstorm Documents for Assumptions and Diagrams.

A risk response strategy for threats that involves shifting the impact of a threat to a third party, often through contracts, insurance, or outsourcing.

• Shifts responsibility and financial impact.
• Does not eliminate the risk, but moves it.
• Commonly achieved via insurance, contracts, or outsourcing.

Memory trick: Avoid, Transfer, Mitigate, Accept: ATMA - Always Take More Action!

A structured brainstorming technique used for group decision-making or idea generation that encourages equal participation by allowing individuals to generate ideas silently before sharing and discussing them as a group.

• Silent idea generation phase.
• Structured sharing and discussion.
• Aims to prevent groupthink and dominance.
• Often includes a voting or ranking phase.

Memory trick: Nominal Group: 'N'o one dominates, ideas are 'N'umerated.

A system of laws, regulations, guidelines, and standards that are enforced by external governmental or authoritative bodies, which projects must comply with.

• Legally binding requirements.
• Imposed by external authorities.
• Non-compliance can lead to penalties (fines, delays).

Memory trick: Regulatory = Rules from the 'R'ulers.

An ongoing effort to improve products, services, or processes. These efforts can seek 'incremental' improvement over time or 'breakthrough' improvement all at once.

• Focuses on enhancing efficiency and quality.
• Involves identifying and eliminating root causes of problems.
• Aims to prevent recurrence of defects or issues.

Memory trick: Plan, Assure, Control, Improve - PACI, always get better!

The second step in the 5S methodology, focusing on arranging all necessary items in an organized manner for easy access and use.

• Aims to reduce search time and motion waste.
• Involves placing items at their point of use.
• Contributes to a more efficient and ergonomic workspace.

Memory trick: Lean on 5S to organize, so waste doesn't mesmerize.

A management philosophy that focuses on maximizing customer value while minimizing waste. It aims to create more value for customers with fewer resources.

• Identifies and eliminates waste (Muda).
• Focuses on value streams.
• Emphasizes continuous flow and pull systems.

Memory trick: Lean eliminates waste, Six Sigma reduces variation, TQM aims for total quality.

Conditions or capabilities that must be met by the project or product to satisfy stakeholders or comply with specifications.

• Specific and measurable criteria.
• Define what 'done' and 'correct' means for quality.
• Often derived from stakeholder needs, industry standards, or regulations.

Memory trick: Plan for Quality: Requirements, Metrics, Checklists, Standards, Process.

A data-driven improvement cycle used for improving, optimizing and stabilizing business processes and designs. It is a core tool used to drive Six Sigma projects.

• Systematic, five-phase approach.
• Focuses on reducing defects and variability.
• Uses statistical tools for analysis.

Memory trick: DMAIC: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control, for systematic solutions.

Any time when people, information, equipment, or materials are not ready when needed, causing idle time in the process.

• One of the 8 types of waste (TIMWOODS).
• Includes waiting for approvals, materials, information, or previous steps.
• Just-in-time inventory and streamlined processes directly reduce this.

Memory trick: TIMWOODS: Transport, Inventory, Motion, Waiting, Overproduction, Overprocessing, Defects, Skills.

The phase in the DMAIC methodology where data is analyzed to identify the root causes of defects and variation.

• Follows Define and Measure phases.
• Uses statistical tools to determine cause-and-effect.
• Aims to understand 'why' problems occur.

Memory trick: DMAIC: Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control – for better quality!

The process of auditing the quality requirements and the results from quality control measurements to ensure appropriate quality standards and operational definitions are used.

• Focuses on the process, not the product.
• Aims to prevent defects by improving processes.
• Involves auditing, process analysis, and quality improvement.

Memory trick: Assurance ensures the 'process' is sound, so the 'product' will be found.

Actions performed to monitor and record results of executing quality activities to assess performance and recommend necessary changes.

• Includes inspection, testing, and measurement.
• Focuses on specific deliverables and outputs.
• Aims to identify defects and deviations from standards.

Memory trick: Control checks the output, Assurance checks the input and process.

A visual tool used to explore and identify the potential root causes of a specific problem or effect.

• Organizes causes into categories (e.g., Man, Machine, Material, Method, Measurement, Environment).
• Helps in brainstorming and structuring root cause analysis.
• Also known as Ishikawa Diagram.

Memory trick: To find 'why', use Fishbone to identify causes that lie.

The process of monitoring and recording results of executing the quality activities to assess performance and recommend necessary changes.

• Focuses on specific project results and deliverables.
• Aims to verify compliance with quality standards.
• Identifies defects and causes of unsatisfactory performance.

Memory trick: Control checks the 'what' is right, Assurance checks the 'how' is right.

The process of identifying quality requirements and/or standards for the project and its deliverables, and documenting how the project will comply.

• Occurs early in the project lifecycle.
• Defines what quality means for the project.
• Determines how quality will be managed and verified.

Memory trick: Plan first, then Assure, Control, and Improve constantly.

A statistical measure that quantifies the amount of variation or dispersion of a set of data values around the mean, used to set control limits.

• The basis for calculating control limits (e.g., ±3 standard deviations).
• Higher standard deviation indicates more variation.
• Crucial for determining if a process is 'in control'.

Memory trick: Control with Stats: Standard deviation sets the bounds, so the process stays in its grounds.

Brainstorming is a group creativity technique used to generate a large number of ideas in a short period, typically without criticism or judgment, to explore various solutions or approaches.

• Group creativity technique.
• Generates many ideas quickly.
• Encourages free thinking and defers judgment.

Memory trick: Elicit ideas to build a great solution.

A complete requirement includes all the information necessary for its implementation and ensures that all stakeholder needs are addressed by the solution.

• All necessary information is present.
• Addresses all stakeholder needs.
• Nothing critical is missing.

Memory trick: Great requirements are CLEAR, COMPLETE, and CONCISE.

A Business Case provides a justification for undertaking a project, program, or portfolio. It outlines the business need, potential benefits, costs, and risks.

• Justifies project initiation.
• Captures high-level objectives and problems.
• Used for decision-making and approval.

Memory trick: A business case builds the foundation for success.

The Executing Process Group consists of the processes performed to complete the work defined in the project management plan to satisfy the project requirements.

• Focuses on carrying out the work as planned.
• Involves managing resources, implementing activities, and producing deliverables.
• Generates work performance data.

Memory trick: I Plan Every Move Carefully, Closing projects with ease.