Introduction

The Project+ certification is an excellent entry-level project management certification. As a globally recognized credential, the Project+ certification demonstrates that the holder has knowledge and skills across a broad range of project management topics.

Every day, in every industry, organizations large and small launch new projects. Many of these organizations realize that personnel with skills and knowledge in project management are vital to successful projects. Project+ certified professionals have more than just basic project management knowledge; to pass the Project+ exam, certification candidates must understand all aspects of project management.

Project management knowledge and skills apply to all types of projects, from construction to software development to manufacturing and all other fields. Earning Project+ certification demonstrates the project management professional’s ability to initiate, plan, execute, monitor and control, complete, and close projects.

Goals of the Project+ Certification

The Project+ certification is created and managed by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), a well-known certification body. CompTIA Project+ certification has a number of stated goals. Although not crucial for passing the exam, having knowledge of the CompTIA organization and its goals for the Project+ certification can be helpful in understanding the motivation behind the creation and contents of the exam.

Sponsoring Body

CompTIA is a nonprofit trade association that provides a vendor-neutral certification process and works with partners to create educational materials. The Project+ certification is one of a number of certifications offered by CompTIA:

A+

Network+

Security+

Linux+

Cloud+

Mobility+

Server+

CDIA+

CompTIA also offers two master-level security certifications:

CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP)

Cybersecurity Analyst+ (CSA+)

Stated Goals

The goal of CompTIA in its administration of the Project+ certification is to provide a reliable instrument to measure an individual’s knowledge and skills for managing the project life cycle, ensuring appropriate communication, managing resources and stakeholders, and maintaining project documentation. The topics covered in the exam are technically more shallow than those tested by some other project management certifications.

The topics that comprise the four domains of knowledge covered by the Project+ exam (PK0-004) are discussed later in this Introduction.

Value of the Project+ Certification

The Project+ certification holds value for both the exam candidate and the organization. Project management is a job skill that is increasing in popularity on job sites. Project+ is often seen as a great entry-level certification for people who are new to the project management field.

To the Project Professional

Many reasons exist for a project management professional to spend the time and effort required to achieve Project+ certification:

To meet growing demand for project management professionals

To become more marketable in an increasingly competitive job market

To enhance skills in a current job

To qualify for or compete more successfully for a promotion

To increase earnings

In short, this credential demonstrates that the holder not only has the knowledge and skills tested on the exam but also the wherewithal to plan and implement a course of study that addresses a broad range of project management topics.

To the Organization

For an organization, the Project+ certification offers a reliable benchmark against which job candidates can be measured by validating both knowledge and experience. Individuals holding this certification stand out, making the hiring process easier and adding a level of confidence in the final selection.

Project+ Objectives

The material contained in the Project+ exam (PK0-004) is divided into four domains, with several objectives in each:

Project basics domain

Project constraints domain

Communication and change management domain

Project tools and documentation domain

For the most part, this book devotes a chapter to each of these objectives. A few objectives have been combined logically into one chapter. Some overlap is inevitable between the domains and objectives, leading to some overlap between topics covered in the chapters. This section describes the domains and topics covered.

Project Basics Domain

The project basics domain covers a broad spectrum of general project management topics:

Properties of a project

Project roles and responsibilities

Project phases

Project cost control

Project team organizational structures

Project schedules

Agile methodology

Human resource, physical resource, and personnel management

Project Constraints Domain

The project constraints domain covers a broad range of project limiting factors:

Project constraint variables and influences

Project risk strategies and activities

Communication and Change Management Domain

The communication and change management domain covers the who, what, why, and when of communication and the change management process:

Project communication methods

Project communication influences

Project communication triggers, audience, and rationale

Project change control process and types of changes

Organizational change

Project Tools and Documentation Domain

The project tools and documentation domain covers all the tools and documents that are used to manage a project successfully:

Project management tools

Project-centric documents

Vendor-centric documents

Steps to Becoming CompTIA Project+ Certified

To become CompTIA Project+ certified, the candidate must meet certain prerequisites and follow certain procedures. This section covers those topics.

About the Project+ Exam

The Project+ exam is a computer-based test that the candidate can spend up to 90 minutes completing. There are no formal breaks, but you are allowed to take short breaks. Any time used for breaks counts toward the maximum cumulative time of 135 minutes, whether you take the test online or in person at a Pearson VUE authorized testing center. You must bring a government-issued identification card. No other forms of ID are accepted.

The test will have up to 100 multiple-choice questions and drag-and-drop questions. The passing grade is 710 out of a possible 900. Candidates will receive the results at the test center from the test administrator.

Qualifying for the Exam

While there are no experience requirements for taking the exam, CompTIA recommends at least 12 months of cumulative project management experience. Because this is not a requirement, candidates can sign up for the exam without this experience, but should spend adequate study time to ensure that they have the knowledge needed for this exam.

Signing Up for the Exam

CompTIA exams are offered at Pearson VUE testing centers around the world. Certain qualified students or other individuals in the U.S. and Canada may be eligible to take the Project+ exam remotely through ProctorU instead of visiting a testing center. If you want to take the exam online, review the requirements and follow the instructions at http://proctoru.com/portal/comptia.

The steps to sign up for the Project+ exam at your local Pearson VUE testing center are as follows:

1. Create a Pearson VUE account (www.pearsonvue.com/comptia).

2. Schedule your exam at your nearest Pearson VUE facility.

3. Save your exam appointment confirmation.

After you complete the exam, you will be given a score report. Save this score report until you confirm that you have been awarded the credential by logging into https://www.certmetrics.com/comptia/login.aspx.

How To Use This Book

The goal of this book is simple: Helping you to pass the 2017 version of the CompTIA Project+ Certification exam (PK0-004).

The Project+ exam stresses a complete understanding of the knowledge areas and experience of project management. Whether you have an extensive background as a project manager in multiple industries, or you are entering the project management field for the first time, this book is designed to help you understand and master the required objectives for the exam.

This book uses several methodologies to help you 1) discover the exam topics on which you need more review, 2) fully understand and remember details about those topics, and 3) prove to yourself that you have retained your knowledge of those topics. To pass the exam, memorizing terminology is not sufficient; you must understand the concepts covered in the exam and this book.

Each chapter is structured in the following way:

Objectives: The chapter opens with a list of Project+ exam topics covered in the chapter, a brief introduction to those topics, and a list of the corresponding CompTIA Project+ objectives.

“Do I Know This Already?” Quiz: This quiz tests your knowledge and understanding of the main topics covered in the chapter. Detailed answers are in Appendix A, “Answers to the ‘Do I Know This Already?’ Quizzes and Review Questions.” The quiz helps you to assess whether you should read the entire chapter, read only the sections on unfamiliar topics, or jump immediately to the “Exam Preparation Tasks” section.

Foundation Topics: This section holds the core content of the chapter. It explores the chapter topics with both theory and examples. In-depth descriptions, lists, tables, and figures are geared to build your knowledge so that you can pass the Project+ exam.

Examples: This book presents more than 125 true-to-life examples that demonstrate how project management actually works in the phases, tasks, documents, processes, etc. that are part of the project manager’s job. These examples are designed to give you real-world insight that is particularly useful in scenario-based questions on the live Project+ exam.

Key Topics: The Key Topic icon in the margin indicates important information that you should know for the exam. Although the contents of the entire chapter could be on the exam, you should definitely know the information listed in each key topic. All of the key topics for the chapter are gathered in a Key Topics table at the end of the chapter for quick reference to the text covering each key topic.

Exam Preparation Tasks: This section of the chapter moves from active learning to active exam preparation. Now that you have grasped the chapter contents, use the activities in this section to test your understanding of the information in the chapter:

Review All Key Topics: The Key Topics table in this section provides a brief summary of each chapter element marked with the Key Topic symbol described earlier. Review the contents of this table carefully to check your understanding of that topic. In case you need to refresh your memory or learn more, the table lists the corresponding page number where each topic begins, so you can jump instantly to that point in the chapter.

Define Key Terms: This section lists all the important terms discussed in the chapter. You are expected to be familiar with these key terms for the Project+ exam. Provide your own definitions for the terms in the list, and then compare your definitions against those in the Glossary at the end of the book. The Glossary combines all the key terms from all the chapters, listed alphabetically to make each term easy to find.

Review Questions: Each chapter ends with 10 multiple-choice questions, designed to test your knowledge of the chapter content. Check your selections against the answers and descriptions in Appendix A.

Who Should Read This Book?

The CompTIA Project+ examination is designed for project management in any field. The exam certifies that the successful candidate has the requisite knowledge and skills to manage projects for any type of organization.

As mentioned earlier, no project management experience is required for taking the exam. However, CompTIA recommends at least 12 months of cumulative project management experience.

This book is intended for the wide range of Project+ certification candidates, from people who seek entry-level project management know-how all the way up to experienced project managers who want to keep skills sharp, increase income, improve organizational ranking or title, or meet their organization’s policies mandating certification.

Strategies for Exam Preparation

How you use this book to prepare for the exam will vary depending on your existing skills and knowledge. The ideal exam preparation would consist of years of active project management experience followed by rigorous study of the exam objectives, but that may not be practical in your case. The best way to determine your readiness for the Project+ exam is to work through the “Do I Know This Already?” Quiz at the beginning of each chapter and review the foundation topics and key topics presented in each chapter. If possible, work your way through the entire book until you can complete each subject without having to do any research or look up any answers.

If you need to study particular areas in the PK0-004 certification exam outline, find those sections in the book and review them carefully. Table I-1 lists the objectives in the Project+ exam and where those objectives are covered in this book.

Table I-1 CompTIA Project+ PK0-004 Exam Topics Mapped to Chapters

Project+ Objective	Description	Chapter
1.1	Summarize the properties of a project.	1
1.2	Classify project roles and responsibilities.	2
1.3	Compare and contrast standard project phases.	1
1.4	Identify the basics of project cost control.	3
1.5	Identify common project team organizational structures.	2
1.6	Given a scenario, execute and develop project schedules.	4
1.7	Identify the basic aspects of the Agile methodology.	6
1.8	Explain the importance of human resource, physical resource, and personnel management.	5
2.1	Given a scenario, predict the impact of various constraint variables and influences throughout the project.	7
2.2	Explain the importance of risk strategies and activities.	8
3.1	Given a scenario, use the appropriate communication method.	9
3.2	Compare and contrast factors influencing communication methods.	9
3.3	Explain common communication triggers and determine the target audience and rationale.	10
3.4	Given a scenario, use the following change control process within the context of a project.	11
3.5	Recognize types of organizational change.	11
4.1	Compare and contrast various project management tools.	12
4.2	Given a scenario, analyze project centric documentation.	13
4.3	Identify common partner or vendor-centric documents and their purpose.	14

When you feel confident in your skills, work through the “Exam Preparation Tasks” section of each chapter, and then attempt the practice exams in the Pearson Test Prep practice test software online. As you work through a practice exam, note the areas where you lack knowledge or confidence, and then review those concepts in the book. After you have reviewed those areas, work through the practice exam a second time and rate your skills. Keep in mind that the more you work through a practice exam, the more familiar the questions will be.

After you have worked through the practice exams successfully, schedule your CompTIA Project+ PK0-004 exam as described earlier. Typically candidates should take the exam within a week of when they feel ready for the exam.

Companion Website

Register this book to get access to the Pearson Test Prep practice test software and other study materials plus additional bonus content. Check the site regularly for new and updated postings written by the author that provide further insight into the more troublesome topics on the exam. Be sure to check the box that you would like to hear from us to receive updates and exclusive discounts on future editions of this product or related products.

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Pearson Test Prep Practice Test Software

In addition to the bonus content on the book’s companion website, this book comes complete with the Pearson Test Prep practice test software. The practice tests are available to you either online or as an offline Windows application. To access the practice exams that were developed with this book, you will need the unique activation code printed on the paper in the cardboard sleeve in the back of this book.

Accessing the Pearson Test Prep Software Online

The online version of this software can be used on any device with a browser and connectivity to the Internet, including desktop machines, tablets, and smartphones. To start using your practice exams online, follow these steps:

1. Go to http://www.PearsonTestPrep.com.

2. Select Pearson IT Certification as your product group.

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6. The product will now be listed in your My Products page. Click the Exams button to launch the exam settings screen and start your exam.

Accessing the Pearson Test Prep Software Offline

If you want to study offline, you can download and install the Windows version of the Pearson Test Prep practice test software. There is a download link for this software on the book’s companion website, or you can enter this link in your browser:

http://www.pearsonitcertification.com/content/downloads/pcpt/engine.zip

To access the book’s companion website and the software, follow these steps:

1. Register your book by going to PearsonITCertification.com/register and entering the ISBN: 9780789758835.

2. Respond to the challenge questions.

3. Go to your account page and select the Registered Products tab.

4. Click the Access Bonus Content link under the product listing.

5. Click the Install Pearson Test Prep Desktop Version link under the Practice Exams section of the page to download the software.

6. After the software finishes downloading, unzip all the files on your computer.

7. Double-click the application file to start the installation, and follow the onscreen instructions to complete the registration.

8. After the installation is complete, launch the application and select the Activate Exam button on the My Products tab.

9. Click the Activate a Product button in the Activate Product Wizard.

10. Enter the unique access code found on the card in the sleeve in the back of your book, and click the Activate button.

11. Click Next and then the Finish button to download the exam data to your application.

12. You can now start using the practice exams by selecting the product and clicking the Open Exam button to open the exam settings screen.

Note that the offline and online versions will sync together, so saved exams and grade results recorded on one version will be available to you on the other as well.

Premium Edition

In addition to the free practice exams provided with your purchase, you can purchase expanded exam functionality from Pearson IT Certification. The digital-only CompTIA Project+ Cert Guide Premium Edition eBook and Practice Test contains additional practice exams as well as the eBook (in PDF, ePub, and MOBI/Kindle formats). In addition, the Premium Edition title links each question to the specific part of the eBook related to that question.

If you purchased the print version of this title, you can purchase the Premium Edition at a deep discount. The cardboard sleeve in the back of this book contains a paper with a one-time-use coupon code and instructions for purchasing the Premium Edition.