ICPM

Job/Task-Related Training

A quality organization understands the value of the people who work in it. The same goes for project management. Training project managers, analysts, and everyone else who regularly works on projects in the company methodology, soft skills, etc. can bring significant rewards.

Today's PM PrepCast PMP® Exam Tip is: A few basic PMP® Study Tips.

Studying for the exam is a highly individual journey. However, here are a few basic study tips, that you may want to consider:

My first tip for those of you on the road to the PMP is to read the PMI Credentials Handbook.

The PMI has published a Credentials Handbook, which you can find at the following URL: http://www.pmi.org/info/PDC_PMPHandbook.pdf. The Credentials Handbook explains everything that you want to know about the process of taking the PMP® exam and becoming PMP® certified. It discusses the following topics and questions:

Petra Goltz, PMP asks: How do you see the role of a project or program manager changing to keep pace with today's fast moving commercial environments?

I say: That's an very interesting question. Without giving it too much thought, I can see the following trends taking place:

Management Styles: The Project Communications Management section of the exam may address the following management styles:

Authoritarian: Lets individuals know what is expected of them; gives specific guidance; expects adherence to rules and standards
Combative: Eager to fight or be disagreeable over any situation
Conciliatory: Friendly and agreeable; attempts to unite players into a compatible working team
Disruptive: Tends to disrupt unity and cause disorder
Ethical: Honest and sincere; presses for fair solutions; goes “by the book”
Facilitating: Does not interfere with day-to-day tasks, but is available for help and guidance when needed
Intimidating: Reprimands employees for the sake of a “tough guy” image
Judicial: Applies sound judgment
Promotional: Cultivates team spirit; rewards good work; encourages subordinates to realize their full potential
Secretive: Not open or outgoing in speech, activity, or purpose

 

TYPES OF POWER

According to PMI®, the project manager can exert the following types of power:

The Powers of the Project Manager
Power	Definition
Expert	The project manager is an expert with the goal the project focuses on.
Reward	The project manager can reward the project team members.
Coercive	The project manager can punish the project team members.
Formal	The project manager is formally assigned to the role of the project manager.
Referent	The project team knows the project manager. The project manager refers to the person that assigned them to the role of project manager.

 

• Expert Power - Expert power can only be exercised by individuals who are held in particular esteem because of their special knowledge or skill. The project manager’s ability to use this power derives from reputation, knowledge, and experience.
• Reward Power - Reward power involves positive reinforcement and the ability to award people something of value in exchange for their cooperation. The project manager’s ability to use this power derives from his or her position in the organizational hierarchy and degree of control over the project.
• Coercive Power - Coercive power is predicated on fear (for example, subordinate fears being deprived of something for failing to do what the supervisor asks). The ability to use this power derives from the project manager’s control over the project and project personnel.
• Formal Power - Legitimate power is derived from the person’s formal position within the organization. The project manager’s ability to use this power derives from his or her position in the organizational hierarchy and his or her degree of control over the project, as modified by the organizational climate. Use of this power should be in conjunction with expert and reward power whenever possible.
• Referent Power - Referent power is based on citing the authority of a more powerful person (for example, one’s supervisor) as the basis for one’s own authority. The project manager’s ability to use this power derives from his or her position in the organizational hierarchy.

 

 

The Project Human Resource Management questions on the PMP® certification exam focus heavily on organizational structures, roles and responsibilities of the project manager, team building, and conflict resolution. The Project Human Resource Management processes include the following: