The book, I Want To Be An PMP, Second Edition has been available since 2018 and has been instrumental in creating many successful PMPs.
This is evidenced by PMP success stories written by a number of successful PMPs. They have written it and shared with you so that one day you can be a PMP.
Why the Updates?
The Project Management Professional (PMP®) exam is certainly a challenging exam and it’s not a static exam. Project management profession is also dynamic in nature. Simultaneously, a project manager’s understanding and knowledge-base have to increase and improve over time.
What’s needed to be a PMP in year 2000 is not enough while being a PMP in 2010. Similarly, what is needed to be a PMP in year 2021 and beyond will be definitely more demanding compared to what is needed to be a PMP in 2010. Hence, any aspiring PMP needs to evolve and update to clear the exam.
The book for Project Management Professional Exam (PMP) has seen frequent updates since its availability.
These updates are possible, because all this book is hosted online. Unlike traditional printed books, this book is never static. They are also important for you to know the latest practices or frameworks and stay up-to-date.
The updates for the PMP book are primarily driven by nine factors:
- Availability or updates to existing guides and standards: The PMP exam is based on various guides, e.g., the PMBOK® guide, the Agile Practice Guide (APG) etc.
- Availability or updates to references: For example, there have been updates to Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) standards, Earned Value Management (EVM) standards. The PMP exam also now has a list of reference books.
- Agile Content: The PMBOK, 6th edition has Agile content from the very beginning of its release. Recently, Agile has been emphasized and 50% of questions will be from Agile and/or Hybrid approaches.
- New Exam Content Outline (ECO): The ECO is the blueprint for the PMP exam and based on the ECO the questions are segregated. However, it’s barebone skeleton and real content will be from the PMBOK Guide, APG and other references.
- New types of questions in the exam: New types of questions come in the PMP exam or new ways are introduced to take the exam. For example, in the PMP exam now you have HotSpot, Multi-response, Drag and Drop questions.
- Emerging new practices: There are continuously new emerging practices which will be tested in the PMP exam.
- Feedback from exam takers: Some successful PMPs write their exam experiences and inform on new types of questions.
- Updates on advanced or complex areas: For example, many times advanced concepts such as Earned Value Management, Reserve Management. Advance Practices in Agile Management etc.
- Updates on Videos: This book has quite a few videos in complex/complicated areas. Many times, I add additional videos so that the exam takers get more practice and feel more confident.
With this background, there have been frequent and continuous updates to the PMI-PMP Exam Prep: I Want To Be A PMP.
All these updates are free for existing customers of the book.
What’s New in the Book – I Want To Be A PMP?
The book, I Want To Be A PMP, as noted before, has seen frequent and continuous updates. These are highlights for the new addition, and updates to the book. These updates have happened over years and in total this book has seen 20 updates.
1. NEW/UPDATED section on Agile for every Knowledge Area
Every knowledge area in the PMBOK guide has a brief content on Agile or Adaptive environments. The book explains with numerous diagrams, tips and detailed explanation.
2. NEW/UPDATED for Agile Concepts and Practices in the PMBOK Guide
It’s a common misconception to think that PMBOK guide hardly refers to Agile in its 5 process groups (PG), 10 knowledge areas (KA) and 49 processes. In fact, a large number of Agile concepts have been covered throughout the PMBOK guide. You will find information on:
- Iteration/Sprint Planning
- Iteration/Daily Stand-up
- Iteration/Sprint or Project Retrospectives
- Iteration Demonstration/Review, among many others.
The PMBOK guide also covers various Agile concepts such as:
- Agile Release Planning
- Iteration burndown Chart
- Product Backlog
- Product Roadmap
- Epics, Use Stories, among many others.
3. NEW chapter in Agile Project Management
As Agile and/or Hybrid approaches will have 50% questions in the exam, I decided to put a brand-new chapter of Agile Project Management. This chapter also comes with a set of chapter-end practice questions with answers and numerous yogic tips and revisions.
4. NEW Question Set specific to Agile/Hybrid Approaches
The book has 3 full-length question sets. Now the book has a specific question-set (out of 3 full-length sets) on Agile/Hybrid approaches. It has questions specifically on Agile, along with detailed answers.
5. NEW set of Exercises for the new ECO
The exam content outline for the PMP exam has changed since January 02, 2021. In light of this, the book now comes with an exhaustive set of exercises related to the ECO, the domains, tasks and enablers.
6. UPDATED with a number of tips and tricks
A number of new tips and tricks have been added. In addition, as I frequently write on Project Management topics, they have brought in new additions to the book. These additions are specific to project management.
7. NEW set of ITTO exercises for every Knowledge Area
The book is aligned with the PMBOK guide as it’s the main reference guide for the exam containing many Agile concepts. However, with 100s of Inputs, Tools and Techniques and Outputs (ITTOs), it’s easy to get lost and not know the values of the tools and techniques (T&Ts).
Hence, a number of exercises have been added to every knowledge area. This is excluding the full-length question sets and chapter end practice tests.
8. UPDATED formulas in the PMP Exam Formula Gold Cards
Formulas in the PMP Gold cards are updated, primarily with respect to new types of questions such as Range of Incentive Effectiveness, Point of Total Assumption, Earned Schedule Management (ESM) etc.
Note: The formula gold cards of the book can be downloaded.
9. NEW section of Flow-Diagrams in every Knowledge Area
There are many processes in any Knowledge Area, but for your PMP exam, you need to understand how they interact with each other. Hence, in every KA, a dedicated section of flow of processes have been added.
10. UPDATED set of videos
Earlier edition of the book has some videos. In the current edition, you have more videos (over 70 now) in certain complicated areas.
11. UPDATED due to the updates in the PMBOK Guide!
Very few know that the PMBOK guide also gets updated. Yes, it does! For example, Change Log’s behavior or content of Scope Statement. Over years, the PMBOK guide has seen quite a few updates and this has resulted in the changes to the book.
12. NEW Software Toolkit for the ITTOs
As noted earlier, the PMBOK guide has numerous ITTOs. Even for experienced managers it’s easy to get lost because of the sheer number of them. Hence, a new software toolkit has been provided, with which you can quickly detect the ITTOs.
13. UPDATED Chapter-end Practice Questions
Earlier, few chapter end practice questions were available. Now, on an average, 40 practice questions are available in the book. I’ve added these questions (taken from PMP Live Lessons) so that you get more practice.
14. NEW Content on PMP Online Proctored Exam
The PMP exam now has an option to take in proctored mode. Based on this the section of “How To Be A PMI-PMP” has been updated. It describes, in a step-by-step manner, on how to take the exam in proctored mode.
15. UPDATED Content on filling PMP Exam Application Form
The way exam applications are filled-up has changed since 2018. A step-by-step guide has been included on how to fill-up the exam application forms. It also has dos and don’ts, and templates needed.
16. NEW Preparation Plan for the Book, i.e., How to Prepare with the Book
This is based on readers’ requests. Quite a few readers wanted to have a preparation plan as they purchased the book. This book has a preparation plan informing on the hours needed, daily expectations of readings, the duration needed to prepare for the exam.
17. NEW Sections on Contracting under Procurement Management
The Procurement Management KA has been updated with budgetary implications of various contract types – Fixed Price (FP), Cost Reimbursable (CR) and Time & Material (T&M), how to solve the PMP exam questions related to contract types quickly and a few related videos for your understanding.
18. UPDATED Introduction section for New PMP Exam from January 02, 2021
The PMP exam has changed since January 02, 201. In the updated Introduction section, you will know the updated PMP exam pre-requisites, the changed exam pattern for the PMP exam content, changed PMP exam details with three NEW domains People, Process and Business Environment, and the question styles. You will also know the types of possible questions.
19. NEW Question Set for New Question Styles
Along with multi-choice questions, there can be other questions in the PMP exam. These can be hotspot questions, multi-response, drag and drop questions. A few fill-in-the blank types questions can also come.
Based on it, a new question set with a few questions has been added, which will specifically address these questions. This is excluding the full-length question sets and chapter end practice tests.
20. UPDATES to Book’s Index File
The index file is important to know the content of the book. As the book gets updated the index file also gets updated with clear highlighting for the NEW, as well as the UPDATED content. You will also know if any item has been removed.
How Will I Know about the Updates?
Professinoals and people who want to purchase the PMP book, raise this question frequently. I understand this concern and below points clearly inform how to know about the updates.
- All changes will be clearly communicated to you via E-Mail.
- Inside the book, the new ones will be highlighted as *** NEW ***, and the updates ones will be *** UPDATED ***. Green color coding will be there for these changes. In some cases, the earlier updates will be removed to keep it clean. However, they will be part of update E-mail archive.
- All the previous updated mails are part of the PMP book, so that you are clearly aware of the new changes that have happened.
- The index file of the book is also updated, because that gives you a quick view on the new/updated content.
- For the new videos in the book, the videos are clearly noted as NEW, so that you are immediately aware of it. Yes, the PMP exam prep book also contains many videos.
- For the new documents, the documents are cleared noted as NEW, too.
- A number of tips and revision reminders are also added along the content in the PMP exam prep book. They are also clearly highlighted.
- For any clarification or questions on these updates, you can ask your questions. You will definitely get a response. This one of the biggest advantages of having the book as I respond not only the queries on updates, but also your questions and clarifications.
- As noted earlier, all the new/updated content will be FREE of cost to you.
Conclusion
With these changes, the book – I Want To Be A PMP, remains fresh and latest.
More importantly, with these changes, I believe you will be not only preparing well for the exam, but also be prepared with the latest PMP exam changes, effective from January 02, 2021. I expect these new changes to continue into the future.
For overall details of book, please refer (first in the list):
https://www.managementyogi.com/p/books.html
As far as I am aware, this is the only PMP Exam Prep book in the world, which sees continuous changes and frequent updates. I firmly believe it enormously benefits all the readers of the book, prepares them in a better way and gives them more confidence.
For the updated index of the book, you can refer:
Book Index: I Want To Be A PMP, Second Edition
To all the readers of this book, I wish the very best. Stay the course in your journey, hold the line and crack the exam.
