Crystal J. Richards, PMP, PMI-ACP, CSM, lead trainer and owner of MindsparQ®, has more than 20 years of experience in project management. Crystal has successfully trained more than 2,500 business professionals and has more than 65,000 students enrolled in her online courses on the Udemy and EdX platforms. Her expertise has enabled individuals to attain coveted credentials such as PMP®, CAPM®, and PMI-ACP®, while furthering their educational pursuits in project management.

Introduction 1

Part 1: Starting Your PMP Journey 5

Chapter 1: Welcome to Your PMP Certification Journey 7

Chapter 2: Get Ready For the PMP Exam! 15

Chapter 3: Getting into the Right PMI Mindset 29

Chapter 4: Maintaining Your PMP Credential 33

Chapter 5: Taking a Pre-Assessment 41

Part 2: What Is Project Management Really? 51

Chapter 6: An Overview of Projects 53

Chapter 7: Project Management Key Concepts 59

Part 3: The Environment in Which Projects Operate 85

Chapter 8: Project, Program, Portfolio, and Operations Management 87

Chapter 9: Organizational Influences 97

Chapter 10: Roles and Functions That Drive Project Delivery 103

Part 4: Managing Your Projects from Conception to Completion 111

Chapter 11: Project Success Starts with the Team 113

Chapter 12: Initiating Your Project 149

Chapter 13: Planning Your Project Roadmap 171

Chapter 14: Elevating Your Project Roadmap 207

Chapter 15: Integration of Plans and Processes 245

Chapter 16: Turning Your Plan into Action 259

Chapter 17: Keeping Your Project on Track 287

Chapter 18: Closing the Project or Phase 317

Part 5: Agile and Hybrid Approaches 337

Chapter 19: The Fundamentals of Agile Project Management 339

Chapter 20: Agile Teams: Key Roles and Responsibilities 353

Chapter 21: Key Agile Practices 359

Part 6: The Part of Tens 371

Chapter 22: Ten Tips for PMP Exam Success 373

Chapter 23: More Than Ten Common Acronyms 379

Chapter 24: Ten Assumptions of the PMP Exam 381

Index 387