Study Questions

Hello everyone

I found a website that is within my budget (meaning it is FREE) that has mock questions and answers for PMBOK 4. http://www.ajithn.com/login.php

Perceived Benefits and Frustrations of Online Training

The key benefit to online training is the flexibiilty afforded the student to work on lessons at their pace.

The frustration is finding the time to focus on the lessons. Managing your assigned projects demands most if not all available time at work and most of us do not have much time in the evenings (after spending 1-2 hours of commuting) to sit down and work on lessons at home.

I don't have a solution, but I share in my fellow PMP students frustrations in trying to get through the lessons according the the schedule laid out for us.

Scope Creep! - How do we handle threads?

DEFINITION - Scope Creep: occurs when features and functionalities (project scope) are added without addressing the effects on time, costs, and resources, or without customer approval. ( Hollywood Secrets of Project Management Success, Chapter 10 "Stick to the Script")

Ok, so today I received another comment about threading - which we seem to be incapable of given our limited electronic messaging resources (at the moment).

It may help to know why this format (Blogger) was chosen to begin with. I have used blogger successfully for years as a place to "document" classroom/workshop discussions as well as to post follow-up Q&A responses. I have also used blogger successfully to host Books 24x7 "reading clubs" as I would post a single link and ask members to post comments under the book title or chapter ect.

It has become quasi-protocol with other customers, to utilize their Intranet (Sharepoint, ect.) to host Preparation Programs, Communities of Practice. When we were presented by the governorship of your Intranet with a bolder of a roadblock in using your Internal Network (Sharepoint) to host THIS conversation. I thought up this niffy idea as a possible solution and suggested that we just expand authorship licenses HERE and use this Blogger as our vehicle. And there is the rub - a little personality trait of mine "go with what you know" combined with my lack of research and pow! ill-equipped electronic messaging resources and tools - I have limited the conversation, BAH!

HINDSIGHT - Lesson Learned when you add LOTS of authors and lots of posting is occurring there is another functionality that is desperately needed - ah threading...

DEFINITION - Threading: in electronic discussion which the software aids the user by visually grouping messages. Messages are usually grouped visually in a hierarchy by topic. (Wikipedia Entry, January 30, 2010)

SO there you have it, we have a need for a change control process to properly control of evloving requirements. Because, apparently there is not an easy way thread topics via blogger.com as messages are grouped by posting time, date ect.

BUT fear not, I have found another tool to use to this end Google Groups. (COST = $0)

What does the community have to say about my new itch to setup shop on google groups?

There is that pesky other line on our triangle to consider namely, TIME. How will this change affect your time-line? I am anticipating that the transfer would be fairly smooth given the fact that we are now all card carrying members of the legions of Google - (since we already have our Google Accounts and passwords). The process looks simple enough. I copy and paste your emails (from our settings page to our new home) then you click to activate your group membership.

Please post Yeah or Nay in your comments to this post - as your Stakeholder vote on whether to move the conversation to Google Groups - then let us all know how you feel about this scope creep.

Do we need/want to employ the more robust electronic messaging tools that Google Groups will allow?

Are we adverse to "Switching horses mid stream"?

Pamela's Intro

Good afternoon everyone. I have been with NJVC for almost 3 years (wow, How time flies when you are over 40!). I am looking forward to brainstorming with everyone.

Intro for Erin

Hey everybody, it's Erin Tucker, Better late than never, right?
Well I just did gain access to this fun little blog and am almost 2 weeks late signing up for this training. Anywho, I am assuming I will meet most of you this Friday, in the meantime I will be playing catch up.
I have been w/NJVC for 5 months in the SSD dept admin/training. I am looking forward to the PM training/certification as w/that and top-secret clearance = unstoppable, right?

Rhonda's Introduction

Hello everyone!

My name is Rhonda and I have been with NJVC since May 2008. Obtaining my PMP cert has been a goal of mine for quite some time and I am excited about the opportunity to participate in this course.

Perceived Benefits and Frustrations of Online Training

The Skillport courses take longer than as outlined and can become an issue with being able to set the time asside to focus on them. However the self paced Online training allows for me to set my own schedule wich is beneficial.

Chris' Intro

Before this course started, I looked ahead with trepidation, knowing the difficulty friends have had with the PMP and the myriad of study materials to conquer. But I realized that a positive attitude and dedication to the task ahead would ensure ultimate success.
I sat down, created a profile on blogger...and that's when the real fear set in. I watched as everyone around me began posting their bio's and making comments, and I realized just how truly screwed I could be...
Try staring at your screen wondering how everyone else managed to post an intro...and you can't figure it out! Forget the course material! I couldn't even figure out how to say "hi!" to the rest of the group!
(It's always good when fate crushes your initial determination and drive, by giving you a reality check on your true abilities...)


Anyway! The "new post" button now appears on my dashboard, just like everyone else's! So I'm much better now!

So now the boring stuff: I've been with NJVC since late '05. Myself and one other PM worked up in Bethesda throughout '06 and into '07, when she joined the government , and I got recalled to active duty, and deployed to Iraq. I spent 2 years there, and re-joined NJVC in June of 2009. The company has definitely matured in these last couple of years, and the job has changed along with that corporate maturity.
I'm just hoping that this course will allow me to learn what is necessary to keep pace with the changing work environment.

Online Training Benefits and Frustrations

Online training allows me to set my own schedule which is very nice. The Skillport courses take longer than expected but the pre-lesson and post-lesson testing really helps me get a feel for what I am retaining and what areas I need to focus on.

Frustrations about online training

My issue right now is when the lesson states that it will take 2 hours in Skillport to complete and in reality it took more like 3 hours to complete. But I do like the self paced training.

My Introduction

I missed this part of my weekly assignments and apologize to all. I am Mike Markovich and I have worked in the NJVC Special Projects office, managing projects for almost 5 years. I am working to get my PMP certification to fulfill both a person and professional goal. If I can be of any help to anyone please let me know.

math problems

* I haven't been able to figure out how to create a new thread on this blog so... *

I've been reading about probability related concepts (random variables, variances, std dev) and economic models (cash flow, IRR, NPV, disc cash flow, ROI). Are there math problems on the PMP exam?

Dave Reed Signing In....

Hey folks.. I'm looking forward to obtaining my PMP! Hmmm, if I could only find the time to do the course work. :-) I am a SPO Project Manager working at the St. Louis facility. I've been with NJVC a little more than a year, however I've been supporting this customer for many years. I know many of you on this Blog and I look forward to all of us successfully passing the exam together. Dave...

Linnea's Intro

I have only been with the company for 3 months, but I decided to jump right into the PMP program because I want to learn as much about Project Management as I can. As a program controller I find it very important to know the full spectrum of the tasks I am supporting. I am eager to learn.

Hi this is Patrick Simpson

I have been part of the NJVC family for a little over six years and a Project Manager within SPO for almost three years. After a couple started attempts to study for the PMP, I look forward to successfully finishing the course work and passing the PMP exam.

If I were as young as I once was...

I would have done this a long time ago. Hello everyone. Mike Ward here in St. Louis. Been working with NJVC for several years, been working "FOR" NJVC for almost a year now. My education is in Management with an emphasis in HR. Was previously a Program Manager for another defense contractor and am now a Project Manager and Channel Manager for NJVC/SPO/MST PMO. Looking forward to completing the PMP and getting it under my belt. Most of my professional career I've been going "Oh! That's what it's called", or "Oh, that's what I've been doing but didn't know it had a name!" Getting old and still learning new tricks, or least the names of the tricks. Looking forward to learning from all of you as well. Good luck to us all!

Good Afternoon from Steve Yarnall

Hello everyone :-)

I am a Senior Project Manager with NJVC working on the DCAFE Recap and WALA Redundancy projects. I am starting my ninth year (yes, I've been around here for a while) with NJVC. I have managed various sizes and types of projects and programs (mostly involving facilities infrastructure installation and standup) during this time. I look forward to working with the group in acheiving our goal of PMP Certification as well as continued development in the Program Management arena.

In this corner from BMD... let me introduce Brian Haas

Hi my name is Brian Haas and I've been with NJVC for a little over four years and am currently an Operations Analyst in BMD-R/RMT supporting Special Projects Office. I am pursuing the PMP Certification to get a better grasp on Project Management so i can better support the PMs out in the field and to one day move into a PM role.

Matthew Scout

My name is Matthew Scout. I'm an Operations Analyst in the BMD - Actions group. I obtained an MBA this past summer and now look forward to getting PMP certified. I have a 2 year old son and my wife is due with a girl in 10 days!

Introduction

Hi my name is Jason and I am a new PM. I am looking forward to the challenge and becoming PMP certified.

It's Lizzie -

Hi everyone. I am looking forward to working with everyone in the PMP class. I came to NJVC as a receptionist and am now working as the Administrative Assistant for the Business Development department. I just started my new position December 14, so I am still learning my responsibilities. I am hoping that this class will help me with moving forward in my career and will allow me to take on some small projects for my department.

My name is Brock Crist

I have been with NJVC for 5 1/2 years and am currently a Channel Manager with the IT/IS MST PMO office. Previously i have held the positions of Project Manager for both MST and FSRM, as well as a Telephony Engineer, all within the IT/IS Program. I look forward to obtaining my PMP certification and getting to know each of you as we make this journey together.

My name is Jeff Doolin...

and it is a pleasure to meet you. I recently joined NJVC and the IT/IS Program as a Senior Systems Engineer in Systems Engineering. My current responsibilities involve providing strategic planning and integration support to E’s Change Advisory Board (CAB), Integration Team (IT) and Core Service Area Leads. Prior to joining NJVC, I have held positions as Director, Program Manager, and Project Manager. I am very excited about this opportunity. I have been looking forward to earning my PMP certification for some time as I have been using project management processes, procedures and techniques for a number of years now. It’s time to formalize the way I do things with the industry-recognized credentials. I look forward to getting to know all of you better over the next several months. I wish everyone success.

My name is Corey Johnson...

I am an employee of Vekner Consulting, which is a small business that provides consulting services to a large IT Services Contract. I have been managing projects of various sizes over the past 6 years and my previous position was the Program Manager for the IMAC/Desktop Recap team. I recently started managing projects for an organization that is responsible for transitioning of systems and functionality across several sites. I am excited about the possibility of obtaining my PMP certification, and gaining a better understanding on how to manage projects more effectively. I enjoy playing golf, and I am a huge of the NFL & Baltimore Ravens. I also look forward to building relationships within this training program and working with other project managers to leverage their knowledge and expertise.

The 411 on Kelly

Hi my name is Kelly - I'm an Operations Analyst in the NJVC Special Projects Office pursuing the PMP Certification to broaden my career options. I have a bachelors degree in Biology from the University of Maryland. My childhood dream was to become a dentist, so I applied and was interviewed for th UM Dental Program, but withdrew my application upon deciding dentistry was really no longer where I saw myself. With several years of previous Government Contracting experience I chose to get back into the contracting world to explore the options available. NJVC was my first stop, and I'm enjoying the many opportunities this growing company has afforded me thus far. I am definitely looking forward to the road ahead both professionally and personally. Recently engaged and planning an October wedding! In fact, my profile picture was taken at the vineyard where the wedding will be :)