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The PMP Project Management Professional Exam Rev Guide has a descriptive title and is practical. This book was written by Kim Heldman and Vanina mangano specifically for project managers who are preparing to take the PMP exam. It is structured logically and walks you through every stage of the project lifecycle.
The book begins with a review on the foundations of a Project: everything you need to know about a project and its environment. It then goes into detail about what PMPs must know in order to manage a project, from start to finish. It covers Initiating, with a large section on planning, followed by Executing and Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing. The book concludes with an interesting section about social and professional responsibility. This is something that all project managers should be interested in, regardless of whether or not they choose to become PMI accredited.
Each chapter ends with review questions that allow you to test your knowledge. I also enjoyed the ‘Exam Essentials’ boxes, which are scattered throughout the text and highlight key points essential for exam success.
The book is visually very appealing. The authors use lots of charts, graphs, and diagrams to make learning the PMP syllabus easier. The book is largely composed of lists, particularly inputs and outputs of processes. This is because the book is primarily a review guide and not a comprehensive study tool. It is a companion text to the Sybex PMP Project Management Professional Exam Study guide, which is twice as large. The Review Guide provides a review format for the topics. Although it’s not the most comprehensive text, it’s still concise and easy to use.
It is difficult to read the Review Guide, even though it was not intended to be read that way. It has a wonderful index, which is perhaps why it is so difficult to read. Although I don’t usually praise indexes in books, I found this one to be very good.
Overall, I found this book to be solid but dry. The review questions at each chapter’s end are the only place you’ll find any references to real life or scenarios. The text’s main purpose is to help candidates pass the exam. The CD is an additional learning aid.
This book is a great choice if you’re studying for the PMP exam, and want a quick reference guide to key processes. This book is not the right book if you are looking to learn how to manage projects and put those skills into practice in the real world. It’s good, but it’s not for everyone – that would be potential PMP candidates.
This review was first published on PMTips.net.
