Using Custom Fields and Project Functions in MS Project 2019 (2)

In the earlier post, we went through the basics of custom fields in MS Project 2019 and understood the followings:

• Viewing Custom Fields
• Types of Custom Fields
• Formula Dialog Box
• Elements of Formula Dialog Box
• Practical Examples

In this post, I’ll outline some functions of MS Project 2019 under the General category. 

You can check the previous post in the below link:
Using Custom Fields and Project Functions in MS Project 2019 (1)

Overview of General Functions 

There are five general category functions available in MS Project 2019, which are shown in the below figure. 

As shown, we have Choose(), IIF(), IsNumeric(), IsNull() and Switch() functions. I’ll take a few of these functions and explain with examples. 

Let’s start with one of the most used functions – the IIF() function. 

IIF Function

The expression of IIF statement is noted below:

IIf( expression, truepart, falsepart )

This statement is basically saying:

• Check the “expression”.
• If the expression is correct, use the “truepart”.
• If the expression is incorrect, use the “falsepart”.

Let’s reuse the previous example to understand. 

Question - 2: You want to show the task ID number along with a prepended string, informing on the followings: 

• Task type: A summary task or non-summary task
• Task ID: The identifier value of the task.
• WBS Outline level: The level, e.g., level 1 or level 2 of the WBS the task belongs.

An example string can be: “This is a summary task with Task ID 3. It's under WBS outline level of 2.”

Do note that unlike our previous example, which just tells the type with values “0” and “1”, in this case, we have to put a logic which will say, the task type is a summary one or non-summary one. 

For this purpose, again, I’ve taken another custom text field (Text2) and used the formula shown below.

 As shown above:

• Normal string concatenation has been used like before.
• For the “Type” check, I’ve added an IIF statement, which checks if it is one or zero. 
• If it’s one, then it’s a summary task. Otherwise, it is a non-summary task.  

The result is shown below along with the project plan. Again, remember to enable the “Use Formula” radio button so that the formula is applied. 

Switch Function

The expression of SWITCH statement is noted below:

Switch( expression-1, value-1 [,expression-2, value-2,..[expression-n, value-n]] )

This statement informs the following:

• Check the “expression”.
• If the “expression-1” is correct, then use the “value-1”.
• If not, check if the “expression-2” is correct, then use the “value-2”.
• You can continue like that for nth expression and corresponding value.  

Let’s take another example to understand. 

Question - 3: You want to show the following text indications based on these Total Float (TF) or Total Slack value: 

• If TF = 0, it will be a “Critical Task”. If it’s not, then it’ll be a “Non-Critical Task”.
• If TF is negative, then also it’ll be a Critical Task, but will be noted as “Critical Task with Negative TF”).

Do note that one can use nested IIF statements to get this plain logic work. However, I’m going to use the SWITCH statement here.  

As shown above (the formula is put into Text3 custom field):

• We have considered the Total Slack/Total Float field of MS Project.
• Next, we are SWITCHING among three expressions with respective values:
• [Total Slack]/480=0,"Critical Task.", 
  
• [Total Slack]/480<0,"Critical Task with Negative TF."
• [Total Slack]/480>0,"Non-Critical Task."

The result is shown below along with the project plan. Remember to enable the “Use Formula” radio button in the Custom Field dialog box so that the formula is applied. 

As shown above, both critical and non-critical tasks are shown. The graphical side of the Gantt Chart has been highlighted to show the critical and non-critical tasks as well. 

Choose Function

The expression of CHOOSE statement is noted below:

Choose ( index, choice-1[, choice-2, ... [, choice-n]] )

It informs:

• The index is between 1 and the number of available choices.
• The index starts with 1 and it can be 2, 3, 4...n.
• If the index is 1, then choice-1 will be taken. If the index is 2, then choice-2 will be taken.

Let’s take another example to understand. 

Question - 4: You want to show the following text indications based on these Total Float (TF)/Total Slack value: 

• If the TF value equals 1, 2, or 3, then the task will be considered to be a “Near-Critical Task”.
• We are only going to highlight the Near-Critical Tasks.

In this case, I am going to combine CHOOSE and IIF statements and build a simple logic. You can also use IIF function directly or even a SWITCH function. However, the idea here is to show the usage of CHOOSE function. 

Let’s interpret the formula above (the formula is put in Text4 custom field):

• Number1 is a Number custom field, which holds the value of Total Float (TF).
• The TF value of the tasks can be anything. However, if it’s 1, 2 or 3, then it’ll be a Near-Critical Task.
• The Choose function chooses based on the Number1 value. 
• If Number1=1, then 1 will be taken.
• If Number2=2, then 2 will be taken.
• If Number3=3, then 3 will be taken.
• In this case, I’ve NOT enabled the “Use Formula” radio button, because I don’t want to show that for the summary or project summary tasks.

With this formula, we have the following output in MS Project 2019.

As shown above, for the tasks with Total Float/Slack value of 2, it’s mentioned to be a critical task. It’ll be true if the TF value is also either 1 or 3. For example, as I changed the dependency between Task A2 and Task B1, you can see the result as below.

I changed Task A2’s dependency to 4FF-1 and with that the Total Slack values changed to “1” for some of the tasks (Task C1, Task D1 and Task E1). However, the formula still holds. 

Now, you may be thinking, how about Negative Total Slacks? Will it work? 

Yes, it will! As we conclude on this post, this is the homework for you, if you have gone through this post. 

Homework: Enable negative total float for some of the tasks and see what’s displayed in the “String with CHOOSE Function” field. 

You can learn more on negative float from this post:

Practical PMP with MS Project – Negative Total Float

In addition to the general functions that we just discussed, the other ones are: IsNumeric() and isNull(). The former returns a Boolean value informing whether the expression inside isNumeric (expression) is a number, whereas the latter informs whether an expression inside isNull (expression) holds no valid data (or null).

This series Part – 1:

Using Custom Fields and Project Functions in MS Project 2019 (1)

You may also like:

• MS Project 2016 Live Lessons - Guaranteed Learning or Your Money Back
• MS Project 2013 Live Lessons - Guaranteed Learning or Your Money Back
• PMP 35 Contact Hours Online Course - Full Money Back Guarantee

Articles on MS Project:

• Working with Multiple Baselines in MS Project
• 9 Ways to Check Critical Tasks in MS Project
• How to Create an Agile BurnUp Chart with MS Project (Part 1)
• How to Create an Agile BurnUp Chart with MS Project (Part 2)
• Agile Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD) with MS Project 2013/2016 
• 'Formula Bar' and 'Entry Bar' - Two Different Functionalities in MS Project
• Five Important Tips - Setting Up MS Project 2013
• MS Project 2016 Brings New Agile Features

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – ManagementYogi’s ACP 21 Contact Hours Online and ACP Live Lessons

This is in continuation of the following posts:

• ACP 21 Contact Hourswht is  Online Course – Full Money Back Guarantee
• ACP Live Lessons Course – Guaranteed Pass or Your Money Back

These are the frequently asked questions (FAQs) on ManagementYogi’s ACP 21 Contact Hours Online and ACP Live Lessons courses. I’ve tried to address as many questions as I can. If you have any other questions, please send me an email at managementyogi@gmail.com.

Question – 1: How different ACP is compared to the PMP certification?

Answer: The Project Management Professional Certification (PMP®) is a generic certification for project management. There will be generic questions on Agile and Hybrid approaches.

The Agile Certification Practitioner (ACP®) is a specific certification for agile practitioners. It’s much more advanced compared to the PMP exam considering Agile. In fact, your learning on Agile compared to the latest PMP exam will be at least 5x more.  

If you want to learn Agile management and practices deeply, then this certification is for you. In your professional resume, it’ll be a differentiator because this certification shows deeper understanding on various Agile approaches, and practices. 

Question – 2: How different ACP is compared to the other Agile certifications?

Answer: Most of the Agile certifications are specific to an Agile framework, such as Scrum or Kanban. Taking the certification on Scrum, you will know the Scrum approach, its framework, roles, artifacts and events associated.

The ACP certification is not specific to an Agile framework, say Scrum. It covers a large gamut of Agile and Lean approaches such as Scrum, XP, Lean, Kanban. It also covers the associated practices, roles, troubleshooting areas, and advanced concepts such as Planning/Innovation Games, Retrospective Games, Refinement techniques, Prioritization Techniques, among others. It also covers quite a few Scaled Agile approaches. 

Question – 3: What are the applicability and validity of these courses?

Answer: Both these courses for Agile Certified Practitioner (ACP) exam are based on Agile Practice Guide, and all PMI recommended reference books (total 11). 

ACP 21 Contact Hours Online: The price of the course is $109 USD (Rs 8,449) for 6 months access or $159 USD (Rs 12,949) for 1 year access. The duration of the course is for 6 months or 1 year from the date of purchase.

ACP Live Lessons: The price of the course is $379 USD (Rs 30,449) for 6 months accesss or $439 (Rs 35,949) for 1 year access. The duration of the course is for 6 months or 1 year from the date of purchase.

Both these courses will enable you to achieve the 21 mandatory contact hours needed for the PMI-ACP exam.

It's a reflection of my training, which has created many genuinely successful ACPs. 

Few have written their success stories: ACP Success Stories.

Question – 4: What are the durations and number of videos for these courses?

Answer: Both these courses have the necessary and needed content to prepare well for the ACP exam. 

ACP 21 Contact Hours Online: The course has a duration of 15 hours (approx.). It has 260 videos with the needed coverage.

ACP Live Lessons: The course has a duration of 30 hours (approx.). It has 480 videos with exhaustive coverage.

Question – 5: What are full money back guarantees for these courses?

Answer: Both these courses come with full money back guarantees. 

ACP 21 Contact Hours Online: This course comes with a full money back guarantee for 15 days. Entire course content with all questions will be available to you. You can evaluate the course for 15 days. If you don’t like the course, I’ll refund your full money.

To know more, you can watch this video. 

ACP Live Lessons: This course comes with a full money-back guarantee linked to you passing the ACP exam. You go through the course and give the exam. In case you couldn’t clear the exam, I’ll refund your full money. 

To know more, you can watch this video. 

To know more comparisons between these courses, please refer: 
Course Comparison: ACP 21 Contact Hours Vs. ACP Live Lessons

Question – 6: Why I should opt for these courses instead of classroom training?

Answer: Because, this training is:

• Convenient - you can learn at your own time with your own speed. You can watch the content as many times as you want. 
• Longer duration - 6 months of duration (not just 2 or 4-days of training)
• Low cost - much lower than classroom training

I've seen many such cases where aspiring ACPs suffer. Any form of training you take (classroom or online or any other form) should put you on a solid track towards your ACP exam success. Very few, if at all, have a keen desire that you succeed. 

Question – 7: How will I be eligible to have 21 contact hours?

Answer: It’s straightforward. You complete the course, primarily from “Lesson - 2: Introduction” to “Lesson – 9: Continuous Improvement”. 

Next, you will be assessed with 30 questions in 45 minutes (0.75 hour) duration. It is a comprehensive evaluation. After that, you will get the “21 Contact Hour Course Completion Certificate” from Management Yogi. 

Question – 8: What is ManagementYogi’s ACP 21 Contact Hour Certificate?

Answer: ManagementYogi’s contact hour certificate acts as a proof to claim the 21 Contact Hours. These contact hours are mandatory for you to appear for the ACP examination. The certificate testifies that you have completed the 21 contact hours of learning.

Note: Both ACP 21 Contact Hours Online Course and ACP Live Lessons course offer you the 21 mandatory contact hours needed.

Question – 9: Are there any plan of action(s) on how to complete these courses?

Answer: Yes, absolutely. Both these courses come with a plan of action to complete. The plan will be shared with you when you purchase the course. Plans will be different for respective courses of ACP Live Lessons and ACP 21 Contact Hours Online. 

You will receive a plan of action which illustrates the course structure, hours per individual lessons, number of videos, and number of questions – both lesson end practice questions and full-length questions. Based on it, you have to follow a simple plan on completing this course and take your ACP exam.  

Question – 10: How can you provide the 21 Contact Hours when not an ATP or REP?

Answer: This is one of the biggest misconceptions that only Authorized Training Partners (ATPs) or Registered Education Providers (REPs) can give ACP training. It is just not true. For PMI-ACP, there are many providers who can provide the 21 mandatory contact hours. 

They are:

• PMI Registered Education Providers (R.E.P.s)
• PMI Authorized Training Partners (ATPs)
• PMI chapters
• Employer/company-sponsored programs
• Training companies or consultants (e.g., training schools)
• Distance-learning companies, including an end-of-course assessment
• University/college academic and continuing education programs

Hence, it is not needed to be A.T.P or R.E.P to provide the ACP 21 contact hours training and the certificate. With Management Yogi’s ACP courses, you are 100% eligible to get the 21 contact hours. 

Important Notes: Always focus on what you learn and how best you can learn. 

This is 100% dependent on:

• The content of learning, and 
• How well the content is explained to you. 
  (Not a machine reading the content or a person just going through slide by slide. You get absolutely no value out of it, especially in exams like ACP.)

Question – 11: Why should I go with Management Yogi, compared to others?

Answer: Indeed, there are many providers who provide ACP training. Possibly, hundreds of them! And they sell their courses at throwaway prices. 

However, usually they do not have any real-world Agile management or even project management experiences. They work on an aggregator model and have no real contribution of their own with respect to the Agile management domain. They are primarily focused on high profit. They sell at throwaway prices so that they will get more subscribers and make more money. You don’t get anything of real value.

I’m engaged in Agile management, continuously writing on it, contribute towards it. The courses are continuously upgraded based on the feedback from successful ACPs. There have been many ACP success stories. I’m primarily focused on your success. With these courses, you have a fair chance of success in clearing the ACP exam.

So, you decide – whom to choose:  Aggregator model with no real Agile management passion or from someone who is continuously engaged in Agile domain, practices and have created many successful ACPs? 

Simply speaking, decide whom would you choose – their high profit (and many times useless training) or your probable success? 

You can also compare this course with courses provided by any other provider on these aspects:

• Price
• Quality
• Content
• Coverage

Question – 12: What happens when my application is selected for audit? What will be needed?

Answer: Many candidates take online courses to fulfill 21 contact hours requirements. As per Project Management Institute (PMI®), in the event of an audit, the candidate would need to supply proof of the education in the form of a transcript, and/ or a certificate of completion.

Question – 13: Will you help if my application is selected for audit with respect to 21 contact hours?

Answer: Yes, absolutely. After all, these courses enable you to get the needed contact hours.  You will get full help in case proof is needed for your 21 contact hours. I’ll provide all details needed by Project Management Institute (PMI).

Question – 14: Will there be any support if any questions arise during the learning of 21 contact hours? 

Answer: Yes, definitely. Please send an email to managementyogi@gmail.com and your questions will be answered within 3 working days or 72 hours. 

This, in fact, is one of the biggest advantages you will have compared to other providers. As they are just course aggregators, they don’t have the domain knowledge, neither have the desire, ability or passion with respect to Agile topics. I’ll be involved with you throughout your ACP journey.

Question – 15: What is your success rate for the ACP exam, who have taken the courses or classes?

Answer: I’ve taken numerous classroom and virtual sessions on ACP exam preparation, worldwide.  The success rate of people who have sincerely prepared with the plan of action I've shared, is high. 

The Online Courses have been launched for the first time. These are reflections of my classroom trainings. It has also much more details, e.g., 

• 100s of videos and exercises (one of its kind) 
• A number of full-length practice question sets, including full-length Q&A set on Agile Approaches, Techniques, Models and Scaled approaches
• A number of lesson-end practice questions 
• 30 questions for end course assessment 

These are not possible with a classroom course. 

I believe these courses will give you better learning, practice for your exam and prepare you well for the ACP exam. I also believe if you sincerely do this course, your chance of success in the exam is high. 

Notes: 

• You can evaluate 25 to 30 videos before paying any money. (applicable for both ACP Live Lessons and ACP 21 Contact Hours Online)
• Both the course come with full money back guarantee. For the ACP 21 Contact Hours course, you can evaluate the complete course content for 15 days, after you have purchased. 

Question – 16: How many full-length practice tests do these the courses have?

Answer: The number of questions for both the ACP courses are noted below.

ACP 21 Contact Hours Online: You will get three (3) full-length questions with detailed answers. In total, you have over 400 practice questions, including lesson-end questions.

ACP Live Lessons: You will get six (6) full-length questions with detailed answers. In total, you have over 1,250 practice questions, including lesson-end questions.

For more details, please refer:
Course Comparison: ACP 21 Contact Hours Vs. ACP Live Lessons

If you have any other questions or clarifications, please send a mail to managementyogi@gmail.com. If this course has those features, I’ll inform with all the details. If it does not, then also, you will be clearly informed. There won’t be any round-about answers.

 

Course Comparison:

• ACP 21 Contact Hours Vs. ACP Live Lessons

ACP Live Lessons - Guaranteed Pass:

• ACP Live Lessons – Guaranteed Pass or Your Money Back

ACP 21 Contact Hours Course:

• ACP 21 Contact Hours Online Course - Full Money Back Guarantee
  

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – ManagementYogi’s RMP 30 Contact Hours Online and RMP Live Lessons

This is in asscociations with the two new risk management courses for Risk Management Professional (RMP) exam:

• RMP 30 Contact Hours Online Course – Full Money Back Guarantee
• RMP Live Lessons Course – Guaranteed Pass or Your Money Back

These are the frequently asked questions (FAQs) on ManagementYogi’s RMP 30 Contact Hours Online and RMP Live Lessons courses. I’ve tried to address as many questions as I can. If you have any other questions, please send me an email at managementyogi@gmail.com. 

Question – 1: How different RMP is compared to the PMP certification?
Answer: The Project Management Professional Certification (PMP®) is a generic certification for project management. It’s recognized around the world and is popular.

The Risk Management Professional (RMP®) is a specific certification for risk management practitioners. It’s much more advanced compared to the PMP exam considering risk management and the question standard is quite high. Hence, a few are able to earn this credential.

If you want to learn risk management deeply, learn various risk analysis, simulations, techniques, models, methods and a number of advanced practices, then this certification is for you.

In your professional resume, it’ll be a differentiator because very few achieve this credential. Worldwide, less than 1% PMPs are RMPs. 

 
Question – 2: What are the applicability and validity of these courses?
Answer: Both these courses for Risk Management Professional (RMP®) exam are based on Foundational Standard for Risk Management in Portfolios, Programs and Projects, the PMBOK Guide 7th edition, the PMBOK Guide 6th edition and all reference books for your RMP exam (a number of books).

RMP 30/40 Contact Hours Online: The price of the course is $109USD (Rs 8,449) for 6 months access or $159 (Rs 12,949) for 1 year access. The duration of the course is for 6 months or 1 year from the date of purchase. 

RMP Live Lessons: The price of the course is $379USD (Rs 30,449) for 6 months access or $439 (Rs 35,949) for 1 year access. The duration of the course is for 6 months or 1 year from the date of purchase.

Both these courses will enable you to achieve the 30 mandatory contact hours needed for the RMP exam.

It's a reflection of my training, which has created many genuinely successful RMPs.

Few have written their success stories: RMP Success Stories.

Question – 3: What are the durations and number of videos for these courses?
Answer: Both these courses have the necessary and needed content to prepare well for the RMP exam.

RMP 30 Contact Hours Online: The course has a duration of 17.5 hours (approx.). It has 288 videos with the needed coverage.
RMP Live Lessons: The course has a duration of 34 hours (approx.). It has 522 videos with exhaustive coverage.

Question – 4: What are full money back guarantees for these courses?
Answer: Both these courses come with full money back guarantees.

RMP 30 Contact Hours Online: This course comes with a full money back guarantee for 15 days. Entire course content with all questions will be available to you. You can evaluate the course for 15 days. If you don’t like the course, I’ll refund your full money.

To know more, you can watch this video. 

RMP Live Lessons: This course comes with a full money-back guarantee linked to you passing the RMP exam. You go through the course and give the exam. In case you couldn’t clear the exam, I’ll refund your full money. 

To know more, you can watch this video.

To know more comparisons between these courses, please refer:
Course Comparison: RMP 30 Contact Hours Vs. RMP Live Lessons


Question – 5: Why I should opt for these courses instead of classroom training?
Answer: Because, these trainings are:

• Convenient - you can learn at your own time with your own speed. You can watch the content as many times as you want.
• Longer duration - 6 months of duration (not just 2 or 4-days of training)
• Low cost - much lower than classroom training
  

Also, if you are going for a classroom training, but the training is useless because you understood little to nothing, then where is the value? I've seen many such cases where aspiring RMPs suffer. Any form of training you take (classroom or online or any other form) should put you on a solid track towards your RMP exam success.

Question – 6: How will I be eligible to have 30 contact hours?
Answer: It’s straightforward. You complete the course, primarily from “Lesson - 2: Introduction” to “Lesson – 12: Risk Monitoring”. 

Refer this link for overall course of breakdown structure of RMP 30 Contact Hours Online and this link for RMP Live Lessons.

Next, you will be assessed with 50 questions with 1-hour duration. It is a comprehensive evaluation. After that, you will get the “30 Contact Hour Course Completion Certificate” from Management Yogi.


Question – 7: What is ManagementYogi’s RMP 30 Contact Hour Certificate?
Answer: ManagementYogi’s contact hour certificate acts as a proof to claim the 30 Contact Hours. These contact hours are mandatory for you to appear for the RMP examination. The certificate testifies that you have completed the 30 contact hours of learning.

Note: Both RMP 30 Contact Hours Online Course and RMP Live Lessons course offer you the 30 mandatory contact hours needed.

Question – 8: Are there any plan of action(s) on how to complete these courses?
Answer: Yes, absolutely. Both these courses come with a plan of action to complete. The plan will be shared with you when you purchase the course. Plans will be different for respective courses of RMP Live Lessons and RMP 30 Contact Hours Online.

You will receive a plan of action which illustrates the course structure, hours per individual lessons, number of videos, and number of questions – both lesson end practice questions and full-length questions. Based on it, you have to follow a simple plan on completing the course and take your RMP exam.  

Question – 9: How can you provide the 30 Contact Hours when not an ATP or REP?
Answer: This is one of the biggest misconceptions that only Authorized Training Partners (ATPs) or Registered Education Providers (REPs) can give RMP training. It is just not true. As per PMI-RMP Handbook (link to check - page number 8 of the handbook), there are many providers who can provide the 30 mandatory contact hours.

The snippet taken from the handbook is shown below.

They are:

• PMI Registered Education Providers (R.E.P.s)
• PMI Authorized Training Partners (ATPs)
• PMI chapters
• Employer/company-sponsored programs
• Training companies or consultants (e.g., training schools)
• Distance-learning companies, including an end-of-course assessment
• University/college academic and continuing education programs

Hence, it is not needed to be A.T.P or R.E.P to provide the RMP 30 contact hours training and the certificate. With Management Yogi’s RMP courses, you are 100% eligible to get the 30 contact hours.

Important Notes: Always focus on what you learn and how best you can learn.
This is 100% dependent on:

• The content of learning, and
• How well the content is explained to you.
  (Not a machine reading the content or a person just going through slide by slide. You get absolutely no value out of it, especially in exams like RMP.)
  

 

Question – 10: Why should I go with Management Yogi, compared to others?
Answer: Indeed, there are many providers who provide RMP training. Possibly, hundreds of them! And they sell their courses at throwaway prices.

However, usually they do not have any real-world risk management or even project management experiences. They work on an aggregator model and have no real contribution of their own with respect to the risk management domain. They are primarily focused on high profit. They sell at throwaway prices so that they will get more subscribers and make more money. You don’t get anything of real value.

I’m engaged in risk management, continuously writing on it, contribute towards it. The courses are continuously upgraded based on the feedback from successful RMPs. There have been many RMP success stories. I’m primarily focused on your success. With these courses, you have a fair chance of success in clearing the RMP exam.

So, you decide – whom to choose:  Aggregator model with no real risk management passion or from someone who is continuously engaged in risk management domain and have created many successful RMPs?

Simply speaking, decide whom would you choose – their high profit (and many times useless training) or your probable success?

You can also compare this course with courses provided by any other provider on these aspects:

• Price
• Quality
• Content
• Coverage

Question – 11: What happens when my application is selected for audit? What will be needed?
Answer: Many candidates take online courses to fulfill 30 contact hours requirements. As per Project Management Institute (PMI®), in the event of an audit, the candidate would need to supply proof of the education in the form of a transcript, and/ or a certificate of completion.


Question – 12: Will you help if my application is selected for audit with respect to 30 contact hours?
Answer: Yes, absolutely. After all, these courses enable you to get the needed contact hours.  You will get full help in case proof is needed for your 30 contact hours. I’ll provide all details needed by Project Management Institute (PMI).


Question – 13: Will there be any support if any questions arise during the learning of 30 contact hours?
Answer: Yes, definitely. Please send an email to managementyogi@gmail.com and your questions will be answered within 3 working days or 72 hours.

This, in fact, is one of the biggest advantages you will have compared to other providers. As they are just course aggregators, they don’t have the domain knowledge. I’ll be involved with you throughout your RMP journey.

Question – 14: What is your success rate for the RMP exam, who have taken the courses or classes?
Answer: I’ve taken numerous classroom and virtual sessions on RMP exam preparation, worldwide.  The success rate of people who have sincerely prepared with the plan of action I've shared, is high.

The Online Courses have been launched for the first time. These are reflections of my classroom trainings. It has also much more details, e.g.,

• 100s of videos and exercises (one of its kind)
• A number of full-length practice question sets, including full-length Q&A set on Risk Management
  
• A number of lesson-end practice questions
• 50 questions for end course assessment

These are not possible with a classroom course.

I believe these courses will give you better learning, practice for your exam and prepare you well for the RMP exam. I also believe if you sincerely do this course, your chance of success in the exam is high.

Notes:

• You can evaluate over 25 videos before paying any money. (applicable for both RMP Live Lessons and RMP 30 Contact Hours Online)
  
• Both these courses come with full money back guarantee, as noted earlier.
  

Question – 15: How many full-length practice tests do these the courses have?
Answer: The number of questions for both the RMP courses are noted below.

RMP 30 Contact Hours Online: You will get three (3) full-length questions with detailed answers. In total, you have over 450 practice questions, including lesson-end questions.

RMP Live Lessons: You will get seven (7) full-length questions with detailed answers. In total, you have over 1280 practice questions, including lesson-end questions.

For more details, please refer:
Course Comparison: RMP 30 Contact Hours Vs. RMP Live Lessons

If you have any other questions or clarifications, please send a mail to managementyogi@gmail.com. If this course has those features, I’ll inform with all the details. If it does not, then also, you will be clearly informed. There won’t be any round-about answers.

Course Comparison:

• RMP 30 Contact Hours Vs. RMP Live Lessons
  

RMP Live Lessons - Guaranteed Pass:

• RMP Live Lessons – Guaranteed Pass or Your Money Back

RMP 30 Contact Hours Course:

• RMP 30 Contact Hours Online Course - Full Money Back Guarantee

PMP Success Story: The PMP Badge–Don’t Wish For It, Work For It

By Annarao Patil, PMP

Introduction

I started preparing for Project Management Professional (PMP®) certification in the last few years, after going through the classes of Mr Satya Narayan Dash. His expressional words inspired me to think about the PMP credential, its benefits, and a wide range of practices, which help one to grow professionally. The PMP certification stands unique in the project management area. 

In my professional work, I used to meet a few PMP certified managers. Their team management, customer engagement, work planning and the way they are respected made me think about this exam and try to earn the PMP credential.

PMP Coaching Experience

I received 35 contact hours from the classes of Mr Dash. His classes were fun, interesting, and motivational. While going through the lessons, it lit a spark in me to pursue the PMP certification. 

I still remember his words, where he said: “Many struggle to be a PMP, because they don’t even dare to take the exam!”. He correlates various aspects and practices of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®) guide’s knowledge areas with our daily lives. For example, the life cycle of a project, I remember, was specially related to the human life cycle. 

Post my sessions, I was in touch with Satya, but could not spend time taking PMP due to certain personal commitments. Finally, from last year (2020) onward, I started talking with him for serious preparation and decided to take the exam seriously. Once again, his calm and motivational words inspired me to start reading the book: I Want To Be A PMP. 

Considering the PMP exam, I focussed most on these areas from this book:

• Risk Management 
• Procurement Management
• Quality Management
• Agile Project Management (Newly added in 2021)

I was not good in the last area of Agile Project Management and this book helped me to get an easier understanding on this topic.

Mr Dash is a good coach for any aspirant and more importantly, a motivational leader. He inspires people to have at least one try before leaving hopes.

Throughout my preparation, I received a lot of support from him and he always replied to my mails. This was the support and guidance I always looked upon.

Own Study

I’ve usually spent around two and half hours daily, early morning, on weekdays. During weekends, I used to just revise the chapters that I had learnt during weekdays. On an average, I’ve spent around five hours on weekends.

This was my approach as I stated my preparation:

• First Phase:  I read the book, I Want To Be A PMP completely. This took me almost a month. I also made notes during this study.
• Second Phase: I just revised all notes that I had made during the first phase and started taking the chapter-end questions from this book. These questions helped me to reach the core point of every chapter.
• Third Phase: Here I started with Rita Mulcahy’s PMP Prep Book, along with the I Want To Be A PMP book. This helped me to get more insights on topics.
• Final Phase: In the final phase, I revised all my notes, and took all the questionnaires from Satya’s book. There are in total 3 full length questions along with an Agile question set.

Overall, these are the reference books and guides I followed.

• Book: I Want To be A PMP, by Satya Narayan Dash.
• Book: PMP Exam Prep, by Rita Mulcahy.
• Guides: PMBOK Guide, 6th Edition and Agile Practice Guide (APG).

Online platforms I have referred to a bit to understand more on Agile perspective: Simplilearn and LinkedIn learning.

Book Review - I Want To Be A PMP

This was my main reference book for the PMP exam because the book is easy to understand. It's written in simple English and explanations. 

Following are the few points, which I found valuable.

Simple contents and their correlations: The first two introductory chapters explain in a simple way on how to read this book. It very well explains how to go through each knowledge area (KA).  The content and introduction chapter helped me to understand my study flow, while going further.

Chapter End questions: It really helped me to reach core points and/or important topics of the respective chapters.

Flow Diagrams: It helped me to understand correlation of the Knowledge Areas and Process Groups.

Vision tips, Yogic Revisions: It has a number of tips and revisions, which are must read. The PMP formula chart helped me in my exam.

Separate Mathematical Topic: There is a separate chapter on the PMP Numerical and it helped me a lot.

Topics like Critical Path Measurement (CPM), Earned Value Management (EVM), Change Management are important for the PMP exam and these are well explained in this book. There are a number of associated videos on these topics.

Full length questions with answers and explanations: The full-length question sets helped me a lot–especially one week just before my exam.

Overall, the knowledge gained from this book and his motivational words whenever I spoke with him made me strong. It benefited me a lot.

PMP Exam Experience

I scheduled my exam on 10th July, 2021 and I took the Online Proctored platform. 

Below is my pre-preparation approach:

• I took my exam from my office because I don’t want to face any technical glitches due to the internet connectivity or disturbances in my house.
• How to sit for 4 hours: I took one-litre water bottle with me, which is allowed. Every 10 minutes, I used to drink water to relieve stress and increase my focus towards questions.
• I was very much clear to use the break of 10mins. You can take this break two times. It helps to relax a bit. One should go for it.

Below is my experience on the exam day:

• I didn’t get any technical issues as I was checked in to the exam.
• During your exam, make sure your room is locked and no one is crossing your door with sounds.
• When it comes to answering questions, I always read all the options for every question starting from choice D to choice A and then again, coming down from choice A to D. This helped me to go through all options/choices.
• Time management here is a big factor. First 60 questions if you can end up in 65-70 minutes that’s the great start. Next 60 questions, you can spend around 80 minutes and final 60 questions with reviews can be done with the remaining time. 

I faced the following types of questions:

• Predominantly, you will have multichoice questions. Some questions required you to match the options and select multiple responses (multi-response questions). These are basically based on the general topics and easy to answer.
• There were no direct questions, or no direct questions on Inputs, Tools and Techniques and Outputs (ITTOs). 
• Most of the questions I attempted belong to Agile Project Management. There were very few questions specifically asked on Agile methodology like SCRUM, XP and Kanban etc. Questions on agile were general where the PM needs to follow the practices.
• I didn’t use the calculator. There were hardly two to three questions on the numerical.

Suggestions for PMP Aspirants

Dos:

• Plan your exam ASAP. Without an end date, you might ignore your study or follow up a study plan. 
• Focus and use time allotment for every day. It’s much needed and very important. If you miss a week to study, then catching up again is a big issue.
• Read each and every bit of the books or guides that you are referring. Don’t think of 4 to 5 books. Limit yourself to just one to two references because reading all books will take a lot of time.
• Don’t forget to make notes for all chapters.
• Follow 3 sets of questionnaires given from Satya’s book: I Want To Be A PMP. Take the first set and try to reach each and every word of that question, then go to the related topic of the book and read once again. This first set will take a minimum of 5 days to complete. Remaining 2 sets you can take as you reach closer to the Exam Day.
• Plan your work and study. Balance these very well. Early morning 4AM to 6.30AM is the best time I felt to read.
• It’s not necessary that you should keep all ITTOs in mind, but at least remember the important and key ITTOs.
• Some chapters like Communications Management may seem to be easy, but don’t ignore them. The questions from these chapters can be tricky, and it might lead you to incorrectly answer some questions in your PMP exam.
• Never miss your breaks during the exam. Take them. It will help you a lot.

Don’ts:

• Never skip topics like Agile Burndown Charts, Agile Release Planning, among others. The topics related to Agile Management may not be easy as was the case for me coming from a Mechanical Engineering background. It’s also possible you may be predominantly following the predictive mode of project management.
• Topics like Resource Management, Procurement Management may make you uncomfortable or may not seem to be very interesting. Don’t leave these chapters. Split these chapters into two to three readings, so that you go through each and every topic of these chapters properly.
• You might get a series of questions during your PMP exam, where you are not confident in answering. Never get demotivated. Because that might lead to wrongly answering the known questions or topics!
• Don’t follow too many references or books or websites where you get Free Questions and Answers, Tests and Exams. Those won’t help.

Conclusion

To be a PMP certified manager, never just wish for it. Always work on it to get that badge.

Anything that you learn during your PMP preparation is and will be useful–be it in professional, or personal life. Because terms on procurement management such as time is of the essence, or terms related to project management such as constraints, objectives, goals are seen in both professional and personal lives.

Finally, to all the readers of my story, I wish you all the best. Start your preparations early and dare to take the exam.

Brief Profile:
Name: Annarao Patil, PMP 

Current Role: I’m working as a Project manager for innovation projects in Buhler India Pvt Ltd.

Book  for PMP exam:

• Book for PMP Exam Prep: "I Want To Be A PMP"

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