Just Get PMP

I am proud to say that I am successful in my effort to obtain my second PMI credential. Yes, I am a Certified Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP).


The thought of taking up the RMP exam crossed me sometime in early June. But, I didn't pursue that because of the change in examination syllabus from PMBOK 4 to PMBOK 5. I thought that the time was too short to achieve the goal.

Then, sometime in June itself, I came to know that only PMP exam changes by end of July 2013 whereas RMP exam changes only by end of August. So, I wanted to give it a try. Even though I know that there were insignificant changes from PMBOK4 to PMBOK5, I was reluctant to wait. (A known devil is better than unknown angel, right?).


I did some research to find the contact hours required to fulfil PMI's requirements. I purchased one month of online access to VTC. They have several online courses, which you can access during the period of subscription. If you complete watching the videos for a course, you will get the certificate of completion for that course.

Resources used for RMP exam preparation

1. VTC.com: PMI-RMP Risk Management Professional bundle (Author: Vanina Mangano)
2. Risk Management Tricks of the Trade for Project Managers + PMI-RMP Exam Prep Guide by Rita Mulcahy
3. Study Guide For the PMI Risk Management Professional Exam by Abdulla J. Alkuwaiti
4. PMBOK 4
5. PMP Exam Prep, Seventh Edition: Rita's Course in a Book for Passing the PMP Exam by Rita Mulcahy
6. Risk Management chapter from Head First Pmp: A Brain-Friendly Guide to Passing the Project Management Professional Exam by Andrew Stellman
7. Several free online resources, some of which are listed below:
7a. PMXCEL: PMI-RMP Sample Questions
7b. uCertify.com: Trial Copy of PMI-RMP Course
7c. SimpliLearn: Free PMI-RMP Practice Test

Advice for PMI-RMP aspirants

Even though I have listed lot of resources above, I didn't use all of them to the full extent. Here is how I have used them:

• I listened to most of the video content from VTC.com; they were quite useful and informative. I answered all the practice questions and mock test given by VTC.com and compared those answers with the author's answers.
• I used Rita's Risk Management book and Alkuwaiti's risk management book only to try the end of the chapter questions; I did not find it necessary to go through the entire book.
• I went through PMBOK's risk management chapter (in my opinion, this is the most useful exercise you should do); and a quick review of other chapters like quality, communication, human resources, time, cost and procurement.
• I used Head First PMP book also for only trying end of the chapter questions in risk management
• I find most of the online resources not that useful for PMI-RMP exam

Conclusion

If you are a PMP credential holder, you will not find PMI-RMP exam too difficult. The approach is similar; but get ready for a barrage of questions primarily around risk management. You should be thorough with all the risk management processes, the tools and techniques, and concepts like secondary risk, residual risk, contingency plans, work arounds and so on. Wishes for your success in PMI-RMP exam. If you need any advice/ suggestions/ feedback, please leave a comment below.

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Please share your opinion/ feedback in the comments section so that other readers would also benefit from this offer; alternatively, you can mail your views to manick.pmp@gmail.com.

Further to our interviews with Mr. Dayanidhi Dhandapany, PMP, Mr. Ramakrishnan Jayabalan (Ramki), PMP and Ms. Sangeetha, PMP, here is an interview with Mr. Thiruvalluvan, PMP.

Thiru is basically a Civil Engineer with lots of experience in Construction and project management. Here, he shares his views and opinions on his successful journey towards the coveted PMP Credential.

Listening the PMP audio during travelling times really helped most. Complete Mock exam paper preparation (4hrs) few times practice also helped a lot.

Listen to Audio tapes, prepare your own notes and it is a must to read PMBOK few times.


I sincerely thank Thiru for taking time out of his busy schedule to send this feedback.

If you are interested in sharing your experience, you can use my PMP Lessons Learned form. Your valuable lessons learned will be shared on this blog for the benefit of other PMP aspirants.

Further to our interviews with Mr. Dayanidhi Dhandapany, PMP and Mr. Ramakrishnan Jayabalan (Ramki), PMP, here is an interview with Ms. Sangeetha, PMP.

Below, you can find her views and opinions on her successful journey that fetched her the coveted PMP Credential.

No response.

Start studying along with the course progress and try to take up the exam within 3 months of course completion. Practice lot of mock test and at least 2-3 full exam in a exam kind environment.


I sincerely thank Sangeetha for filling up this questionnaire. I hope to get few more PMPs to share their experience here. If you are interested in sharing your experience, you can use my PMP Lessons Learned form. Your valuable lessons learned will be shared on this blog for the benefit of other PMP aspirants.

Further to our interview with Mr. Dayanidhi Dhandapany, PMP on PMP Lessons Learned, here is the second interview with Mr. Ramakrishnan Jayabalan (Ramki), PMP.

Ramki is an enthusiastic project management professional from the IT industry. Ramki attended one of my PMP training programmes; and, that's how I know him.

Below, you can find his views and opinions on his successful journey that fetched him the coveted PMP Credential.

Time management is more important; need to practice more sessions, better to go with multiple topics instead of going single threaded.

Stick to the timing.


I sincerely thank Ramki for filling up this questionnaire, in spite of his busy schedule. And, forgot to tell you. Ramki is also a passionate blogger. You can read his blog on project management (in Tamil language) at Nutpam.

I hope to get few more PMPs to share their experience here. If you are interested in sharing your experience, you can use my PMP Lessons Learned form. Your valuable lessons learned will be shared on this blog for the benefit of other PMP aspirants.

Personal Details

1. Your name?
Dayanidhi Dhandapany

2. Your Qualification?
PG Degree in Engineering

3. Your Industry?
Construction

4. Years of Experience
More than 15 years

Details of Training Attended

5. Where did you attend PMP training?
Green International, Chennai

6. What is the mode of your training?
Class room based

Details of Exam Preparation

7. How long did you prepare for the exam?
45 - 90 days

8. In your opinion, which is the best book for PMP exam preparation?
PMP Exam Prep, Rita Mulcahy

9. Did you take part in any online forum during the preparation?
PMPSTUDY.COM

10. How did you prepare for the exam? What would you like to change if you would revisit the exam preparation period?

Opinion on the PMP Exam Content

11. Easiest knowledge area?
Time Management

12. Most difficult knowledge area?
Procurement Management

During the Exam

13. Time taken to complete the exam?
Time was not a problem

Final Word

14. One last piece of advice for candidates preparing for the exam?

You may also be interested to find out

I came across an e-book on project management at ProjectManager.com. The book is titled “How to be a great Project Manager?” The book title was attractive enough for me and I straightaway started reading it. Since the book is available FREE for everyone, I thought of sharing the information here.

Review of the book

The book starts off like this: “Whether you’re a novice or an expert, you can always improve the way you manage projects.” This is what we call it as continual improvement; the core concept of ISO 9000 Quality Management System.

It’s a simple book on project management, not really rocket science. It’s not as voluminous as you would normally expect books on project management to be.

I would consider it more as a handy reference tool, touching on basic concepts of project management. After all, in our pursuit to excellence, we often lose track of the project management basics. Right?

I like the simplicity of the book. The limited concepts covered in the book are very well organized and presented in a way that’s pleasing to the eyes.

Contents of the book

The book provides several tips, tricks and techniques to put you on the right track to become a better project manager. In this book, you will learn how to:

• Set goals and achieve them
• Improve your decision-making skills
• Write great project documents
• Deliver fantastic presentations
• Manage day-to-day tasks
• Boost your personal confidence
• Improve your learning
• Get a work-life balance

Where to get the book?

If you are interested, you can download the book for free here: How to be a great Project Manager?

Conclusion

If you are preparing for the PMP credential examination, then this book may not be of any help to you in the exam preparation. But, it would be a good guide for you as a project manager. If you managed to get a copy of the book, please share your opinions on the book.

Updated on 17 Nov 2017 : Free PMP® Exam Prep Practice Test (full mock test containing 200 questions) from SimpliLearn was added; the updated list now contains 3500+ Free PMP exam practice questions. Invalid links were removed from the list.

To succeed in PMP Certification Examination, you need to follow three golden rules, which are listed below:

1. Practice
2. Practice and
3. More practice

Got it? Yes, PMP is one examination where you can succeed only by getting some hands-on exercises. It is difficult to clear the examination just by reading PMBOK or attending some training. You need to try as many questions as possible, monitor your performance and control your study before going for the real PMP exam. I have touched about this approach in my earlier article titled How to Pass PMP in First Attempt?.

So, the next step is to find relevant resources. You can buy question banks or mock exam softwares available in the market, if money is not a constraint. But, if you are worried about spending more money on PMP, don't worry. There are ample PMP questions available online, free of cost.

In this article, I have listed some of them for your reference and use.

3500+ Free PMP Exam Practice Questions

1. Just Get PMP - PMP Exam Questions and Answers - Free
2. PMPExamForFree- Premium PMP Exam Questions (700 questions)
3. GreyCampus - Free PMP Practice Exam (200 questions); requires you to share your e-mail to receive the test result
4. Just PMP - Free PMP Practice test (200 questions); requires you to like and share JustPMP facebook page before you enroll for test
5. BrainBOK - Mastering PMBOK Exam (50 random questions displayed from a pool of 100+ free questions); requires a sign-in with Google Account
   
6. Oliver F. Lehmann
   • Stay on track for the PMP® Exam (175 Prep Questions)
   • PMP® Exam Self-Assessment Test (75 questions)
7. Project Management Academy - Free PMP Questions (50 questions)
8. iZenBridge
   • PMP Free Practice Test (100 questions)
   • Earned Value Management (EVM) Quiz (15 questions)
9. CertChamp - PMP Sample Questions (200 questions)
10. The Certification School - PMP Free Mock Exam (100 questions)
11. MyPM
    • PMP Practice Exam 1 (50 questions)
    • PMP Practice Exam 2 (25 questions)
    • PMP Practice Exam 3 (25 questions)
    • PMP Practice Exam 4 (100 questions)
12. Head First Labs - Free PMP Practice Exam (200 questions)
13. PMStudy - Free Sample Chapter Test on "Project Management Framework" and "Project Integration Management" (151 questions)
14. tutorialspoint – PMP Mock Exam (200 questions)
15. preparepm.com
    
    • PMP Certification - Questions by topic (115 questions)
    • PMP Mock Exam 1 (75 questions)
    • PMP Mock Exam 2 (28 questions)
16. Threon - PMP Test Questions
17. Project Management Test Bank -  PM Test Bank (480 questions)
18. PMTraining - PMP Exam Demonstration (10 questions)
19. SimpliLearn - Free PMP® Exam Prep Practice Test (200 questions); You need to provide your name, e-mail id and phone number to start the Practice Test
20. Voight Project Solutions – Practice PMP Exam (Removed the link on 13 Oct 2015 as it is not working)
21. PMP Links - PMP Practice Exam (200 questions) (Removed the link on 17 Nov 2017 as it is not working)

Remember that PMP is not only Project Mangement Professional, but also stands for Practice Makes Perfect.

Disclaimer

I have not tested or reviewed the above links. So, I cannot vouch for the content provided in those links. It is up to the individuals to ensure the relevance and accuracy of the questions. However, we would welcome your feedback on those questions banks which would help other PMP aspirants to choose the better question bank for their exam preparation.

Revision History

• Nov 17, 2017: Free PMP® Exam Prep Practice Test from SimpliLearn was included; PMP Practice Exam from PMP Links was removed
• Dec 31, 2016: 700 Premium PMP exam questions from PMPExamForFree were added
• Nov 24, 2016: Free PMP practice exam from GreyCampus was added
• Nov 16, 2016: Free PMP practice test from JustPMP was added
• Jan 16, 2016: My own PMP exam sample questions (10 questions) were included
• Jan 09, 2016: 10 sample questions from PMTraining were included
• Jan 08, 2016: 175 Prep Questions from Oliver F. Lehmann and 200 Free PMP Practice Questions from PMP Links were included
• Nov 26, 2015: 50 Free PMP/CAPM Sample Questions from BrainBOK were included
• Nov 16, 2015: 50 Free PMP Questions from Project Management Academy were included
• Nov 14, 2015: PMP Free Practice Test and Earned Value Management (EVM) Quiz from iZenBridge were included
• Nov 04, 2015: PMP Sample Questions from CertChamp were included
• Oct 29, 2015: PMP Free Mock Exam from The Certification School was included
• Oct 13, 2015: PMP Practice Exams from MyPM were included; Practice PMP Exam from Voight Project Solutions was removed
• May 28, 2013: First published

I get lot of questions from PMP aspirants. Most of them are not related to the PMP content, but generally questions of administrative nature. Several questions were repeated; primarily out of anxiety from candidates.

I thought of putting together these questions on PMP examination here. This by no means is a comprehensive list of questions. I would add more questions as I come across them.

Question #1

I got the training of 35 hours in Project Management 2 years back which was conducted by PMI-Chennai chapter and now I am waiting for the PM experience to get completed in mid of this year. Whether I can apply for PMP with this training hours or I have to take a new training?

Question #2

I am planning to go for online 35 hours contact training now based on PMBOK 4th edition. However I would like to take the exam on PMBOK 5th edition after 4 to 5 months from now. So my question is the contact hours I gained on PMBOK 4th edition are eligible for taking PMBOK 5th edition exam also?

Question #3

I had taken the PMP 35 PDUs training for PMP 4th edition in Nov 2012, and due to some personal problems I was not able to prepare for this PMP Exam and have not taken yet, i,e till 5th May 2013. Now, I came to know that PMP 4th edition exam last date is 31 July 2013. I have not started preparation for this PMP exam, so can I prepare for this exam within 2 months?

Question #4

I have done my 35 hours PDU and I am in the process of completing my profile. Please advice whether I should take PMP4 exam or PMP5 exam. I just did the 35 hour PDUs last weekend.

I hope the above clarifications would help to cool down some of your anxiety. Do you have any other questions? Please feel free to shoot them.

As you may know already, PMP Credential is valid only for three years. And you need to renew your PMP Credential after three years. To renew your PMP Credential, you should have accumulated 60 PDUs in the three years cycle.

I reported some time back that I have completed the 60 PDUs accumulation for my PMP renewal. If you are interested, you can see how did I earn 60 PDUs.

In this article, I am going to explain step by step how I renewed my PMP Credential.

PMP Renewal Process

1. Go to https://certification.pmi.org/default.aspx.
2. Enter the username and password to log in to the system.


3. Click “Begin the renewal process”.
4. Agree to the PMI Certification Application/Renewal Agreement.
5. Complete the billing address.
6. If you have been given a Company Code to pay for this renewal, please enter the company code. If not, select “No, I do not have a company code” and click Next.
7. If you have been given a Voucher to pay for this renewal, please enter the voucher number. If not, select “No, I will be paying for this online” and click Next.
8. You need to enter your credit card details for the online payment. The PMP credential renewal fee is $60 (U.S.) for PMI members and $150 (U.S.) for non-members.


9. Finally, review and submit your payment.
10. Your application for renewal should be approved. You can print the receipt.

And guess what, now, you are a PMP credential holder in good standing for the next three years. What happens next? Start collecting the PDUs for the next renewal ...

I got the following question from one of the candidates in my PMP training programme. The question relates to "Conflict Resolution Techniques" from Project Human Resources Management. Let us see the question below & our conversation/ discussion regarding the answer:

Choose from the following combinations, the combination that shows the most preferred and the least preferred conflict resolution techniqes:

(A) Smoothing, Withdrawal
(B) Problem Solving, Withdrawal
(C) Confrontation, Forcing
(D) Compromising, Forcing

You may also be interested in:

PMP Aspirant: "Manick, I chose answer (C). But, the correct choice seems to be (B). As per PMI, least preferred is forcing right? I don't understand. Can you please explain?"

PMP Aspirant: "Ya I agree ..but during our class I remember u saying generally withdrawal is least preferred but as per PMI forcing is the last option...so the confusion:("

Thought of sharing some photos taken during one of my PMP training programmes. The photos displayed below were taken during the PMP training programme conducted in Chennai, India. I conducted the PMP training programme for 4 days between 31 January and 3 February 2013.

Today, I got a question from our friend, PMP aspirant. He wanted me to explain the answer to the PMP question. He said that his answer is not matching the right answer given. The question is given below:

OK, before going into the question, I would like to explain the various ways of calculating the Estimate At Completion (EAC). There are three different scenarios you will encounter in the EAC calculations. They are:

Let me give you an example. Say, your original budget is $1000. The actual cost as of now is $200, but the earned value is only $100. It means that you are spending $2 for every $1 of work. So, if the same performance continues till end of the project, you would be spending $2000 instead of $1000.

In terms of calculations, CPI = EV/ AC = 100/200 = 0.5

So, your EAC = BAC/ CPI = 1000/0.5 = $2000

2. Current project performance is atypical; you expect the project to perform to original expectation from now on.

Let us use the above example in case 1. You have spent $200 so far for an earned value of $100. So, you still have $900 (BAC-EV = $1000-$100) worth of work to be completed. Since you are expected to fall back in line with the original estimate, you need only $900 to complete the project from now on. Add the amount you have already spent on the project ($200).

So, EAC = 200 + (1000-100) = $1100

3. You need to complete the project in time, irrespective of what has happened so far.

Let us again use the example from case 1. You have spent $200 so far for an earned value of $100.  But, as per schedule, you should have completed $400 value of work.

So, PV = $400, EV = $100, AC = $200
SPI = EV/PV = 100/400 = 0.25
CPI = EV/AC = 100/200 = 0.50

EAC = 200 + (1000-100)/(0.25*0.75) = $5000.

EAC = 200 + (1000-100)/(0.25*0.50) = $7400.

The revised estimate now is too high compared to the original estimate; this is because of the very slow progress (SPI =0.25). You may have to spend more money (using schedule compression techniques) to bring back the project on schedule.

You may also be interested in:

I hope you understand the different scenarios given here. Now, let me come back to the question sent by our friend, PMP Aspirant. The project manager believes that the current variances are not typical and does not expect similar variances to occur in the future. The scenario given falls under case 2. So, let us the relevant formula to compute the EAC value.

EAC = AC + (BAC-EV)

In the given problem, AC = $100,000; BAC = $250,000; EV = $125,000

EAC = 100000 + (250000-125000) = $225000

Is that clear? Do you still have any doubts? Please feel free to share your thoughts. If you need help on any other problem, I would be glad to help.

Network Diagram is the most interesting concept in project scheduling. But, it can also become tricky if you do not understand it clearly. Today, I got a query from one of my PMP candidates. He sent me the following table of activities.

Activity	Predecessor	Duration (days)
A	Start	6
D	A	8
B	Start	3
E	B	5
C	Start	9
E	C	6
End	D	3
End	E	4

He was confused why activity E is appearing twice in the table with different duration. He also wanted to know the critical path, duration of the critical path and the total float of activity B.

Solution

Now, let us look at the solution for the above problem. I will draw the network diagram using Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM)/ Activity On Node (AON) diagram. To avoid confusion, I will just draw the relationship without showing the duration of the activities.


So, we have no problem in drawing the network. You can check the relationship against the table and everything looks fine.

Now, let us start including the duration for each activity. This is where it gets troublesome. Activity E's duration is shown as 5 days in one row and as 6 days in another. Why does activity E appears twice with different duration?


Since activity E appears twice, this problem cannot be represented using Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM)/ Activity On Node (AON) diagram or even Arrow Diagramming Method (ADM)/ Activity On Arrow (AOA) diagram. In both approaches, the activity appears only once. So, we need to interpret the problem a little bit differently.

Instead of reading that duration of activity E is 5 days, let us read it as the duration of activity E-B is 5 days. Similarly, let us interpret that the duration of E-C is 6 days. With this interpretation, I am going to draw the network with a combination of both PDM and ADM. The activity is placed in the node as in PDM while the duration is placed on the arrow as in ADM. Let us see how the network diagram looks like.


So, I believe we have correctly represented the problem in the network diagram. Now, it is simple to answer the questions.

Question 1: Identify the Critical Path. What is the duration of the critical path?
We have three paths in the network, namely Start-A-D-End, Start-B-E-End and Start-C-E-End. Let us find out the duration of each path.

Duration of Start-A-D-End: 17 days
Duration of Start-B-E-End: 12 days
Duration of Start-C-E-End: 19 days

So, it is clear that the path Start-C-E-End with the longest duration of 19 days is the critical path.

Question 2: What is the total float of activity B?
We know the duration of the critical path is 19 days. Activity B appears in only one path, Start-B-E-End, which takes 12 days. So, the total float of activity B is 19-12 = 7 days.

That's it. Hope the above explanation gives you a better picture of the problem and its solution. What is your opinion? Is it clear? Do you have any other doubts? Please feel free to leave your comments.

Today, I got a mail from Synergy School of Business Skills, a division of CADD Centre Training Services located at Mylapore, Chennai. They are organizing an event called Synergy Fest 2013. The objective of the programme is to enlighten working project management professional with current industry trends.

Topics of the presentations

Path pavers from respective fields will present on the following topics:

Number of PDUs

Synergy website informs that the participants will be able to obtain 8 PDUs for the whole day programme.

When?

9 February 2013, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm

Venue

Synergy School of Business Skills

#25, Radhakrishnan Salai

Mylapore

Chennai 600004

Whom to contact?

For registrations, you can contact Synergy school at 044-4591 8900 (or) you can send a mail to ctg.chennai@synergysbs.co.in with the following details:
Name :
Email :
Current Organization :
Designation :
Contact Number :
Total Experience :
Industry :

I will be there. How about you?

Note: This article is based on PMBOK Guide Fifth Edition

This is my first post based on the latest edition of the PMBOK Guide. I managed to get a soft copy of the Fifth Edition as part of the PMI member benefits. If you are still preparing for the PMP exam based on PMBOK Guide Fourth Edition, then this article may not be applicable to you; there are only 9 knowledge areas in PMBOK Guide Fourth Edition.

The 47 project management processes identified in PMBOK Guide Fifth Edition are grouped into 10 knowledge areas. A knowledge area basically refers to an area of specialization like Time management or Cost management. The knowledge area includes a set of concepts, key words and activities specific to that particular field of project management.

10 Knowledge Areas

The 10 knowledge areas that are used on most projects most of the time are listed below:

1. Project Integration Management
2. Project Scope Management
3. Project Time Management
4. Project Cost Management
5. Project Quality Management
6. Project Human Resource Management
7. Project Communications Management
8. Project Risk Management
9. Project Procurement Management
10. Project Stakeholder Management

As you may know, it is a requirement to earn 60 PDUs (Professional Development Units) over a period of 3 years to maintain your PMP credential. While it may seem a huge task at the beginning, its not so difficult after all. I could easily accumulate 60 PDUs without spending too much money on it.

I managed to complete the required 60 PDUs; in fact, I have earned 7 excess PDUs which I can carry forward to my next 3-year cycle. So, how did I earn these PDUs?

The following is the breakdown of how I earned my PDUs:

• 10 PDUs Free from IIL (International Institute for Learning) for attending the Virtual Conference held as part of the International Project Management Day 2012. In fact, I could have earned 15 PDUs; but, I could not find time to watch 30 videos required for the 15 PDUs.
• 17 PDUs from PMI Chennai Chapter, by attending the regular monthly knowledge sharing sessions and the Annual General Meeting (AGM). I became a member of the PMI Chennai Chapter in February 2012; their knowledge sharing sessions are very useful to earn PDUs. I would recommend you to become a member of your local chapter. Considering one knowledge sharing session per month, you could easily earn 24 PDUs per year. So, you need not think any other source beyond this for your 60 PDUs.
• 18 PDUs for attending India's 4th annual Project Management National Conference held in Chennai. I got my company to sponsor me for this event; so, I did not spend any money for earning these 18 PDUs. But, on hindsight, I would not have regretted if I had registered for the Conference from my own pocket. You rarely get a chance to attend such huge conference right at your door steps.
• 6 PDUs Free for attending the online seminars conducted by PMI Pune-Deccan Chapter
• 16 PDUs for attending a two days course on project management. This course was sponsored by my former organization in Singapore.

Enterprise Environmental Factors and Organizational Process Assets are the terms that you would come across quite commonly in the PMBOK Guide. They are inputs to most of the project management processes. Enterprise Environmental Factors are those factors that could potentially affect or impact a project’s success.


These factors determine how a project manager manages a project. So, it is important for a project manager to have a good understanding of the enterprise environmental factors that could potentially affect his/ her project.

For example, stakeholders risk tolerance is an enterprise environmental factor. If the stakeholders are aggressive, then a project manager would be allowed to take risks that could potentially have a high impact on the project. On the other hand, if the stakeholders are not tolerant to high level of risks, then the project manager has to handle the project in a different way.

Enterprise Environmental Factors: Internal or External?
The enterprise environmental factors could be internal factors to the organization like organizational culture, existing human resources, work authorization systems, project management information systems (PMIS), organization’s established communication channels and so on.

They could also be factors external to the organization like Government standards, industry requirements, market place conditions, political environment and so on.

So, if you are a project manager, it is important to ask yourself or to throw the question to your project team. What are the enterprise environmental factors that could impact/ affect the success of our project? The earlier you find the answer, the better the chances of a successful project.

My PMI membership is coming up for renewal in February 2013. The good news is that I would be eligible for a lower PMI annual membership fees based on the Economic Exception Pilot Program.

What is this Economic Exception Pilot Program?
PMI is testing whether offering a lower membership fees would increase the retention rate of the PMI membership. The regular membership fee is US$129 whereas under the Economic Exception Program you need to pay only US$65. That's almost a 50% discount from the regular membership fees. The program is applicable only to existing PMI members from Brazil, India, Mexico and Nigeria. New members are not eligible for this discount. They still have to fork out the full fees.

What is the downside of this Economic Exception Program?
Economic exception membership rate of US$65 includes all rights and privileges provided through the PMI regular membership. The only difference is that your membership publications will be delivered electronically to your e-mail box rather than hard copy publications. If you prefer to receive hardcopy publications sent to you via postal mail, then you still have the option to retain your regular membership at the price of US$129.

A short flashback
I took the PMI membership when I was preparing for the PMP examination; simply for the fact that there was no  obvious advantage of taking the PMP exam as a non-member. Once I cleared the PMP exam, I was not actively using any benefits of the PMI membership. So, I did not renew my membership when it expired after the first year.

This is the period when I shifted from Singapore to India. And I was occupied with more important things like getting settled down in my new company, new job and new project; don't forget that I was away from India for about 15 years. The family also needed time to settle down in a new place & so on. So, you get the point that I had no intention to renew the PMI membership.

This is the period when I got an e-mail from PMI seeking an appointment to discuss & get the feedback about PMI. I agreed and an appointment was fixed for the survey through telephone.

The survery call lasted close to about an hour. I could sense that the survey was mainly to find out why I did not renew my membership. So, I told them the reasons why I took it & why I did not renew it. I also pointed out that it was easy to pay US$129 in Singapore. But, in India, it looked a big amount to spend (US$ has to be multiplied by 55 when it comes to INR). Probably they got similar comments from majority of members from India.

What do you think?
Ok, cut short. Back to the present. I am getting my membership renewed soon with the economic exception discount. What is your opinion on this program? Will you take this offer? Share your views in the comment box or at our facebook page.