Last Post
Though it has been nice being Mad for MBA it is time to move on. I am posting on this blog for the last time, since it has been almost 2 years since i completed my MBA. So Sunset
PMP Certification: Prep: Day 2 – Day N
Since i am the laziest person on the planet, i have been guilty of -
- Not regularly preparing for PMP
- Not planning, neither tracking and nor logging the PMP preparation efforts
- Finally, just going ahead and taking a date for the PMP examination without any preparation effort so as to cajole myself into preparing for the same – if for nothing else than out of sheer shame for failing the PMP
Preparation Collateral
- Read PMBOK Edition 4 from the first page to the last (well not the very last page, but till the appendix)
- Solved each and every question from the Head First PMP free exam @ http://headfirstlabs.com/PMP/free_exam/HeadFirstPMP_PracticePMPExam.pdf (this is a piece of gem. Though i did not read the Head First PMP Book which is supposed to be read before solving the practice test, it would be a safe bet that this book would also be pretty good)
- Re-read my MBA notes for Project Management (especially for project selection – the PMBOK is not very robust in this area)
- Re-read my notes for Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification (For people who are not conversant with Lean Six Sigma – the best option is to read glossary of terms for Lean Six Sigma and DMAIC)
- Brushed up on Organization Behavior/Human Capital stuff for Human Resource Management knowledge area ( Just goto wikipedia and read up on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, XY Theory and other HR frameworks. PMBOK is really weak in this area)
- Read up on Risk Management from Rita Mulcahy’s book. I had too as PMBOK is weak especially in the contract area
Note: I did not like the PMP Prep book by Rita Mulcahy… I would choose PMBOK over it any day as the primary study instrument. I know that Mulcahy’s book is not supposed to a substitute for PMBOK, that said – the book tries to explain things in a manner which for me was not always consistent with the PMBOK (I may be completely wrong in this regard). For me PMBOK (however boring and pedantic) is the best option for PMP preparation.
Time
- End to End Serious Preparation Duration : 4 weeks
- Every Weekday – 3 hours ( 2 sessions of one and a half hour each)
- Every Weekend – 5 hours (3 sessions)
Note: Before i started to study for PMP, I already had a MBA (in which i had a full fledged PM course – which more than satisfied my PMP PM course work requirement), Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and CAPM certification – so these times are a bit on the lower side.
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PS. On the exam day – took 2:15 minutes to complete the 4 hr exam. Passed pretty easily. A lot of stress for really nothing.
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PPS. Proud to be a PMP
PMP Certification: Prep: Day 1
Note: This will be a day by day chronicle of my attempt to pass the PMP certification (in all probability before the end of this year)
Till date I have completed the following:
- PMI CAPM certification in 08/09
- Renewed PMI membership in 06/10
- Downloaded PMBOK Edition 4 from the PMI website 15/10
Planned actions for Day 1:
- Prepare a time-table for PMP certification preparation (Use MS Visio – Calendar stencil)
- Print out the first three chapters from the PMBOK
Sushi
Before i had ever tasted Sushi, i always thought – how could raw fish, raw vegetables and vinegar rice taste – not so good i thought. I have never ever been more wrong.
A thing of beauty
Summer ’09 in Columbus
This past summer was perhaps the longest period of doing nothing in my life. So here is how i spent my summer in Columbus, before joining D. So i graduated on 14th of June. The first week of doing nothing was fun, going to sleep at 4 AM, waking up at 1 PM, watching movies the whole day(well what ever remained of the day). The first couple of weekends, I managed to squeeze in bd‘s and oh yes, a five guys recently opened up near my apartment. The five guys’ fever lasted for a couple of weeks, when was then surpassed by MadMex. In the meanwhile, i thought i might as well do something productive and paid the annual membership for PMI and start preparing for CAPM (Certiified Associate in Project Management) certification. This i thought would keep me occupied for at least a month. It is not that CAPM certification will add anything exceptional to my resume, but i thought it would compliment my Lean Six Sigma Certification well and would be inline with my aim of appearing for PMP(Project Management Professional) certification in mid 2010.
So, began July. Early in July my roommate and me made road trips to Atlanta and Pittsburgh, where we are going to be posted in our jobs. We finalized our apartments and signed out leases. It was fun driving across US, a total of 1,700 miles in a span of 5 days. It was spring time, the weather was great, but it rained for a few hours during our travel as we passed through Virginia(oh, beautiful Virginia). It was at this time as i drove on the freeway that i began to think, that it is this, this infrastructure, this intricate lattice work of roads, a seamless movement of men, machines and goods that India needs. It is the proverbial sustainable competitive advantage. But it is not easy or quick. It takes time, money and that all important political will and commitment to achieve the foundation that US built through the 1900s. Enough said about that. By the way, the aim of the road trip was to finalize the apartment to stay in and so i did. My apartment is right in downtown Pittsburgh. It has a beautiful view of the city from the 10th floor, it is a bit pricey 
, but it is close to office and near anything that matters in Pittsburgh, so i guess it is worth it.
So, began August. I gave my PMI CAPM certification exam and passed with flying colors(pardon the self adulation). I made some new friends in Columbus, got hooked to Counter Strike, tried out hookah at the local Egyptian restaurant and visited a couple of local clubs. All in all, August was fun.
And so it ends, a three month vacation between my MBA and first post MBA job. This was perhaps the largest vacation since the 3 month vacation between BE and Infy. Now that it is over, time to change gear, real life beckons!
