Project Management Skills or Industry Skills?
I just received the weekly Community Post from the Project Management Institute (PMI)® in my mail. At the bottom of this newsletter they usually add their Quick Quiz (but the logo they use looks like an ad for the Doubletree Hotel... anyway...). Today's question is this:
To be a good project manager, how much do you have to know about the industry or business that you are serving?
A. It is more important to have a good project management foundation than to know the business.
B. Each business is so different, in-depth knowledge in the field is key to a successful project.
C. Organizational politics drive project success, so focus on your ability to sway management.
D. Project success is random, so all you can do is work with the skill sets you have.
It took Kevin Reilly nearly 3 times longer than he expected to study for his Project Management Professional (PMP)® exam. “I estimated 120 hours and it took me 320,” he said, in an interview with Cornelius Fichtner, host of The Project Management Podcast at 
Do you work in a position where you do a lot of project management work but do not hold the title of Project Manager? Do you have several years of experience performing project management activities as part of a team? If either of these scenarios apply to you then maybe you are also wondering how you can tell if you are eligible to take the Project Management Professional (PMP)® Exam.
Are you considering studying for and obtaining your Project Management Professional (PMP)® Certification? Are you wondering what study tools and methods others have used successfully? Are you interested in reading about the exam experiences of those who have recently passed the PMP® Exam? Then there is a forum you should check out on 
Studying for and earning your Project Management Professional (PMP)® Certification can be a costly affair! Some training courses can cost several thousand US Dollars. 
The Project Management Institute’s (PMI)® Project Management Professional (PMP)® credential is the globally recognized certification of project management knowledge, skills and experience. So it’s not surprising that PMI® takes great care to ensure the quality of its certification process, from application through post certification.
You’ve decided that you want to take the Project Management Professional (PMP)® exam, congratulations! 
One of the best study tools for the Project Management Professional (PMP)® are PMP® exam sample tests. As you are preparing for the PMP exam you are in fact preparing to take a 200-question multiple choice exam. And just as if you were an Olympic athlete, taking this exam becomes your sport and you have to practice it. Again and again. However, instead of answering someone else’s questions, it is a good thing to create your own.
The Project Management Professional (PMP)® credential offered by Project Management Institute (PMI)® is a great asset for any project manager. It is a sign that you understand the roles and responsibilities of a project manager, and have the experience and expertise required to do your job well. As well as being practically useful for your day job, the credential is also a signal to employers that you take your role seriously and have spent the time investing in professional development.
By Margaret Meloni, PMP
