TOPIC: PMI rejected my experience detailed in 500 characters

Hi everyone,

I submitted my application last week and have received an email from PMI stating that my application is pending and I have to re-submit my experience.
I have been working as a project manager for an e-commerce website project for last 4 years and have successfully launched the site. This is an extensive industry website offering over 200,000 parts.
After receiving PMI's response, I have re-written the experience blurb and now seeking expert opinion from fellow forum members to review the new text and let me know if this is written in desired acceptable way.

Here is what I originally submitted:

"Managed development of B2B/B2C e-commerce portal sitename.com. Initiation: worked with sponsor on project charter and approval; id'ed stakeholders. Planning: met with stakeholders on scope, requirements; defined project management plan. Executing: acquired dev resources, executed work plan, tested software changes, measured/reported progress to stakeholders. Controlling: managed change requests, collected new issues for issue register. Closing: reviewed with stakeholders and put lessons learned, other closure docs on shared drive."

Below is PMI's objection on my description above :

Project Descriptions - The description you provided is unclear regarding the tasks and role that you specifically performed. Please provide a description of your role with the following standards and tasks in mind.

PMI requires that qualified PMP candidates:

* Perform their duties under general supervision and are responsible for all aspects of the project for the life of the project
* Lead and direct cross-functional teams to deliver projects within the constraints of schedule, budget and resources
* Demonstrate sufficient knowledge and experience to appropriately apply a methodology to projects that have reasonably well-defined project requirements and deliverables.

We are unable to ascertain from the project descriptions you have provided if you served in the capacity on the projects per the aforementioned role definition. Project descriptions should be documented clearly enough to ascertain whether or not the projects documented truly are projects (please refer to PMBOK®Guide, 5th Edition, Section 3.2).

Further, project descriptions should consist of the following:

* A brief, one-sentence project objective
* Project deliverables summarized by process areas (Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing - abbreviations are acceptable IN, PL, EX, MC & CL)
* A brief, one-sentence project outcome

Project descriptions should be a high level summary of the tasks you led and directed on the project (e.g. Initiating: develop project charter etc.; Planning: Scope definition etc.; and so on). Project management experience is required in each of the process areas when all projects are totaled, but not on each project. Project descriptions must be provided for all projects submitted on application. Please revise the project descriptions.

Based on above response from PMI I have re-written the project description as below:

"I acted as project manager responsible for managing development and implementation of B2B/B2C e-commerce web portal. Outcome: Portal deliverable was accepted and successfully implemented. IN: developed approved project charter and stakeholder register. PL: developed scope statement, requirements, WBS, and project management plan. EX: developed project team, directed execution to plan, updated schedule and project plan. MC: managed change requests, updated change log and project management plan. Closing: obtained sponsor acceptance of deliverable, collected lessons learned, archived to SharePoint knowledge base"

I would highly appreciate if my fellow experts can review the newly crafted description and let me know if I can go ahead with this description.

Thank you in advance to all experts!

Ash

Ash,
Looks ok to me.
Mark

Mark, Thank you very much for you reply . As I was waiting for some expert comments I also developed a 2nd version of description in little less formal lingo. Please review and let me know if this one is better compared to the lat one:

"I acted as project manager for development & implementation of B2B/B2C e-commerce web portal. Portal was delivered within budget, time & scope & was successfully implemented. IN: I developed project charter & stakeholder register. PL: I developed scope, budget, requirements, WBS & project plan. EX: I built a team of 17 members, assigned tasks with timeline, updated schedule & project plan. MC: I managed change requests, updated change log & project plan. CL: I obtained sponsor acceptance, collected lessons learned with team, saved on server."

Thanks in advance!
Ash

Ash,
Sorry for the delay in reply. How about this?

Role: Project Manager (this is captured in a separate field in the application. No need to include in description itself.)
Objective: Develop and implement B2B/B2C e-commerce web portal. IN: Developed project charter & stakeholder register. PL: Developed scope, budget, requirements, WBS & project plan. EX: Built 17 member team, assigned tasks with timeline, updated schedule & project plan. MC: Managed change requests, updated change log & project plan. CL: Obtained sponsor acceptance, collected and archived lessons learned with team. Result: Portal delivered within budget, time & scope & was successfully implemented.

Hope this helps.

Mark

Hi ,

My PMI application got rejected, can you please review the below or this needs modification. I am pasting both rejected and planning to submit format.

Planning to put the below.

WCDMA Release for 15.3 & 16.3
==============================
These releases was about addition of some more features to the existing Nokia 3G base station software, to support features with further higher data rates in uplink & downlink direction.
IN: Identifying the key deliverables & meeting with stakeholder about feasibility of new features. PL: Developed scope, budget, requirements, WBS & project plan EX: Right team member is assigned to complete work packages on time, updated schedule & project plan. MC: Managed change requests, updated change log & project plan. CL: Obtained sponsor acceptance, collected and archived lessons learned with team. Result: The new software is deployed in customer network.

WCDMA iBTS Release Field Support for 13.3, 14.2, 15.3
======================================================
These releases are deployed at customer network, based on customer requirements the new enhancements will be considered for implementation.
IN: Identifying the key deliverable, meeting with stakeholder about feasibility of new enhancements & getting the approval from the sponsor.PL:Developed scope, budget, requirements, WBS & project plan.EX: Right team member is assigned to complete work packages on time, updated schedule & project plan. MC: Managed change requests, updated change log & project plan. CL: Obtained sponsor acceptance, collected and archived lessons learned with team. Result: The new software is deployed & monitored in customer network



Rejected text
=========================

WCDMA Release for 15.3 & 16.3
• The project was to add additional feature to the existing Nokia iBTS product to increase the Bandwidth
• As a Project Manager Involved in selecting the feature content & identifying the resource required for the project.
• Detailed planning, validating design & test estimates.
• Executing the works according to the work packages.
• Monitoring & controlling 15.3 & 16.3 releases to deliver on time.
• Updating the project data base for the lessons learned.
• Software is upgraded in customer network
WCDMA iBTS Release Field Support for 13.3,14.2, 15.3: ORGANIZATION DETAILS
• As Project Manager identifying the resources which are required for sustenance activities for these releases.
• Indentifying additional enhancements for this release & getting approval for the same from customer.
• Detailed planning, validating design & test estimates.
• Executing the works according to the work packages.
• Deciding on the change request proposal from the customer.
• Updating the lessons learned to the project database.
• Software is upgraded & monitored at customer network.

I have same issue sir, it can possible to help me.

Already submitted Project Description:
As a planning engineer for EPCC of Molten Sulphur handling facilities , participated in development of
project charter, prepared EPCC Baseline schedules, executed the project by ensuring that appropriate
resources and tools are assigned to the tasks accordingly as per project baseline and Monitoring / Control
of Project Budgets and reporting to Management. Ensured the project deliverables conform to quality
standards, archive and retain project records, historical information and documents in order to retain
organizational knowledge.
PMI Comments:
For all experience: descriptions are lacking an objective statement. We require an objective statement in order to discern whether the experience listed is truly a project, or if it is operational & administrative work. Using the principles of project management in operational tasks can be very effective, but does not provide the professional project management experience required for the PMP credential.

2. Should you choose to submit a new application, please note that for best results, project descriptions should be formatted as noted below:

- A brief, one-sentence project objective
- Project deliverables summarized by process areas (Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing - abbreviations are acceptable IN, PL, EX, MC & CL)
- A brief, one-sentence project outcome

Please Help me on this .. What should i will write for my project description.

Hi Yoga,

Reading what you submitted, I'm not at all clear on what the project was attempting to do. I suspect the PMI reviewer felt the same. I know what sulphur is, but EPCC is an empty acronym to me and I can't tell what the objective of this project was.

Can you describe to us what this was about, as if we had just met at a dinner party? Remember, I'm not an engineer nor a chemist. All I know is that caffeine wakes me up in the morning.

Tracy

Good morning, Yoga.

I am a chemist with a strong chemical process background and, like Tracy, cannot tell what you're trying to describe. I concur with PMI's assessment that it cannot be discerned if your description is a project or operational in nature. It reads as a job description as opposed to a project description.

Here's how I would approached it:
What did project attempt to accomplish? (One sentence)
IN: Your role in initiating the project
PL: Your role in planning the project
EX: Your role in executing the project
and the like for the other groups. Each should be one sentence or two at the most.

Avoid technical acronyms whenever possible, spelling out acronyms will take away from the number of characters you're allowed. Do not be concerned if you don't have all 5 process groups in the description. As an independent consultant, I was often brought in to a project after it was more-or-less initiated by the client.

Harry

Hi All,
I need some help to format the failed audit -

Old Text description which failed Audit : This project was the opposite of the new Hire BOT I executed earlier. This automated the complete
Workflow of Termination process of an employee within our client Org.
Outcome remained the same as the previous one as in reduced cycle time and fewer workforce to carry
out this job.
Role in this project is similar to the previous project as in Initiation, Planning, Execution of Work,
Monitoring Issues/Risks and closing.
Init and Closing at low because of Past similar Project.
Plan, Exec, M&C is higher here because of a very complex workflow

Fine Tuned it after looking at the same Forum:
Obj: Automate Employee Termination workflow process carried out by HR Team
IN: Developed project charter & stakeholder register
PL: Collected requirements, developed Scope, time and Cost and Project plan.
EX: Developed 4 member team, task assignments, Direct Project as per Plan.
MC: Control cost, time and scope as per the Plan and also manage changes
CL: Got deliverables validated, collated lessons learned with team and archived on Share point.
Outcome: This Project was successfully delivered as per client's requirements meeting all its objectives.

The problem is there is a 550 char limit and this is best i could do. Can someone kindly comment if the fine tuned one looks ok? I just cannot add any additional detail because of 550 Char limit.

Hi Hemanth,

The revised version looks good. It has a clear objective and result, and you include the correct processes in their respective knowledge areas.

Couple things I'd suggest to make your application better:
1. Developed scope under PL: Not sure if you defined the scope, developed WBS, or the scope management plan. It will be more clear if you can elaborate on that.
2. Develop 4 member team: How did you develop the team? Through coaching/mentoring? Additional training?
3. Outcome: What are the deliverables? Can you provide some numbers that reflect how you successfully fulfilled your client's requirements?

Do you have time to briefly go over my PMP experience?

Hi all,
I'm planning to submit my application, and I'm wondering if I got all requirements right?
Can anyone help by giving me tips on how to improve my odds of approval?
I currently have my own Consulting Company where I provide services for Construction Contractors.

The description below is for a Project where I worked as an Assistant Project Manager; however, I was involved in all aspects and managed part of the Project independently; I was not responsible for the entirety of the Project. There was a team of Project Managers in place, and we all shared responsibilities!

See below my approach to explain my involvement in Project.

Role: Project Manager

Objective: Installation of 1,400 node sites across the NYC boroughs the Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island for a Fortune 500 client.

IN: I Developed a Project Charter formalizing the intent of the SOW by describing the boundaries of the Project, Project deadlines, Key Stakeholders, Deliverables, Constraints and Risks, and preventive measures.

PL: Collected requirements, Developed Scope, and a Budget to ensure that funding is available and released on time according to each project phase.
The Project Milestones was developed by working with Engineers and Construction Managers to help plan and schedule resources across all organization groups to align Project requirements with business goals by creating a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and assigning tasks to team members.

EX: Created an Organizational Chart identifying a ten-member Project team and clarifying their responsibilities from the beginning to the end of the Project.
Coordinate the collaboration between teams by reviewing Milestone Deliverables; defining and managing the Project Timeline to achieve precise and specific goals to ensure on-time delivery of the final product.
Constant interaction with the customer has required; coordinating with customer building activities and perform daily Project follow-ups.
Conduct weekly internal meetings focusing primarily on the problem areas by obtaining and managing resources, as necessary.
Collect, review, and publish Project status regarding resources, schedule, proposed As-Design Drawings, As-Built Drawings, and all other documentation as per deadline requirements.

CL: Provide technical support for final build QC/QA acceptance by working with all teams to ensure compliance requirements are met and publish final As-Built Drawings with the Certificate of Completion and all closeout documentation on the customer’s Website.
Obtain Sponsor Acceptance and Archived final documentation.
Organized a review meeting at the end of the Project to discuss possible points for improvement. I provided a summary document including ‘lessons learned’ to all involved in the Project as a reference guide for future projects.

It looks OK to me. Have you checked out the examples here: www.project-management-prepcast.com/how-...-the-pmp-application ?

am I going in the right direction
Objective: To research and developed a high level and detailed Disaster Recovery plan outlining general overview of processes, logistics and declaration steps. As well as perform initial Disaster Recovery Test.
Role: My role was the Project Manager.
IN: Worked closely with the project sponsor to develop the project charter which included high level requirements such ensuring all offices with separate backup & recovery procedures are listed, all cloud and local backup & recovery procedures are listed and a complete Disaster Recovery test can be conducted simultaneously with little to no interruptions to the end users. Conducted an in-depth data analysis to determine all stakeholders on the project.
PL: Collected detailed requirements by having several interviews, and meetings with Stakeholders and SME’s. Defined scope which included a detailed list of what would be documented in the Disaster Recovery Plan and what would be left out of the Disaster Recovery Plan to be documented in the Business Impact Analysis. Created a WBS using decomposition techniques. Established all communication channels between stakeholders.
EX: Utilized the project organization chart and acquired a team of 4 members to begin to execute the project. Held weekly meeting within the project team to ensure project milestones were reached on time as well as discuss any impediments, constraints or risks that have arisen and implemented risk responses when necessary. Held bi- monthly meeting with Key stakeholders in regards to progress of project while all stakeholder received monthly emails regarding the progress of the project as stated in the stakeholder engagement plan.
MC: Ensured that stakeholder changes were processed through change management processes as well as any communication method changes. Reviewed work to ensure activates we being completed on schedule and no development of scope creep occurring.
CL: The Disaster Recovery Plan was completed and accepted by the project sponsor. Transferred the Disaster Recovery Plan to the IT Policies registry.
Outcome: A Disaster Recovery Plan was created, scheduled for testing and executed with no complications

Hi Everyone,

I am compiling experience section for PMP application. Just wondering whether this is OK to submit. Appreciate your advise.

Objective: Develop symbolic first step to the most ambitious construction project in land reclaimed from sea to create a fully-fledged modern micro-city. Development consist of two interconnecting steel buildings which will be used to promote port city development for potential investors.

IN: Collected historical information, processes and procedures on steel structure erection projects in marine environment. Identified initial requirements of the project, potential risks, constraints and existing agreements with the nominated subcontractors for the Audio Visual and Interior Decoration works. Identified the key stakeholders and their level of involvement to the project Developed the project charter with the project sponsor

PL: Created project scope statement and WBS with the involvement of Architects, Mechanical and Electrical Departments Created the project activity list which is required to develop a plan Estimated activity duration, cost and resource requirements with the involvement of project team and developed relevant schedule and cost baselines Determined and set quality standards, processors and inspection and test plan which required to followed during construction work Determined the roles and responsibilities of the team when executing the site works Identified the potential risks and possible mitigation actions Identified the project communication requirements and developed communication matrix

EX: Managed the people to perform the required tasks effectively by providing required guidance and training required through knowledge sharing. Followed the processes set and agreed during planning phase and assess the effectiveness of quality processors and plans through quality audits. Collected work performance data for the work packages carried out Evaluated team performance and provided training. Used issue logs and record the issues identified. Reported on project performance Conducted weekly technical and coordination meetings with subcontractors and authorities to solve the conflicts and site issues

MC: Analyzed and evaluated the work performance data and produced work performance and progress reports to present to the Sponsor and higher management
Took actions to monitor and control the project work and measure performance against the schedule and cost baselines
Evaluated the change requests from the sub-contractors and the sponsor for the schedule and cost impact and discussed with the sponsor on the acceptability of the changes
Performed quality control inspections as per the inspection and test plan prepared during the planning phase to ensure the work comply with the project requirements and quality standards.
Prepared quality reports to highlight non-compliance and defective works. Reviewed the rectification proposals and monitored the rectification works to ensure the rectified works are in compliance with project requirements

CL: Conducted final inspections for all the discipline, Architectural, Electrical, Mechanical and Landscape work to confirm the work packages are completed to comply with project requirements.
Developed a list of minor defects and minor outstanding work which can be completed within Defect Notification Period of the project with the agreement of the Sponsor
Reviewed and finalized the handing over documents such as operation and maintenance manuals, as-built drawings, warranty certificates and testing and commissioning reports for mechanical and electrical works.
Completed the final project performance report with the lessons learned during the project and presented to higher management.
Archived all the handing over documents and other project documents for future reference

Yash, this is a really old thread - you might get more responses if you start a new one?

I filled this PMP application. Sir is there any problem with it. Please l need your advice.
Sample
Rural Primary Health Services Delivery Project
Organization
DFID/British Council
Job Title
Project Team Leader(Akwa Ibom
Functional Reporting Area
Director Health
Organization Primary Focus
Healthcare
Approach/Methodology
Traditional (Waterfall)
Project Team Sizes
1 to 4
Project Budget
Up to $1M
Time Spent on Project to Date
July, 1997 - August, 1997
Project Description
The project was aimed to strengthen the rural health system and supporting the Government in implementing the National Health Plan (NHP) as it relates to rural health.
The health status of the population has deteriorated due to severe neglect of the health system, especially in the rural areas, where 80% of the population lives. The poor health status of the rural population points to a weak primary health care (PHC) system.
To overcome this mismatch, the government, recognised the needs to pay greater attention to health service delivery at community levels. Consequently, the government built an innovative partnership with DFID to improve rural PHC by improving health information and monitoring systems, and revitalize rural health facilities. DFID had offered preparatory technical assistance on health needs and service capacity.
Initiating: Workshop was held to identify deliverables and milestones. Several meetings were held to identify key stakeholders. Identified and validated the project interdependencies. Documented high-level risks, assumptions and constraints. The British council had developed the project charter and was the project sponsor.
Planning: Assessed detailed project requirements, constraints, and assumptions with stakeholders. Collected requirements and defined scope. The roles and responsibilities of the project team members were defined.
Conducted kick-off meeting where communicated the start of the project and the key milestones.
My role: I was the project team leader for Akwa Ibom State. I manage the day-to-day implementation of the project outputs at Mkpa Enin local government level. I also provided overall guidance to the implementation of the project, established partnership consultation process leading to agreements with stakeholders.
My responsibilities also included: managing task execution by leading the project team ,measuring project performance , and obtaining stakeholder feedback to evaluate their satisfaction (CL).
As project team leader, I manage the schedule, total resource requirement, risks on the project, quality requirements, especially performance and stakeholders management. I also ensure the team performance as per plan as we meet scheduled goals. I also ensured high team morale to ensure a high team. I participated in the project review workshop with the British Council leadership.
Executing: I ensure the assignments were carried out in phases. These included implementation of appropriate data collection methods used in research, assessment, and evaluation. We carried out surveys, key informant interviews, focus groups and observations to build a data set. The emphasis was on the need to build shared ownership of community health.
Project outcome
This project was completed under budget and within the stated timeline.The findings assisted the government in implementing policies, standards, and strategies for strengthening the rural health sector within the framework of the PHC.
At the end of the project, I released project resources, documented lessons learned and prepared project for the sign off.

Remove Experience
Edit Experience
Magazine production project
Organization
Pathways Africa Magazine
Job Title
Editor
Functional Reporting Area
Media
Organization Primary Focus
Transportation
Approach/Methodology
Traditional (Waterfall)
Project Team Sizes
5 to 9
Project Budget
Up to $1M
Time Spent on Project to Date
April, 2004 - January, 2008
Project Description
I was responsible for managing the magazine production cycles from receipt of original manuscripts through product delivery, ensuring that customers receive high-quality solutions on time, and within budget.
Managing a magazine project efficiently requires a lot of experience, skills and knowledge; and excellent organizational skills.
My role: makes decisions regarding the tone, style, organisation of pages, article format, publication schedule and more.
As the Editor, I oversees a team of writers.
My responsibilities include ensure content produced is consistent with the pre-defined editorial strategy.
Work with internal production staff to ensure the completion of magazine on time and within the project budget
Monitor production schedule and budget, through project life cycle
Liaise with the editorial team to make sure all content is delivered to schedule
Work with the designer to check printer proofs before press
Write print specifications and liaise with printers throughout the process
Work with the Publishing Director to ensure all projects are produced to the highest quality standard
Carry out lessons learned and cost/schedule analysis
Preparing the articles, library and Internet research to be undertaken, using current materials.
Delivery schedule
Editorial management ensures that the magazine project progresses within the budget and timeframe, and is delivered to the highest standards. It entails maintaining the production sheet to ensure consistent standards throughout the magazine production project. It also requires maintaining the quality of the project – right from inception to the final deliverables.
Editorial project management essentially, involves controlling various tasks that decide the quality of the publishing process. 12 magazines editions are produced in a year. It takes a month to produce. For a month I ensure production schedules and cycles. On a daily basis, I set up and monitor each stage from manuscript assessment to editing, page layout and design, proofs, and deliverables. I coordinate copyediting, design, typesetting, and printing services; ensure final deliverables are completed on time and to specification. For a week, I supervise design elements, composition, incorporate and review corrections and revised pages.
Understand the Project:
I and the publisher define the goals, objectives and requirements of the magazine.
Examine the Content: I and the publisher will assess the structure and use of language in the manuscript.
Scheduling: I and the publisher would prepare an efficient time-bound schedule to ensure timely completion of each task in the magazine production project.
Budgeting: The top management determines the costs and assesses the profitability of the magazine and creates a contingency plan while keeping within the budget.
Manage the Team: the editor and the team create work requirements, match capabilities and put together an effective team.
Communicate Effectively: As an editor, I schedule regular meetings to ensure that the editorial project is on track and all members are meeting their milestones.
My responsibility as the editor is to keep a look out for any warning signs that could cause a variance in the schedule and delivery or compromise the quality of the magazine deliverables.

I saw your message posted twice, Daniel, so I've deleted the duplicate. Hopefully someone will be able to comment. There's a detailed article here that talks about how to fill in your experience: www.project-management-prepcast.com/how-...-the-pmp-application