Head First PMP: A Brain-Friendly Guide to Passing the Project Management Professional Exam (Paperback)

by Andrew Stellman (Author), Jennifer Greene (Author)
Key Phrases: earned value, organizational process assets, integrated change control, Cows Gone Wild, Exam Questions, Perform Quality Control (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Media Reviews

• "I have been doing project management for over 30 years and am considered a subject matter expert in the PMBOK(r) Guide -Third Edition primarily because I am the Project Manager who led the team that developed this edition. As a consultant I was hired to review and evaluate eight of the top selling PMP Exam Preparation books for their accuracy in following the PMBOK® Guide - Third Edition. I have developed and taught a PMP Exam Prep course for a leading R.E.P., and taught PMP Exam preparation classes for PMI Chapters. I can honestly say that Head First PMP is by far the best PMP Exam Preparation book of all I have reviewed in depth. It is the very best basic education and training book that I have read that presents the processes for managing a project, which makes it a great resource for a basic project management class for beginners as well as a tool for practitioners who want to pass the PMP exam. The graphical story format is unique, as project management books go, which makes it both fun and easy to read while driving home the basics that are necessary for preparing someone is just getting started and those who want to take the exam."
  --Dennis Bolles, PMP DLB Associates, LLC and co-author of The Power of Enterprise-Wide Project Management
  
  
• "This looks like too much fun to be a PMP study guide! Behind the quirky humor and nutty graphics lies an excellent explanation of the project management processes. Not only will this book make it easier to pass the exam, you'll learn a lot of good stuff to use on the job too."
  --Carol Steuer, PMP and PMBOK(r) Guide, 3rd Edition Leadership Team
  
  
• "This is the best thing to happen to PMP since, well, ever. You'll laugh, learn, pass the exam, and become a better project manager all at the same time."
  -- Scott Berkun, author of The Art of Project Management and The Myths of Innovation
  
  
• "Original, fresh, and fun... this is truly the perfect study companion for anyone aiming for PMP certification."
  --Teresa Simmermacher, PMP and Project Manager at Avanade
  
  
• "I love this format! Head First PMP covers everything you need to know to pass your PMP exam. The sound-bite format combined with the whimsical images turns a dry subject into entertainment. The organization starts with the basics then drills into the details. The in-depth coverage of complex topics like Earned Value and Quality Control are presented in an easy to understand format with descriptions, pictures, and examples. This book will not only help you pass the PMP, it should be used as an daily reference for practicing project managers. I sure wish I had this when I was studying for the exam."
  --Mike Jenkins, PMP, MBA
  
  
• "I think that under the fonts and formalized goofiness, the book has a good heart (intending to cover basic principles in an honest way rather than just to pass the test). Head First PMP attempts to educate potential project managers instead of being a mere "how to pass the PMP exam" book filled with test taking tips. This is truly something which sets it apart from the other PMP certification exam books."
  --Jack Dahlgren, Project Management Consultant
  
  
• "Head First PMP is a great tool to help make sense of the Project Management Body of Knowledge for the everyday Project Manager."
  --Mark Poinelli, PMP

About the Book

A PMP certification is more than just passing a test. It means that you have the knowledge to solve most common project problems, and proves that you know your stuff. Once you're certified, your projects are more likely to succeed because you have the skills and knowledge to make them successful. Not only that, it can mean a better job, more money, and greater respect from your peers.

But studying for a difficult four-hour exam on project management isn't easy, even for experienced project managers. You want to remember everything that you're learning about project management, but your brain is working against you! Your brain craves novelty, and most PMP certification prep books are anything but novel. When you keep putting down a boring book instead of studying, it's because your brain doesn't think the information in it is worth learning. Your brain has more important stuff to think about, like how to keep you alive and out of danger-and it doesn't think that failing the PMP exam qualifies as life-threatening!

So how do you trick your brain into thinking that your life does depend on learning everything you need to know to pass the PMP Exam? Head First PMP is the answer! Using the latest research in neurobiology, cognitive science and learning theory, Head First PMP has a visually rich format designed for the way your brain works-a multi-sensory experience that helps the material stick, not a text-heavy approach that puts you to sleep.

Head First PMP offers 100% coverage of The PMBOK® Guide principles and certification objectives in a way that's engaging, not tedious. This book helps you prepare for the PMP certification exam with a unique method that goes beyond answers to specific questions and makes you think about the big picture of project management. By putting project management concepts into context, you will be able to understand, remember, and apply them-not just on the exam, but also on the job.

With Head First PMP, you get the best of both worlds: a thorough and effective preparation guide for the PMP certification exam with hundreds of practice questions and exam strategies, along with puzzles, games, problems, exercises and the unique Head First approach that makes learning easy and entertaining. When you're done with Head First PMP, you'll know your stuff, you'll pass the exam, and you'll be able to bring everything you've learned to your job.

About the Author
Jennifer Greene and Andrew Stellman have been building software together since 1998. Andrew comes from a programming background, and has managed teams of requirements analysts, designers, and developers. With her testing background, Jennifer has managed teams of architects, developers, and testers. She has led multiple large-scale outsourced projects. Between the two of them, they have managed every aspect of software development. Andrew and Jennifer formed Stellman & Greene Consulting in 2003, with a focus on project management, software development, management consulting, and software process improvement. They have worked in a wide range of industries, including finance, telecommunications, media, non-profit, entertainment, natural language processing, science and academia. For more information about them and this book, visit http://www.stellman-greene.com.

Jennifer Greene and Andrew Stellman have been building software together since 1998. Andrew comes from a programming background, and has managed teams of requirements analysts, designers, and developers. Jennifer has a testing background, and has managed teams of architects, developers, and testers. She has led multiple large-scale outsourced projects. Between the two of them, they have managed every aspect of software development. They formed Stellman & Greene Consulting in 2003, with a focus on project management, software development, management consulting, and software process improvement. They have worked in a wide range of industries, including finance, telecommunications, media, non-profit, entertainment, natural language processing, science and academia. For more information about them and this book, visit http://www.stellman-greene.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 692 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc. (May 11, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0596102348
• ISBN-13: 978-0596102340
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 8 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #31,326 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This item is part of The O'Reilly Head First Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars One of many books you need to conquer PMP - not the only, October 9, 2007

By	A. Bagchee (Orlando, FL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I passed my PMP exam recently. In spite of my years of experience, I found that the exam needs a truckload of preparation! I started with PMBOK Guide, Rita Mulcahy, some others, and settled on HFP. The HFP is not the first book you should read, and certainly should not be the only book you read. Unlike the somewhat snide (and ineffective) Mulcahy book, this book would give you tons of useful mnemonics to remember stuff by. After reading this book, I was having a much easier time answering questions in other books, such as Mulcahy's.

The PMP examination is not for the faint of heart. At the minimum, you should know the PMBOK Guide by rote (esp. the I-TT-O, Glossary, and the formulae). You need to supplement that knowledge using other books. These are the list of books I found useful (in no particular order):
0. PMBOK Guide
1. HF PMP
2. Mulcahy
3. Kim Heldman
4. Andy Crowe

Unfortunately, HF PMP does leave out many vital topics. This will hurt you in the exam, if you have not covered it elsewhere (e.g. Calculating CPPC and FPIP using numbers, GERT, etc., amongst many other examples). But for the topics covered, you will have a strong help from this book in retaining that information!

I would strongly encourage the authors to:
1. Consider revising the book and adding the missing topics - priceless addition, given that the authors do a wonderful job of any topic they cover in the book.
2. Add a GLOSSARY OF TERMS that may be referenced in the PMP Exam, even though these may not be covered in detail in the book (cite a ref.).

It will be worth the price you'd pay for such a book!

40 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THIS IS A MUST HAVE BOOK, April 27, 2007

By	The JuneBug "junebug" (SC) - See all my reviews

This is the book. I have read 4 different books to study for the PMP (without taking any classes) and this one by FAR is the easiest, simplest, and best book that is out there. The exercises reinforce the concepts in new and different ways (matching, crossword puzzles, short answer, etc). Even when I thought I had to memorize the formulas, I now discover I don't need to because the book explains the concepts in such simple terms that the formulas go together and just "logically" make sense. They explain a lot of terms from both a project manager AND a sponsor's perspective. This is by FAR the greatest book. The concepts are SO simple. I do recommend using PMP Practice Questions Exam Cram 2 or some book with test questions in it to go along with this book only after you have read this book.

Even after being through project management in the real world I learned a few things to help me in my current job. Anyway, I rate this a NUMBER ONE MUST HAVE. I look forward to more books in this series or any other concept out there that I want to learn. OUTSTANDING JOB TO O'REILLY, the Publisher. I give kudos and more kudos.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging Coverage of Brain-Unfriendly Body Of Knowledge, June 24, 2007

By	uniq "uniq" (El Dorado Hills, CA United States) - See all my reviews

If you don't mind reading the PMBOK guide for your exam preparation, then, I suspect, you would enjoy memorizing a phone book or have an unusually strong taste for suffering. In either case, don't read any further and don't buy "Head First PMP" -- reading it may be too much fun for you and dangerous to your mental health!

For those of us, who find the PMBOK bo-o-o-oring, "Head First PMP"'s approach is the *only* way to learn. Let's admit, that the topics covered by the exam, while are very important, are not very exciting. To learn them well, it is important to dig deeper into the reasons for the best practices. Following the style of the "Head First" series, the authors of this book took the subject of the PM science and turned it into a fun-to-read and easier-to-learn-and-internalize collection of graphics, questions, answers, mental games and scenarios, stories. They deconstructed the topics to their essence and then reconstructed them in a way that makes sense to everyone who is willing to focus and think. The book is very engaging and, in my opinion, is a must to read, at least to make sure that you understand all the answers.

I'd like to point out the difference between this book and other books in the series -- Object-Oriented Analysis and Design, Design Patterns, Java. Those books cover topics that are interesting (at least to me) in nature, and had been covered in other publications with various success. The "Head First PMP" book is different in the sense that its authors "dared" to apply the "Head First" approach of "you'll learn better when reading is fun" to a topic that while important, makes me think of an ominously laughing dentist holding a jack hammer.