Program Management Professional (PgMP): A Certification Study Guide With Best Practices for Maximizing Business Results [Paperback]

Craig J. Letavec (Author), Steven C. Rollins (Author), Diane Altwies (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 193215986X | ISBN-13: 978-1932159868 | Publication Date: December 17, 2007

Businesses expect significant technology advances that will drive growth and profitability. IT initiatives are becoming more complex taking the form of 'programs' that consist of multiple related 'projects.' Becoming a credentialed PgMP is a logical step after achieving PMP because it provides the critical processes and tools needed to manage the broader complexities of program management. This guide will help you master these complexities and achieve certification.
-Allan Lubitz, Senior Vice President and CIO, Option One

This manual, developed by three leading program management experts experienced at helping practitioners achieve professional certifications, provides the guidance needed to prepare for and pass the new Program Management Professional (PgMP) Certification Exam administered by the Project Management Institute (PMI). Much more than your typical exam preparation guide, this team of best-selling authors designed this text to also serve as a valuable desk reference filled with proven best practices and advanced processes and techniques with tips to help you perform at the highest levels of execution as a program manager.

Key Features

-Provides a holistic view of program management that is aligned with program management standards
-Employs proven learning and exam preparation techniques and provides the guidance needed to successfully achieve PgMP certification
-Includes a chapter devoted exclusively to developing your personal certification roadmap and study plan
-Presents a practical, integrated program management framework that includes advanced practices in organizational governance and execution management
-WAV Offers free downloadable study aids and program management tools and templates, available from the Web Added Value Download Resource Center

Editorial Reviews

Review

This program management certification manual is the best resource to use to become certified and an incredible accomplishment. I most highly recommend that you devour every page. It does a beautiful job on the basics and offers a vast amount of advanced material. Whether you are a novice or have been practicing program management for years, you will learn a great deal. --Gerald I. Kendall, PMP, Principal, TOC International

About the Author

Craig Levatec is the Vice-Chair of the global PMI Program Management Office Specific Interest Group and a best-selling author.

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: J. Ross Publishing (December 17, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 193215986X
• ISBN-13: 978-1932159868
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,024,350 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Goes a bit above and beyond, January 11, 2008

By 

Joe PM "Joe PM" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Program Management Professional (PgMP): A Certification Study Guide With Best Practices for Maximizing Business Results (Paperback)

I purchased this book still being a bit unsure about whether or not I was really ready to take the time to tackle the PgMP Exam. But, I figured that I'd at least start studying a bit to get prepared. I'm posting this review because I was impressed with how this book helps you prepare by not just re-stating what's already in the PMI Program Management standard--it steps outside the box a bit!

I can read the Program Management standard on my own and as such I was looking for a book that went beyond the standard. I think this book hit the mark. Some of the chapters that I found especially valuable both from a test preparation and a practitioner perspective:

Chapter 3: The Relationship Between Program Management and Organizational Governance

Chapter 5: The Relationship of Portfolio and Change Management to Program Management

Chapter 9: Developing the Soft Side of the Program Manager

Chapter 16: Managing Life Cycle Program Process Interactions Through Program Configuration Management

Chapter 20: Building and Implementing Your Personal Program Management Certification Roadmap

There are certainly other good chapters as well. And, there is a good amount of pages on the material that is in the Program Management Standard as well (probably a good 100+ pages). I just point these out as examples of how the book goes a bit "above and beyond".

I also like that there are "points to know" highlighted throughout the book. As I am going back through some of the chapters, I look at the points to know first and then can read the associated detail within the chapter itself. This is a study technique that works well for me.

Lastly, I like that the book has an entire chapter devoted to helping you build a study plan for the exam. The book breaks out the exam not only at the top level (initiating, planning, etc.) but also at the task level, allowing you to understand the types of knowledge and skill that you're expected to have. This information comes directly from the PMI PgMP exam specification (according to the book) and there's even an Excel download you can get off the web to help you assess how much time you should spend focusing on each area, depending on your current level of skill.

Overall, great book. Lots of good practical guidance and a book that I think can be used as a reference book for program management in general, not just as a book to study for the PgMP and then throw away. I'm sure other good books will come out for the PgMP, but of the two that I have, this one is definitely the better one.

25 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Above and Beyond and Below and Around the Bush, January 14, 2008

By 

Ken Tran - See all my reviews

This review is from: Program Management Professional (PgMP): A Certification Study Guide With Best Practices for Maximizing Business Results (Paperback)

In my view, the major problem with this book is the lack of focus on the PgMP exam topics, or on any topic for that matter. If you are looking for a PgMP exam Study guide with a comprehensive coverage of and focus on the PgMP exam domains; this is NOT that book. It tries to do many things and does not do anything well (I guess mainly due to the lack of focus). It leaves out many topics that are in the PgMP exam specifications, and it covers many other topics which are not included in the exam.

Also, like any other book, this book too has its share of typos and errors, but let's hope the publisher will provide an Errata
Bottom line: This book materializes the phrase: beating around the bush (the bush is the PgMP exam); even expands it: Above and beyond and below and around the bush.
This publisher (and the authors) have previously produced some good books, but this one just does not do the job that it was supposed to do.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of three program management books to buy, March 30, 2008

By 

Susan Stahl (Columbus, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Program Management Professional (PgMP): A Certification Study Guide With Best Practices for Maximizing Business Results (Paperback)

This is a great book but in my opinion there is no single book that is going to provide everything you need to know about program management. Since there is no published list of recommended reading for new program managers or PgMP candidates, here is mine:

First, buy the PMI Standard for Program Management so that you have the official way of performing program management according to the Project Management Institute.

Next, buy the Handbook of Program Management by James Brown. This book really helped me to transition from the theory of the PMI standard (which contains no detail on how to do anything) to the next level of detail. It is a great resource but doesn't cover everything that is contained in the PMI standard.

Then, buy this book as your advanced reference and PgMP guide to round everything out. It has good coverage of the PMI material and provides advanced topics not covered in depth in James Brown's book but still very important for success in program management. It also has practical guidance on how to prepare for the PgMP exam if you are studying for that.

I almost bought the PgMP exam specification as well, but this book has a lot of it reproduced already so I decided to save some money.

These three books together are my PgMP study plan and are also what we're using in my company's Program Management Professional study group.

One criticism of this book is that the "case studies" that are presented are pretty simple (almost an afterthought). But from a content and learning perspective, this is not a distraction.