CompTIA Project+

The method should fit the work. You compare predictive and adaptive approaches, see how Scrum and Kanban run day to day, and decide when a hybrid serves a project better than either.

• Waterfall phases and their strengths
• Agile values and iterative delivery
• Scrum roles, events and artifacts
• Kanban boards and limiting work in progress
• Hybrid approaches
• Choosing a method for a given project

You build A method recommendation for three different projects, with reasons for each.

Projects go wrong early. You test an idea with a business case and feasibility check, find the stakeholders, and write a charter that gives the project authority and boundaries.

• Business cases and benefits
• Feasibility and cost-benefit checks
• Identifying and analysing stakeholders
• Assumptions, constraints and dependencies
• Writing a project charter
• Running a kickoff meeting

You build A project charter and stakeholder register for a realistic IT project.

Unclear scope is the common cause of overruns. You gather requirements, write a scope statement, break the work into packages and put change control around the result.

• Gathering and documenting requirements
• Scope statements and exclusions
• Work breakdown structures
• Defining deliverables and acceptance criteria
• Recognizing and controlling scope creep
• Requirements traceability

You build A scope statement, work breakdown structure and acceptance criteria for one deliverable.

A plan needs honest numbers. You estimate effort, sequence tasks, find the critical path, assign resources and build a cost baseline you can track against.

• Estimating with analogy, three-point and bottom-up methods
• Task dependencies and sequencing
• Gantt charts and the critical path
• PERT and duration uncertainty
• Resource allocation and leveling
• Building and approving a budget

You build A Gantt chart, critical path and cost baseline for a six-month project.

Risks are problems that have not happened yet, and issues are those that have. You identify and rate risks, choose responses, keep a log and handle issues before they spread.

• Identifying risks with stakeholders
• Qualitative risk rating and risk matrices
• Avoid, mitigate, transfer and accept
• Contingency and reserves
• Issue logs, escalation and resolution
• Reviewing risks throughout the project

You build A risk register of twelve risks, with ratings, owners and responses, and an issue log.

Projects run on people. You build a team, assign responsibility clearly, plan how and when to communicate, run useful meetings and handle conflict before it stalls the work.

• Forming and developing a team
• Responsibility assignment with a RACI chart
• Communication plans and channels
• Running meetings and writing status reports
• Managing stakeholder expectations
• Resolving conflict

You build A communication plan and RACI chart for a project with five stakeholder groups.

Many IT projects buy what they cannot build. You request and compare proposals, choose a contract type, set service expectations and manage a supplier through delivery.

• Make-or-buy decisions
• Requests for information, quote and proposal
• Selecting a vendor with weighted criteria
• Fixed-price, time-and-materials and other contracts
• Service level agreements
• Managing vendor performance

You build A vendor evaluation matrix and draft request for proposal for a software purchase.

Execution is where plans meet reality. You launch work, track progress against the baseline, handle change requests, and keep quality in view while the project moves.

• Directing and coordinating the team
• Tracking progress against the plan
• Forecasting from schedule and cost variances
• Change requests and their approval
• Quality assurance and quality control
• Reporting to sponsors

You build A progress report with variance analysis and a change request for a mid-project problem.

The right chart makes status obvious. You use scheduling, tracking and productivity tools, read quality and performance charts, and keep the documentation a project needs without burying the team in it.

• Gantt and PERT charts compared
• Burndown charts and task boards
• Pareto, control and cause-and-effect charts
• Dashboards and status tools
• Templates and document control
• Collaboration and productivity software

You build A project dashboard that shows schedule, cost, risk and quality for one project.

A project ends only when its work is accepted and handed over. You confirm acceptance, transfer to operations, release resources, record lessons and review whether the benefits arrived.

• Formal acceptance and sign-off
• Handover to operations and support
• Closing contracts and releasing resources
• Lessons learned sessions
• Archiving project records
• Post-implementation review

You build A closure report with lessons learned and a handover checklist.

Technology projects carry technology risk. You learn the IT concepts a manager must follow, how information security and privacy shape a plan, and how environmental, social and governance expectations reach a project.

• Infrastructure, applications and software development concepts
• Information security in project planning
• Privacy, personal data and regulation
• Compliance requirements and audits
• Environmental, social and governance factors
• Working with technical teams

You build A security, privacy and compliance checklist built into the plan for one IT project.

Production systems are protected by process. You see how change requests, review boards, release plans and rollback steps govern IT work, and fit a project’s changes into them.

• IT governance and decision rights
• Change requests and review boards
• Release and deployment planning
• Testing, approval and rollback plans
• Configuration and asset records
• Aligning project change with operations

You build A change request package with test plan, approval path and rollback plan.

One scenario covers the whole life cycle. You initiate, plan, run and close a simulated IT project, document each phase and present the results to a sponsor.

• Initiating with a charter and stakeholders
• Planning scope, schedule, cost and risk
• Running the work and handling a change
• Closing and capturing lessons
• Presenting outcomes to a sponsor

You build A full project file: charter, plan, risk register, reports and closure report.