These notes were produced for APM's PQ assessment which I completed and passed in July, 2013. The assessment was based on APM BoK version 5. They are ideally printed at six to a page and then guillotined into pocket sized cards. Please contact me at nickbrook@theiet.org for the six to a page download.

1. 1. Determine stakeholders and their influence/interests
Stakeholder management strategy
• Identify
• Analyse
• Map/prioritise
• Communication Plan
• Review Effectiveness of communication
They may:
• Support or oppose
• Gain or lose from project
• See project as a threat or enhancement to their position
May be from:
• Inside project
• Outside of project
• Outside project organisation, i.e. regulator, local authority
Include business, user and supplier stakeholders
Do they have influence and no interest or interest and no influence?
Can produce stakeholder influence and interests matrix
Drive communication and stakeholder management strategies
Consider risk management strategies
Identify project success criteria

2. 2. Optimal project organisation
Include the following:
• Senior user
• Executive
• Senior supplier
• Business user and project assurance
• Change authority (if applicable)
• Project team
May be:
• Matrix (functional and project line management in parallel
• Functional (limited influence of project manager over other function)
• Project types (hired for duration of project only, no functional line manager)
Can be divided into:
• Directing (project board)
• Managing (project manager)
• Delivering (team manager)
• Managing and delivering may be combined on smaller projects
Produce RACI to define and communicate roles and responsibilities
• Responsible
• Accountable
• Consulted
• Informed
Produce OBS/organogram
Undertake gap analysis and map required competencies against team
Identify required roles and responsibilities
Identify resource requirements (skill and size of resource)

3. 3. Project success criteria and business benefits
Success criteria
• Determines what the project will be judged against – may be schedule, cost, scope or quality
or a combination of 2 or more.
• Determine from who's viewpoint the important success criteria will be seen from
Business benefits
• A perceived improvement brought about by a project outcome
• Likely to be realised after project completion
• Reviewed throughout project
• Need to be aligned to corporate strategy
• Quantified and measureable
• Assigned
Business benefits are:
• Clearly identified
• Focus for delivering change
• Committed and ownership assigned
• Proactive business realisation – likely outside project lifecycle
• Record benefit realisation to justify investment
Can be tangible or intangible

4. 4. Project constraints and dependencies
Assumptions and constraints characteristics - condition, circumstance or event.
• Assumption allows the project to proceed.
• Constraint restricts and limit project execution.
• Assumptions must be analysed and monitored to ensure validity and relevancy as the project
proceeds.
• Constraints must be identified and incorporated into the project plan to ensure that the plan
is realistic.
Therefore an assumption may be the required project budget (based on planning)
and the constraint may be funding curve limiting availability of budget.
Dependencies:
• Internal - between project activities and products
• External – products or activities from other projects, sign-off by external body
External dependencies are a project risk
Both constraints and dependencies should feature in project plans
Periodic assessments and at Stage gates

5. 5. Project risks
Include threats and opportunities
Risk description terminology – cause, risk, effect
Risk register will include
• Who raised risk and when
• Category and description
• Probability and impact
• Proximity
• Risk response (Avoid/Exploit, Reduce Fallback Transfer/Enhance, Share, Accept/Reject)
• Risk response actions
• Risk status, owner and actionee
Methods to identify:
• Use of risk breakdown structure , PESTLE, PBS
• Lessons learned and in-house checklists
• Brainstorming, risk review sessions etc
Periodic assessments and at stage gates

6. 6. Project issues
‘Issue’ – an unplanned event requiring management action
Can be raised by any member of team and put in issue register
May relate to change control
Issues can be:
• Resolved within project (problem/concern)
• Request for change
• Off-specification
• May need to be elevated to project board if either of latter two
Method of categorising, prioritising and determining management level of
response to be included in Configuration Management Strategy, for example:-
must have, should have, could have, won’t have (for now).
Issue procedure:
• Capture – mitigate informally / formally
• Examine – impact on outputs, benefits and overall risk
• Propose mitigation
• Decide on mitigation and level of escalation
• Implement mitigation

7. 7. Project context and overall business case
Develop at beginning of project
• Senior user specifies benefits
• Executive ensures benefits are delivered
• PESTLE or similar
Outline BC before project initiation from project mandate
Contains:
• Executive summary
• Reasons for project and objective – drivers for change
• Project plan (approximate cost, timescales, scope) – timescales to include benefit realisation
• Risks
• Options (inc do nothing, do minimum, do something)
• Benefits (and dis-benefits) – how will these be measured?
• Success criteria
• Constraints, assumptions
• Dependencies
• Impact on BAU
• Investment appraisal based on all above – use through life costs, ROI, net benefits, payback period,
discounted cash flow, net present value, sensitivity analysis
Business justification – continue throughout project
To drive decision making (cost /benefit / risk balance)
Output → outcome (derived change) → benefit (improvement from outcome)
Benefits often after project complete
To be reviewed at:
• End of project phase / start of next (inc at end of project)
• Major changes (risk, exception plan)
• As part of benefit review (benefit review plan)

8. 8. Define scope of project
What the project delivers, i.e. deliverables
What the project does not deliver
Prevent scope creep and aid project handover
Provide a baseline against which change control can be assessed
Can be defined through PBS
• Products numbered for configuration management
External products that are dependencies
Phased handover – early delivery of scope
Ensure effectively communicated to all stakeholders

9. 9. Project management planning
Project execution plan contains all aspects of project planning
All project processes and procedures that impact on managing the project
Includes:
• Time
• Resources – cost, plant and labour
• Scope
• Quality
• Team – organisation and resource and expertise requirements
Create product breakdown structure
Time
• Gantt chart – Primavera, MS Project etc
• PERT analysis such as activity on the node
• Planning horizon, i.e. plan each stage in detail
• Critical paths, resource smoothing or resource levelling, milestones
Cost
• Estimating techniques such as top-down, bottom-up, comparative, parametric, three-point, delpi
techniques
• Resource loading of schedule to give basis for EVM – produce S Curve
Resource
• Histograms
Agree quality criteria
Used to baseline project so that changes can be assessed against
Governance
RACI and OBS

10. 10. Risk management process
As per slide 5 – take outline risks within business case risks develop
To manage risks the following are important:
• Understanding of project context
• Organisation’s risk appetite
• Stakeholder involvement
• Establishment of clear project objectives
• Develop risk management approach
• Report on risks regularly
• Clear roles and responsibilities
• Support structure and supportive culture
• Monitor for early warning indicators
• Review cycle and continuous improvement
Establish risk management strategy – define process from identification to
implementation
Record key decisions
Establish project board’s ‘risk appetite’
Risk management procedure
• Identify
• Assess
• Control (plan, implement, communicate)

11. 11. Quality management
Meet business expectations and enable desired benefits to be achieved
Quality assurance independent of project team is best practise
Project assurance from within project – independent of delivery function
Establish plan
• Quality criteria including tolerances
• Quality methods for QC (in-process) and product acceptance (appraisal methods)
• Project Board Agreement - acceptance of quality criteria by key stakeholders
• Communicate – all are aware of what will be achieved
• Control – establish methods to achieve quality and QC
Establish a quality register and ensure complete quality records
Apply MoSCoW to conflicting quality criteria
Quality responsibilities divided into:
• Producer
• Reviewer
• Approver
Planned audits by quality assurance including upon project assurance
arrangements

12. 11a Project execution plan
Acronyms/Abbreviations
Project context - Introduction, Project Description, Purpose, Objectives
Approval and Revisions
Roles and responsibilities - Organisation
Project Interfaces and Dependencies
Resources
Sanction Process – Stage-gates etc
Product or Work Breakdown Structure
Procurement Strategy
Project Scope
Quality Management and Criteria
Project Schedule
Estimated Project and Lifetime Costs
Issue and Exception Management
Project Management Control and Reporting
Baseline Change Control Management
Risk Management – Risk Register
Environment, Safety and Health
Value Engineering
Configuration Management
Communications plan and Stakeholder management
Project Meetings and Reviews
Quality Assurance
Handover
Lessons Learned
Project Closeout
Benefits Review

13. 12. Best Value
Optimise project schedule
• Increasing resource
• Modify schedule calendar
• Parallel working
• Changing methods and logic
• Resource smoothing / levelling
Management requirements and scope
• MoSCoW
• Stakeholder engagement
Apply appropriate quality criteria
Apply innovative methods of delivery – balance against risk
Procurement techniques – competitive tender, frameworks, negotiated contract
Continued business justification
Benefits realisation plan – realisation of benefits

14. 13. Legal and contractual issues
Legal
• Regulatory authorities such a HSE, EA, ONR etc
• Legislation and regulations such as Heath and Safety at Work Act, 1974
Contractual
• Forms of contract such as NEC, GC Works JCT etc.
• Contract tenders – deliverables, contract schedule, fixed price, target cost, cost reimbursable
• Payment terms
• Intellectual property rights (IPR)

15. 14. Negotiation with supplier of critical services
Understand bargaining position (yours and theirs)
May include:
• Resources
• Schedule
• Priorities
• Quality
• Procedures
• Costs
• People
Process is:
• Planning – understand issues, research and understand opponents objectives, anticipate strategies and define own (i.e.
fallback plan etc), allocate roles and responsibilities (lead negotiator, minute taker, observer etc)
• Discussing
• Proposing
• Trade-offs
• Bargaining
• Agreeing
Linked to interests/influence of stakeholders
Need to understand could have, should have, must have
Dual Concern Model

16. Identify
Understand from both sides
Consider method for dealing with conflict
All agree
Monitor
Reinforce agreement
Linked to interests and influences of stakeholders
Conflict may be about:
• Resources
• Schedule
• Priorities
• Quality
• Procedures
• Costs
• People
15. Analyse conflict situation and apply approprate style

17. Change Control process
All links to Project Execution Plan and Business Case
Continued business justification
Update risk register
May also have contractual impact leading to variations
Exception plan will need approval from project board or beyond
Will need to understand Project Success Criteria as there will be conflicts
• Cost versus time versus scope / quality
Will be interdependencies between plans which will need assessing
Review scope – MoSCoW
Assess issue as per slide 6
Schedules can be optimised by:
• Increasing resource
• Modify schedule calendar
• Parallel working
• Changing methods and logic
Communicate and manage expectations
Ensure buy-in from stakeholders
19. Optimise project plans to respond to a major change

18. Roles and responsibilities clearly understood
Change Control process will identify
• Tolerances and bands within which category of change falls within
• Authorities to which application foe change control is to be made
Ensure project baseline is set
• Scope
• Cost
• Schedule
• Quality
Issue register to identify potential changes
Tools and processes for capturing, examining, proposing, decision making,
implementing changes.
Change control decisions – approve, reject, defer, RFI, request exception plan
Config management decisions - concession, resolve, defer, RFI, exception plan
PBS will be numbered to identify all elements for configuration control
Configuration management procedures (planning, identification, control, status
accounting, verification and audit)
Records and reporting established and timing of activities
20. Apply effective change control and configuration management

19. Relating to change
Assess as per interest / influence matrix
Assess scope as per MoSCoW
Conflict and negotiation management techniques
Consider Project Success Criteria in decision making
Early engagement and as per communication plan
Ensure communication is to appropriate level
Make stakeholders aware of project risks
21. Balancing stakeholder expectations

20. Against all project data including risk, scope quality.
Form plan
• Determine method of gathering data
Gather data
• Percentage complete or other pre-determined method, eg. 0, 50%, 100%
• Actual costs from Contractors
• Determine who gathers this information
• Could be quality logs, scope delivery, benefit realisation
• Timesheets
Review data against plan
• EVM
• Milestone slippage chart
Action levels pre-agreed
Take action
• Increasing resource
• Modify schedule calendar
• Parallel working
• Changing methods and logic
• Resource smoothing / levelling
Change control if required
Audit methods of reported progress – contractor supplied data may be optimistic
22. Monitor progress and take suitable controlling action

21. 22a. Earned Value Management
• CPI – Cost Performance Index
• CPI = BCWP / ACWP
• SPI – Schedule Performance Index
• SPI = BCWP / BCWS
• BAC – Budget at Completion
• EAC – Estimate at Completion
ACWP
BCWP
BCWS

22. Schedule as project deliverable
Identify attendees and ensure well attended
Identify objectives - agenda
Project description
Evaluate project success factors
Evaluate project success criteria
Benefits against Benefits Realisation Plan (slide 3)
Review against plan and business case, i.e. re-evaluate business case
• Cost
• Scope
• Schedule
• Quality
Quality management strategy, errors in strategy and statistics for defects
What went well and what went badly
Was the project a success?
Identify follow-on actions
Agree closing date for costs to be charged against the project
Evaluate team performance
Contact details for project personnel
Contain recommendations
Ensure it is adequately communicated
Needs attendees to be candid
Ensure findings are communicated
Arrangements for archiving
23. Post Project Evaluation Review

23. Practitioner Qualification will not be awarded to candidates who do not demonstrate at least a basic/partial capability in the assessment criteria
shown in bold.
1. Determine stakeholders and their influence and interests
2. Design the optimal project organisation
3. Analyse and understand project success criteria and business benefits
4. Analyse and understand project constraints and dependences
5. Identify project risks and assumptions
6. Identify project issues
7. Demonstrate an understanding of project context and the overall business case
8. Define the scope of the project
9. Demonstrate a comprehensive application of project management planning
10. Apply a risk management process competently to the project
11. Apply a quality management process competently to the project
12. Demonstrate an ability to incorporate best value approaches
13. Demonstrate an awareness of generic legal and contractual issues
14. Prepare for a negotiation with a supplier of critical services for the project
15. Analyse conflict situations and apply an appropriate style to resolve the issue
16. Objectively reflect on the performance of self and other team members
17. Present information clearly and factually
18. Answer questions relevantly and succinctly
19. Optimise project plans to respond to a major change
20. Apply effective change control and configuration management
21. Balance conflicting stakeholder expectations
22. Demonstrate an ability to monitor project progress and take suitable controlling action
23. Plan and conduct a suitable post project evaluation review
24. Objectively identify lessons to be learned separating causes from effects
25. Communicate succinctly in writing
26. Lead and influence a small team
27. Work effectively as a team member
28. Communicate verbally in an appropriate way (including listening)
29. Obtain information through use of appropriate questions
30. Present compelling recommendations to project sponsor (board/steering group)
A - Practitioner Qualification Assessment Criteria
Business case 1 – 7 (90min written)
Planning 8 -11 ( 210min group)
Value 12 & 13 (60min written)
Negotiation and conflict 14 – 16 (90min
group)
Presentation and Interview 17 & 18 (30min)
Change 19 – 21 (group 210min)
Post-project review 23 & 24 (60min group)
Monitor and control 22 (90min written)
25 to 30 (throughout)

24. Course timings and content
• Start at mid-day on day one. Try to arrive fresh and in plenty of time. Get to know
other candidates as full cooperation will be needed for everyones benefit.
• Try to be prepared for first day especially - business cases and planning. It will be
tough to catch up if you do not get a reasonable score on criteria 1 to 11.
• Day two is a little less frantic. Criteria 14 to 16 will be completed just before dinner.
• The afternoon of day 2 is criteria 19 to 21 with the interview (17 & 18) late
afternoon or early evening. This will consist of a 5 to 10 minute presentation about
a subject, broadly related to a project you have undertaken (home or work) or
your CV. Prepare for this in advance to take some of the pressure off yourself.
• Day 3 begins with a written question on monitoring and controlling.
• The group presentation will rely heavily on time management. Plan the
presentation as you go and the handover between presented sections.
• An essay aimed at your weak area is the last task. It will only be used for those on
the borderline so strong passes and bad failures will likely not get theirs marked.
• Completion is mid-day on the third day on the dot. The course staff need to agree
passes and fails before they go home and will not want to hang around.
• Breaks are planned into the day.
• Timings are approximate based on memory.
B – Tips 1

25. General
• All but the last group session require preparation of project information from the
project scenario. Questions will be asked by the assessor acting as a project
sponsor. The last group session will require a group presentation.
• Keep track of time and break your group sessions down, including breaks, to
ensure they are completed fully.
• Cooperation with your team mates is key. There will be disagreements but do not
waste too much time on them. Make your point and move on.
• Map the group task against the 30 criteria and ensure you cover them.
• Assumptions will have to be made with regards gaps within the scenarios. If you
exclude key calculations because of lack of information you will be questioned at
the end of the session.
• Prepare for individual presentation in advance. It consists of a 5 to 10 minute
presentation followed by questions. The entire session lasts 30 minutes.
• The negotiation / conflict group session only requires negotiation planning but will
require conflict resolution with very little planning. Ask the disgruntled stakeholder
to take a chair to calm the situation down and do not be afraid to compromise.
• The assessment asks that attendees behave as if they are undertaking a project at
their work. However if you organisation does not use APM best practise or you are
in a PM role you will need to adopt APM behaviours and work practices to
succeed.
B – Tips 2

26. APMPQ Candidate Guidance Notes (APM) -
http://www.apm.org.uk/sites/default/files/3-1-
3%20PQ%20guidance%20notes_.pdf
Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2, 2009.
APMP Course Notes – February 2012, based on APM BoK 5.
APMPQ assessed against APM BoK 5.
References