Project and Change Management Fundamentals
Core concepts
Project management delivers the solution; change management ensures it is adopted. Candidates must understand the project lifecycle (initiation, planning, execution, monitoring/controlling, closure), the triple constraint (scope, time, cost-with quality and risk), and the role of a charter, work breakdown structure, and risk register. Know scheduling basics: critical path, dependencies, and milestones. Understand change management models such as Kotter's eight steps and ADKAR (awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, reinforcement). Know the difference between project management (delivering outputs) and change management (realizing outcomes and benefits). Understand stakeholder resistance, readiness assessment, training, and communication plans.
Traps
Questions often test whether you recognize that a technically complete delivery can fail without adoption support; the correct answer usually includes change management. Watch for answers that compress the schedule by removing testing or stakeholder engagement-this transfers risk. Another trap confuses the critical path (longest dependent sequence determining duration) with the most expensive or most visible task. Beware of skipping closure and lessons learned.
Worked rule of thumb
Use ADKAR as a diagnostic: if adoption lags, identify which element is missing-do people know why (awareness), want to (desire), know how (knowledge), can do it (ability), or is it reinforced? Address the earliest gap first.
Example: A new CRM launches on time but usage is low. The gap may be ability (insufficient training), not awareness; training and reinforcement solve it.