PEI PMA Grade 3 cheat sheet

A project is a temporary endeavor that creates a unique product, service, or result; ongoing repetitive work is an operation.

The triple constraint links scope, schedule, and cost; a change to any one normally requires adjustment to at least one other and affects quality.

Process groups are Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing; they are not the same as project phases.

A program coordinates related projects for shared benefits; a portfolio is a set of projects, programs, and operations selected to meet strategic objectives.

A project charter authorizes the project and names the project manager; it contains purpose, measurable objectives, high-level scope, key deliverables, milestones, budget, sponsor, and PM authority.

A business case justifies the investment through benefits, costs, risks, and strategic fit; it is approved before or with the charter.

A phase gate is a formal go/kill/hold/recycle decision at a phase boundary; entry and exit criteria are defined before the gate.

PMO types: supportive provides templates and advice; controlling requires compliance with methods; directive assigns project managers and owns project delivery.

Benefits are realized after the output is transitioned to operations; the project manager may deliver the output but not own benefit realization.

Project governance defines decision rights, accountability, oversight, and escalation paths; the sponsor or board sets it, not the project manager alone.

A stage gate is a governance control: go, kill, hold, or recycle; decision criteria and decision authority are agreed before the gate.

Core ethical duties include honesty, responsibility, fairness, and respect; ethical requirements can exceed legal minimums.

A conflict of interest exists when a personal, financial, or other interest could improperly influence professional judgment; disclose it and recuse from the decision.

Confidential project information may not be used for personal gain or disclosed without authorization, except where law or professional duty requires reporting.

Procurement integrity prohibits bid rigging, collusion, undisclosed conflicts, and gifts or hospitality that could influence award decisions.

Whistleblowing is reporting illegal or unethical conduct; use internal channels first unless immediate external reporting is required by law or safety risk.

Accountability cannot be delegated without matching authority; a RACI matrix assigns one accountable owner per deliverable or decision.

Records must be accurate, complete, and retained per contract and legal requirements; falsifying progress, costs, or test results is misconduct.

The WBS is a hierarchical decomposition of total scope; the 100% rule requires child elements to sum to the parent without overlap.

Scope creep is uncontrolled addition of work without change control; gold plating is adding unrequested features.

Change control: log request, assess impact on scope, schedule, cost, quality, and risk, obtain decision from the authorized body, then update baselines and communicate.

Critical path is the longest path through the network; it has the least total float, often zero, and sets the shortest project duration.

Total float = LS − ES or LF − EF; free float is the time an activity can slip without delaying the early start of its successor.

PERT expected duration = (optimistic + 4 × most likely + pessimistic) / 6; PERT variance = ((pessimistic − optimistic) / 6)².

EVM: CV = EV − AC; SV = EV − PV; CPI = EV / AC; SPI = EV / PV; CPI or SPI below 1.0 indicates unfavorable performance.

Forecast EAC = BAC / CPI when current cost efficiency continues; ETC = EAC − AC; VAC = BAC − EAC.

Contingency reserve covers known unknowns and is included in the cost baseline; management reserve covers unknown unknowns and sits above the baseline.

Risk is an uncertain event or condition that, if it occurs, affects one or more project objectives; an issue is a risk that has occurred.

Risk management sequence: plan, identify, analyze, plan responses, implement responses, and monitor; risks are owned by named risk owners.

EMV = probability × monetary impact; decision trees sum EMVs across branches; Monte Carlo simulates combined uncertainty.

Negative risk responses: avoid, mitigate, transfer, accept; positive risk responses: exploit, enhance, share, accept.

Quality assurance is process-focused and preventive; quality control is product-focused and detects defects through inspection and testing.

Cost of quality = prevention + appraisal + internal failure + external failure; external failure is usually the most expensive category.

Pareto analysis separates the vital few causes from the trivial many, typically using the 80/20 principle; fishbone diagrams organize root causes.

Fixed-price contracts place cost risk on the seller; cost-reimbursable contracts place cost risk on the buyer; time-and-materials shares risk.

Procurement sequence: make-or-buy analysis, solicitation, bid evaluation, award, contract administration, and closeout.

A stakeholder is any person or group that can affect or be affected by the project; stakeholder engagement is continuous, not a one-time register update.

Power/interest grid: high power/high interest manage closely; high power/low interest keep satisfied; low power/high interest keep informed; low power/low interest monitor.

Communication channels = n(n − 1) / 2 for n stakeholders, counting each two-way channel once.

The communication model includes sender, encoding, message, medium, decoding, receiver, feedback, and noise; noise is any interference that distorts the message.

Tuckman team stages: forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning; storming is normal and should be addressed, not avoided.

RACI: Responsible performs the work; Accountable owns the outcome and should be one person per task; Consulted gives two-way input; Informed receives one-way updates.

Conflict modes: collaborate, compromise, accommodate, compete, avoid; collaboration seeks a win-win solution and is preferred for important long-term issues.

Herzberg: hygiene factors such as pay, working conditions, and policy prevent dissatisfaction; motivators such as achievement, recognition, and growth create satisfaction.

Servant leadership prioritizes removing impediments and developing team members; transactional leadership exchanges rewards for performance.

Hierarchy of controls: elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, personal protective equipment; PPE is the last line of defense.

Risk assessment rates severity and likelihood; ALARP means reducing risk as low as reasonably practicable, balancing risk reduction against cost and effort.

A near miss is an incident without injury or damage; reporting near misses is a leading indicator and should be investigated for root causes.

Lagging indicators include injury frequency and lost-time rates; leading indicators include training completion, near-miss reports, and safety observations.

Triple bottom line evaluates performance across people, planet, and profit; life-cycle assessment considers impacts from raw material to disposal.

Waste hierarchy: prevent, reuse, recycle, recover energy, and dispose; prevention is preferred over disposal.

A permit-to-work system authorizes high-risk activities with defined precautions, isolations, and sign-offs before work starts.

Regulatory compliance includes identifying legal requirements, obtaining permits, monitoring, auditing, and reporting; non-compliance can cause stop-work orders, fines, or prosecution.

Emergency response plans define roles, alarms, evacuation routes, assembly points, communication, and drills; drills test the plan and identify gaps.