Ruankao System Integration Project Management Engineer (Intermediate) study plan

Build a one-page map of information-system components (hardware, software, network, data, and standards) and explain how each layer depends on the others.

Explain in writing the difference between data, information, and knowledge, and give one system-integration example of each.

Calculate basic performance and capacity figures: convert between bit and byte units, and compute storage and bandwidth needs for a small integration project.

Describe the main network topologies and the OSI and TCP/IP layering models, then match five common protocols to their layer and purpose.

List the core characteristics of databases, operating systems, and middleware, and state which one you would choose for three given integration scenarios.

Identify the main new-generation information technologies (cloud computing, big data, Internet of Things, blockchain, and artificial intelligence) and state one system-integration use case for each.

Distinguish among the project, program, and portfolio levels and classify eight sample scenarios into the correct level.

Compare functional, projectized, and matrix organizational structures and predict how each affects a project manager's authority and resource access.

Explain the roles of the project management office and describe how its support, control, and directive forms change project governance.

Summarize the purpose and interaction of the ten knowledge areas and five process groups without listing them from memory only; connect each to a real integration-project activity.

Draft a complete project charter for a sample system-integration project, including purpose, measurable objectives, high-level scope, milestones, budget summary, key stakeholders, and approval authority.

Identify stakeholders for the same project and build a power/interest grid with a tailored engagement strategy for each quadrant.

Write a scope statement with explicit inclusions, exclusions, assumptions, and acceptance criteria, then derive a work breakdown structure to at least three levels.

Create WBS dictionary entries for five work packages and verify that each has a unique identifier, clear deliverable, and acceptance criteria.

Describe the change-control process for scope and explain how scope creep differs from approved change, using one worked example.

Sequence twenty activities using finish-to-start, start-to-start, finish-to-finish, and start-to-finish relationships, and explain when each is appropriate.

Perform forward and backward pass calculations on a ten-activity network to derive early and late dates, total float, and free float.

Identify the critical path in the same network and explain how float changes when a predecessor is delayed by two days.

Compress a schedule using both crashing and fast-tracking, and state the cost and risk consequences of each choice.

Build a milestone-based schedule baseline and describe how progress will be measured and reported weekly.

Estimate costs for the sample project using analogous, parametric, and bottom-up techniques, and explain when each is most defensible.

Compute earned value metrics (PV, EV, AC, SV, CV, SPI, CPI, EAC, ETC, VAC) from a given data set and interpret each result in plain language.

Explain the difference between contingency reserves and management reserves, and state who authorizes the release of each.

Prepare a cost baseline with a funding requirement curve and describe how cost performance will be monitored and controlled.

Analyze three earned-value scenarios and recommend a corrective action for each based on schedule and cost trends.

Distinguish among quality planning, quality assurance, and quality control, and assign ten sample activities to the correct process.

Construct a cause-and-effect diagram and a Pareto chart from supplied defect data, and identify the top two causes to address first.

Explain the cost of quality categories and classify eight sample costs as prevention, appraisal, internal failure, or external failure.

Build a responsibility assignment matrix and a resource histogram for the sample project, and resolve one overallocation using leveling.

Design a communication management plan specifying audience, content, frequency, method, and owner for at least six stakeholder groups.

Describe conflict-resolution approaches and select an appropriate approach for three workplace scenarios.

Identify risks across technical, schedule, cost, and external categories for the sample project, and record them in a risk register with probability, impact, score, and owner.

Perform qualitative risk analysis and prioritize the register, then select response strategies (avoid, mitigate, transfer, accept, exploit, share, enhance) for the top five risks.

Explain the difference between a risk and an issue, and describe how contingency reserves link to identified risks.

Compare fixed-price, cost-reimbursable, and time-and-materials contracts and recommend one for three given procurement scenarios with justification.

Draft the key sections of a procurement statement of work and describe the source-selection and contract-closing steps.

Work through at least four case studies by identifying the root problem, the mismanaged process area, the corrective action, and the preventive lesson for each.

Practice structured case answers that state the problem, cite the relevant management process, propose concrete steps, and summarize the lesson learned.

Summarize the legal and standards landscape relevant to system integration, including contract law basics, intellectual property, information security obligations, and bidding rules.

Apply the professional code of conduct to five ethical dilemmas and justify each decision.

Complete a timed full-length mock exam and analyze errors by domain to build a final two-day review list.