PECB ISO 21502 Foundation study plan
PECB ISO 21502 Foundation · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Fundamental principles and concepts of project management
Define project, project management, programme and portfolio, and state the boundary between project work and operational work in your own words
Explain the purpose and structure of ISO 21502 as a guidance standard (not a certification scheme for organisations) and distinguish guidance from requirements
List the project management principles in ISO 21502 and give one concrete project example for each principle
Map the ISO 21502 structure (principles, pre-project activities, project management practices, and the overarching practices) into a one-page outline
Your checkpoint
A one-page concept map of Domain 1 covering definitions, principles, and the standard's clause structure, checked against the source text for omissions
Fundamental principles and concepts of project management
Describe the project life cycle phases and explain how phase gates and stage boundaries relate to decision points
Distinguish project governance from organisational governance and identify which bodies hold which accountability
Explain the roles of project sponsor, project manager, project team, and other stakeholders, including who authorises what
Summarise the pre-project activities (business case, feasibility, benefits definition) and why they precede project initiation
Your checkpoint
A comparison table of the key roles with their responsibilities, accountabilities, and decision rights, plus a 150-word explanation of the pre-project phase
Fundamental principles and concepts of project management
Explain scope, schedule, cost, quality, and resource concepts and how they interrelate as competing constraints
Describe risk and opportunity concepts and classify five sample risks by likelihood, impact, and response approach
Explain benefits management and how benefits realisation is tracked beyond project closure
Interpret the difference between outputs, outcomes, and benefits using a worked example
Your checkpoint
A worked one-page case study (fictional) that identifies constraints, three risks with responses, and a benefits statement with owners and measures
Fundamental principles and concepts of project management & Integrated and individual project management practices
Draft 30 original practice questions covering Domain 1 and answer each with a cited reasoning note
Identify and close your three weakest Domain 1 concept areas based on the practice-question results
Explain how the overarching practices in ISO 21502 (e.g. governance, stakeholders, lessons, change control) connect to the individual practices
Your checkpoint
A scored 30-question self-test with a written gap list of three weak areas and a remediation action for each
Integrated and individual project management practices
Describe the integrated practices: project initiation, project planning, project execution, project control, and project closure, and state the key inputs and outputs of each
Explain how planning is iterative and how baselines are established, monitored, and changed
Distinguish the roles of progress reporting, status review, and forecast in project control
Outline what a project closure should include (acceptance, handover, lessons learned, benefits handover)
Your checkpoint
A process flow diagram of the integrated practices showing inputs, outputs, and feedback loops, plus a short narrative for each transition
Integrated and individual project management practices
Explain the individual practices in ISO 21502 covering scope, schedule, cost, resources, quality, risk, issues, change control, and information/document management
Describe stakeholder engagement and communication practices and how a communication plan is built
Explain procurement and supplier management practices at a conceptual level
Match each individual practice to the integrated practice it mainly supports
Your checkpoint
A two-column mapping sheet linking every individual practice to its supporting integrated practice, with a one-sentence purpose statement for each
Integrated and individual project management practices & Fundamental principles and concepts of project management
Apply Domain 2 practices to a fictional project by producing a scope statement, a simple schedule, a risk register, and a change control procedure
Explain how lessons learned and knowledge management feed back into the organisation
Revisit Domain 1 principles and show where each principle is visible in your fictional project artefacts
Complete a timed 40-question mixed-domain practice set and analyse errors by domain
Your checkpoint
A mini project pack (scope statement, schedule, risk register, change control procedure) with an annotation showing which ISO 21502 principles each artefact demonstrates
Fundamental principles and concepts of project management & Integrated and individual project management practices
Consolidate both domains into a one-page summary of definitions, principles, integrated practices, and individual practices
Retake missed questions from weeks 4 and 7 and explain why the correct answer is correct
Practice exam technique on scenario questions by identifying the practice or principle being tested before choosing an answer
Confirm readiness by scoring consistently above your target on two timed mixed sets
Your checkpoint
A final revision sheet plus a log of two timed mixed practice sets with scores, error categories, and a go/no-go readiness decision
Milestones
Week 2: Can explain, without notes, the difference between project, programme, and portfolio, and name the main roles with their decision rights
Week 4: Scores at least 70% on the 30-question Domain 1 self-test and has a written remediation plan for remaining gaps
Week 6: Can map every individual practice to the integrated practice it supports and state the purpose of each in one sentence
Week 7: Mini project pack is complete and each artefact is annotated with the principle it demonstrates
Week 8: Two timed mixed-domain sets completed with stable scores above target and no unresolved error categories