By Andrew Stellman, Jennifer Greene
First Edition
March 2007
Pages: 692
Series: Head First
ISBN 10: 0-596-10234-8 |
ISBN 13: 9780596102340
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(Average of 4 Customer Reviews)
Head First PMP offers 100% coverage of The PMBOK® Guide principles and certification objectives in a way that's engaging, not tedious. This book helps you prepare for the PMP certification exam with a unique method that goes beyond answers to specific questions and makes you think about the big picture of project management. By putting project management concepts into context, you will be able to understand, remember, and apply them--not just on the exam, but also on the job.
Full Description
- "I have been doing project management for over 30 years and am considered a subject matter expert in the PMBOK(r) Guide -Third Edition primarily because I am the Project Manager who led the team that developed this edition. As a consultant I was hired to review and evaluate eight of the top selling PMP Exam Preparation books for their accuracy in following the PMBOK® Guide - Third Edition. I have developed and taught a PMP Exam Prep course for a leading R.E.P., and taught PMP Exam preparation classes for PMI Chapters. I can honestly say that Head First PMP is by far the best PMP Exam Preparation book of all I have reviewed in depth. It is the very best basic education and training book that I have read that presents the processes for managing a project, which makes it a great resource for a basic project management class for beginners as well as a tool for practitioners who want to pass the PMP exam. The graphical story format is unique, as project management books go, which makes it both fun and easy to read while driving home the basics that are necessary for preparing someone is just getting started and those who want to take the exam."
--Dennis Bolles, PMP DLB Associates, LLC and co-author of The Power of Enterprise-Wide Project Management
- "This looks like too much fun to be a PMP study guide! Behind the quirky humor and nutty graphics lies an excellent explanation of the project management processes. Not only will this book make it easier to pass the exam, you'll learn a lot of good stuff to use on the job too."
--Carol Steuer, PMP and PMBOK(r) Guide, 3rd Edition Leadership Team
- "This is the best thing to happen to PMP since, well, ever. You'll laugh,
learn, pass the exam, and become a better project manager all at the same
time."
-- Scott Berkun, author of The Art of Project Management and The Myths of Innovation
- "Original, fresh, and fun... this is truly the perfect study companion for anyone aiming for PMP certification."
--Teresa Simmermacher, PMP and Project Manager at Avanade
- "I love this format! Head First PMP covers everything you need to know to pass your PMP exam. The sound-bite format combined with the whimsical images turns a dry subject into entertainment. The organization starts with the basics then drills into the details. The in-depth coverage of complex topics like Earned Value and Quality Control are presented in an easy to understand format with descriptions, pictures, and examples. This book will not only help you pass the PMP, it should be used as an daily reference for practicing project managers. I sure wish I had this when I was studying for the exam."
--Mike Jenkins, PMP, MBA
- "I think that under the fonts and formalized goofiness, the book has a good heart (intending to cover basic principles in an honest way rather than just to pass the test). Head First PMP attempts to educate potential project managers instead of being a mere "how to pass the PMP exam" book filled with test taking tips. This is truly something which sets it apart from the other PMP certification exam books."
--Jack Dahlgren, Project Management Consultant
- "Head First PMP is a great tool to help make sense of the Project Management Body of Knowledge for the everyday Project Manager."
--Mark Poinelli, PMP
About the Book
A PMP certification is more than just passing a test. It means that you have the knowledge to solve most common project problems, and proves that you know your stuff. Once you're certified, your projects are more likely to succeed because you have the skills and knowledge to make them successful. Not only that, it can mean a better job, more money, and greater respect from your peers.
But studying for a difficult four-hour exam on project management isn't easy, even for experienced project managers. You want to remember everything that you're learning about project management, but your brain is working against you! Your brain craves novelty, and most PMP certification prep books are anything but novel. When you keep putting down a boring book instead of studying, it's because your brain doesn't think the information in it is worth learning. Your brain has more important stuff to think about, like how to keep you alive and out of danger-and it doesn't think that failing the PMP exam qualifies as life-threatening!
So how do you trick your brain into thinking that your life does depend on learning everything you need to know to pass the PMP Exam? Head First PMP is the answer! Using the latest research in neurobiology, cognitive science and learning theory, Head First PMP has a visually rich format designed for the way your brain works-a multi-sensory experience that helps the material stick, not a text-heavy approach that puts you to sleep.
Head First PMP offers 100% coverage of The PMBOK® Guide principles and certification objectives in a way that's engaging, not tedious. This book helps you prepare for the PMP certification exam with a unique method that goes beyond answers to specific questions and makes you think about the big picture of project management. By putting project management concepts into context, you will be able to understand, remember, and apply them-not just on the exam, but also on the job.
With Head First PMP, you get the best of both worlds: a thorough and effective preparation guide for the PMP certification exam with hundreds of practice questions and exam strategies, along with puzzles, games, problems, exercises and the unique Head First approach that makes learning easy and entertaining. When you're done with Head First PMP, you'll know your stuff, you'll pass the exam, and you'll be able to bring everything you've learned to your job.
Cover | Table of Contents | Index | Sample Chapter
Featured customer reviews
An Absolute Gem - A Must for Project Managers, August 25 2007
This book provides an excellent introduction to the project management process in general and more specifically to the process defined by the PMBoK. The authors make a subject that is often dry and boring both interesting and relevant. In addition, it fill in a number of gaps in the PMBoK when it comes to examples and common usage.
Even through examples of the documents and artifacts that are produced during the process are provided, I would love to see a follow on volume or CD that provides templates and additional samples for different kinds of projects.
Finally, I am using this book and the PMBoK to introduce my project managers to these methods. Of the two I've seen my peers grasp the concepts and the spirit of the process far more quickly and with a deeper level of understanding than they have using the PMBoK alone.
Kudos to the authors!!!
"Head First PMP" - usefull and fun to read!, July 30 2007
OReilly published one of the most intriguing books in their interesting series "Head First, called "Head First PMP" by Andrew Stellman, Jennifer Greene.
This book is primarily targeting every PM professional that wants to pass PMP exam, but in the way that he wants to understand the subject matter not just to prepare for the exam. Book is easy to read (and you will be motivated to do it properly if you start with almost 20 pages of manual how to use and read the book, which I highly recommend) and it is very interactive which keeps reader awake and in state of thinking, rather than passive reading.
I highly recommend this book to every PM professional as well as to those people that are stepping into PM era (no matter if there are PMs or they are part of the team)!
Like having an instructor AND a classroom in your briefcase, July 29 2007
Head First PMP
Reviewed by Steven D. Sewell, PMP
Project Management Institute, Tampa Bay Chapter
Studying for your PMP exam? Would you like the ability to carry not only an instructor but an entire classroom in your briefcase as you prepare? Then buy this book! The drawings and diagrams are reminiscent of your favorite teacher utilizing the whiteboard to step you through the key points of their lecture. The authors use of redundancy in making the same point in multiple ways, coupled with the there are no Dumb Questions section, gave the feeling of being in a classroom full of your fellow PMP aspiring peers. At times I actually caught myself feeling relieved that someone else asked such a good question. The Sharpen your pencil and Brain Power exercises, as well as the exam questions, forces you to learning by doing, just like homework. This book is enjoyable, readable, and most importantly takes the fear out of approaching the subject matter. If you are testing the PMP waters with your big toe, this book will give you the confidence to dive into the deep end.
Engaging Coverage of Brain-Unfriendly Body Of Knowledge,, July 10 2007
If you don't mind reading the PMBOK guide for your exam preparation, then, I suspect, you would enjoy memorizing a phone book or have an unusually strong taste for suffering. In either case, don't read any further and don't buy "Head First PMP" -- reading it may be too much fun for you and dangerous to your mental health!
For those of us who find the PMBOK bo-o-o-oring, "Head First PMP"'s approach is the *only* way to learn. Let's admit, that the topics covered by the exam, while are very important, are not very exciting. To learn them well, it is important to dig deeper into the reasons for the best practices. Following the style of the "Head First" series, the authors of this book took the subject of the PM science and turned it into a fun-to-read and easier-to-learn-and-internalize collection of graphics, questions, answers, mental games and scenarios, stories. They deconstructed the topics to their essence and then reconstructed them in a way that makes sense to everyone who is willing to focus and think. The book is very engaging and, in my opinion, is a must to read, at least to make sure that you understand all the answers.
I'd like to point out the difference between this book and other books in the series -- Object-Oriented Analysis and Design, Design Patterns, Java. Those books cover topics that are interesting (at least to me) in nature, and had been covered in other publications with various success. The "Head First PMP" book is different in the sense that its authors "dared" to apply the "Head First" approach of "you'll learn better when reading is fun" to a topic that while important, makes me think of an ominously laughing dentist holding a jack hammer.
Media reviews
"Head First PMP is by far the best PMP Exam Preparation book of all I have reviewed in depth. It is the very best basic education and training book that I have read."
-- Dennis Bolles, PMP, Project Manager for the PMBOK Guide 3rd ed. Leadership Team, DLB Associates, LLC and co-author of The Power of Enterprise-Wide Project Management
"For those of us, who find the PMBOK bo-o-o-oring, Head First PMP's approach is the *only* way to learn. Let's admit, that the topics covered by the exam, while are very important, are not very exciting. To learn them well, it is important to dig deeper into the reasons for the best practices. Following the style of the "Head First" series, the authors of this book took the subject of the PM science and turned it into a fun-to-read and easier-to-learn-and-internalize collection of graphics, questions, answers, mental games and scenarios, stories. They deconstructed the topics to their essence and then reconstructed them in a way that makes sense to everyone who is willing to focus and think. The book is very engaging and, in my opinion, is a must to read, at least to make sure that you understand all the answers. "
-- Alex Finogenov, Amazon.com
"Head First PMP offers an engaging, lively review of PMP principles for any who would prepare for the certification exam using a unique method which helps reinforce the larger concept of project management both for the exam and on the job. It packs in visual approaches which reinforce the written word, using flow charts, black and white drawings and cartoons, and pictures to emphasize basic concepts. Other books are dry and make learning a challenge, but Head First PMP is one of the few on the topic to create a lively, even fun survey learners will appreciate."
-- James Cox, The Bookwatch
"I have been doing project management for over 30 years and am considered a subject matter expert in the PMBOK(r) Guide Third Edition primarily because I am the Project Manager who led the team that developed this edition. As a consultant I was hired to review and evaluate eight of the top selling PMP Exam Preparation books for their accuracy in following the PMBOK® Guide Third Edition. I have developed and taught a PMP Exam Prep course for a leading R.E.P., and taught PMP Exam preparation classes for PMI Chapters. I can honestly say that Head First PMP is by far the best PMP Exam Preparation book of all I have reviewed in depth. It is the very best basic education and training book that I have read that presents the processes for managing a project, which makes it a great resource for a basic project management class for beginners as well as a tool for practitioners who want to pass the PMP exam. The graphical story format is unique, as project management books go, which makes it both fun and easy to read while driving home the basics that are necessary for preparing someone is just getting started and those who want to take the exam."
--Dennis Bolles, PMP DLB Associates, LLC and co-author of The Power of Enterprise-Wide Project Management
"This looks like too much fun to be a PMP study guide! Behind the quirky humor and nutty graphics lies an excellent explanation of the project management processes. Not only will this book make it easier to pass the exam, you'll learn a lot of good stuff to use on the job too."
--Carol Steuer, PMP and PMBOK(r) Guide, 3rd Edition Leadership Team
"This is the best thing to happen to PMP since, well, ever. You'll laugh,
learn, pass the exam, and become a better project manager all at the same
time."
-- Scott Berkun, author of The Art of Project Management and The Myths of
Innovation






