Episode 326: Got Project Management Questions? Here are the Answers! (Free)

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This episode is sponsored by The Agile PrepCast for the PMI-ACP® Exam:

Jeff Furman, PMP - Author

Do you have a project management question? Then Jeff Furman (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jefffurmanlinkedin) very likely has the answer for you in the second edition of The Project Management Answer Book.

The book includes questions

• Why do project managers need a formal project charter?
• What is the role of a program manager?
• What are the top 10 pitfalls to avoid when starting a project?
• What is the single best way to prevent scope creep?

All answers are detailed, easy to understand and often come with tips and tricks tables and graphics and everything you need to fully understand and implement good practices on your own projects.

This book is also great for anyone preparing for their PMP® Exam. So if you are looking for a good PMP Book then check out the great reviews it has received on Amazon!

This second edition is not just a rehash of what Jeff originally published some years back. Far from it. Jeff revisited every single question and wrote an updated answer to include changes in our industry. So it’s not surprising that he now also includes sections on Agile, Scrum and Stakeholder Management.

Episode Transcript

Podcast Introduction

Cornelius Fichtner: Hello and welcome to Episode number 326. This is the Project Management Podcast at www.pm-podcast.com and I'm Cornelius Fichtner. Thank you for listening in.

Do you have a project management question? Then Jeff Furman very likely has the answer for you in the second edition of the Project Management Answer Book. The book includes questions like: Why do project managers need a formal project charter? What is the role of a Project Manager? What are the top 10 pitfalls to avoid when starting a project or what is the single best way to prevent scope creep? And all answers are detailed, easy to understand and often gone with tips and tricks and tables and graphics and everything you need to fully understand and implement good practices on your own projects. And if your question is, where can I earn 37 PDUs quickly and for less than $5 per PDU, then, well the answer is not in this book but it comes instead with our sister podcast, the Agile PrepCast. It not only prepares you for your PMI ACP exam but it also qualifies for a ton of PMP PDUs. Visit www.agileprepcast.com/pdu for the details. But now back to the book. This second edition is not just a rehash of what Jeff originally published some years back, far from it. Jeff revisited every single question and wrote an updated answer to include changes in our industry. So, it's not surprising that he now also includes sections on Agile, Scrum and Stakeholder Management. Finally, before we get going with the interview, we are, of course, giving away two copies of the book on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pmpodcast. I'll give you all the details in the closing remarks after the interview is over. And now, my question for you is this, will you please enjoy the interview?

Podcast Interview

Cornelius Fichtner: Hello Jeff, welcome back again.

Jeff Furman: Hi again, Cornelius. How are you?

Cornelius Fichtner: I am doing very well, thank you. And I believe you must be doing well as well because your new book is out.

Jeff Furman: Yeah. It is very exciting and very fun to do a second edition.

Cornelius Fichtner: Why did you choose to do a second edition? Was something wrong with the first edition?

Jeff Furman:  Well, as you know, we have the PMBOK changes every few years.

Cornelius Fichtner: Yes.

Jeff Furman: That was the driver but then also, I love learning new stuff all the time. I go to seminars everywhere in New York and PMINAC. So, getting every new thing that I've learned in the last three years into the new book was very fun. And once you write a book, you have it in your head, I would like to still add this and add this, you know.

Cornelius Fichtner: So let's take a look at the few areas of the book that are interesting and for me, personally, of course, I'm a PMP trainer. So for all those PMP candidates out there, what are some of the areas in the second edition which will especially help PMP candidates towards the exam?

Jeff Furman: Well, with the second edition, I really focused a lot more on the PMP exam, so it's a strong piece of the book more than the first was. And I got the idea to add 34 different test tips that were not in the first book, some that were new that I learned in my teaching over the last few years. So I put them in little boxes so they're easy to see. And there's 34 of them in little test tip boxes, kind of like little, you know, call out boxes. So that was a very exciting thing to add. And they're all really very helpful. My students have constantly mentioned, boy, this one helped me a lot to pass my test.

Cornelius Fichtner:  Was there anything that was particularly fun about writing the second edition?

Jeff Furman: Well, yeah. When you get to do a second edition, it feels a little like Groundhog Day, the movie. You get to go back and make it perfect. So I actually told my editor I was in Groundhog Day heaven which he thought was funny. But in other words, I took every single Q&A, I rewrote it to make it shorter and crisper. And also add more good new stuff to it, more examples, more best practices that I've picked up in my travels.

Cornelius Fichtner:  And what are some more of these great things that you added to the second edition?