PMI PgMP Exam (Program Management Professional) Detailed Information
As a program manager, you’re a senior-level practitioner on the forefront of advancing your organization’s strategic goals. You manage multiple, related projects in a coordinated way, achieving benefits that could not occur if the projects were handled separately.
Your leadership is instrumental. With program management maturity, an organization’s projects are far more successful than without it — 76 percent compared to 54 percent according to our 2015 Pulse of the Profession® report. The Program Management Professional (
PgMP)® is a visible sign of your advanced experience and skill and gives you a distinct advantage in employment and promotion.
Apply for
PgMP Certification
Review tips, resources and FAQs to help you prepare.
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Exam Content Outline
Handbook
Who Should Apply?
If you have the proven ability to manage multiple, related projects and navigate complex activities that span functions, organizations, regions or cultures and to align results with organizational goals, then you’re a potential
PgMP.
Gain and Maintain Your
PgMP
First phase of evaluation is panel review
The certification exam has 170 multiple-choice questions, and you have four hours to complete it.
To maintain your
PgMP, you must earn 60 professional development units (PDUs) every three year.
Prerequisites
Secondary degree (high school diploma, associate’s degree or the global equivalent)
6,000 hours of project management experience
10,500 hours of program management experience
Four-year degree
6,000 hours of program management experience
What do I have to do to earn the
PgMP?
All candidates must pass two evaluations that include:
Application panel review during which a panel of program managers review your work experience and verify any aspect of your application.
The multiple-choice examination calls upon you to demonstrate your ability to apply your knowledge to a variety of situational or scenario-based questions.
Who are the application reviewers?
A panel of program managers has been appointed to serve as the application reviewers for the
PgMP certification. PMI carefully selected members of this panel for their extensive knowledge and expertise in the field of program management. Since PMI appoints these members, there is no formal process available to the public to serve as a volunteer in this capacity. To protect applicants against any potential review bias, PMI will not provide candidate names, demographics, or employment information to the reviewers.
Knowledge and Skills:2
Analytical skills
Benefit analysis techniques
Elements of a project charter
Estimation tools and techniques
Strategic management
2 In addition to domain-specific knowledge and skills, these specifications include a set of cross-cutting knowledge
and skills used in multiple domains. The Cross-Cutting Knowledge and Skills list is found in the section on Cross-
Cutting Knowledge and Skills.
.
PMI PMP Examination Content Outline – June 2015
PERFORMANCE DOMAIN II: PLANNING
Domain II Planning – 24%
Task 1 Review and assess detailed project requirements, constraints, and
assumptions with stakeholders based on the project charter, lessons learned,
and by using requirement gathering techniques in order to establish detailed
project deliverables.
Task 2 Develop a scope management plan, based on the approved project scope and
using scope management techniques, in order to define, maintain, and
manage the scope of the project.
Task 3 Develop the cost management plan based on the project scope, schedule,
resources, approved project charter and other information, using estimating
techniques, in order to manage project costs.
Task 4 Develop the project schedule based on the approved project deliverables and
milestones, scope, and resource management plans in order to manage
timely completion of the project.
Task 5 Develop the human resource management plan by defining the roles and
responsibilities of the project team members in order to create a project
organizational structure and provide guidance regarding how resources will
be assigned and managed.
Task 6 Develop the communications management plan based on the project
organizational structure and stakeholder requirements, in order to define and
manage the flow of project information.
Task 7 Develop the procurement management plan based on the project scope,
budget, and schedule, in order to ensure that the required project resources
will be available.
Task 8 Develop the quality management plan and define the quality standards for the
project and its products, based on the project scope, risks, and requirements,
in order to prevent the occurrence of defects and control the cost of quality.
Task 9 Develop the change management plan by defining how changes will be
addressed and controlled in order to track and manage change.
Task 10 Plan for risk management by developing a risk management plan; identifying,
analyzing, and prioritizing project risk; creating the risk register; and defining
risk response strategies in order to manage uncertainty and opportunity
throughout the project life cycle.
.
PMI PMP Examination Content Outline – June 2015
Task 11 Present the project management plan to the relevant stakeholders according
to applicable policies and procedures in order to obtain approval to proceed
with project execution.
Task 12 Conduct kick-off meeting, communicating the start of the project, key
milestones, and other relevant information in order to inform and engage
stakeholders and gain commitment.
Task 13 Develop the stakeholder management plan by analyzing needs, interests, and
potential impact in order to effectively manage stakeholders' expectations
and engage them in project decisions.
Knowledge and Skills:3
Change management planning
Cost management planning, including project budgeting tools and
techniques
Communications planning
Contract types and selection criteria
Estimation tools and techniques
Human resource planning
Lean and efficiency principles
Procurement planning
Quality management planning
Requirements gathering techniques (e.g., planning sessions, brainstorming,
and focus groups)
Regulatory and environmental impacts assessment planning
Risk management planning
Scope deconstruction (e.g., WBS, Scope backlog) tools and techniques
Scope management planning
Stakeholder management planning
Time management planning, including scheduling tools and techniques
Workflow diagramming techniques
3 In addition to domain-specific knowledge and skills, these specifications include a set of cross-cutting knowledge
and skills used in multiple domains. The Cross-Cutting Knowledge and Skills list is found in the section on Cross-
Cutting Knowledge and Skills.
.
PMI PMP Examination Content Outline – June 2015
PERFORMANCE DOMAIN III: EXECUTING
Domain III Executing – 31%
Task 1 Acquire and manage project resources by following the human resource and
procurement management plans in order to meet project requirements.
Task 2 Manage task execution based on the project management plan by leading and
developing the project team in order to achieve project deliverables.
Task 3 Implement the quality management plan using the appropriate tools and
techniques in order to ensure that work is performed in accordance with
required quality standards.
Task 4 Implement approved changes and corrective actions by following the change
management plan in order to meet project requirements.
Task 5 Implement approved actions by following the risk management plan in order
to minimize the impact of the risks and take advantage of opportunities on the
project.
Task 6 Manage the flow of information by following the communications plan in
order to keep stakeholders engaged and informed.
Task 7 Maintain stakeholder relationships by following the stakeholder management
plan in order to receive continued support and manage expectations.
Knowledge and Skills:4
Continuous improvement processes
Contract management techniques
Elements of a statement of work
Interdependencies among project elements
Project budgeting tools and techniques
Quality standard tools
Vendor management techniques
4 In addition to domain-specific knowledge and skills, these specifications include a set of cross-cutting knowledge
and skills used in multiple domains. The Cross-Cutting Knowledge and Skills list is found in the section on Cross-
Cutting Knowledge and Skills.
.
PMI PMP Examination Content Outline – June 2015
PERFORMANCE DOMAIN IV:MONITORING AND CONTROLLING
Domain IV Monitoring and Controlling – 25%
Task 1 Measure project performance using appropriate tools and techniques in order
to identify and quantify any variances and corrective actions.
Task 2 Manage changes to the project by following the change management plan in
order to ensure that project goals remain aligned with business needs.
Task 3 Verify that project deliverables conform to the quality standards established
in the quality management plan by using appropriate tools and techniques to
meet project requirements and business needs.
Task 4 Monitor and assess risk by determining whether exposure has changed and
evaluating the effectiveness of response strategies in order to manage the
impact of risks and opportunities on the project.
Task 5 Review the issue log, update if necessary, and determine corrective actions
by using appropriate tools and techniques in order to minimize the impact on
the project.
Task 6 Capture, analyze, and manage lessons learned, using lessons learned
management techniques in order to enable continuous improvement.
Task 7 Monitor procurement activities according to the procurement plan in order to
verify compliance with project objectives.
Knowledge and Skills:5
Performance measurement and tracking techniques (e.g., EV, CPM, PERT,
Trend Analysis)
Process analysis techniques (e.g., LEAN, Kanban, Six Sigma)
Project control limits (e.g., thresholds, tolerance)
Project finance principles
Project monitoring tools and techniques
Project quality best practices and standards (e.g., ISO, BS, CMMI, IEEE)
Quality measurement tools (e.g., statistical sampling, control charts, flowcharting,
inspection, assessment)
Risk identification and analysis techniques
Risk response techniques
Quality validation and verification techniques
5 In addition to domain-specific knowledge and skills, these specifications include a set of cross-cutting knowledge
and skills used in multiple domains. The Cross-Cutting Knowledge and Skills list is found in the section on Cross-
Cutting Knowledge and Skills.
.
PMI PMP Examination Content Outline – June 2015
PERFORMANCE DOMAIN V: CLOSING
Domain V Closing – 7%
Task 1 Obtain final acceptance of the project deliverables from relevant stakeholders
in order to confirm that project scope and deliverables were achieved.
Task 2 Transfer the ownership of deliverables to the assigned stakeholders in
accordance with the project plan in order to facilitate project closure.
Task 3 Obtain financial, legal, and administrative closure using generally accepted
practices and policies in order to communicate formal project closure and
ensure transfer of liability.
Task 4 Prepare and share the final project report according to the communications
management plan in order to document and convey project performance and
assist in project evaluation.
Task 5 Collate lessons learned that were documented throughout the project and
conduct a comprehensive project review in order to update the organization's
knowledge base.
Task 6 Archive project documents and materials using generally accepted practices
in order to comply with statutory requirements and for potential use in future
projects and audits.
Task 7 Obtain feedback from relevant stakeholders using appropriate tools and
techniques and based on the stakeholder management plan in order to
evaluate their satisfaction.
Knowledge and Skills:6
Archiving practices and statutes
Compliance (statute/organization)
Contract closure requirements
Close-out procedures
Feedback techniques
Performance measurement techniques (KPI and key success factors)
Project review techniques
Transition planning technique
6 In addition to domain-specific knowledge and skills, these specifications include a set of cross-cutting knowledge
and skills used in multiple domains. The Cross-Cutting Knowledge and Skills list is found in the section on Cross-
Cutting Knowledge and Skills.
PMI PMP Examination Content Outline – June 2015
CROSS-CUTTING KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS
Domains Cross-Cutting Knowledge and Skills
Active listening
Applicable laws and regulations
Benefits realization
Brainstorming techniques
Business acumen
Change management techniques
Coaching, mentoring, training, and motivational techniques
Communication channels, tools, techniques, and methods
Configuration management
Conflict resolution
Customer satisfaction metrics
Data gathering techniques
Decision making
Delegation techniques
Diversity and cultural sensitivity
Emotional intelligence
Expert judgment technique
Facilitation
Generational sensitivity and diversity
Information management tools, techniques, and methods
Interpersonal skills
Knowledge management
Leadership tools, techniques, and skills
Lessons learned management techniques
Meeting management techniques
Negotiating and influencing techniques and skills
.
PMI PMP Examination Content Outline – June 2015
Organizational and operational awareness
Peer-review processes
Presentation tools and techniques
Prioritization/time management
Problem-solving tools and techniques
Project finance principles
Quality assurance and control techniques
Relationship management
Risk assessment techniques
Situational awareness
Stakeholder management techniques
Team-building techniques
Virtual/remote team management
Defining the Responsibilities
The first step in developing a certification examination is to define the responsibilities of the
recipients of the credential. It must be known what the individuals who lead and direct projects actually
do on the job before a content-valid test can be developed. A valid examination draws questions from
every important area of the profession and specifies that performance areas (domains) considered more
important, critical, and relevant be represented by more questions on the examination. Defining the role
of individuals leading and directing projects occurs in two major phases: one in which individuals
currently in the role define the responsibilities; the other in which the identified responsibilities are
validated on a global scale.
Beginning in 2014, PMI commissioned a global Role Delineation Study (RDS) for the PMP
credential. The RDS process was led by a steering committee, representing PMI’s Certification
Governance structure. A project task force comprised of project managers was responsible for the
conduct of work on the project, with oversight from the steering committee. The task force represented
diversity in geography, industry, job position, and experience. Project managers were also responsible
for the independent reviews of the work of the task force and piloting the information before surveying a
larger sample of project managers.
Study participants, working under the direction of the Professional Education Service (ProExam),
reached consensus on the performance domains, a broad category of duties and responsibilities that
define the role, as well as the tasks required for competence performance and the knowledge/skills
needed to perform those tasks.
Validating the Responsibilities Identified by the Panelists
In order to ensure the validity of the study and content outline developed by the panels, a survey
requesting feedback on the panel’s work was sent to project management practitioners throughout the
world. Surveys were distributed to thousands of project managers around the world. PMI received a
robust set of responses to the survey, with participants from 96 countries and representing every major
industry. This provided PMI with the statistical significance from which to draw conclusions about the
criticality for competent performance and frequency of the tasks. Practitioners also rated the
knowledge/skills on how essential they were to their work as project managers and when they were
acquired.
Developing a Plan for the Test
Based on respondent ratings, an examination blueprint, clarifying exactly how many questions from
each domain and task should be on the examination, was developed. Those domains and tasks that were
rated as most important, critical, and relevant by survey respondents would have the most questions
devoted to them on the examination.
Results of the study indicated that the 175 scorable questions on the test should be distributed among
the domains as shown in the following table. The remaining 25 questions will be dispersed throughout
the domains as pretest questions and will not count in the candidates’ scores. The pretest items allow
©2015 Project Management Institute, Inc. .
PMI PMP Examination Content Outline – June 2015
PMI to monitor the question performance better, prior to including the questions in the final databank of
test questions.
Domains Percentage of
Items/Domain
1. Initiating 13%
2. Planning 24%
3. Executing 31%
4. Monitoring and Controlling 25%
5. Closing 7%
Total Number of Scored Questions 175
Total Number of Unscored (Pretest)
Questions
Total Number of Questions 200
