Big Data: What is HDFS?

HDFS stand for Hadoop Distributed File System. A file system is a technique of organizing files on physical media such as on hard disk, CDs, DVDs, flash drives etc.

HDFS is an important component of Hadoop Architecture.

Just like windows uses NTFS, FAT16 and FAT32 file system and Linux uses Ext2, Ext3, Isofs, Sysfs, Procfs file systems to store and organize files, the architecture of Hadoop uses the HDFS file system to organize files.

So how does HDFS store data?

Unlike traditional file system HDFS do not store data in one hard disk. HDFS stores data into blocks.

Unlike traditional file system a block size in Hadoop is very large. In traditional file system (NTFS or Linux file system) a block size is usually 4KB. In HDFS a block size is minimum of 64MB. A block size can be configured for 128MB or 256MB or 512MB or even 1GB.

HDFS stores three copies of every file. Each of the copy is stored in a different node. A node is a single computer in the Hadoop network.

For example a file with 20MB size is stored in three nodes.

A file which is larger than the configured block (64MB or 128MB or as configured in HDFS) is broken down as per block size. For example if there is a file of 300MB and the block size configured in HDFS is 64MB than this file will be stored into 5 blocks.

64MB

64MB

64MB

64MB

44MB

HDFS file system will distribute the data into five blocks which will be scattered into different racks and nodes. HDFS will store three copies of each block.

To understand how HDFS stores and organize files we must understand the fundamental architecture of Hadoop. Hadoop is a Master-Slave architecture. In this type of structure there is one Master and multiple slaves.

A Master contains NamedNode and JobTracker. A Slave contains DataNode and TaskTracker.

The NameNode manages the cluster metadata and DataNodes.

• NameNode keeps track of number of blocks assigned to each file.
• NameNode keep tracks of all blocks residing in each of the DataNodes.
• It also contains list of active nodes in each of the rack.
• It actively monitors the number of replicas of a block.

The JobTracker is responsible to receive client applications requests and assigning them to TaskScheduler. It try to distribute the task as close to data as possible. It means that the JobScheduler see what task is needed and where the data is residing for the concerned task. It assigns the task to the nearest node.

In the Slave architecture each of the hard disk should have ext3 or ext4 file system on it. The TaskScheduler accepts the task from JobScheduler. Each of the TaskScheduler has a fix slot which indicated number of task it can accept. Once the task is successfully processed or if it fails, it notifies to the JobTracker.

A DataNode in Slave architecture stores the actual data and interact with NameNode. DataNode can directly interact to client application once its location is provided by the NameNode.

Here is one of the video from YouTube where Sameer Farooqui has explained the HDFS in detail

Please visit the Big Data page to read all articles on Big Data

Big Data: What is Hadoop?

To understand Hadoop let us start with a simple question. Who is responsible to compute and process data? Answer is Computer.

How efficiently computer can process the data? Answer is it depends on how much data need to be processed and what is the computer configuration (Speed, space, number of processors, RAM etc.).

If data grows we can add additional hardware (hard disk, processors, RAM) to increase the efficiency of computer to process and compute data.

What if data grows to such extent that it can no longer be processed by a Single Computer? Today data is growing at a very high speed. Every day millions of tweet are generated, every hours billions of transactions are recorded by Wal-Mart, face book posts, comments, likes, news, videos, audios, images are getting recorded every minute across the world. Do you think a Single computer no matter how powerful configuration it has can handle this super massive data? The answer is No.

So what is the solution?

To process this massive data a very old and simple theory works “Divide and Conquer”. In Computer world we can say “Divide and Compute”. Yes, processing this ever growing data is not possible with one computer or one super powerful server. To process and compute this data, this data needs to be divided into small blocks and this small block of data needs to be processed by multiple computers concurrently. The processed data needs to be consolidated and return as one output. All this needs to done in real time.

This is where Hadoop comes into picture. Hadoop is a not a single software or hardware. Hadoop is a platform consists of set of tools and Technologies. The technologies which are core to the Hadoop are Google MapReduce and HDFS (Hadoop File System).

Google MapReduce is the technology develops by Google which performs the task of dividing the tasks into small sub-task. It distributes the sub-task to multiple computers called nodes. When all the nodes are done with their task; the Google MapReduce consolidate the result of all sub-task and combined them into one output. This one output is return to the calling application.

Google MapReduce consists of two programs – Map and Reduce. Map is responsible for dividing the task into small pieces (sub-task) and to distribute them to multiple computers (nodes) for processing. Reduce program is responsible to collect the output processed by individual nodes and consolidate them into one.

HDFS i.e. Hadoop Distributed File System is responsible to manage the storage of huge massive data. It does it by dividing the huge massive data into small block of data. Data is broken into small parts such as block of 128MB, 256MB, 512MB, 1GB etc. The data when distributed to multiple computers or nodes are complete data which need to be processed. A node or computer does not need to request or make additional round trip for data request. When a data is given to the computer for processing it is complete data which is required by the node/computer.

Hadoop is an open source framework to process large data sets and it is managed under Apache License. In addition to MapReduce and HDFS there are other tools which come under Hadoop umbrella. Each of these tools provide distinct feature. For example Chukwa is a data collection system for managing large distributing system. Pig is a data flow language for parallel computation.

• Ambari
• Avro
• Cassandra
• Chukwa
• Hbase
• Hive
• Mahout
• Pig
• Zookeeper

Download Hadoop

To learn the Hadoop you can download it from Apache website. We can start with a Single Node setup and move to Cluster setup

Hadoop Videos

Please visit the Big Data page to read all articles on Big Data

Bank of PMP Questions

Recently I completed my PMP Certification with PMI. Preparation for PMP exam is itself a project. Practicing PMP questions is a part of every PMP aspirant preparation. I did practice many questions. Here I am putting up a list of 59 sources where you can go and practice for PMP exam questions.

Please keep this in mind not matter how many question you practice you are not going to get one single question from your practice test during PMP exam.

PMP Questions according to Knowledge Area

Integration Management	Scope Management	Time Management	Cost Management
Quality Management	Communication Management	Risk Management	Human Resource Management
Procurement Management	Stakeholder Management	Professional and social responsibility

Free 50 numerical questions of PMP

Also, if you know a source which is not listed here, please leave a comment and I will add it here in the list; by doing so we will definetely help other PMP aspirant.

Sr.	PMP Questions	URL
1	PMI Sample Quesitons for PMP	http://www.pmi.org/Certification/Project-Management-Professional-PMP/~/media/PDF/Certifications/PMP%20Sample%20Questions.ashx#!
2	75 PMP Exam Questions	http://www.oliverlehmann.com/pmp-self-test/75-free-questions.htm
3	175 PMP Exam Questions	http://www.oliverlehmann.com/contents/free- downloads/175_PMP_Sample_Questions.pdf
4	200 Head First exam questions	http://www.headfirstlabs.com/books/hfpmp/hfpmp_ch15.pdf
5	175 WizIQ PMP Questions	http://www.wiziq.com/tutorial/119015-PMP-175-Sample-Questions
6	1000s of PMP Questions	http://www.oliverlehmann.com/pmp-self-test/75-free- questions.htm#providers_
7	1 PMP Question per day	http://www.testprepreview.com/pmp_practice.htm
8	3 PMP Exam simulators	http://free.pm-exam-simulator.com/
9	2 Full length PMP Exam Test	http://www.examcentral.net/pmp/practice-exam
10	200 Question at Tutorials Point	http://www.tutorialspoint.com/pmp- exams/pmp_sample_questions.htm
11	75 PMP Exam Questions at PreparePM	http://www.preparepm.com/mock1.html
12	200 PMP Mock Questions at Tutorials Point	http://www.tutorialspoint.com/pmp- exams/pmp_mock_exams.htm
13	1440 PMP Question	http://www.scribd.com/doc/12878997/PMP-Exam-Question-Bank
14	15 Questions on Integration Management	http://jyotidahiya.wordpress.com/2013/04/26/practise-questions-for-pmp-project-integration-management/
15	10 Question on Cost Management	http://jyotidahiya.wordpress.com/2013/02/02/practise-questions-for-pmp-project-cost-management/
16	12 Question on Scope Management	http://jyotidahiya.wordpress.com/2012/11/07/practice-questions-for-pmp-project-scope-management/
17	200 PMP Question from Pankaj Sharma	http://pankajsharmapmp.blogspot.com/search/label/Sample%20PMP %20Exam
18	200 PMP Questions from certchamp.com	http://www.certchamp.com/pmp-sample-questions.jsp
19	25 PMP Questions	http://www.tests.com/practice/Project-Management-Professional-Test- sample
20	15 PMP Question with explanation - P I	http://getpmpcertified.blogspot.com/2011/07/some- nice-questions-part-1.html
21	15 PMP Question with explanation - P II	http://getpmpcertified.blogspot.com/2011/07/some- nice-questions-part-3.html
22	15 PMP Question with explanation - P III	http://getpmpcertified.blogspot.com/2011/07/some- nice-questions-part-2.html
23	25 Question on Risk Management	http://pmp-tutorial-free-sample- questions.blogspot.com/2008/09/chapter-3-project-risk-management.html
24	25 Question on HR Management	http://pmp-tutorial-free-sample- questions.blogspot.com/2008/09/chapter-9project-hr-management.html
25	25 Question on Cost Management	http://pmp-tutorial-free-sample- questions.blogspot.com/2008/09/chapter-8project-cost-management.html
26	24 Question on Communication Management	http://pmp-tutorial-free- sample-questions.blogspot.com/2008/09/chapter-6project-communication.html
27	55 Question on Professional Responsibility	http://pmp-tutorial-free- sample-questions.blogspot.com/2008/09/chapter-6project-communication.html
28	73 Question on Project Integration Management	http://pmp- tutorial-free-sample-questions.blogspot.com/2008/09/chapter-5project-integration-management.html
29	67 Question on Scope Management	http://pmp-tutorial-free-sample- questions.blogspot.com/2008/09/chapter-4project-scope-managemnt.html
30	25 Questions on Procurement Management	http://pmp-tutorial-free- sample-questions.blogspot.com/2008/09/chapter-4project-scope-managemnt.html
31	10 PMP Questions	http://pmp-tutorial-free-sample- questions.blogspot.com/2008/09/sample-exam-questions-answers-8.html
32	260 PMP Questions	https://sites.google.com/site/pmpbank/pmpquestionbank
33	20 Question on NPV	http://www.maxigrade.com/CorpFin1/corpfin1samplequestions2.php
34	20 Question on NPV	http://highered.mcgraw- hill.com/sites/dl/free/0072439749/36504/ros69749_ch09.pdf
35	20 Question on NPV	https://www.google.com/url?q=http://finance.wharton.upenn.edu/~acmack/Chapter%25206%2520Questions %2520V4.doc&usd=2&usg=AFQjCNE9zknrhS_P2TLYcV3c0GJvo7DuYQ
36	12 Question on PMP	http://targetpmp.wordpress.com/category/practice-questions/
37	110 PMP Qeustions	http://www.free-pm-exam-questions.com/
38	10 PMP Questions	http://www.pmconnection.com/modules.php? name=News&file=article&sid=31
39	206 PMP Question	http://206-free-pmp-exam-questions.blogspot.com/p/questions-1- 20.html
40	431 PMP Questions	http://passtheprojectexam.com/wp-content/Execution.swf
41	30 PMP Questions	http://www.mosaicprojects.com.au/ftp/Free_PMP_Questions.xls
42	280 PMP Questions	http://excellentemmett.wikispaces.com/file/view/PMP_Exam_Question_Bank_new.pdf/2 04929174/PMP_Exam_Question_Bank_new.pdf
43	200 Questions	http://www.techfaq360.com/reguser.do?m=reg
44	20 PMP Questions	http://www.techfaq360.com/reguser.do?m=reg
45	200 PMP Questions	http://www.pmstudy.com/enroll.asp#PMP
46	50 PMP Questions	http://mad.ly/signups/88508/join
47	160 PMP Questions	http://www.bestsamplequestions.com/pmp-sample-questions/pmp-sample- questions.html
48	1 PMP Question per day	http://www.pmexam.com/18201.html
49	400 PMP Questions	http://pmhub.net/pmsuccess/Menu.htm
50	165 PMP Questions	http://www.passionatepm.com/free-pmp-exam-practice-test-questions
51	20 PMP Questions from TestYourCandidate	http://www.passionatepm.com/free-pmp-exam-practice-test-questions
52	200 PMP Questions from TestYourCandidate	http://www.passionatepm.com/free-pmp-exam-practice-test-questions
53	25 PMP Questions from pinnacle3learning	http://www.pinnacle3learning.com/pmp-assessment-quiz.html
54	100 PMP Questions from pmpforsure	http://pmpforsure.com/
55	10 PMP Questions from pmtraining.com	http://www.pmtraining.com/Public/PMPPracticeExams.aspx#!
56	20 PMP Questions from corethoughts.co.in	http://corethoughts.co.in/prepare-for-the-pmp-exam/#!
57	553 PMP Questions from careeraddons	http://www.careeraddons.com/
58	204 PMP Questions from practicequiz.com	http://www.practicequiz.com/PMI-PMP-Project-Management
59	20 PMP Questions from CertMagic	http://www.certmagic.com/demo.php?exid=946

Please feel free to visit My Journey to PMP and Project Management section on this blog

Google App Script: How to read data from Google Spreadsheet?

Today, I am going to share Google App Script which you can use to read data from Google Spreadsheet. For demonstration purpose I have created a Google spreadsheet with employee records. Each of the rows pertain an employee name, DOB and title.

The purpose is to write the script which will eventually read each of the row and cell value. To start with we need to click on Tools->Script editor

If this is first time you are creating a Google App Script the Project window will appear on the screen; click on Blank Project.

This will open the Script editor window. The script editor window contains the default function myfunction.

We will delete all the code written by default by the Script editor and write following code snippet.

Once we are done with code snippet we will click on Save and save the project with a name.

After that we can click on the run button. GAS (Google App Script) will ask for authorization. Click on Continue to run the authorization.

In the next screen It will Request for Permission as the script is interacting with Google Drive and Google Spreadsheet. Click on Accept.

The Script will run successfully and it will print out the value of each of the cell in the Log. To see the log go to View->Log

Google App Script: How to pull all Google contacts in Google Spreadsheet?

Today I will share a simple Google App Script that we can use to pull all Google contacts in a Google Spreadsheet. You can use store this spreadsheet to your Google Drive as a backup of all your personal or professional contacts.

To do so let us create a Google Spreadsheet with the following four columns – Contact Name, Email Address, Phone Number and Address.

Next we need to go to Tools -> Script Editor. The Script editor window will open. We can delete all the code by default written on the script editor window. Let us add the following code in the Script editor.

function readAllContacts()
{
    var row =2;
    var mySpredSheetFile = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet();    
  
    var allContacts=ContactsApp.getContacts();     
  
    for (var i = 0; i < allContacts.length; i++) 
    {
      
      mySpredSheetFile.getRange('A'+row).setValue(allContacts[i].getFullName());
      
      var emailAddress=allContacts[i].getEmails();
      for (var j in emailAddress) 
      {
        mySpredSheetFile.getRange('B'+row).setValue(emailAddress[j].getAddress());
        
      }
      
      var emailPhone=allContacts[i].getPhones();
      for (var j in emailPhone) 
      {
        mySpredSheetFile.getRange('C'+row).setValue(emailPhone[j].getPhoneNumber());
        
      }
      
      
      var emailAdd=allContacts[i].getAddresses();
      for (var j in emailAdd) 
      {
        mySpredSheetFile.getRange('D'+row).setValue(emailAdd[j].getAddress());
        
      }
      
         
      row=row+1; 
      
    }
  
}

From the Script editor window we need to click on Run. The script will run successfully and the spreadsheet will be populated with all the data from our Google Contacts.

For more Google App Script visit the Google App Script section.

Gmail Tips: How to Unsend your email once you hit the Send button?

Gmail the popular Email service from Google has added a new feature which we can use to Unsend any email message. Unsend means we can tell Gmail to stop sending the email message to the recipients email after we hit the Send button. This small feature gives 10 Seconds timeline to stop sending your mail.

To use this feature first we need to enable the Unsend tool. To do this we nee to go to Settings->Labs

We need to go to the Undo Send section and click on Enable radio button. Once done Click on Save Changes

Next time when you Compose and send an email the "Undo" link will appear on the screen along with the message "Your email has been sent". This will appear for 10 seconds and you can click on Undo and email message will appear in the compose window. You wil not loose any email content.

For more Gmail Tips visit the Tips section.

Google App Script: How to set your personal assistant to send B'day wishes automatically?

Today we will explore a simple Google App Script which will send out the Birth day wishes to our friends; the beauty of the solution is that it will send out the Happy B'day messages, not matter whether we are online or not; we remember the b'day date or not; No matter we have internet connection or not; once you setup the Google App Script it is going to act as a personal assistant to send B'day wishes.

The idea is we will keep the name, DOB and email address of our contacts in the Google Spreadsheet. We will develop a Google App Script which will read the DOB of each of the contacts and if the DOB is same as today date it will sent out a birthday message to the contact’s email address. The Script will be setup as a job which will run automatically once every midnight.

For the demonstration purpose, I have taken some dummy name, DOB and email address. I have kept my email address in the spreadsheet so that all b’day messages are send out to my email address; in reality we will keep our friends name, DOB and their email address in the spreadsheet.

Once our Spreadsheet file is ready we need to go to Tools -> Script Editor. It will open the Script editor window. Delete everything written by default in the code editor and write following App Script.

function SendBdayWishes() {
  
  /* --- Set Bday Message --- */
  
  var Bdymsg="Wish You a very Happy Bday, God bless you always!!!";
  
  /* --- Reading Today's Date --- */
  
    var todayDate=new Date();
    var dayOfToday = Utilities.formatDate(todayDate, "GMT-2","MM");
    var monthOfToday = Utilities.formatDate(todayDate, "GMT-2","dd");
   
  
    var mySheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet();   
    var frndData = mySheet.getDataRange().getValues();   
  
    var frndDay;
    var frndMonth;
  
  
  for (var i = 0; i < frndData.length; i++) 
  { 
    
   /* --- Reading Day and Month from Date of Birth Column  --- */
    
    frndDay = Utilities.formatDate(new Date(frndData[i][1]), "GMT-2","MM");
    frndMonth = Utilities.formatDate(new Date(frndData[i][1]), "GMT-2","dd");
    frndEmail=frndData[i][2];
    
    if((frndDay==dayOfToday) && (frndMonth==monthOfToday))
    {
      GmailApp.sendEmail(frndEmail, "Happy Bday" , "Dear " + frndData[i][0] + " " + Bdymsg)       
    }
    
  
  }
}

Once you are done with the writing Script you can click on run button to test your script. If the script runs successfully and there is a DOB today an email wishing Happy B'day will be sent to that email address.

Now we will set this script as a Job which will run every midnight and check to see if there is a b’day today and send the message subsequently.

To do so, click on the Current Project Trigger button (watch shape button).

It will show the list of project triggers setup for this project or spreadsheet. Click on the link “Click to add one now”.

This will take us to the project triggers window; select the function name, Event and time when you want to run this Google App Script. Click on Save to return.

That is all you need to do. The Google App Script will take care of running the function every midnight and sending the b’day wishes. Next time you have a new friend; just add his/her name in the spreadsheet. You can definitely call or wish your friend on facebook or twitter but this script will wish him even if you forget or got busy in doing so.

I setup the DOB for one record to be today date for testing purpose and I got the email wishing Happy B'day.

For more Google App Script visit the Google App Script section.

Google App Script: How to read your Google Drive statistics?

Google App Script is cloud based Scripting language. It can be used use to design solutions which can access and leverage the Google services such as Gmail, Spreadsheet, Google Drive, Google BigQuery, Google Calendar etc.

In this post we will learn how we can write a simple script to get statistics about our Google drive. How many files, folders etc we have stored in our Google Drive.

To start with we need to go to Google Apps Script. We need to select a Blank Project.

This will open the Google App Script editor. We will delete all the code and paste the following code.

function ReadGoogleDrive() {
  
  /* The Purpose of this App Script is read Google Drive statistics */
  
  var myTotalFiles=DocsList.getAllFiles().length;
  var myTotalFolders=DocsList.getAllFolders().length;

  var myTotlaSperadsheetFile=DocsList.getFilesByType('Spreadsheet').length;
  var myTotlaPresentationFile=DocsList.getFilesByType('Presentation').length;
  var myTotlaDrawFile=DocsList.getFilesByType('Drawing').length;
  var myTotlaFormFile=DocsList.getFilesByType('Form').length;
  var myTotlaDocumentFile=DocsList.getFilesByType('Document').length;
  
  
  Logger.log("Google Drive Statistics for " + Session.getActiveUser());
  Logger.log("All Files in Google Drive: " + myTotalFiles);
  Logger.log("All Folders in Google Drive: " + myTotalFolders);
  Logger.log("All Spreadsheet Files in Google Drive: " + myTotlaSperadsheetFile);
  Logger.log("All Presentation Files in Google Drive: " + myTotlaPresentationFile);
  Logger.log("All Drawing Files in Google Drive: " + myTotlaDrawFile);
  Logger.log("All Forms Files in Google Drive: " + myTotlaDrawFile);
  Logger.log("All Documents Files in Google Drive: " + myTotlaDrawFile);
  
  
}

Next we need to click on Run

For the first time it will ask for the Authorization to run the Script. We need to click on Continue.

Google will show the Permission window and request for permission so that it can pull data from Google services such as Google Drive,and Google Account.

Click on Accept. Again click on the Run button. This time the script will run and interact with the Google Drive and Google Account and pull out the Google Drive statistics. To see the result of your Google App Script go to View->Logs

For more Google App Script visit the Google App Script section.

Project Management through PicturesWhat is Conduct Procurement?

Conduct Procurement is the process in which the Buyer formally initiate the process of obtaining good or service. It includes the process of advertising the Request for Proposal (RFP) or Request for Quotatios (RFQ) or Tender notice in newspaper, Government website so that Sellers can have a look what is needed.

The Seller based on his or her interest prepare the Proposal or Bid and submit to Buyer. Buyer evaluate each of the bid and finally decide a Seller or select a group of sellers for further negotiation.

Conduct Procurement is part of Executing Process Group

The Conduct Procurement in pictures are following

---

What is a Project Charter?

What is a Project Management Plan?

What are Organizational Structure?

What is Brainstorming?

PM: Do you know your Project Cost?

PM: How accurate is your Project Cost Estimates?

How to calculate Team utilization index?

How to motivate your Project Team?

PM: Do you know your Communication Channel?

What is XMR Chart?

What is Plan Procurement Management?

---

Project Management through PicturesWhat is Plan Procurement Management?

Procurement Management is one of the Knowledge Area in Project Management. Every organization need to acquire services or products at some point of time during the course of their action. One who Buy the service or product is called "Buyer" and one who provide the service or product is called "Seller". This relation is based on mutual understanding.

Procurement Management has four processes under it.

1. Plan Procurement
2. Conduct Procurement
3. Manage Procurement
4. Close Procurement

Today we will look at Plan Procurement through pictures.

At a high level during Plan Procurement process following things happen.

• Performing Organization and Project team decide to either "Make" or "Buy" a service, equipment or product. The decision is based on well thought process.
• If the decision is to Buy Procurement SOW is preparred by the Project Manage and Project Team in consulation with the Procurment Dept/Procument Manager.
• Procurement SOW is passed to suppliers who in turn respond to the Procurment SOW

Next: What is Conduct Procurement

---

What is a Project Charter?

What is a Project Management Plan?

What are Organizational Structure?

What is Brainstorming?

PM: Do you know your Project Cost?

PM: How accurate is your Project Cost Estimates?

How to calculate Team utilization index?

How to motivate your Project Team?

PM: Do you know your Communication Channel?

What is XMR Chart?

What is Plan Procurement Management?

---

My Journey to PMP certification

All the working profession who know about Project Management knows about PMI i.e. Project Management Institute. PMI offers many certifications including PMP (Project Management Professional) certification for the working professional in the project management area. Every project manger wants to enhance their skill and knowledge and no doubt their credentials as well by obtaining a PMP Certification.

On 26th Nov 2013, I sit for my PMP exam after a preparation of 3 months and I clear the exam with the score of 2P (Planning and Monitor & Control), 2MP (Initiating and Executing) and 1BP (Project Closing). I am writing my lesson learn for the benefit of others PMP aspirant.

Getting a PMP Certificate is a systematic process. From eligibility criteria till filling the PMP exam form is a very step wise process. The entire process is explained here

First I started with reading Rita Mulcahy PMP Exam Prep book. Rita books are very well written specially the simplicity and examples with which the topics have been explained. While I was reading the book I develop a small game for myself to remember the 5 process groups, 10 Knowledge areas and 47 processes. I wrote all the Process areas, Knowledge areas and process on small cards. Every day I took these cards and arrange them as per Table 3-1 from PMBOK 5th edition.

Second after finishing Rita’s book I became member of PMI. Among the many advantages that comes with being a PMI member is PMI gives you a digital edition of PMBOK 5th edition. I read the PMPBOK twice.

Third and very important step is Practicing question for PMP exam. I would say Practice is very much part of the preparation towards PMP. But Practice should be done in right manners. For me I started with 10-15-20 question initially. I see what questions I got wrong and then go back to PMBOK and Rita and my personal notes to see why I miss out. Gradually you can increase to answer 40-50-75-100-200 questions.

After I was done with my first reading of PMBOK I scheduled my exam. It is important to do this as it mentally gives you a dead line to prepare yourself.

I would advise never use Ms-Excel or Desktop calculator to do math as Prometric centers provides you a calculator so either use calculator when you are practicing or use your brain.

Fourth I joined PMP groups which are available on various social media and believe me the kind of help you get there are truly awesome. Some of the best groups I came across are following:

I want to be a PMP® group at Linkedin.

pmpbest group at Yahoo groups

Top Rated Contents at pmzilla.com

The PMP Exam is neither easy nor it is tough. Your concept should be clear and you should answer the questions as per PMBOK and not as per what you have experienced in the real life.

Another advice I will give you is never compare your scores in the practice exams with respect to your preparation. Take the exams as your check point. You might have prepared well but you could not score in the practice exam as much as you wanted. I came across many people who scored 50% in some of the practice exams but they did score 70-80% in other practice exams and they pass the PMP with flying colors.

I prepared my own PMP sheet which list down all the inputs, Tools and Techniques and output from each process group. This was an easy reference point for me. Ideally you do not need to remember this but you should be aware of it.

One last thing is about Mathematical questions; they are not as hard as you might get during practice exams but you should know the concepts behind formulas. More than memorizing formulas the concept behind it will help you in the exam.

PMP Questions on Cost Management

Welcome to the Cost Management Questions for PMP examination. These questions here have been collected from various sources. Please check the sources given with each of the question for any further information. The answers are given at the bottom of the page

Ques. 1.

On a dam construction project, the SPI is 0.96. The project manager has decided to crash the schedule so that the SPI can improve. Which tool will help him find out if crashing has really helped the project in long run?

A. Earned Value Analysis
B. Performance Reviews
C. Cost-Benefit Analysis
D. S Curve

Source

Ques. 2.

A Project Manager gets some additional budget from the management reserve to meet an unknown-unknown scope of work. What should he/she do first?.

A. Add that additional budget to the CR.
B. Spend that additional budget for the intended unknown-unknown work immediately.
C. Add it to cost baseline thru a Change Request, revise the cost baseline, and then spend.
D. Inform the Customer that this is scope creep and hence this additional work can not be done.


Source

PMP Questions according to Knowledge Area

Integration Management	Scope Management	Time Management	Cost Management
Quality Management	Communication Management	Risk Management	Human Resource Management
Procurement Management	Stakeholder Management	Professional and social responsibility

Ques. 3.

Your Vice President has asked you what the Estimate at Completion is going to be for a small project you are working on. You were given a budget of $30,000, and to date you have spent $20,000 but only completed $10,000 worth of work. You are sure that the future work will be accomplished at the planned rate.

A. $40,000
B. $30,000
C. $60,000
D. $56,956

Source: PMP Exam Prep: Questions, Answers & Explanations, 2013 Edition by Christopher Scordo

Ques. 4.

You are a project manager of a project to automate the physical security system of a building. Though you had planned to complete the project with 30 days, the project has eventually been completed in 45 days. what is the SPI at the end of the project?

A. 0.67
B. 1.5
C. 1
D. (-) 15 days

Source

Ques. 5.

A project was scheduled to be performed by 3 resource for four weeks, working throughout the project duration. During first week, only 2 resource were assigned, whereas during second week, 2 more resource joined in. At the end of second week, 60% of the value of the work had been completed. What is the CPI for this project at the end of second week?

A. 0.83
B. 1.2
C. 0.8
D. 1.66

Source

Ques. 6.

The BAC of a project was estimated at $10000. After 50% work has been completed, it has been found that $6000 has been spent to complete the work till date, what is ETC?

A. 12000
B. 6000
C. 10000
D. 4000

Source

Ques. 7.

Which of the following statements about contingency reserves is false?

A. A contingency reserve is a separately planned quantity used to allow for future situations which may be planned for only in part.
B. Contingency reserves may be set aside for known unknowns.
C. Contingency reserves may be set aside for unknown unknowns.
D. Contingency reserves are normally included in the project's cost and schedule baselines.

Source

Ques. 8.

Post mortem of Earned value analysis of a project showed the following data: SPI: 0.88 CPI: 1.00 What is this telling you?

A. The entire work of the project has been finished behind schedule and on budget.
B. The entire work of the project has been finished ahead of schedule and on budget.
C. The project has been terminated before completion. At that time it was behind schedule and on budget
D. The project has been terminated before completion. At that time it was ahead of schedule and on budget.

Source

Ques. 9.

A Project was estimated to cost 200,000 with a time line of 10 months. At the end of 2 month, the project manager reviews the project and finds that the project Earned Value is 40,000 and Actual Costs are 50,000. What is ETC:

A. 160,000
B. 210,000
C. 250,000
D. 200,000

Source

Ques. 10.

You are the project manager, considering recommending a project that costs $520,000; expected inflows are $40,000 per quarter for the first two years and then $50,000 per quarter thereafter. What is the payback period?

A. 40 months
B. 38 months
C. 36 months
D. 41 months

Source

Ques. 11.

You are performing earned value technique on your project. After budget approval, an additional and unexpected cost item has been identified, which made the project more expensive some weeks ago. The item has meanwhile been paid by the project team, and it is expected that for the remaining duration of the project, costs will be as budgeted. In this case, which is the best formula to calculate EaC (Estimate at Completion)?

A. EaC = BaC - CV
B. EaC = BaC / CPI
C. EaC = AC + BtC / CV
D. You can not compute the EaC

Source

Ques. 12.

At this point in the project your realize that the technical requirements were poorly defined. You are considering building a prototype. Based on the following information what can you determine? The cost to build the prototype is $100K. With a prototype there is a 70% probability the customer will accept the final product without rework. Without a prototype there is a 40% probability the customer will accept the final product without rework. The cost to rework the final product if we build a prototype first is $20K. The cost to rework the final product if we do not build a prototype is $200K.

What can you determine?

A. The expected monetary value to not prototype is $ 14,000 more expensive than to prototype
B. The expected monetary value to not prototype is $100,000 more expensive than to prototype
C. The expected monetary value to not prototype is $ $120,000 more expensive than to not prototype
D. The expected monetary value to prototype is $100,000 more expensive than to not prototype

Source

Ques. 13.

The Cost Management Plan is an output of the Plan Cost Management process. This plan is then integrated with other project plans in which of these processes?

A. Develop Project Management Plan
B. Monitor and Control Project Work
C. Perform Integrated Change Control
D. Direct and Manage Project Work

Source

Ques. 14.

Which of the following is not accurate about the initial phase of a project?

A. The cost associated at the beginning of the project is highest
B. Staffing levels are the highest at this stage

Source

Ques. 15.

You have received the following estimates for a complex activity that is critical to the success of your project. The most likely estimate is $40, the optimistic estimate is $36, and the pessimistic estimate is $54. Find expected activity cost and standard deviation of this activity?

A. $ 45, 9
B. $ 45, 3
C. $ 42 ,3
D. $ 42 ,9

Source

Ques. 16.

You are the PM on a software development project. You were able to attract more skilled resources than you expected and have been able to consistently complete tasks under budget. Your approved project budget is $40,000. The earned value is $25,000 and actual costs are $21,000. What is your estimate to complete this project?

A: 8613
B: 12613
C: 15000
D: 33613

Source

Ques. 17.

You are reviewing the 3 month cumulative earned value progress report for a software development project. The indicators reflect an SPI of .87 and a CPI of .94. What is the more likely explanation for why this occurred?

A. The schedule has been "crashed" resulting in an increase to the budget.
B. At least one task has taken more time than expected.
C. Less experienced resources are being assigned to complete the project work to date.
D. The leasing of the server hardware was more expensive than expected.


Source

Ques. 18.

Post-mortem analysis after scheduled finish date of a project shows a CPI of 0.8 and an SPI of 1.25. What is a plausible explanation for that?

A. The project was terminated early. At that time, it was over budget and ahead of schedule.
B. The project has produced additional deliverables which were originally not required.
C. The project has evidently been finished under budget and behind of schedule.
D. The project has evidently been finished over budget and ahead of schedule.

Source

Ques. 19.

As per PMBOK 5, one of the tools and techniques used in ‘Control Cost’ is

A. Reserve analysis
B. Expert judgement
C. Funding limit reconciliation
D. Cost aggregation

Source

Ques. 20.

You are in the canteen and you overhear two engineers arguing about Project Budget and Budget at Completion. One was of the opinion that both are the same. What will you as a project manager clarify to them?

A. Project Budget and Budget at Completion will always be the same
B. Project Budget and Budget at Completion are not the same
C. Project Budget does not include Management reserve
D. Funding requirements will always be equal to Budget at Completion

Source

 

Answers:
1: B
2: C
3: A
4: C
5: B
6: B
7: C
8: C
9: D
10: C
11: A
12: A
13: A
14: A
15: C
16: B
17: C
18: A
19: A
20: B

PMP Questions on Stakeholder Management

Welcome to the Stakeholder Management Questions for PMP examination. These questions here have been collected from various sources. Please check the sources given with each of the question for any further information. The answers are given at the bottom of the page

Ques. 1.

Which of the following is a Project Stakeholder?

A. Any individual who may be affected by the outcome of a project
B. Any individual who may affect the outcome of a project
C. Any individual who may perceive to be affected by the outcome of a project
D. All of the above

Source

Ques. 2.

Which of the following does not identify someone as a stakeholder during stakeholder analysis?

A. Someone who proposes a solution.
B. Someone who is aware of a need.
C. Someone who is affected by the need.
D. Someone who would be affected by the solution.

Source

Ques. 3.

The Project manager and sponsor of the performing organization have conflicts related to delivery dates and budget. Which of the following is correct choice?

A. Resolve in favour of the project sponsors.
B. All stakeholders should have the similar interests, opinions and objectives.
C. Stakeholders can have different interests, opinions and objectives.
D. Resolve in favor of the manager of the performing organization

Source

 

Answers:
1: D
2: B
3: C

PMP Questions on Quality Management

Welcome to the Quality Management Questions for PMP examination. These questions here have been collected from various sources. Please check the sources given with each of the question for any further information. The answers are given at the bottom of the page

Ques. 1.

Which of the following theory was suggested by Deming?

A. Apply continuous small improvements to reduce costs and ensure consistency
B. Marginal Analysis
C. Expectancy theory - people expect to be rewarded for their efforts
D. Plan-do-check-act to improve quality

Source

Ques. 2.

The project manager is trying to find out the best suitable method of meeting optimal quality with least cost possible. What is the best quality tool the project manager can use?

A. Benchmarking
B. Design of experiments
C. Benefit/Cost Analysis
D. Statistical sampling


Source

PMP Questions according to Knowledge Area

Integration Management	Scope Management	Time Management	Cost Management
Quality Management	Communication Management	Risk Management	Human Resource Management
Procurement Management	Stakeholder Management	Professional and social responsibility

Ques. 3.

A project is delivered as per the contract by the project team however the customer is not happy. The customer feels that the deliverable is far below his expectation in terms of quality and functionality and has some serious defects. What should the project manager do in this situation?

A. Talk to the project sponsor to discuss the issue
B. Proceed to project closure activity
C. Discuss the issues with customer and find ways to resolve the same
D. Brainstorm with technical experts, stakeholders and team members to understand issues in the project

Source

Ques. 4.

Quality checklists should incorporate the acceptance criteria included in the

A. Quality Management Plan
B. Quality Metrics
C. Scope baseline.
D. Process Improvement Plan

Source

Ques. 5.

Which of the following quality tool is often prove useful in linking the undesirable effects seen as special variation to the assignable cause upon which project teams should implement corrective actions to eliminate the special variation detected in a control chart?

A. Fishbone Diagram
B. Control Chart
C. Pareto Chart
D. Histogram

Source

Ques. 6.

A team of auditors has reviewed the process improvement plan. The team has examined the problems experienced and constraints experienced. The team has also identified few non-value added activities.

Which of the following tools the team must have applied to analyze the processes

A. Quality Audit
B. Process Analysis
C. Statistical Sampling
D. Approved Changed Requests

Source

Ques. 7.

A project manager has to discuss project progress and track status with the project team. Which should be the MOST relevant format for this purpose?

A. Milestone Chart
B. Bar Chart
C. Network Diagram
D. Control Chart

Source

Ques. 8.

A project manager wants to present project performance reports for his project. Which of the following formats should he use?

A. Pareto Chart
B. Responsibility Assignment Matrix
C. Bar Chart
D. Control chart

Source

Ques. 9.

James, a project manager for his company, is explaining to his team the importance and usage of the Gantt chart and Milestone chart. One of the team members is asked to create a summary on the lecture delivered by James. Help the team member choose the correct statement from the following,

A. A Gantt chart depicts what was planned against what actually occurred
B. A Gantt chart depicts the work in the project against the work that has been completed
C. A Gantt chart depicts the work in the project against each resource's calendar
D. A Gantt chart depicts the work in the project against a calendar

Source

Ques. 10.

Which of the following is True?

A. Quality assurance should be used during the project’s planning and executing phases and Quality control should be used during the project executing and closing phases.
B. Quality Control should be used during the project’s planning and executing phases and Quality assurance should be used during the project executing and closing phases.
C. Both the process are used throughout the project phases
D. It depends on project manager's discretion

Source

Ques. 11.

Which of the following may use for understanding and estimating the cost of quality in a process? A. Control Chart
B. Check Sheets
C. Scatter Diagrams
D. Flow Charts

Source

Ques. 12.

Which of the following is NOT used to perform quality management?

A. Process analysis
B. Quality control measurement

Source

Ques. 13.

All of the following are activities of the configuration management system except for which one?

A. Status accounting
B. Variance analysis
C. Verification and auditing
D. Identification

Source

Ques. 14.

Which of the following option relates to Root Cause Analysis?

A. Process Analysis
B. Cost of Quality
C. Quality Audits
D. Quality Control Tools

Source

Ques. 15.

William Ouchi propounded this theory in his book: ‘How American organisations can meet Japanese challenge’. This theory supports secure career for employees, encourage involvement of employees in decision making, emphasize team spirit and values ideas of employees. Which organizational theory is mentioned here?

A. Theory X
B. Theory Y
C. Theory Z
D. Hawthorne studies

Source

Ques. 16.

The following are the measured values of weight of an employee in kg. 50,52,52,51,49,52,52,51,49,52. The actual weight of the person is 52 kg. Based on the above trial measured values, the measurement system employed can be considered :

A. Accurate but not precise
B. Precise but not accurate
C. Accurate as well as precise
D. Neither accurate nor precise

Source

Ques. 17.

A Pareto diagram shows

A. The 80% of the work that is important.
B. The qualitative improvement trend demonstrated by implementing a Six Sigma initiative.
C. A histogram ordered by frequency of occurrence.
D. The 20% of the work that is causing the most issues.

Source

Ques. 18.

At the beginning of project, project manager is given a schedule with everyone's vacations on it. He realizes that because of software will be delivered to the QA team exactly when they have overlapping vacations, there is a serious risk of quality problems, because there won't be anyone to test the software before it goes into production. What best describes the constraint this places on the project?

A. Quality constraint
B. Time constraint
C. Risk constraint
D. Resource constraint

Source

Ques. 19.

Quality is planned, designed and built into your project instead of being inspected in. What is the main reason that prevention of mistakes in quality is preferred over finding the mistakes via inspection?

A. Because your quality management plan focuses on prevention
B. Because if you are a good project manager and perform prevention well you won't have to deal with inspection
C. Because finding defects via inspection should be avoided at all costs
D. Because the cost of preventing mistakes is generally much less than the cost of correcting them when they are found by inspection

Source

Ques. 20.

There is a project being done for a french Bank and you are a outsourced IT provider. The project is about impementation BASEL III compliance requirements imposed by the European Commission. The deadline is close and there is no chance of failure. The commission would charge a huge penalty if the implementation is not done or if there is any issue with the implementation. The CIO calls you, (the account manager from the IT supplier) and tells you that there is no choice and you must sign up for a penalty clause if the implementation is having any defects or if impementation is not done on time. You dont have a choice and go ahead with the same. Your Vice President approves extra budget by reducing the profitability requirement of the Project and warns you that you have no choice now and you have to have the project done with ZERO defects. You decide to increase resources and have 3 rounds of testing instead of 2 rounds to ensure that there is no defects. The cost of extra testing is called :

A. Cost of Non confirmance
B. Failure cost
C. Prevention cost
D. Appraisal Cost

Source

Ques. 21.

Your company has developed a software product to analyse big data From Multiple Sources. While performing beta testing with a small sample of users, you notice that the product has defects because of the following reasons:

- Non-compatibility with the operating system (20%)
- Bugs in the software (22%)
- Difficulty in understanding instruction manuals (20%)
- Non-availability of desired features (15%)
- Others (23%)

To illustrate the causes of these problems, you could use a:

A. Flowchart
B. Quality Checklist
C. Scatter Diagram
D. Histogram

Source

Ques. 22.

A firm maufacturing automobiles finds a flaw in a recently launched model and withdraws 100000 units of the new model from the market . The costs associated with this exercise falls under:

A. Cost of Non-conformance
B. Cost of Conformance - Training Costs
C. Cost of Conformance - Appraisal Cost
D. Cost of Conformance - Failure Costs

Source

 

 

Answers:
1: D
2: C
3: B
4: C
5: A
6: B
7: B
8: C
9: D
10: A
11: D
12: B
13: B
14: A
15: C
16: C
17: C
18: D
19: D
20: D
21: D
22: A