TOPIC: Rita’s planning process vs PMbok planning process

Have a question to ask regarding planning process. Is it better to learn the planning process groups from the original Pmbok, or from Rita’s planning process groups? Because from Rita’s, it was mentioned that this order is a set order that must follow the sequence, whereas in pmbok, this is not presented as a sequence. I prefer to be in sequence as this would be tested. Which is a better way? Thanks!

Hello Javier,

my recommendation is to follow the PMBOK Guide for the list of processes in each process group. In fact, Rita's book follows the same structure. And you're right: these processes are not necessarily sequential, especially across Knowledge Areas.
The exercise proposed in Rita's book is meant to provide a general picture of what happens in each process group; i.e., what activities are expected to be performed during each phase. Now, while some of these activities perfectly match some processes, this is not true for all of them—you will notice the number of items in each group is usually different. As you move forward through her book, you will notice that she also follows the same structure of the PMI in terms of processes for each process group within a given knowledge area. Keep in mind that the PMP exam questions will refer to the processes as explained in the PMBOK Guide, so I would use that exercise not to memorise the items in it, but to get a better understanding of what actually happens in each phase.

Hope this helps,

Gabriella

I see. Ok. Currently I’m re-visiting this topic to refresh my memory. But when it comes to memorize all the process groups as well as how it flows, I’m not quite sure which one I should commit my memory to ..

Personally, I would not spend my efforts in trying to memorise the processes listed in Rita's excercise. When I was studying, I tried to solve that exercise a couple of times, but then I gave up as I was struggling trying to remember the sequence. While moving forward with my study, I had a feeling I didn't really need to memorise those activities from the book, while I definitely found it helpful to memorise the 49 processes from the PMBOK Guide, grouped by Knowledge Area and Process Group.

What I learned from my experience, though, is that there's no need to memorise the PMBOK processes the first time you study them. In fact, I noticed it became much easier for me after the first study of the PMBOK Guide, which gave me further clarity about all the processes and the way they interact with each other. Once this became clear to me and I gained a deeper knowledge of all the key concepts, it was much easier to memorise them. For me it was the "flow" that led me to the processes, rather than the other way around—if that makes sense.

Gabriella

Javier,

The PMBOK Guide is the primary reference for the exam while Rita's book is a derivative work. My experience is that one should always go to primary references whenever possible because they are considered "canon" in the profession.

Derivative works may be useful for understanding a topic, however, they may also contain small errors that may cost you in the long run. With respect to your specific question, understanding Table 1-4 in the PMBOK guide is essential. The key word there is "understanding" as opposed to "memorizing."

My 2-cents worth.

Harry

I passed my PMP exam on 09-Nov! Thanks to all the friendly and acknowledgeable support team from PM PrepCast! Especially to Gabriella Dellino and Harry Elston!

Thank you, Javier, I am so happy to hear that. Congratulations!!

Gabriella