Project+ (PK0-005) Syllabus — Learning Objectives by Domain

Use this syllabus as your checklist. Drill right after each domain section so you learn the decision patterns, not definitions.

What’s covered

• Domain 1: Project Management Concepts (33%)
• Domain 2: Project Life Cycle Phases (30%)
• Domain 3: Project Tools and Documentation (19%)
• Domain 4: Basics of IT and Governance (18%)

Domain 1: Project Management Concepts (33%)

Project characteristics and methodologies

• Distinguish a project from operations and identify key project characteristics (temporary effort, unique outcome).
• Identify common project constraints (scope, schedule, cost, quality) and describe how tradeoffs affect outcomes.
• Select an appropriate delivery approach (predictive, agile, hybrid) based on requirement stability and uncertainty.
• Identify typical roles in a basic project governance structure (sponsor, project manager/coordinator, stakeholders) and their decision rights.
• Recognize common project phases and the type of deliverables produced at each phase.
• Define clear success criteria and measurable project objectives appropriate to the project context.
• Determine when work should be treated as a separate project versus a task within ongoing operations.

Agile vs. waterfall

• Differentiate predictive, agile, and hybrid delivery characteristics and select the best fit for a given project.
• Identify when incremental delivery provides more value than a single end-date release.
• Select planning artifacts appropriate to the approach (WBS and baselines vs backlog and iteration plans).
• Calculate a simple iteration forecast using provided capacity/velocity and remaining work.
• Explain how changes are handled differently in predictive versus agile/hybrid delivery (change control vs reprioritization).
• Identify what a good backlog/requirements set looks like (clear prioritization, acceptance criteria, Definition of Done when applicable).
• Recognize common anti-patterns when mixing methodologies and choose a corrective action that preserves delivery flow.

Change control

• Identify when a formal change request is needed versus a clarification within approved scope.
• Select the essential information to capture in a change request (reason, impact, affected deliverables, approvals).
• Assess change impacts on scope, schedule, cost, quality, and risk and recommend a disposition (approve/reject/defer).
• Apply baseline concepts (scope/schedule/cost baselines) to evaluate and control changes.
• Follow the appropriate approval path for changes based on governance, risk, and environment (including IT change windows when relevant).
• Differentiate scope creep from approved change and select an action to prevent uncontrolled expansion.

Risk management

• Differentiate a risk from an issue and decide when to log each.
• Identify common IT project risk categories (technical, schedule, vendor, security, compliance) and examples.
• Apply qualitative risk analysis (probability/impact ranking) to prioritize risks given a project context.
• Select an appropriate risk response type (avoid, mitigate, transfer, accept) that fits constraints.
• Assign risk ownership and define escalation triggers for high-impact risks.
• Monitor risks and update a risk register based on new information and changes.
• Calculate a simple risk exposure/priority score using provided probability and impact values.

Issue management

• Write a clear issue statement including impact, owner, and next action.
• Select the most appropriate immediate action when an issue threatens schedule, quality, or stakeholder confidence.
• Determine when to escalate an issue versus resolve it within the team and document the decision.
• Track issue status through to resolution and verify closure against acceptance criteria.
• Differentiate defect, issue, and change request and route each through the correct process.
• Apply a simple root-cause technique (for example, 5 Whys) to prevent a recurring issue.

Schedule management

• Decompose deliverables into activities and identify logical dependencies.
• Identify the critical path and determine the impact of an activity delay using provided network information.
• Interpret a milestone schedule and identify missing dependencies or unrealistic sequencing.
• Estimate duration/effort using provided assumptions and compute a simple schedule forecast.
• Select an appropriate schedule compression technique (fast-tracking or crashing) for the stated constraints.
• Manage schedule changes by updating the plan and communicating impacts to stakeholders.
• Calculate schedule variance or a simple schedule performance comparison using provided planned versus actual data.

Quality and performance management

• Differentiate quality assurance (process-focused) from quality control (deliverable-focused) and select the right action.
• Define acceptance criteria and ensure deliverables are validated against them.
• Select appropriate performance metrics/KPIs to track progress and outcomes for an IT project.
• Interpret a simple trend/control view of quality data and decide whether corrective action is warranted.
• Calculate a basic variance or percentage complete from provided data and interpret what it means for the project.
• Identify common causes of rework and select a prevention action that improves quality without expanding scope.
• Confirm deliverable acceptance with stakeholders and document sign-off appropriately.

Communication management

• Identify key stakeholders and tailor communications based on needs, influence, and preferred channels.
• Select the most effective communication method based on urgency, complexity, and audience.
• Create a concise status update that communicates progress, risks/issues, and next steps.
• Manage expectations when communicating delays, scope changes, or bad news.
• Establish escalation paths and a communication cadence that supports timely decisions.
• Apply active listening and feedback loops to reduce misunderstandings and rework.

Meeting management

• Create a meeting agenda with a clear purpose, expected outcomes, and timeboxes.
• Select meeting attendees based on decision rights and required inputs.
• Facilitate meetings to stay on track and resolve disagreements while preserving collaboration.
• Document decisions and action items and ensure owners and due dates are captured.
• Decide when to replace a meeting with an asynchronous update or artifact to reduce overhead.

Team and resource management

• Define team roles/responsibilities and set expectations using a simple accountability model (for example, RACI).
• Identify resource constraints and recommend adjustments (reprioritize, reassign, add help, or negotiate scope).
• Resolve resource conflicts across projects using escalation paths and negotiation.
• Onboard new team members efficiently and reduce ramp-up risk (access, context, documentation).
• Manage distributed teams using collaboration practices that maintain alignment and transparency.
• Recognize common team dysfunctions (unclear ownership, low accountability, conflict avoidance) and select a corrective action.
• Calculate simple capacity allocation using provided availability to determine feasible work for a time period.

Procurement and vendor selection

• Decide whether to buy versus build based on constraints, capabilities, and risk.
• Identify key elements of a statement of work (SOW) or contract relevant to delivery (scope, milestones, acceptance).
• Compute and compare weighted vendor scores using provided criteria and select the best-fit vendor.
• Manage vendor deliverables and acceptance using clear criteria and documented approvals.
• Identify procurement-related risks (lead times, lock-in, unclear scope) and select a mitigation approach.
• Handle vendor change requests and disputes using the appropriate contractual and project change-control process.

Domain 2: Project Life Cycle Phases (30%)

Discovery phase artifacts

• Formulate a clear problem statement and business need that the project must address.
• Elicit high-level requirements and constraints from stakeholders and document assumptions.
• Define preliminary scope boundaries (in-scope/out-of-scope) for discovery outputs.
• Identify feasible solution options and compare them based on constraints and expected value.
• Calculate a rough-order-of-magnitude (ROM) estimate using provided analogous data or simple ranges.
• Identify early project dependencies and constraints that could affect feasibility.
• Identify initial high-level risks and decide what additional information is needed to assess them.
• Define success criteria and candidate KPIs that would demonstrate project outcomes.
• Identify regulatory, compliance, and security considerations that must be addressed from the start.
• Determine whether to proceed, pivot, or stop based on discovery findings and stakeholder alignment.
• Prepare a concise project brief/proposal that summarizes need, options, and recommended path.
• Document open questions, decisions needed, and next steps to move into initiation.

Project initiation

• Draft or validate a project charter/project brief that defines goals, deliverables, and success criteria.
• Identify the sponsor and establish decision-making authority and escalation paths.
• Define an initial scope statement including key exclusions to prevent misunderstandings.
• Establish an initial budget and clarify funding approval constraints.
• Identify initial team roles and responsibilities and define how work will be coordinated.
• Define high-level milestones and scheduling constraints (deadlines, blackout windows, dependencies).
• Establish a communication plan and reporting cadence appropriate to stakeholder needs.
• Set up a RAID log approach (risks, assumptions, issues, dependencies) and define ownership.
• Define a change-control approach appropriate to the project’s governance and risk.
• Identify procurement needs and vendor dependencies and plan early engagement where needed.
• Confirm alignment with organizational strategy and expected benefits/value.
• Identify operational constraints (support availability, maintenance windows) that affect delivery.
• Obtain formal authorization to start and run an effective kickoff that aligns stakeholders.

Project planning

• Decompose scope into an appropriately detailed WBS or backlog.
• Define quality requirements and acceptance criteria for planned deliverables.
• Sequence work and identify dependencies and handoffs between teams.
• Estimate activity effort/duration using provided inputs and assumptions.
• Build a baseline schedule and identify where buffer/contingency is needed.
• Estimate costs from provided line items and produce a simple budget baseline.
• Plan resource assignments and address capacity constraints through prioritization or staffing changes.
• Plan stakeholder engagement and communications activities (who, what, when, how).
• Plan risk management activities (identify, analyze, respond, monitor) and define update cadence.
• Plan procurement and vendor deliverable management (milestones, acceptance, communication).
• Plan change control and configuration/document management for project artifacts.
• Plan security, privacy, and compliance activities as part of the work plan.
• Define how progress will be measured and reported (metrics, dashboards, reporting frequency).
• Create a test/validation and rollout plan that fits the system and stakeholder risk tolerance.
• Plan transition to operations (training, support model, documentation, ownership).
• Conduct planning reviews and obtain approvals to proceed into execution.

Project execution

• Run a kickoff and align the team on objectives, roles, constraints, and working agreements.
• Execute work according to plan and adapt delivery approach while maintaining stakeholder alignment.
• Calculate and interpret basic schedule/cost performance using provided planned-versus-actual data.
• Control scope by applying change-control practices and maintaining baseline integrity.
• Manage quality during execution through reviews, testing, and acceptance checks.
• Communicate status effectively (progress, risks/issues, decisions needed) and avoid misleading reporting.
• Monitor and respond to risks and issues, keeping logs current and owners accountable.
• Coordinate vendors and verify deliverables against milestones, SLAs, and acceptance criteria.
• Manage dependencies and handoffs to prevent blocked work and rework.
• Resolve resource conflicts and adjust plans to maintain delivery flow.
• Facilitate timely decisions and remove blockers using escalation paths when needed.
• Ensure compliance/security requirements are followed during implementation.
• Keep documentation (requirements, designs, runbooks) synchronized with delivered changes.
• Select and apply a corrective action when indicators show the project is trending off plan.
• Prepare for deployment/release with readiness checks, training, and support coordination.

Project closing

• Verify deliverables meet acceptance criteria and obtain formal customer/stakeholder sign-off.
• Transition deliverables to operations/support and confirm long-term ownership.
• Close procurement activities including contract closeout and final acceptance where applicable.
• Archive project documentation and ensure artifacts are complete and accessible for audit.
• Facilitate a lessons-learned session and document actionable improvements.
• Release project resources and communicate closure to stakeholders.
• Define how benefits will be tracked post-project and identify follow-up checkpoints.
• Close out or document residual risks/issues and ensure proper handoff of ongoing items.
• Produce a final project report that summarizes outcomes, performance, and key decisions.
• Calculate or interpret final variance against baseline targets using provided closure data.

Domain 3: Project Tools and Documentation (19%)

Project tools

• Select a project tool or feature set appropriate to project size, complexity, and governance needs.
• Use work tracking (task lists/boards) to visualize status, blocked work, and ownership.
• Maintain a risk/issue log so that monitoring, ownership, and escalation are supported.
• Maintain a change log and decision log to support traceability and governance.
• Track dependencies and handoffs and use the tool to reduce missed prerequisites.
• Apply document control concepts (versioning, approvals, access) to project artifacts.
• Select reporting/dashboard views appropriate to stakeholders (executive, team, sponsor).
• Apply collaboration practices for distributed teams (shared docs, chat, whiteboards) without relying on tool trivia.
• Configure notifications/reminders to reduce missed deadlines and unowned action items.
• Maintain a project knowledge base/wiki and keep key artifacts current.
• Interpret audit trails/activity history to identify gaps in updates or approvals.
• Create simple templates/checklists to standardize recurring project tasks.
• Use time/effort logging appropriately to support forecasting and accountability.
• Identify tool-related risks (data loss, access issues, integrity) and select mitigations.

Productivity tools

• Calculate a simple budget, forecast, or variance using spreadsheet data provided in the stem/exhibit.
• Use calendars/scheduling tools to coordinate availability and time zones and reduce scheduling friction.
• Create clear written status reports and executive summaries using document tools.
• Use presentation tools to communicate scope, timeline, dependencies, and impacts effectively.
• Use diagrams (flowcharts, network diagrams) to clarify process, roles, and dependencies.
• Apply checklists/templates to reduce omissions and improve consistency.
• Apply naming conventions and file organization so artifacts are retrievable and auditable.
• Use commenting/review workflows to improve quality and ensure approvals are captured.
• Capture meeting notes and action items in a form that supports follow-through.
• Use forms/surveys to gather stakeholder inputs and validate requirements.
• Use lightweight automation (reminders/workflows) to reduce manual overhead and missed follow-ups.
• Ensure productivity tool usage complies with access controls and data classification requirements.

Quality and performance charts

• Interpret a Gantt chart to identify dependencies and potential schedule risk.
• Interpret a milestone chart to identify missing milestones or unrealistic dates.
• Interpret a burndown/burnup chart and infer whether delivery is trending ahead or behind plan.
• Calculate percent complete and compare to planned progress using provided data.
• Interpret basic earned value-style data (PV, EV, AC) to identify variance.
• Calculate a simple performance ratio or variance from provided values and interpret the result.
• Interpret a cumulative flow diagram (CFD) to identify bottlenecks and WIP problems.
• Interpret velocity/capacity data and forecast completion using provided numbers.
• Interpret a control chart and distinguish common cause from special cause variation.
• Interpret a Pareto chart and select the best focus area for improvement.
• Interpret a histogram or trend line and decide whether performance is improving or degrading.
• Use a KPI dashboard to differentiate leading versus lagging indicators for decision-making.
• Select the most appropriate chart to communicate schedule performance versus quality performance.
• Detect data quality issues in reports (stale data, inconsistent units, missing definitions) and choose a fix.
• Compare actuals to explicit targets/thresholds given in the stem and identify the appropriate response.
• Use a compact RAID/status summary to communicate health and priorities without hiding key risks.

Domain 4: Basics of IT and Governance (18%)

ESG factors

• Identify common ESG considerations (sustainability, accessibility, ethics) that can affect technology project scope.
• Recognize how sustainability requirements can influence design choices and vendor selection.
• Evaluate tradeoffs between cost/schedule and ESG requirements when constraints and priorities are explicit.
• Ensure stakeholder communication addresses ESG expectations and reporting needs.
• Identify what evidence or metrics would demonstrate ESG-related outcomes when targets are provided.
• Recognize ethical risks (for example, biased outcomes or lack of transparency) and select mitigation actions.
• Document ESG-related requirements and incorporate them into acceptance criteria.

Information security

• Apply least privilege and access control concepts to project artifacts and environments.
• Identify security requirements early and track them through planning and delivery.
• Recognize common security risks in IT projects (misconfiguration, credential exposure) and select mitigations.
• Determine when to involve security teams for reviews, approvals, or threat modeling.
• Respond appropriately when a vulnerability or security incident is discovered during project work.
• Handle sensitive data safely in collaboration tools (sharing, storage, retention) according to classification.
• Validate security controls using appropriate evidence (test results, approvals, monitoring signals).
• Plan security considerations into deployment and transition (runbooks, access reviews, monitoring).

Compliance and privacy

• Identify when compliance requirements apply (industry regulations, internal policies) and how they constrain delivery.
• Recognize privacy concepts (PII, data minimization, consent) and incorporate them into requirements.
• Determine what approvals and documentation are needed for compliance (risk assessment, privacy assessment) when applicable.
• Ensure vendor contracts address compliance and privacy obligations (data handling, breach notification).
• Plan for audit readiness by maintaining traceability, approvals, and appropriate logs.
• Communicate compliance constraints clearly to the project team and stakeholders to prevent rework.
• Handle data retention and disposal requirements at project close (archive vs delete) according to policy.
• Recognize when cross-border data transfer restrictions matter and escalate for guidance.
• Validate compliance using appropriate evidence (sign-offs, test reports, controls verification).

IT concepts

• Differentiate common environments (dev/test/stage/prod) and explain their governance and access implications.
• Identify typical IT dependencies (networking, identity, DNS, certificates) and how they affect schedule and risk.
• Apply basic SDLC concepts to planning and ensure testing and release activities are scheduled appropriately.
• Recognize the purpose of change windows and maintenance periods and plan deployments accordingly.
• Select an appropriate deployment strategy (phased, pilot, canary, big bang) based on risk and constraints.
• Determine when to involve operations/support to ensure readiness and an effective handover.
• Identify the right information to gather for triage when a technical issue is reported during a project.
• Recognize integration and data migration risks and select planning actions to reduce failure probability.
• Calculate or compare simple availability/performance figures (for example, uptime percentage targets) when values are provided.

IT governance and change control

• Identify governance structures (CAB/CCB) and determine when they apply to planned changes.
• Follow a standard change-management workflow (request, assess, approve, implement, review) for IT changes.
• Classify changes (standard/normal/emergency) when definitions are provided and choose the right handling path.
• Ensure required documentation and approvals are complete before implementing a change.
• Coordinate change implementation to minimize disruption (communications, scheduling, rollback readiness).
• Validate post-change success criteria and capture evidence of completion and stability.
• Update configuration documentation (CMDB/runbooks) to reflect implemented changes.
• Calculate and interpret simple change success metrics (failure rate, backout rate) using provided data.