Part A — Procurement Management

Whenever you hire an external vendor, agency, or contractor — that is procurement. The PM’s job is to select the right contract type, manage the vendor relationship, and ensure what is delivered matches what was agreed.

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1. Contract Types — The Most Tested Procurement Topic

There are three contract types. The exam tests them constantly — usually by describing a project scenario and asking which contract type is most appropriate, or which party bears the most risk.

Risk Spectrum — Who Bears More Risk?

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Part B — Leadership & Team Management

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2. Tuckman’s Team Development Model — The 5 Stages

Every project team goes through five stages of development. The PM’s role changes at each stage. The exam gives you a scenario describing what the team is doing and asks which stage they are in — or what the PM should do.

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3. Conflict Resolution — Ranked Best to Worst

The PMP exam has a clear preference order for how conflicts should be handled. In almost every conflict question, the best answer is Collaborate/Problem-Solve — unless the question specifically says there is a crisis or time pressure.

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4. Leadership vs Management — The Core Difference

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5. Motivation Theories — Quick Reference

Three motivation theories appear regularly in the exam. Know the key concept and the trigger word for each.

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Part C — Agile & Hybrid

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6. The 4 Agile Values — The Manifesto

The Agile Manifesto defines four core values. Each value says we prefer the LEFT side MORE than the RIGHT — but both sides have value. This distinction is critically important for the exam.

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7. Key Agile Roles — Who Does What

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8. Traditional vs Agile — Side by Side

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9. Agile Metrics — What Gets Measured

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10. Hybrid Approach — Best of Both

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11. Quick Summary — Everything at a Glance

Concept	One-line meaning	Exam trigger word
Fixed Price	Agreed price — seller bears all cost overrun risk	“well-defined scope” / “most risk for seller”
Time & Material	Pay per hour + materials — shared risk	“hourly rate” / “unclear scope, small work”
Cost Plus	Reimburse all costs + fee — buyer bears most risk	“research” / “uncertain scope” / “most risk for buyer”
Forming	Team meeting, polite, unclear roles — PM directs	“just meeting” / “getting to know each other”
Storming	Conflict and disagreements — PM coaches	“conflict” / “disagreements” / “tension”
Norming	Team settles, rules established — PM supports	“trust building” / “roles clear”
Performing	High output, self-directed — PM delegates	“high productivity” / “self-managing”
Adjourning	Project ends, team released — PM celebrates	“project closing” / “team dispersing”
Collaborate / Problem-Solve	Win-win — always PMP’s best conflict answer	“conflict” (almost every time)
Withdraw / Avoid	Ignore conflict — always the worst option	“ignore” / “walk away”
Theory X	Manager assumes people dislike work — micromanages	“closely monitored” / “strict control”
Theory Y	Manager trusts people are self-motivated — gives autonomy	“autonomy” / “self-directed”
Hygiene Factor	Prevents dissatisfaction but doesn’t motivate (salary, security)	“adding salary won’t motivate” / “prevent dissatisfaction”
Motivator	Drives actual satisfaction (achievement, recognition, growth)	“what actually motivates” / “recognition”
Product Owner	Owns backlog, prioritises features, represents customer	“backlog” / “prioritise” / “change in Agile”
Scrum Master	Facilitates Scrum, removes impediments, coaches team	“remove impediment” / “facilitate” / “coach”
Velocity	Story points completed per sprint — predicts future pace	“how much work per sprint”
Burndown Chart	Shows remaining work — should trend to zero	“remaining work” / “sprint progress”
Agile change request	Goes to Product Owner → backlog → next sprint	“new feature in Agile” / “mid-project request”
Hybrid	Fixed structure (Traditional) + iterative delivery (Agile)	“fixed timeline but flexible features”

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