Special Announcement! New Virtual PMP Exam Study Group being formed (to be discussed on the PMP Exam Study call on April 2nd)

We've seen a constant flow of people wanting a study group that they can be a part of, so we are going to start a "virtual PMP Exam Study Group" that will meet weekly.

(note: We will be discussing this on the free conference call on April 2, 2009 if you can join. If not, please read below and respond if you are interested)

We need to hear from you right away if you are interested in being a part of this group. Just use the "Contact Us" link at pmlessonslearned.com to contact us if you are interested.

Some of the main principals of the group are:

* This group will be a "virtual" PMP Exam study group - meeting on conference calls lines and using a yahoo group to communicate and schedule meetings
* The group will meet weekly via conference call
* All members would be be required to participate by doing a presentation when it was their turn
* We need to hear right away from people who would want to participate in this PMP Study group
* The group needs leaders ("PMP Exam Study group Program Managers") from among those studying. The leaders would schedule presentations for the members and oversee logistics. It is basically a coordination role. We have one volunteer leader so far.

Other points:

Members:
* All members would be scheduled to do a presentation on a PMBOK chapter (or related PMP Exam study topic) in a round-robin assignment pattern
* Being responsible for doing a presentation helps the student to prepare better and gain better knowledge of the subject matter
* We would leverage the powerpoint presentations we've been improving over the years with our current PMP Exam Study group calls
* If a presenter has a last minute reason they can't present, the member (and presentation topic) scheduled for the following week should be ready to fill in with their presentation. (i.e.members would be expected to be ready to present their topic on the week prior to their scheduled date in case the person has a last minute conflict. The member with the conflict would then be expected to present the following week - effectively switching weeks)

Leaders:
* The Program Manager leaders would be expected to document their processes and when they were ready to roll off the group (after they received their PMP certification) they would be required to transfer their role to their successor.
* The leaders need to commit to at least 3 to 9 months to make it worth while to train them
* There will be two leaders for continuity in leadership as leaders move on and to allow for a backup and sharing of duties
* This group will continue to be one of the sub-groups of PMlessonslearned.com and so we would have continual involvement to keep the ties
* We are working on finding some mentors who would implement the new OJT (On-Job-Training) that was first mentioned at our January board meeting. This program would allow our volunteer leaders (Program Managers) to be mentored in the use of project management for their volunteer efforts and would thus give them real PM experience to claim on their resumes.

Please contact us if you are interested and what your level of interest is (participating or leading) and when you wish to start participating in the group. It would also be helpful to know what days and times of the week work best for you to meet virtually.