Ethics

It's pretty funny, I think, that some apparently well-meaning people have lifted (read: stolen) copyrighted study materials from Rita's book and other sources for use in preparing for the PMP® exam.  Upon reading this illegal material, the student sees some sample test questions along the lines of "you are new to your organization, and discover that bootleg resources are being used to prepare project managers for their PMP® exam.  What should you do FIRST?"  The correct answer is both (1) never use such illegal copies of copyrighted materials yourself, and (2) don't tolerate their use in your organization.  You should ensure the illegal copies are destroyed, and that legal copies are purchased.

So the last thing I want to do as a new PMP® is to lift copyrighted material without permission and post them here in my website.  So you won't see any text lifted verbatim from the PMBOK®, but you'll see the nine knowledge areas, and the five process groups, along with a number of other lists that comprise the "brain dump" method of increasing your probability of success when you take the exam.

Disclaimers and notices

According to the PMI Intellectual Property Operational Policy, PMI® marks may be used to refer to, or describe, PMI®, PMI® components or programs, or the PMP® Certification Program; however, all such uses must include proper notice of PMI® ownership of the marks. For registered marks, proper notice consists of the use of the registered trademark symbol, ®, with each appearance of the mark, along with the appearance of the following statement at least once in every publication containing the mark: "PMI®", the PMI® logo, "PMBOK®", "PgMP®", "PMP®", the PMP® logo, and "CAPM®" are marks or registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc. in the United States and/or other nations.

In addition, use of PMI® Intellectual Property, even with proper recognition and attribution of ownership as described above, also requires a disclaimer, stating that the goods, services and/or organizations using the intellectual property are not sponsored or endorsed by PMI®, unless the prior, express written permission of the PMI® Executive Director has been obtained.  A statement is also required stating that PMI® has no financial interest in the goods, services and/or organizations using the intellectual property.

So here is that statement:

PMI® did not participate in the development of this section of the website you are currently browsing, and has not reviewed the content for accuracy.  PMI® does not endorse or otherwise sponsor this website, and makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation, expressed or implied, as to its accuracy or content.  PMI® does not have any financial interest in this website, and has not contributed any financial resources.

Additionally, PMI® makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation, express or implied, that the successful completion of any activity or program, or the use of any product or publication, designed to prepare candidates for the PMP® Certification Examination, will result in the completion or satisfaction of any PMP® Certification eligibility requirement or standard.

In addition, since this section of the website is devoted in large part to the preparation for and experience of taking the PMP® exam, I should point out that I made the following agreement with PMI® as a condition of taking the exam:

I agree not to discuss, debrief or disclose, in any manner, the specific content of PMI® examination questions and answers, to any individual.

This won't be hard to comply with, because I wasn't allowed to take any notes out of the testing site; I turned them all in.  But I will tell you in general terms, without violating this agreement, what kind of studying was most helpful to me, and for which there were more than just a few questions on the exam.

Internet references

PMI® Credential Registry lets you verify PMI®'s credential holders by their last name.

PMP® Code of Conduct

Wikipedia: PMI® and PMBOK® Guide

Related pages in this website