In each issue, Cheetah News features an individual who shares his or her ideas, insight, and experience with Cheetah Learning's Methodology.

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Forget What You Already Know
Sometimes, the hardest part of learning is unlearning what you already know. Bob Eckman, a senior consultant - project manager in the nuclear-electric utility industry in Akron, Ohio, learned that lesson when he took the Cheetah Exam Prep^® for the PMP^® exam course.

PMP^® certification was required for Bob's position, and some of his peers had taken Cheetah's exam-prep course and highly recommended it. “It also was a goal I’ve had for quite a while,” adds Bob.

With 10 years of Project Management experience and PM-related courses, Bob already had a solid background. But was it the right foundation to prepare for the PMI^® certification exam?

“Previous PM-related courses I took focused entirely on ‘an approach’ to PM that may or may not have been supported by The PMBOK^® Guide,” Bob explains. “The Cheetah course followed The PMBOK^® Guide and focused my efforts entirely on what to expect from the PMP^® certification exam. My biggest challenge was forgetting what I already knew.”

For Bob, overcoming his own understanding of PM and re-learning it a “new way” was a challenge. “Many of the differences between what I had been doing for the better part of a decade and what The PMBOK^® Guide presented were about semantics or philosophies. My instructor (Kelly O’Neill Baumer) worked with me to get me thinking more like a PMI^® PMP^® and less like a seasoned project manager.”

Bob found the mock tests to be the greatest help in preparing for the certification exam. They gave him a feel for the type of questions that would be asked and the key words to focus on. Cheetah’s key-word list was excellent in Bob’s opinion and was very helpful. “I could hear Kelly’s voice in my head as I took the exam – ‘Whenever you see quality assurance, think corporate processes for quality…’”

Now, as a PMP^®, Bob believes his certification improves his credibility with his customers, showing them he’s qualified to lead their projects. “While it’s not a requirement to have your PMP^® certification in order to be a great project manager, sometimes you have to counter a perceived professional disadvantage if you don’t have it.  In this job market, the PMP^® certification demonstrates a commitment to improve, a desire to see things through, and an understanding of the standardized approach to PM.”

In his current role, Bob’s PMP^® certification allows him to align with his peers, all of whom are PMPs^®, and he has a deeper understanding of the impact of planning on projects. “My organization has a standardized approach to PM that follows The PMBOK^® Guide very closely, and by going through Cheetah’s PMP Exam Prep course, I’ve been able to adopt that standardized approach to the projects I lead. In fact, I’ve successfully implemented a new time-tracking and advanced-scheduling solution for our three plants.”

Bob is pleased with the results of Cheetah’s PMP^® exam-prep program and encourages anyone thinking about the course to take it. “It will save you a considerable amount of time studying on your own. I also recommend you sequester yourself at the hotel no matter how close by you live. I stayed at the hotel, left work like I was on vacation, and checked in with home once a day by phone. Also, be sure to take the certification exam on Friday of the same week as the class; don't put it off.”