The foundations the rest of the PFQ rests on: what makes something a project rather than routine work, how projects sit alongside programmes and portfolios, and the environment that shapes them. Deceptively simple, and a common source of dropped marks.
What fundamentals covers in the PFQ
- Projects versus business as usual: temporary and unique versus ongoing
- Projects, programmes and portfolios and how they relate
- The project environment and the PESTLE factors that shape it
- Why organisations run projects, and the drivers behind them
- The role and value of project management
Where candidates lose marks
Calling ongoing, repetitive work a project — once it is continuous it is business as usual.
Confusing a programme (related projects for one outcome) with a portfolio (all the work, chosen for strategy).
Treating the environment as scenery — PESTLE factors are examinable.
Free, timed, exam-style questions across all ten PFQ topics — with an explanation for every answer and a per-topic breakdown.
Start a free practice testFundamentals questions, answered
What is the difference between a project and business as usual?
A project is temporary and unique — it has a start, an end and a distinct output. Business as usual is ongoing, repetitive operational work. Once work becomes continuous and repetitive it is business as usual, not a project.
How do projects, programmes and portfolios differ?
A project delivers a defined output; a programme coordinates related projects to achieve a shared outcome; a portfolio is all the projects and programmes an organisation runs to deliver its strategy.
The other nine topics
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