APM PMQ
APM PMQ topic

Project Management Fundamentals questions for the APM PMQ

What a project is, its context, and the project environment.

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The foundations the rest of the syllabus rests on: what distinguishes a project from business as usual, how projects, programmes and portfolios relate, and the environment a project has to survive in. Deceptively simple, and a common source of dropped marks.

What fundamentals covers in the PMQ

  • Projects, programmes and portfolios, and how they differ
  • Projects versus business as usual (temporary and unique versus ongoing)
  • The project environment and the PESTLE factors that shape it
  • The role of the project manager and the skills it demands
  • Why projects are undertaken, and the drivers behind them

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 a shared outcome) with a portfolio (all the work, chosen for strategy).

Ignoring the environment. PESTLE factors are examinable, not scenery.

Test yourself on fundamentals

Free, timed, exam-style questions across the twelve PMQ topics — with an explanation for every answer and a per-topic breakdown at the end.

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Fundamentals questions, answered

What is the difference between a project and business as usual?

A project is temporary and unique — a start, an end and a distinct output. Business as usual is ongoing, repetitive operational work. Once work becomes continuous and repetitive, it is BAU, not a project, even if it began as one.

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 chooses to run to deliver its strategy.

The other eleven topics

Governance Arrangements
Sponsorship, boards, roles and responsibilities, decision gates and assurance.
Planning
The project management plan, estimating, and the subsidiary management plans.
Life Cycles
Linear, iterative and hybrid life cycles, phases and the extended life cycle.
Scope Management
Requirements, breakdown structures, and configuration management.
Resource, Scheduling & Optimisation
Critical path, resource smoothing and levelling, and schedule optimisation.
Communication
Communication planning, methods, barriers and reporting.
Quality
Quality planning, assurance, control and continual improvement.
Stakeholder Management
Identifying, analysing, engaging and influencing stakeholders.
Leadership
Leadership styles, motivation, team development and management.
Risk & Issue Management
Identifying, analysing and responding to risks, and managing issues.
Project Success & Benefits
Success criteria, benefits management, and project reviews.
Read the complete APM PMQ guide

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