A PMP Certified Project Manager should be knowing following comparisons. These comparisons can be asked in a project management interview for PMP certified project managers. I have divided all these terms and comparisons based upon the knowledge areas.
General Introduction
1) Project vs Operation
2) Product Life Cycle vs Project Life Cycle
3) Project Phase vs Phase Gate
4) Development Approach: Predictive vs Adaptive vs Hybrid vs Iterative vs Incremental
5) Portfolio Management vs Program Management vs Project Management
6) Organizational Structure Type: Strong Matrix vs Weak Matrix vs Balanced Matrix
7) Types of PMO: Supportive vs Controlling vs Directive
8) Powers of Project Manager: Referent vs Positional vs Situational vs Coercive vs Ingratiating vs Persuasive
9) Leadership Styles: Laissez-faire vs Servant Leader vs Transactional vs Transformational vs Charismatic vs Interactional
10) Project Manager vs Project Coordinator vs Project Expeditor
11) PMI Triangle: Technical Project Management vs Strategic and Business Management vs Leadership
12) Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct: Aspirational Standards and Mandatory Standards
Integration Management
13) OPA (Organizational Process Assets) vs EEF (Enterprise Environmental Factors)
14) Business Case vs Benefits Management Plan
15) Configuration Management Plan vs Change Management Plan
16) Project Charter vs Team Charter
17) Assumption log: Assumptions vs Constraints
18) Change Requests: Preventive actions vs Corrective actions vs Defect repair
19) Knowledge Management vs Information Management
20) Explicit Knowledge vs Tacit Knowledge
21) Work/Job Shadowing vs Reverse Shadowing
22) Work Performance Data vs Work Performance Information vs Work Performance Report
23) Work Performance Reports: Status report vs Progress report
24) Payback Period vs Return on Investment (ROI) vs Internal Rate of Return (IRR) vs Discounted Cash Flow vs Net Present Value (NPV) vs Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR)
Scope Management
25) Project Charter vs Project Scope Statement
26) WBS: Work Package vs Planning Package
27) WBS: Work Package vs Activities
28) Scope Baseline vs Schedule Baseline vs Cost Baseline vs Performance Measurement Baseline
29) Validate Scope Process vs Control Quality Process
30) Scope Creep and Gold Plating
31) Product Scope vs Project Scope
32) Inspection vs Audit
33) Verification vs Validation
34) Work Breakdown Structure vs Resource Breakdown Structure vs Risk Breakdown Structure vs Organizational Breakdown Structure
35) Brainstorming vs Brain-writing vs Nominal Group Technique
36) Decision Making: Autocratic vs Multi-criteria vs Voting (Unanimity vs Majority vs Plurality)
Schedule Management
37) Iterative Scheduling vs On-demand Scheduling
38) Precedence Diagramming Method vs Arrow Diagramming Method
39) Finish to Start (FS) vs Finish to Finish (FF) vs Start to Start (SS) vs Start to Finish (SF)
40) Dependencies: Mandatory vs Discretionary vs External vs Internal
41) Schedule Network Diagram: Path Convergence vs Path Divergence
42) Critical Path Method vs Critical Chain Method
43) Early Start vs Early Finish vs Late Start vs Late Finish
44) Forward Pass vs Backward Pass
45) Leads vs Lags
46) Total Float vs Free Float
47) Project Schedule: Gantt charts vs Bar charts vs Milestone charts vs Summary charts
48) Fast-tracking vs Crashing
49) Resource Optimization vs Resource Levelling
50) Project Calendar vs Resource Calendar
51) Contingency Reserve (Known Unknown) vs Management Reserve (Unknown Unknown)
52) Triangular Distribution vs PERT/Beta Distribution
53) Analogous Estimating vs Parametric Estimating vs Three-point Estimating vs Bottom-up Estimating
54) Accuracy and Precision
55) Activity List vs Milestone List
56) Student Syndrome vs Parkinson's Law
Cost Management
57) Rough Order of Magnitude Estimate (-25% to +75%) vs Budgeted Estimate (-10% to +25%) vs Definitive Estimate (-5% to +10%)
58) Planned Value (PV) vs Earned Value (EV) vs Actual Cost (AC)
59) Cost variance (CV = EV - AC) vs Schedule variance (SV = EV - PV)
60) Cost Performance Index (CPI = EV/AC) vs Schedule Performance Index (SPI = EV/PV)
61) Budget at Completion (BAC) vs Estimate at Completion (EAC) vs Variance at Completion (VAC = BAC - EAC)
62) EAC Calculation: EAC forecast for ETC work performed at the budgeted rate (EAC = AC + (BAC – EV)) vs EAC forecast for ETC work performed at the present CPI (EAC = BAC / CPI) vs EAC forecast for ETC work considering both SPI and CPI factors (EAC = AC + [(BAC – EV) / (CPI × SPI)]) vs To-complete performance index (TCPI = Work Remaining / Fund Remaining)
Quality Management
63) Quality vs Grade
64) Attribute Sampling vs Variable Sampling
65) Continual Improvement: Plan-do-check-act (PDCA) vs Total Quality Management(TQM) vs Six Sigma vs Lean Six Sigma
66) Cost of Conformance vs Cost of Non-conformance
67) Cost of Conformance: Prevention cost vs Appraisal cost
68) Cost of Non-Conformance: Internal Failure Cost vs External Failure Cost
69) Control Charts vs Flowcharts vs Histograms vs Cause-and-effect Diagrams vs Matrix Diagrams vs Scatter Diagrams vs Affinity Diagrams vs Mind Mapping
Resource Management
70) Matrix: Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM / RACI) vs Probability and Impact Matrix vs Stakeholder Engagement Assessment Matrix
71) Tuckman Ladder: Forming vs Storming vs Norming vs Performing vs Adjourning
72) Co-located Teams vs Virtual Teams
73) Conflict Management: Withdraw/Avoid vs Smooth/Accommodate vs Compromise/Reconcile (Lose-Lose) vs Force/Direct (Win-Lose) vs Collaborate/Problem Solve (Win-Win)
74) Develop Team vs Manage Team
75) Coaching vs Mentoring
Communication Management
76) Push vs Pull communication
77) Verbal vs Non-verbal communication (Paralinguistic, Vocal inflection, Pitch, Tone)
Risk Management
78) Risks vs Issues
79) Event vs Non-event Risks
80) Variability Risk vs Ambiguity Risk vs Emergent Risks (Unknowable Unknowns)
81) Secondary risk vs Residual risk
82) Risk Register vs Risk Report
83) Opportunities (Positive Risks) vs Threats (Negative Risks)
84) Strategies for Opportunities: Exploit vs Enhance vs Accept vs Share
85) Strategies for Threats: Avoid vs Mitigate vs Accept vs Transfer
86) Active Risk Acceptance vs Passive Risk Acceptance
87) Qualitative vs Quantitative Risk Analysis
88) Quantitative Risk Analysis: Simulations (Monte Carlo Analysis) vs Sensitivity Analysis (Tornado Diagrams) vs Decision Tree Analysis vs Influence Diagrams
89) Prompt Lists: PESTLE (political, economic, social, technological, legal, environmental) vs TECOP (technical, environmental, commercial, operational, political) vs VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity)
90) Risk Assessment Parameters: Urgency vs Proximity vs Dormancy vs Propinquity vs Detectability
Procurement Management
91) Contract Types: Fixed Price vs Cost Reimbursable vs Time and Material
92) Fixed Price Contracts: Firm Fixed Price (FFP) vs Fixed Price Incentive Fee (FPIF) vs Fixed Price with Economic Price Adjustments (FPEPA)
93) Cost-reimbursable Contracts: Cost plus fixed fee (CPFF) vs Cost plus incentive fee (CPIF) vs Cost plus award fee (CPAF)
94) Bid Documents: RFI (Request for Information) vs RFQ (Request for Quotation) vs RFP (Request for Proposal)
95) Scope Statement vs Statement of Work (SOW) vs Terms of Reference (TOR)
96) Make vs Buy Analysis
97) Selecting a Seller vs Awarding a Contract
98) Claims Administration: Claims vs Disputes vs Appeals
Stakeholder Management
99) Stakeholder Analysis: Power/Interest vs Power/Influence vs Impact/Influence
100) Engagement level of stakeholders: Unaware vs Resistant vs Neutral vs Supportive vs Leading
