Class Central is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

University of Maryland, College Park

PMP Exam Prep: Managing People with Power Skills

University of Maryland, College Park via Coursera

Overview

Coursera Flash Sale
40% Off Coursera Plus for 3 Months!
Grab it
Pass the PMP® Exam. This course will focuses on managing the expectations and relationships of the people involved in projects. These lessons will help you pass the the people domain of the PMP® Certification exam. The PMBOK® Guide aptly states, “projects are performed by people and for people,” (page 9, 7th Edition). People drive projects. Period. As experienced project managers, we are continuously working with stakeholders to maintain good relationships to ensure that their expectations are in alignment with the goals of the project. Having effective people management skills is a crucial component of project management experience to achieving project success. Linked to the Leadership skill area of the PMI Talent Triangle® as well as linked to the people domain of the PMP Certification exam, this course will place focus on managing the expectations and relationships of the people involved in projects. To achieve the project goals, it is important to have the knowledge, skills and behaviors needed to guide, motivate and/or direct others. People skills are crucial in achieving success. One way to effectively motivate others is to show them what they can achieve through collaboration and cooperation. Project leaders are constantly helping project stakeholders see the potential for success by demonstrating knowledge, skills and behaviors related to people. There are a variety of skills that will be covered in the course, such as negotiation, active listening, emotional intelligence, and servant leadership. These powerful skills can be incredibly helpful throughout the lifecycle of your projects, so it’s important that project professionals learn them well. Learners will uncover the importance of managing expectations and relationships effectively and how to create a positive work environment and build good relationships with team members. This is an essential skill for any project manager, and this course will focus on how to manage the expectations of others, both internally and externally. By doing so, you can help your team and organization stay productive and successfully meet the goals of the project.. By the end of the course, learners will be able to confidently identify the stakeholders of a project and determine the appropriate strategies to manage expectations and maintain a productive working relationship with team members and all stakeholders. This is an important competency in any industry, whether it be healthcare, information technology, government, private-sector, or non-profit. Additionally, upon successful completion of this course, learners can earn 8 contact hours of project management education or professional development units which are recognized by the Project Management Institute (PMI). A total of 35 contact hours (PDUs) in project management education are a requirement (see PMI.org) to those looking to achieve the Project Management Professional (PMP®) credential. Learners will finish this PMP certification course with increased knowledge of the better practice tips to engage stakeholders and be more than ready to continue their project management and PMP® journey, which we hope completes your certificate with us.

Syllabus

  • WEEK 1 : Power Up on Power Skills
  • WEEK 2: Taking Stock of Stakeholders
  • WEEK 3: Project Management is a Team Sport
  • WEEK 4: No Such Thing as Over Communicating
  • Course Final Exam

Taught by

Crystal Richards

Reviews

4.6 rating, based on 43 Class Central reviews

4.6 rating at Coursera based on 58 ratings

Start your review of PMP Exam Prep: Managing People with Power Skills

  • Anonymous
    The PMP Exam Prep: Managing Power Skills course significantly elevated my understanding of project leadership. With the duration of the course, I found myself increasing my knowledge and strengthening my ability to handle projects using a more strat…
  • Anonymous
    This was the second course I took from Crystal's PMP Prep Specialization, and I found it better than the first course. Although the course was longer, the structure was good and we covered a lot of important info. The test questions were more complex, but less confusing with one probable answer (instead of multiple). Naturally performed better in this course with 100% correct answers in most of the tests, but would still request the ability to see which answer is wrong, why, and the correct one. Got all my answers right throughout the course, just missed out on one in the final test. Imagine my annoyance! Looking forward to the next courses.
  • Anonymous
    I recently completed the PMP course on Coursera, and I truly appreciated the depth and clarity of the content. The instructors did an excellent job breaking down complex concepts into manageable and understandable sections. The course structure was well-paced, allowing me to absorb the material effectively. I particularly valued the real-world examples and practice questions that reinforced the learning. This course has significantly boosted my confidence in project management principles and practices. I'm looking forward to applying everything I've learned in real project scenarios. Thank you to the team behind this course for delivering such a valuable learning experience!
  • Anonymous
    Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)

    Review:
    This course offers a practical and engaging overview of essential people management and power skills for project managers preparing for the PMP exam. The content is well-structured, with real-world examples and interactive exercises that helped me better understand stakeholder engagement, team dynamics, leadership, and communication. The instructors clearly explain complex concepts, and the quizzes reinforce learning effectively. Highly recommended for PMP aspirants and anyone looking to strengthen their soft skills in project environments.
  • Anonymous
    The videos and written summaries did correlate for sections 1, 2, and 3, but the videos in section 4 where repeats of videos from section 3, hence the videos and written summaries in section 4 did not correlate.
  • Anonymous
    This is a good prep to help understanding, and it's almost like having the instructor in the room. Managing people can be very complicated. Luckily, this course provides a framework and clarity on the various approaches to communication, stakeholder engagement, and leadership. One example I can think of is the 5Cs framework, which is clarity, control, coherence, concise, and correct. It also makes an effort to distinguish between various management and communication approaches and adaptive projects.
  • Anonymous
    Great detail on how to engage stakeholders including communication plans and motivation techniques. I did still find it a bit challenging to understand when to use stakeholder engagement versus communication requirements or communication plan.
  • Anonymous
    This has been a very fast and easy way to learn communication and power skills needed for the PMP exam. I would highly recommend this if you are time constrained and need a fast and efficient place to get detailed information in a concise manner.
  • Anonymous
    This course provided a clear and practical overview of the power skills needed for effective project management. Overall, it was a well-structured course that strengthened both my understanding and application of people-focused project management skills.
  • Anonymous
    PMP Exam Prep: Managing People with Power Skills exceeded my expectations. The course made complex leadership and interpersonal concepts incredibly easy to absorb, thanks to its clear structure and real-world examples. What really stood out was the instructor’s charisma—engaging, relatable, and genuinely passionate about the material. It felt more like a conversation than a lecture, which made learning not only easier but enjoyable. This course is a must for anyone preparing for the PMP exam who wants to strengthen both their technical and people management skills.
  • Anonymous
    The course is great overall. It would be great if we could see the correct answers to the quiz, so we can learn which questions we missed
  • Anonymous
    This course provides a basic overview of communication strategies in project management but lacks depth in critical thinking and real-world application. Most of the questions are straightforward and test surface-level understanding rather than challenging the learner to apply concepts in complex scenarios. While it may serve as a quick refresher, it falls short for those seeking deeper insights or advanced project management skills.
  • Anonymous
    This course was very beneficial to me in reinforcing my knowledge in strengthening business relationships. This course should be included in any Project Management educational degree program because it covers so many aspects that will enhance the effectiveness of leading people. This content was not only informational, but was inspiring as well. The instructor did a great job at conveying the excitement that comes from becoming a more successful Project Manager as we continue to learn and grow in that function.
  • Anonymous
    I really enjoyed this course. It helped me understand important project management concepts in a very clear and practical way. The multiple-choice questions (MCQs) were very helpful and tested my understanding after each topic. I liked how the course covered real-life examples and focused on communication, teamwork, stakeholder management, and problem-solving.

    The language was easy to understand, and the lessons were well-organized. I also learned how to work better with team members, manage time and resources, and handle project challenges. Overall, this course gave me useful knowledge that I can apply in real projects.

    Thank you for the great learning experience!

  • Anonymous
    I have been studying this course while I was managin a large healthcare project for a public organization.
    The contents have helped me understanding the importance of acting sometimes as a leader sometimes as a manger, engage properly with stakeholders and develop a "real" communication plan.
    Highly suggested to all project managers and wanna be PMs!
  • Profile image for Kameron Fields
    Kameron Fields
    This was an engaging and comprehensive overview of project management best practices, Agile methodologies, and communication strategies. The information was clearly presented, used realistic example scenarios, and as a person of a certain age, appreciated the use of New Edition members' names for charts and graphics illustrating project teams or stakeholders.
  • Anonymous
    I found this course to be comprehensive and well-structured. The graphics and notes are very helpful for distilling information. I learned a lot and the quizzes throughout the lesson were a good knowledge check. One way I noticed the lessons and quizzes could be improved is with a grammatical review, as there are some typos in the text.
  • Anonymous
    Good Course. Detailed and broad overview. I appreciate the summary assignments. They are good notes.
  • Anonymous
    Useful instruction on the human dynamics of project management, from stakeholders to team members with valuable tools for each component. I'd like to see a way to check the correct answers on quizzes/exams as there are regularly a couple where I'm not sure what the correct response is and can't confirm.
  • Anonymous
    I liked this course. It was well presented and easy to understand. I learned some good take aways from this course, and I would recommend it to anyone in project management.

Never Stop Learning.

Get personalized course recommendations, track subjects and courses with reminders, and more.

Someone learning on their laptop while sitting on the floor.