CompTIA Project+ (PK0-005) Cheat Sheet
High-yield review of lifecycle flow, project documents, change control, risk, scheduling, communication, and exam traps for CompTIA Project+.
Use this page for fast recall when you want the Project+ pattern in front of you without rereading a full lesson. Most PK0-005 questions reduce to a few decisions: what phase are you in, what control or document is missing, what changed, and what action preserves governance without slowing the project more than necessary. If two answers both sound efficient, the stronger Project+ answer is usually the one that also preserves approval, traceability, and stakeholder communication.
Project+ in one page: the recurring pattern
When a question feels vague, ask:
- What phase is this?
- Is this still a risk, or has it become an issue?
- Which document, log, or approval path should change next?
That framing is often enough to eliminate two wrong answers immediately.
Lifecycle quick map
| Phase | What good looks like | Typical outputs |
|---|---|---|
| Initiation | the project has purpose, authority, and named stakeholders | charter, sponsor, high-level scope |
| Planning | the work is decomposed, estimated, sequenced, and baselined | WBS, schedule, budget, risk register, communication plan |
| Execution | the team is delivering work and communicating status | deliverables, status reports, action items |
| Monitor and control | variance, risk, issues, and change are being managed | issue log, change log, quality checks, updated forecasts |
| Close | work is accepted and handed off cleanly | sign-off, closure report, lessons learned |
Delivery approach picker
| Situation | Better fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| scope is stable and governance is formal | Predictive | baseline-heavy planning and controlled change |
| requirements are uncertain and fast feedback matters | Agile | short iterations and fast learning |
| some work is fixed while some is exploratory | Hybrid | stable components stay governed while uncertain work iterates |
Do not choose agile just because it sounds modern. Choose it when feedback and uncertainty justify it.
Document and artifact pickers
| If the stem is asking… | Best document or artifact |
|---|---|
| who authorized the project | Project charter |
| what is in or out of scope | Scope statement or approved backlog boundaries |
| how the work is decomposed | WBS |
| who owns the work | RACI |
| who needs what information and when | Communication plan |
| what could go wrong | Risk register |
| what has already gone wrong | Issue log |
| what change needs review | Change request and change log |
Change control flow
Never reward off-the-books work in a scenario. The CompTIA-safe answer is to capture the change, assess it, approve it through the right path, and only then update baselines and execute.
flowchart LR
A["Change request appears"] --> B["Assess scope, cost, schedule, risk, quality impact"]
B --> C{"Approved?"}
C -->|Yes| D["Update plan, baseline, and communications"]
D --> E["Implement and monitor"]
C -->|No| F["Document rejection and keep current baseline"]
Risk versus issue
| Term | Meaning | Common next step |
|---|---|---|
| Risk | uncertain event that may affect the project | analyze, plan a response, assign owner |
| Issue | event already happened and now requires action | log, assign, escalate, resolve |
If the problem has already happened, it is no longer a risk entry by itself.
Risk response strategies
| Strategy | When it fits |
|---|---|
| Avoid | change the plan to remove the threat entirely |
| Mitigate | reduce probability or impact |
| Transfer | shift financial or execution impact to a third party |
| Accept | monitor and use contingency if needed |
Scheduling essentials
| Concept | What it means |
|---|---|
| Critical path | the longest path through the schedule; it determines total duration |
| Float or slack | how much an activity can slip without delaying the project end date |
| Dependency | relationship between tasks; finish-to-start is the most common |
| Milestone | significant point with no duration of its own |
If a non-critical task slips but still has float, the correct answer is rarely “panic and rebaseline everything.”
Communication and stakeholder rules
- Identify key stakeholders early and confirm expectations.
- Use a communication plan instead of ad hoc updates.
- Escalate based on agreed governance paths.
- Document decisions, action items, and owners after meetings.
- Avoid surprises for the sponsor, customer, or delivery team.
Quality and performance cues
- Quality assurance focuses on the process used to produce the work.
- Quality control checks the actual deliverable or result.
- KPIs measure ongoing performance.
- Retrospectives improve how the team works.
- Sprint reviews inspect the increment with stakeholders.
Common Project+ traps
- treating a real issue like a future risk
- implementing change before approval
- confusing the charter with the detailed project plan
- escalating before documenting the problem and its impact
- assuming adding people is the first fix for schedule pressure
- skipping communication planning because the team is “small”
Quiz
From here, move into the FAQ for deeper scenario explanations or open the resources page when you need official exam details and practical templates.