CompTIA Project+

PK0-005 · ● Active · Entry · CompTIA

Vendor-neutral project management certification for IT professionals transitioning to project coordination and junior project management roles. Entry-level credential, no prerequisites, launched November 2022. Focus on both Agile and Waterfall PM practices, practical project lifecycle, and foundational leadership.

Exam facts

Vendor source — CompTIA Project+ Home ↗

Official exam objectives — PK0-005 Exam Blueprint ↗

About

CompTIA Project+ (PK0-005) is a vendor-neutral, foundational project management credential designed for IT professionals transitioning from technical roles to project coordination and junior project management. Unlike PMI's CAPM (which requires formal coursework and assumes project management knowledge), Project+ is a low-barrier entry point—no prerequisites, affordable at $369, and covers both Agile and Waterfall approaches. Launched in November 2022, this exam validates competency in small-to-medium project delivery, stakeholder communication, resource management, and IT-specific project lifecycle practices. It is particularly valued as a stepping stone from Help Desk → PMO Coordinator → Junior PM or for career-changers entering IT management. The cert is actively renewed and holds stable market demand among IT operations and systems administration teams.

Domain context — IT Management

IT Management encompasses leadership, governance, and organizational change across project management, service management (ITIL), governance/risk/compliance (GRC), and Agile frameworks. Project+ sits at the Entry level of this domain—foundational PM lifecycle, basic stakeholder and risk management, communication planning, and awareness of both predictive (Waterfall) and adaptive (Agile/Scrum) methodologies.

Read full deep dive — IT Management Domain →

Topics covered

The PK0-005 exam blueprint covers five core domains:

• 1.0 Project Initiation (22%) — Project charter, scope definition, stakeholder identification, business case, high-level requirements
• 2.0 Project Planning (26%) — Work breakdown structure (WBS), schedule estimation, resource planning, communication plan, risk register, quality metrics, procurement planning
• 3.0 Project Execution (20%) — Team management, task coordination, communication execution, quality assurance, document management, status reporting, change control
• 4.0 Project Monitoring and Controlling (16%) — Performance metrics, variance analysis, corrective/preventive actions, scope/schedule/budget monitoring, stakeholder communication
• 5.0 Project Closure (16%) — Deliverable acceptance, lessons learned, project documentation archive, resource release, stakeholder sign-off

Source: CompTIA Project+ Exam Objectives ↗

Common skills at IT Management · Entry

Shared content for the IT Management domain at Entry level — not specific to this cert.

• Project Lifecycle Fundamentals — Understanding phases: initiation, planning, execution, monitoring/controlling, closure
• Basic PM Terminology — Scope, schedule, budget, quality, resources, risks, stakeholders, deliverables, baselines
• Scope & Time Management — Work breakdown structures (WBS), network diagrams, Gantt charts, critical path basics
• Resource Planning — Team assignment, capacity planning, skill gap analysis, stakeholder accountability matrix
• Risk Management Basics — Risk identification, qualitative analysis, mitigation strategies, contingency planning
• Agile Awareness — Sprint planning, product backlog, ceremonies (standup, review, retro), Scrum roles vs. Waterfall PM
• Communication Planning — Stakeholder identification, communication matrix, meeting cadence, status reporting, escalation procedures
• Change Control — Change request process, impact analysis, approval workflow, documentation

Recommended courses at IT Management · Entry

Course-selection rule: Jason Dion's Complete Course is the most popular entry point (comprehensive, well-structured, beginner-friendly). Pair with practice exams from same instructor. Pluralsight offers labs + hands-on exercises; CBT Nuggets emphasizes video depth. LinkedIn Learning is ideal if already subscribed.

Practice exams

Books

Book rule: Kim Heldman's Sybex Study Guide is the official CompTIA-endorsed resource; comprehensive, vendor-written, dense but authoritative. Pearson Cert Guide is an alternative if preferred. Practice Tests book pairs well with study guide for domain-by-domain drilling (1,000+ questions total).

Typical job titles at IT Management · Entry

IT Project Coordinator · Junior Project Manager · PMO Coordinator · Scrum Apprentice / Scrum Master (intern) · Business Analyst (junior) · IT Program Support Specialist · Project Support Associate · IT Operations Coordinator

(Job titles drawn from current job-board postings that list Project+ as required, preferred, or valued credential.)

Salary

Salary note: Project+ salary data is limited; most benchmarks conflate "Project Coordinator" and "Junior PM" roles. Entry-level IT Project Coordinators earn $57K–$77K median (25th–50th percentile); those with 2–3 years experience and PM training move to $77K–$122K. Regional variance is significant (US urban markets pay 30–40% higher than rural). Certification adds ~$5K–$10K premium vs. uncertified coordinators in similar roles.

Skills validated

Cert-specific — what this exam actually tests.

• Project Charter Creation – Business case, project objectives, success criteria, authority delegation
• Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) – Hierarchical decomposition, task sequencing, durations, dependencies
• Scheduling Techniques – Critical path method (CPM), Gantt charts, network diagrams, resource leveling, float calculation
• Budget Estimation & Control – Cost estimation, earned value management (EVM) basics, budget variance
• Scope Management – Scope statement, scope creep prevention, change requests, scope verification
• Risk Management – Risk identification, qualitative/quantitative analysis, response planning, contingency reserves
• Stakeholder Management – RACI matrix, stakeholder engagement, communication planning, conflict resolution
• Team Leadership – Motivation, team formation (forming/storming/norming/performing), delegation, performance management
• Quality Assurance & Control – Quality metrics, inspection, corrective/preventive actions, acceptance criteria
• Document Management – Project documentation standards, configuration management, lessons learned repository
• Agile & Waterfall Awareness – Iterative vs. predictive approaches, Scrum/Kanban roles, hybrid PM
• Status Reporting & Communication – Progress reporting, variance analysis, escalation procedures, stakeholder updates

Related certifications

• Prerequisite for: PMI CAPM (Certified Associate Project Manager) ↗ — PMP's entry-level credential (more formal, requires coursework; Project+ is lighter entry point)
• Stacks with: CompTIA A+ ↗ · CompTIA Network+ ↗ · CompTIA Security+ ↗ — technical foundation certs; PM skills complement technical depth
• Alternative at this level: Scrum Alliance CSM (Certified ScrumMaster) ↗ — Agile-focused, requires 2-day trainer-led course vs. Project+ exam-only
• Equivalents at this level: PMI CAPM ↗ — More formal, but PMI-specific vs. CompTIA's vendor-neutral approach
• Vendor overview: CompTIA Vendor Overview ↗

Sources

• CompTIA Project+ certification page: https://www.comptia.org/en-us/certifications/project/
• Exam objectives & blueprint: https://www.comptia.org/en-us/certifications/project/
• Jason Dion Udemy Complete Course: https://www.udemy.com/course/comptia-project-pk0-005-complete-course-practice-exam/
• Jason Dion Udemy Practice Exams: https://www.udemy.com/course/comptia-project-pk0-005-practice-exams-a/
• Kim Heldman Sybex Study Guide: https://www.amazon.com/CompTIA-Project-Study-Guide-PK0-005/dp/1119892457
• CompTIA CertMaster Practice: https://www.comptia.org/training/certmaster-practice/project
• Pluralsight Project+ Path: https://www.pluralsight.com/paths/comptia-project-pk0-005
• PayScale IT Project Coordinator Salary: https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Project_Coordinator%2C_Information_Technology_(IT)/Salary
• ZipRecruiter Junior Project Manager Salary: https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Junior-Project-Manager-Salary
• Glassdoor Junior Project Manager Salary: https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/junior-project-manager-salary-SRCH_KO0,22.htm
• Crucial Exams Practice Questions: https://crucialexams.com/exams/comptia/project/pk0-005/
• ExamTopics Free Q&A: https://www.examtopics.com/exams/comptia/pk0-005/

Last verified: 2026-05-01 Parent domain: IT Management Domain Vendor overview: CompTIA Vendor Overview