#3 PMP - Project Management Processes

PMP

Fifth Edition

#3: Project Management Processes

Project Management Processes

Project Management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirement. A process is a set of interrelated actions and activities performed to create a pre-specified product, service, or result. Each process is characterized by its inputs, the tools and techniques that can be applied, and the resulting outputs. Project management processes ensure the effective flow of the project through its existence. These processes encompass the tools and techniques involved in applying the skills and capabilities described in the knowledge areas.

In order for a project to be successful, the project team should: •            Select appropriate processes required to meet the project objectives; •  Use a defined approach that can be adapted to meet requirements; •   Establish and maintain appropriate communication and engagement with stakeholders; •       Comply with requirements to meet stakeholder needs and expectations; and •        Balance the competing constraints of scope, schedule, budget, quality, resources, and risk to produce the specified product, service, or result.

Applying Project Management Process

Good practice means there is a general agreement that the application pf project management processes has been shown to enhance the chances of success over a wide range of projects.

For any given project the project manager in collaboration with the project team is always responsible for determining which processes are appropriate and the appropriate degree of rigor for each process.

The Process Management Processes Groups

Processes are grouped into five categories:

-          Initiating Process Group: Those processes performed to define a new project or a new phase of an existing project by obtaining authorization to start the project or phase.

-          Planning Process Group: Those processes required to establish the scope of the project, refine the objectives and define the course of action required to attain the objectives that the project was undertaken to achieve.

-          Executing Process Group: those processes performed to complete the work defined in the project management plan to satisfy the project specifications.

-          Monitoring and Controlling Process Group: Those processes required to track, review and regulate the progress and performance of the project; identify any areas in which change to the plan are required and initiate the corresponding changes.

-          Closing Process Group: those processes performed to finalize all activities across all process groups to formally close the project or phase.

Common Project Management Process Interactions

Most experienced project management practitioners recognize there is more than one way to manage a project. The required Process Groups and their processes are guides for applying appropriate project management knowledge and skills during the project. The application of the project management processes is iterative, and many processes are repeated during the project.

The integrative nature of project management requires the monitoring and controlling process group to interact with the other process groups.

Process groups interact in a phase or project

Figure 3-3. Project Management Process Interactions p 79

Initiation Process Group

The Initiating Process Group consists of those processes performed to define a new project or a new phase of an existing project by obtaining authorization to start the project or phase. Within the Initiating processes, the initial scope is defined and initial financial resources are committed. Internal and external stakeholders who will interact and influence the overall outcome of the project are identified. If not already assigned, the project manager will be selected. This information is captured in the project charter and stakeholder register. When the project charter is approved, the project becomes officially authorized.

The key purpose of this process group is to align the stakeholders' expectations with the project's purpose, give them visibility about the scope and objectives, and show how their participations in the project and its associated phases can ensure that their expectations are achieved. These processes help set the vision of the project - what is needed to be accomplished.

Involving the sponsors, customers, and other stakeholders during initiation creates a shared understanding of success criteria, reduces the overhead of involvement, and generally improves deliverable acceptance, customer satisfaction, and other stakeholder satisfaction.

Reviewing the initiating processes at the start of each phase to keep the project focused on the business need.

As part of the Initiating processes, the project manager is given the authority to apply organizational resources to the subsequent project activities.

Planning Process Group

The Planning Process Group consists of those processes performed to establish the total scope of the effort, define and refine the objectives, and develop the course of action required to attain those objectives. The Planning processes develop the project management plan and the project documents that will be used to carry out the project.

The key purpose of this process group is to delineate the strategy and tactics as well as the course of action or path to successfully complete the project or phase.

Updates arising from approved changes during the project (generally during Monitoring and Controlling processes and specifically during the Direct and Manage Project Work Process) may significantly impact parts of the project management plan and the project documents. Updates to these documents provide greater precision with respect to schedule, costs, and resource requirements to meet the defined project scope.

Executing process group

The executing process group consists of those processes performed to complete the work defined in the project management plan to satisfy the project specifications.

This process group involves coordinating people and resources, managing the stakeholder expectations, as well as integrating and performing the activities of the project in accordance with the project management plan.

Monitoring and Controlling process group

The key benefit of this process group is that project performance is measured and analyzed at regular intervals, appropriate events, or exception conditions to identify variances from the project management plan.

The Monitoring and Controlling Process Group consists of those processes required to track, review, and orchestrate the progress and performance of the project; identify any areas in which changes to the plan are required; and initiate the corresponding changes. The key benefit of this Process Group is that project performance is measured and analyzed at regular intervals, appropriate events, or exception conditions to identify variances from the project management plan. The Monitoring and Controlling Process Group also involves:

-          Controlling changes and recommending corrective or preventive action in anticipation of possible problems,

-          Monitoring the ongoing project activities against the project management plan and the project  performance measurement baseline, and

-          Influencing the factors that could circumvent integrated change control or configuration management  so only approved changes are implemented.

The continuous monitoring provides the project team insight into the health of the project and identifies any area requiring additional attention. The monitoring and controlling process group also monitors and controls the entire project effort.

Closing process group

The Closing Process Group consists of those processes performed to finalize all activities across all Project Management Process Groups to formally complete the project, phase, or contractual obligations.

This Process Group also formally establishes the premature closure of the project. Prematurely closed projects may include, for example: aborted projects, cancelled projects, and projects having a critical situation. In specific cases, when some contracts cannot be formally closed (e.g. claims, termination clauses, etc.) or some activities are to be transferred to other organizational units, specific hand-over procedures may be arranged and finalized.

At project or phase closure, the following may occur:

-          Obtain acceptance by the customer or sponsor to formally close the project or phase.

-          Conduct post-project or phase-end review.

-          Record impacts of tailoring to any process.

-          Document lessons learned.

-          Apply appropriate updates to organizational process assets.

-          Archive all relevant project documents in the Project Management Information System (PMIS) to be used as historical data.

-          Close out all procurement activities ensuring termination of all relevant agreements.

-          Perform team members' assessment and release project resources.

Project Information

Throughout the life cycle of the project, a significant amount of data and information is collected, analyzed, transformed and distributed in various formats to project team members and other stakeholders.

The following guidelines help minimize the miscommunication and help the project team use appropriate terminology:

-          Work performance data. The raw observations and measurements identified during the activities performed to carry out the project work. Example include reported percent of work physically completed, quality and technical performance measures, start and finish dates of schedule activities, number of change requests, number of defects, actual costs, actual durations, etc.

-          Work performance information. The performance data collected from various controlling processes, analyzed in context and integrated based on relationships across area. Examples of performance information are status of deliverables, implementation status for change requests, and forecasted estimates of complete.

-          Work performance reports: the physical or electronic representation of work performance information compiled in the project documents, intended to generate decisions or raise issues, actions, or awareness. Example include status reports, memos, justifications, information notes, electronic dashboards, recommendations and updates.

The project data are collected as a result of various Executing processes and are shared within the project team. The collected data are analyzed in context, and aggregate and transformed to become project information during various Controlling process. The information may then be communicated verbally or stored distributed as reports in various formats.

Project data are continuously collected and analyzed during the dynamic context of the project execution. As a result, the terms data and information are often used interchangeably in practice. The indiscriminate use of these terms can lead to confusion and misunderstandings by various project stakeholders.

Project data information and report flow

Project management process group and knowledge area mapping

A knowledge area represent a complete set of concepts, terms, and activities that make up a professional field, project management field or area of specification.

The knowledge areas are:

1.       Project Integration Management.

2.       Project Scope Management.

3.       Project Time Management.

4.       Project Cost Management.

5.       Project Quality Management.

6.       Project Human Resource Management.

7.       Project Communication Management.

8.       Project Risk Management.

9.       Project Procurement Management.

10.   Project Stakeholders Management.

Although the process are represented here as discrete elements with well-defined interface, in practice they are iterative and can overlap and interact.