Read the Course Overview.
1. Project Management Processes
2. Project Management Process Interactions
Whether you want to obtain PMP® certification from the Project Management Institute, or you just want to learn how to use effective principles to manage projects in your own organization, it's important to have a solid knowledge of project management processes. These processes can help you chart a clear and effective route through the many aspects of project management.
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, or PMBOK® Guide, defines and explains 47 project management processes. You can apply these to projects of any type.
Each process relates to activities you perform during project management.
For example, the Validate Scope process contains activities related to verifying that project objectives are appropriate and inclusive of all project requirements.
To organize the 47 processes according to how they'll be used, the PMBOK® Guide arranges them into five project management Process Groups. The Process Groups are Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing.
Figure 3-1 of the PMBOK® Guide Fifth Edition is a diagram that shows the relationship between the five Process Groups. The Initiating processes trigger two sets of processes that are iterative in nature: Planning and Executing. Once these processes are complete, the Closing processes are carried out. Monitoring and Controlling processes are also carried out as all the other processes take place.
Each group is a collection of processes and activities with similar objectives. For instance, two processes that fall within the Closing Process Group are related to closing out all procurements and documenting lessons learned. Both processes are necessary to formally close a project or a phase of a project.
In the first half of this course, you'll get a big picture look at how the five project management Process Groups interact with each other.
You'll also see how they fit in with other aspects of a project, like its phases and the processes for creating a product or service.
The five Process Groups are triggered by entering a phase or starting the project. The set of processes are complete as the project exits a phase or it ends entirely.
You'll learn that each process has particular inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs. Often, the outputs of one process are the inputs for others. Because of these linkages, processes often depend on one another. You'll learn how these dependencies affect the way you should manage a project.
The second half of this course focuses on how the five Process Groups interact with the ten project management Knowledge Areas.
Knowing this will help you understand exactly how each process fits into the job of managing a project.
As you work through this course, you'll be expected to learn which Knowledge Area and Process Group each of the project management processes falls into.
If this seems like a lot of information to keep track of, don't worry. Throughout the course, you'll get regular learning aids and job aids to guide you through the process interactions.
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Job Aid
Access the job aid Process Groups and Knowledge Areas to view a table showing how the Process Groups and Knowledge Areas relate.
After completing this topic, you should be able to
It can be daunting to take on a huge project, especially if it's something you've never done before. But just as the old proverb says, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. If you break a big project into smaller steps, you'll find it's much easier to complete it successfully.
For example, to map out the route to a destination, you begin where you are and trace each turn along the way until you reach the end.
In the Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, or PMBOK® Guide, the "smaller steps" for managing a project are known as project management processes. According to the PMBOK® Guide, a process is a set of interrelated actions and activities performed to achieve a prespecified product, result, or service.
So how do processes fit into project management? A project management process is a set of activities you use to achieve a required result. The result contributes to your meeting project milestones and objectives.
For example, on your roadmap each leg of the journey will involve its own processes, activities, and milestones.
The PMBOK® Guide defines 47 project management processes. They fall into five project management Process Groups.
Some examples of processes are Develop Project Charter, Plan Quality Management, Perform Quality Assurance, Control Schedule, and Close Procurements.
How many project management processes are defined in the PMBOK® Guide?
The PMBOK® Guide makes reference to 47 project management processes, which fall into five project management Process Groups.
Correct answer(s):
You can think of each project management process as having three elements. These elements are inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs. The content of each element is different for each process.
Inputs are often in the form of documents. Tools and techniques may involve computer software. An example of an output is a completed product or information.
Select each component of a process for more information about it.
Another example of a project management process is the Create Work Breakdown Structure, or Create WBS, process. Two of the inputs for this process include the scope management plan and the project scope statement. The main technique for the process is decomposition. The outputs include the scope baseline and any project document updates that are necessary as a result of creating the WBS.
Figure 5-9 of the PMBOK® Guide Fifth Edition indicates the inputs for the Create WBS process include the scope management plan, project scope statement, requirements documentation, enterprise environmental factors, and organizational process assets.
Each time you see a new process, ask yourself "What do the inputs have to do with tools and techniques, and how do they feed into the outputs?" In this example, the act of decomposition, which means breaking down the project deliverables into their component tasks, can't be done without the scope statement. You should be able to find these types of relationships in each project management process.
The inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs of any process fit together like cogs within a machine.
Which statement best describes a project management process?
Options:
Option 1: This is the correct option. A project management process is a set of interrelated activities, implemented using tools and techniques, for achieving a specified product, result, or service. The product, result, or service contributes to achieving project milestones and objectives.
Option 2: This is an incorrect option. Each of the Process Groups is important to the success of any project. A project management process is one set of activities included in a particular Process Group – it isn't a tool for selecting appropriate processes.
Option 3: This option is incorrect. A project management process is a set of activities, implemented via particular tools and techniques. Although a project management process may involve monitoring project implementation, project management processes are also used to initiate, plan, execute, control, and close a project.
Option 4: This is an incorrect option. Project management processes are not tools or techniques. They are activities that involve tools and techniques.
Correct answer(s):
The project management processes outlined in the PMBOK® Guide represent best practices, but that doesn't mean you can or should apply all of them to every project.
As project manager, you and your project team must decide which processes to use and how to apply them. This is called project tailoring.
Factors that will affect how you and your team apply project management processes include organizational process assets and enterprise environmental factors.
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Job Aid
Access the job aid Organizational Process Assets and Enterprise Environmental Factors to help you distinguish between the two terms.
Organizational process assets are assets in an organization that are already available to a project. One example is an organization's existing financial controls procedure.
Organizational process assets are usually inputs to a process. They can contribute significantly to the success of a project. Organizational process assets you can use for a project come from an organization's processes, policies, and procedures, or from its corporate knowledge base.
Select each source of organizational process assets for an example.
The way you tailor a project will depend on enterprise environmental factors as well as organizational process assets. Enterprise environmental factors are external and internal factors that contribute to the circumstances around a project. They often provide constraints to project planning and execution.
Government standards and marketplace conditions – like the availability of resources – are examples of enterprise environmental factors.
Betty is a project manager for a multinational medical products company. Follow along as she discusses project tailoring with Rick, a project team member.
Betty:
Hi Rick. Thanks for agreeing to meet with me. You've probably heard about our plans to move one of our production lines to Puerto Rico.
Rick:
Yes, I have. If I'm correct, it's the line that manufactures adhesive bandages.
Betty:
Exactly. The management team and I have decided that you and the team that worked on our move to India should be involved in this project too. This way, we can cut down on planning time by taking the lessons from our last project and applying them to this one.
Rick:
Sure. I'd be happy to take on the project. What do you need me to do?
Betty:
I'd like you to work on estimating costs and determining the budget. You can use the information from the move to India to get a sense of the resources that are needed, and then see how many of these resources are available in Puerto Rico and at what cost.
Rick:
No problem. Given my experience with the company procurement protocol, I'm comfortable about going ahead with this.
Betty:
Thanks a lot. I'm sure you'll do a great job!
Consider how organizational process assets and enterprise environmental factors played a role in tailoring the project of moving a production line.
Rick's experience in a similar project is an organizational process asset that reduced the amount of training necessary when performing the Plan Human Resource Management process.
The company procurement policy is another organizational process asset. It simplifies the process of planning procurements. Market conditions in Puerto Rico are an enterprise environmental factor. Betty and Rick aren't familiar with prices and procurement conditions in that country, so this is a constraint on the process of estimating project costs.
Because every project is unique, it's the project manager's responsibility to take specific actions to ensure success:
Which statements best describe the relationships between a project's processes, and organizational process assets and enterprise environmental factors?
Options:
Option 1: This option is correct. Organizational process assets are assets gained from an organization's processes and procedures, and its corporate knowledge base. They often serve as inputs for project processes and may make certain processes unnecessary.
Option 2: This is an incorrect option. Enterprise environmental factors, rather than organizational process assets, typically constrain project processes. Organizational process assets often serve as inputs for project processes. They may simplify a process or even make it unnecessary for a particular project.
Option 3: This option is correct because enterprise environmental factors are internal and external factors – such as organizational and marketplace conditions – that contribute to the circumstances in which a project runs. These factors often place limitations on project processes.
Option 4: This option is incorrect. Enterprise environmental factors are internal and external factors that affect a project, rather than tools. Enterprise environmental factors often constrain project processes.
Correct answer(s):
You can apply project management processes to any project, in any industry. They help a project manager and team ensure that a project flows successfully. However, you use product-oriented processes to outline the steps for creating a specific product, service, or result.
Consider this example. In line with the latest trends, a cosmetics company wants to make the hand cream it produces therapeutic and free of chemicals. Based on research, it decides to replace some chemical ingredients with tee tree oil in its existing product.
These are examples of the product-oriented processes the cosmetics company might use:
All the processes used by the cosmetics company are product-oriented processes because they are directly connected to the creation of a specific product.
In contrast, project management processes apply globally, to projects in any industry. Some examples of project management processes that the cosmetics company may use are Estimate Costs, Plan Quality Management, Manage Communications, and Identify Risks.
Product-oriented processes aren't used only for projects that deliver products. They're also used for projects that deliver services.
For instance, a translation company uses product-oriented processes to translate a software application and all supporting documentation from English into Spanish.
The translation company may use certain product-oriented processes:
As well as product-oriented processes, the translation company will use project management processes. For example, it will need to use processes to identify risks and assumptions, ensure all project resources are in place, schedule programmers' and translators' time, and communicate project information with stakeholders.
Project management processes and product-oriented processes interact throughout the life of a project. As you use processes in each of the Process Groups to manage a project, product-oriented processes are also occurring.
Figure 3-1 of the PMBOK® Guide - Fifth Edition is a diagram that illustrates the relationship between the Process Groups. First the Initiating processes appear. These lead to the Planning and the Executing processes, which relate to each other in a circular fashion. They then lead to the Closing processes. The Monitoring and Controlling processes encompass the Initiating, Planning, Executing, and Closing processes.
As a project manager, you need to understand product-oriented processes and ensure they're executed in line with project management processes. For example, you have to know which product-oriented processes are needed and what they entail before you can implement a project management process like Estimate Costs.
A retail chain needs to move one of its stores to a new location.
Match each process to either the product-oriented or the project management process. A process may match to more than one type of process.
Options:
Targets:
Preparing the new site, transporting merchandise, and decommissioning the old site are all examples of product-oriented processes. This is because they relate specifically to the end result – the relocated store.
Estimating costs, monitoring costs, and engaging stakeholders are all project management processes. They are general processes that can be applied to any project.
Correct answer(s):
Target 1 = Option A, Option B, Option C
Target 2 = Option D, Option E, Option F
The PMBOK® Guide identifies 47 project management processes. Each of these is a set of interrelated activities for achieving a prespecified product, result, or service that contributes to achieving project milestones and objectives.
Which project management processes you apply and how you apply them will depend on a particular project's needs. Factors that affect this include the organizational process assets available for a project and enterprise environmental factors, which often determine project constraints.
In a project, you use product-oriented processes to specify and create a specific product, service, or result. Product-oriented processes intersect with project management processes throughout the project life cycle.
After completing this topic, you should be able to
The PMBOK® Guide defines 47 processes that help make project management flow effectively.
A page shows four project management processes checked off: Collect Requirements, Plan Quality Management, Acquire Project Team, and Control Quality.
As you become familiar with these processes, you'll find that many of them are clearly related. For example, the Plan Quality Management process is obviously connected to the Control Quality process.
The PMBOK® Guide organizes all project management processes into five Process Groups, based on how the processes relate to each other. You can think of a Process Group as a logical cluster of processes, with related objectives. The Process Groups are Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing.
Select each Process Group for more information about it.
The five Process Groups are shown, each as a column in a table.
The Process Groups are not discrete. In practice, they overlap over the course of a project life cycle.
Figure 3-2, PMBOK® Guide - Fifth Edition is a graph with a curved line for each of the five Process Groups. The horizontal axis of the graph represents the time a project takes, from start to finish.
The height of each line represents the amount of activity and degree of process interaction of a Process Group at a particular point in a project life cycle. Each of the lines overlaps with other lines, and each line reaches a peak at a different point.
The green line represents the Initiating Process Group. Initiating processes are in full swing at the beginning of a project. They tend to wind down once the project is underway.
The level of process interaction of the Initiating Process Group starts at the very beginning of the project and peaks after reaching a quarter of the maximum degree of interaction. It subsides early in a project's duration.
The yellow line shows the Planning Process Group. Although planning happens from the very beginning of a project, activity in the Planning Process Group increases as the Initiating processes end. The Planning Process Group has a high level of interaction with the Executing and Monitoring and Controlling Process Groups, especially during the phases when the project work is being carried out.
The Planning Process Group begins to interact with the Initiating group a short way into the project, rising slowly and peaking about half way to the maximum level of process interaction. It gradually declines and reaches zero interaction shortly before the end of the project, at the point where the Closing Process Group will peak.
The red line shows the Executing Process Group. The Executing processes occur throughout a project life cycle. They begin after the Planning processes start and speed up as the Initiating processes end. As execution reaches its peak, Planning processes slow down.
The level of process interaction of the Executing Process Group peaks slightly higher and later in time than the line for the Planning Process Group. This Process Group hits zero interactions as activity in the Closing Process Group increases.
The blue line represents the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group. Monitoring and Controlling processes are active from the beginning to the end of a project. They reach their highest point as planning slows down and execution reaches its peak.
The process interaction level for the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group has the most gradual rise and decline as the project progresses. It peaks toward the middle of the project and subsides gradually until it finishes at the very end of the project duration. There is about half the degree of interaction for this Process Group than for the Planning or Executing groups.
The Closing Process Group is shown by the purple line. Closing processes begin soon after the Initiating processes end. Once the Planning processes are completed, activity in the Closing Process Group increases rapidly. This activity peaks as the Executing processes are coming to an end. The Closing processes are the final processes to take place within a project.
The process interaction level of the Closing Process Group begins to rise gradually, roughly from the point where the Planning Process Group peaks. As all other processes subside, it rises more sharply, peaking and then subsiding at the finish of the project.
At the beginning of a project, there is significant activity in the Initiating Process Group, but not much activity in the other Process Groups. In the middle of the project life cycle, there is significant activity in and overlap between the Planning, Executing, and Monitoring and Controlling Process Groups. At the end of the life cycle, there is activity in the Closing Process Group, but little activity in other groups.
Each Process Group represents the types of phases a project passes through, such as the Planning and Closing phases. But don't confuse Process Groups with project phases.
A big project, like constructing a hotel, typically consists of multiple project phases. Examples of these phases might be feasibility study, design, and construction.
All the Process Groups are needed within each project phase. So within the feasibility study phase, processes in the Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing groups will take place.
Process groups interact and overlap throughout the project life cycle. A graph from the PMBOK® Guide shows the activity in each of the Process Groups over time.
Fig. 3-2, PMBOK® Guide - Fifth Edition is a graph that shows a line for each of the five Process Groups. The horizontal axis of the graph represents the time a project takes, from start to finish.
The height of each line represents the amount of activity in a Process Group at a particular point in a project life cycle. Each of the lines overlaps with other lines, and each line reaches a peak at a different point.
Which statements correctly describe how the Initiating and Closing Process Groups interact with other processes in a project life cycle?
Options:
Option 1: This option is correct. The Initiating Process Group contains the processes that begin a project or project phase. Activity in this Process Group peaks before activity in any other Process Group. However, it overlaps with processes in the Planning, Executing, and Monitoring and Controlling Process Groups.
Option 2: This is a correct option. The Closing processes commence after the Initiating processes have ended. They overlap with the Planning, Executing, and Monitoring and Controlling processes, but reach their peak near the end of the project life cycle.
Option 3: This is an incorrect option. The activities of the Initiating Process Group peak at the start of each project or project phase. They then subside as activity increases in the Planning, Executing, and Monitoring and Controlling Process Groups.
Option 4: This option is incorrect because the Closing processes don't begin until after the Initiating processes for a project have ended.
Correct answer(s):
Which statements describe the relationship between the Planning Process Group and other Process Groups in the project life cycle?
Options:
Option 1: This option is correct. Planning takes place early on in the project and can continue until the project is almost over and the Closing processes have peaked. So the Planning Process Group overlaps with all other Process Groups.
Option 2: This is a correct option. Planning activity begins early in the project but it accelerates once activity in the Initiating Process Group has subsided. Planning then peaks once activity in the Initiating Process Group ends.
Option 3: This is an incorrect option because planning must continue and be revised even as a project is being executed.
Option 4: This option is incorrect. The Planning processes begin early in the project life cycle. They can overlap with processes in the Initiating Process Group. However, planning accelerates once the Initiating processes have ended.
Correct answer(s):
Which statements best describe how the Executing Process Group interacts with other Process Groups?
Options:
Option 1: This option is correct. Activities in the Executing Process Group begin when a project commences and continue until just before the project is closed.
Option 2: This is a correct option. Executing processes peak close to or just after the middle of a project. They slow down once activities in the Planning Process Group and in the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group have also started subsiding, and end just before a project closes.
Option 3: This is an incorrect option because activities in the Executing and Planning Process Groups overlap.
Option 4: This option is incorrect. Executing processes continue when Closing processes begin.
Correct answer(s):
Which statements describe how processes in the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group relate to other processes in a project life cycle?
Options:
Option 1: This is a correct option. Monitoring and Controlling processes should occur from the beginning to the end of a project, so these processes overlap with processes in all other groups.
Option 2: This option is correct. While or just before activity in the Executing Process Group is at its peak, the majority of the processes in the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group are being implemented.
Option 3: This option is incorrect because Monitoring and Controlling processes continue after work starts on the Closing processes for a project.
Option 4: This is an incorrect option. Monitoring and Controlling processes continue to occur throughout the planning stages of a project.
Correct answer(s):
Imagine you're the project manager for a software translation project. The project is well underway when the client moves the delivery date a month closer. As the project manager, you now need to redevelop the project schedule so you can meet the customer's requirements.
A project almost always encounters changes during its life cycle, so the Planning, Executing, and Monitoring and Controlling processes are iterative by nature. They are performed again and again, often resulting in updates and revisions to the project plan.
Also, a change to one process usually impacts a number of related processes. This is because different processes are connected via their inputs and outputs.
Within each process, inputs are used by the tools and techniques to create outputs. Between certain processes, the output of one process becomes the input to the other process.
In the example, a change to the project delivery date meant having to revise the project schedule. The project schedule is an output of the Develop Schedule process. It is also an input to several other processes:
Just as individual processes are connected by their inputs and outputs, the Process Groups are connected.
The project charter connects the Initiating Process Group with the Planning Process Group, which is connected to the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group through the project management plan.
Consider an example of how the Initiating, Planning, and Monitoring and Controlling Process Groups depend on each other. In the Initiating Process Group, you create a project charter. The project charter is an important input for the project management plan, which you develop as part of the Planning Process Group. In turn, this plan contains information – such as cost baselines and quality checklists – needed as inputs for the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group.
Which descriptions illustrate how the Process Groups are linked?
Options:
Remember that a Process Group is a cluster of processes with related objectives, like planning and execution. At some point, the way that you execute a project will depend on what you've decided during project planning. That means there has to be a connection between the Planning and the Executing Process Groups. This connection is achieved via process inputs and outputs.
Correct answer(s):
Often one aspect of a project will be addressed across multiple Process Groups. For example, in the Planning Process Group, you use the Plan Quality Management process. In the Executing Process Group, you use the Perform Quality Assurance process. And in the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group, you use the Control Quality process.
When a group of processes relate, they are grouped into a Knowledge Area. In this instance, the three processes just mentioned fall under Project Quality Management, which is one of ten Knowledge Areas identified in the PMBOK® guide.
A Knowledge Area is a collection of processes that focus on the same area of concern in project management. Each Knowledge Area spans multiple Process Groups.
The five Process Groups include Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing. The three processes of the Project Quality Management Knowledge Area are Plan Quality Management, Perform Quality Assurance, and Control Quality.
In the PMBOK® Guide, each project management process is mapped to a specific Process Group and Knowledge Area, depending on the nature of the process.
Table 3-1 from the PMBOK Guide Fifth Edition displays the interaction of Process Groups and Knowledge Areas. It consists of six columns – one for the Knowledge Areas, and one for each of the five Process Groups – Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing. There are two Knowledge Areas in this excerpt of the table: Project Integration Management and Project Scope Management. The processes for each Knowledge Area are listed and grouped in columns according to their respective Process Groups.
For example, the Plan Communications Management process is located in the Project Communications Management Knowledge Area, and in the Planning Process Group.
Processes that fall within the same Knowledge Area often depend on one another.
The table excerpt contains the Project Time Management Knowledge Area. It has seven processes, six that fall within the Planning Process Group and one in the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group. The cell that intersects Project Time Management and Planning Process Groups contains Plan Schedule Management, Define Activities, Sequence Activities, Estimate Activity Resources, Estimate Activity Durations, and Develop Schedule.
Examples of Planning processes in the Project Time Management Knowledge Area that depend on each other are Plan Schedule Management, Define Activities, Sequence Activities, Estimate Activity Resources, Estimate Activity Durations, and Develop Schedule.
Select each example of a process in the Project Time Management Knowledge Area for information about the other processes it depends on.
Dependencies exist in the other Knowledge Areas as well. Table 3-1 in the PMBOK® Guide shows the relationships between the Process Groups and the Knowledge Areas. Wherever a Process Group and a Knowledge Area intersect and contain multiple processes, there will probably be process dependencies.
The excerpt of Table 3-1 shows the intersection of the Planning Process Group and the Project Scope Management Knowledge Area. The cell contains the Plan Scope Management, Collect Requirements, Define Scope, and Create WBS processes.
Review the learning aid Process Groups and Knowledge Areas. Dependencies in the Project Time Management Knowledge Area were covered in the example.
In which other Knowledge Areas would you expect to find process dependencies?
Enter your thoughts about other process dependencies and then select the Compare button to find out what project management experts have to say.
Write down your response or enter it in a text file in your word-processor application (or in a text editor such as Notepad) and save it to your hard drive for later viewing and for comparison with the alternate opinion that follows.
Knowledge Areas with process dependencies
There are process dependencies in all the Knowledge Areas.
So dependencies exist both between the Process Groups and between the individual processes within a Process Group. To manage a project effectively, you need to be aware of these dependencies.
Wherever there are dependencies between processes or Process Groups, the project schedule is vulnerable to change. If the outputs of one process are delayed, the start dates for the processes that rely on those outputs are also affected.
You want to create a project management plan. To meet customer requirements, the final product must be delivered by a certain date. Working back from that date, you realize production must begin in two weeks. How do process dependencies affect the project?
Before you can create a project management plan, you need to create the project schedule. To create a realistic schedule, you need inputs from different processes.
A box labeled Create project schedule with three input arrows leading to it.
You need a detailed description of the work that will be required, which comes from the Create WBS process.
One of the inputs is description of work required, which is an output of the Create WBS process.
Next you need a list of the people who will work on the project team and details of their availability. That information is one of the outputs from the Plan Human Resource Management process.
Another input is project team abilities, which is an output of the Plan Human Resource Management process.
You also need a list of suppliers and dates when they will deliver materials. That information comes from the Plan Procurement Management process.
The third input is supplier and delivery dates, which is an output of the Plan Procurement Management process.
You discover that the team members assigned to create the work breakdown structure can't complete their task in time because the customer has not submitted the quality requirements for several of the product's components.
Now the project schedule and the project management plan cannot be completed on time, and the completion date for the project may have to be delayed.
In this case, a delay in just one process – the Create WBS process – meant delays to other Planning processes. This impacted the project as a whole. There are many points where a project might be placed in jeopardy because certain processes cannot begin until outputs from another process become available.
Because changes in carrying out one process can affect the work of many other processes, many project management processes are iterative in nature. For example, planning activities are often repeated throughout a project life cycle to adapt to changing circumstances and to help control project performance.
The scenario about the delay in the Create Work Breakdown Structure process illustrates the impact that a change during the planning phase can have on a project. Now consider an example of how a product change that comes late in a project's life cycle can have disastrous results.
A software development company has been contracted to produce a web-based service that will enable parents to track the meals their children are eating at school by logging on to a web site.
The project requirements, which were collected early in the planning process, indicate that the system must perform three basic functions:
Two weeks before the delivery date, the customer indicates that the system requirements have changed. Parents want the cafeteria food to be categorized according to nutritional value and they want to be able to place limits on the amount of junk food their children eat.
This means that the system will need to be modified. However, the delivery date cannot be altered, because the release date has already been advertised.
This change in project requirements has many implications. The project scope is impacted by the increase in system complexity. So processes in the Project Scope Management Knowledge Area will need to be revisited, across the Process Groups. In the Planning Process Group, the outputs of the Define Scope and Create Work Breakdown Structure processes must be updated.
The outputs of the Define Scope and Create Work Breakdown Structure include the scope statement and scope baseline. They are inputs to the Monitoring and Controlling processes.
In the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group, the Validate Scope and Control Scope processes will be affected because the project team uses the scope statement and requirements documentation to perform scope monitoring and control activities. Because the Project Scope Management Knowledge Area has been affected, updates are required in some of the other Knowledge Areas as well, particularly Time, Cost, and Quality Management.
Time Management processes will be used to update the project schedule. Cost Management processes will be used to update the budget. Quality Management processes will be used to update the quality checklists.
In order to meet the deadline and accommodate the scope change, two programmers and one product testing specialist are going to have to work overtime for the next week. That is going to dramatically impact project costs.
An engineering company has taken on a project to construct a stadium. The project manager has delegated the implementation of the Determine Budget process to a team member. The team member has missed the deadline for handing in the budget by over a week.
What are the implications of this delay for the project management processes?
Options:
Option 1: This option is correct. Many processes rely on other processes for inputs. When an output is not available, it can cause a delay that impacts a number of processes in the project's life cycle.
Option 2: This is a correct option. It is the responsibility of the project manager to adapt the planning, execution, monitoring and controlling, and closing of the project to changing circumstances or requirements, through all the Knowledge Areas.
Option 3: This option is incorrect. Many processes depend on the outputs of the Determine Budget process. However, the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group relates to all areas of project planning and execution. Some processes that don't depend on the budget will continue despite the delay.
Option 4: This is an incorrect option. The project manager may make changes to other processes to ensure that the project remains on schedule.
Correct answer(s):
Project management processes are connected by their inputs and outputs. The output of one process is often the input to a subsequent process. Processes with related objectives are organized into Process Groups. There are five Process Groups and they overlap extensively throughout a project's life cycle.
The project management processes are distributed among ten Knowledge Areas. The processes within a Knowledge Area often depend on each other for inputs and outputs.
Wherever process dependencies occur, a project management plan is vulnerable to change. It is the project manager's responsibility to identify process dependencies and manage those dependencies when changes occur.
After completing this topic, you should be able to
If you got offered a new job today – what would you do? You might be pretty excited at the opportunity. Still, you'd probably want to take some time to think about how it would fit in with your circumstances and your goals. You'd want to know exactly what the job would entail and how it would benefit you. You'd also have to find out who you'd be working with and how your working relationships with them would be managed.
For example, you may want to write down the pros and cons of taking the job.
There are many questions to consider any time you make a decision that will have a major impact on how you use your time and energy.
For example, pros of taking the job may include better salary, more leave, and more responsibilities. Cons may include longer hours.
Similarly, in project management, organizations need to weigh up potential projects before giving them the green light. They need to determine whether a project is in line with organizational goals and whether investment in the project will be worthwhile.
This is done in the Initiating Process Group.
The main objective of the Initiating Process Group is to gain formal authorization to start a new project or project phase.
Another objective is to clarify the basic purpose of a project and identify who has an interest in the project outcome before detailed project planning goes ahead.
When a large project is divided into project phases, each phase is kicked off by revisiting the Initiating processes. For example, three phases in a project to develop a range of hand creams containing tea tree oil for a cosmetics company are market research, raw materials sourcing, and production.
Figure 3-1 of the PMBOK Guide Fifth Edition shows the iterative nature of five Process Groups: Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing.
Select each phase to learn how returning to the Initiating Process Group provides an opportunity for deciding whether the project is being developed in line with the business needs of the organization.
To achieve its objectives, the Initiating group focuses on two processes: Develop Project Charter and Identify Stakeholders.
Select each process to learn more about it.
The Initiating processes fall into two of the ten Knowledge Areas. Develop Project Charter is part of Project Integration Management because its outputs unite the activities of the Initiating Process Group and link it with the other Process Groups. The Identify Stakeholders process gives the project team a framework for managing interactions between the project and its stakeholders. So it forms part of Project Stakeholder Management.
The table shows Knowledge Area and Initiating Process Group columns. The Knowledge Area column contains a row for each project management Knowledge Area, namely Project Integration, Scope, Time, Cost, Quality, Human Resources, Communications, Risk, Procurement, and Stakeholder Management.
The outputs of the Initiating processes are the project charter and the stakeholder register. In turn, these two outputs become inputs to processes in several Knowledge Areas.
The project charter is an output of the Develop Project Charter process, while the stakeholder register is an output of the Identify Stakeholders process.
The project charter is used as an input to Planning processes in several of the Knowledge Areas, including Project Integration, Scope, Time, Cost, Risk, and Stakeholder Management.
The project charter is an input to the Develop Project Management Plan, Plan Scope Management, Plan Schedule Management, Plan Cost Management, Plan Risk Management, and Plan Stakeholder Management processes.
How do you think the project charter is used in the Planning Process Group?
Enter your thoughts in the text box provided and then select the Compare button to learn more about how the project charter is used.
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How the project charter is used in Planning
In the Planning Process Group, the project charter is used to develop the project management plan and define the project scope.
Another output of the Initiating Process Group is the stakeholder register, which is a list of all the project stakeholders who have been identified.
The stakeholder register, which contains the names and other information about project stakeholders, is an output of the Identify Stakeholders process in the Project Stakeholder Management Knowledge Area.
In the Planning Process Group, the stakeholder register is used in several Knowledge Areas, including Scope, Quality, Risk, Procurement, and Stakeholder Management.
The stakeholder register is an input to the Collect Requirements, Plan Quality Management, Plan Risk Management, Plan Cost Management, Plan Risk Management, Identify Risks, Plan Procurement Management, and Plan Stakeholder Management processes.
Although the Initiating Process Group consists of only two processes, their outputs are critical to many Knowledge Areas. So you should never underestimate their importance in getting a project off to the right start.
The project charter is an output of the Develop Project Charter process, and the stakeholder register is an output of the Identify Stakeholders process.
There are several benefits of completing the Initiating processes:
Select each benefit for more information about it.
What are the outputs of the Initiating Process Group?
Options:
Option 1: This is a correct option. The project charter is the output of the Develop Project Charter process. This process falls in the Project Integration Management Knowledge Area because the project charter contains information that brings together different parts of a project.
Option 2: This option is correct. The stakeholder register is one of the outputs of the Identify Stakeholders process. This process falls in the Project Stakeholder Management Knowledge Area. The stakeholder register is what identifies relevant stakeholders so you can manage engagement with them throughout a project.
Option 3: This is an incorrect option. There is no input or output named "stakeholder management strategy." There is however a document called the stakeholder management plan. It is found in the Planning Process Group as an output of the Plan Stakeholder Management process.
Option 4: This option is incorrect. A project management plan is developed only after processes in the Initiating group are complete. This is because the plan relies on the output of the Develop Project Charter process.
Option 5: This is an incorrect option. A scope statement can't be developed before a project is formally authorized and you know what it must achieve. So this isn't created until after the Initiating processes are complete.
Correct answer(s):
The Initiating Process Group includes the Develop Project Charter and Identify Stakeholders processes. These formally authorize and start a project.
Each of the processes falls in a different Knowledge Area. Develop Project Charter produces the project charter as an output. The output of Identifying Stakeholders is the stakeholder register. These outputs affect and guide the processes across several other Knowledge Areas.
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Follow-on Activity
Access the follow-on activity The Initiating Process Group to help you memorize the processes of the Initiating Process Group for exam purposes.
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Imagine you're an architect and you've been approached by a couple to design their dream home. They have a clear idea of what they want their house to look like, and they've pegged their hopes on you to give the construction team a plan for how to build it. Your goal is to develop a blueprint that's as close to their vision as possible. The better the blueprint, the more likely it is that the couple will end up satisfied with the result.
Now imagine what would happen if the house was built without a blueprint. There's a good chance the structural design would be faulty. Not only that, but the house probably wouldn't be anything like what the couple had in mind.
Just as a team of builders relies on an accurate blueprint to build a house, a project team depends on accurate plans. Without clear plans, a project is unlikely to meet expectations.
Planning is vital to the success of any project. It ensures that everyone in the project team knows what steps to take, and in what order.
During project planning, you convert information about the project as a whole into a detailed outline of the steps needed to reach the project's objectives.
Project planning has three main aims. The first is to define the scope of a project. This means coming up with a detailed analysis of the project and its requirements.
The second aim is to refine the project objectives that were introduced when the project was initiated.
And the third aim is to determine the actions the project team must take to meet the project's objectives.
Planning a project includes a set of processes. In the PMBOK® Guide, these processes are organized into the Planning Process Group. Each process in the group fits into a particular Knowledge Area. Together, the processes are distributed across all ten of the Knowledge Areas for managing a project. This is because planning has to inform all aspects of project management.
There are some important points to remember about the Planning Process Group:
What are the main aims of the processes in the Planning Process Group?
Options:
Option 1: This option is correct. One of the purposes of the Planning processes is to determine exactly what work falls within project scope, and what work doesn't.
Option 2: This option is incorrect. It's the project charter that formally authorizes a project and the allocation of resources to it.
Option 3: This is a correct option. The Planning processes refine and elaborate on the objectives outlined in the project charter.
Option 4: This is an incorrect option. Rather than identifying objectives, the Planning processes refine and elaborate on these. They're outlined at a high level in the project charter.
Option 5: This option is correct. The Planning processes involve determining what actions must be taken and how these must be managed to meet project objectives.
Correct answer(s):
The project management plan is the central planning document used throughout a project.
The project management plan is the primary source of information for how the project will be planned, executed, monitored and controlled, and closed.
The project management plan is created during the Develop Project Management Plan process.
This process falls into the Project Integration Management Knowledge Area.
In the Planning Process Group, each Knowledge Area contains processes that produce a subsidiary plan. For instance, the processes of the Project Cost Management Knowledge Area produce the cost management plan. Those subsidiary plans are then integrated to form the project management plan.
The entire project management plan is linked with processes from the Executing Process Group and the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group as well.
It is used as an input to those Process Groups, which in turn produce outputs that update the project management plan.
For instance, in the Planning Process Group, you create the project management plan. Work performance data is generated as project work is carried out. This information is used in the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group, where actual work performance is compared to the subsidiary plans and project baselines. Based on this, change requests and baseline updates are generated. These may result in changes to the project management plan.
Given that it must guide and integrate other processes throughout a project, what do you think the main components of a project management plan are?
Enter your thoughts in the text box provided and then select the Compare button to learn more about the components of an effective project management plan.
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Components of a project management plan
An effective project management plan should include descriptions of a project's life cycle and phases, and the project management processes and techniques that will be used for the project. It should explain how change will be monitored and controlled, how configuration management will be carried out, and how performance will be measured. It should also specify how project information will be shared among stakeholders and how key management reviews will be scheduled and decisions made.
How would you describe the project management plan?
Options:
Option 1: This is the correct option. The project management plan is used to guide the way that a project will be planned, executed, monitored and controlled, and closed.
Option 2: This option is incorrect. The project management plan is the main planning document, and it is created in the Project Integration Management Knowledge Area. But this Knowledge Area incorporates many other areas. So the project management plan affects and is affected by other Knowledge Areas.
Option 3: This is an incorrect option. The document that authorizes the beginning of a project is the project charter. This is created in the Initiating Process Group, before detailed project planning starts.
Option 4: This option is incorrect. The project management plan contains information that is used for planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing a project.
Correct answer(s):
In the PMBOK® Guide, the Knowledge Areas are listed in sequence. But this doesn't mean the processes they include happen one at a time. For example, processes occur at the same time to produce a subsidiary plan for each Knowledge Area. The project manager coordinates the processes and then integrates the subsidiary plans into the overall project management plan. This is part of Project Integration Management, which ties all the Knowledge Areas together.
At a medical products company, Betty is responsible for managing a project to move a production plant to Puerto Rico. Follow along as she explains how she coordinates planning for the project.
At the moment, I'm working on developing the project management plan. I've determined the subsidiary plans that we'll need to prepare. Now I'm splitting up the work of creating those plans between the project team members.
Betty is performing activities of the Develop Project Management Plan process.
I assigned Scott the role of identifying risks and risk responses. This will form part of the risk management plan.
Scott will be performing activities of the Plan Risk Management process.
Because Rick has performed a similar role on a previous project, I asked him to be in charge of estimating the costs of materials and services. Once he's done, we'll use that information in the cost management plan.
Rick will be performing activities of the Estimate Costs process.
Tracy is familiar with the tools and techniques we use to estimate activity durations, so she's looking to see how long activities in similar projects took. Her input will help us develop the schedule management plan.
Tracy will be performing activities of the Estimate Activity Durations process.
Scott, Rick, and Tracy are all working on their plans at the moment. Once the documents are ready, I'll put them together and merge them with plans for other areas, to form the project management plan.
Which statement correctly describes how planning is coordinated?
Options:
Option 1: This is the correct option. Planning processes occur simultaneously in a coordinated way, across the Knowledge Areas. Subsidiary plans from each Knowledge Area are then integrated into the project management plan.
Option 2: This is an incorrect option. Although the Planning processes are situated across multiple Knowledge Areas, they are connected. Effective project planning takes all aspects of a project into account. The information from all the Knowledge Areas is consolidated in the project management plan.
Option 3: This option is incorrect. The Planning Process Group and the Executing Process Group are connected, and their activities overlap. As work is executed, plans are revisited.
Option 4: This is an incorrect option. The Planning processes are implemented simultaneously across the Knowledge Areas, rather than in chronological order. Their outputs are then consolidated into the project management plan.
Correct answer(s):
Initially, many subsidiary plans are based on estimations or projections.
For example, the cost management plan contains a list of preliminary cost estimates for each project activity.
But as a project moves through its life cycle, you gather more detailed project information.
You use this information to refine the subsidiary plans and update the project management plan.
During project execution, you also generate work performance data. Based on this data that reflects actual project performance, you sometimes have to issue change requests to modify procedures or baselines. If the change requests are approved, plans must be updated to reflect the changes.
Work performance data is an output of various executing processes. It is an input to the Monitor and Control Project Work and Perform Integrated Change Control processes. Out of these processes, approved change requests are issued, that will then be used to update the project management plan. The updated project management plan is then an input to the Direct and Manage Project Work process, and the cycle continues.
So planning is continuous, because project information and change requests cause the plans to be updated throughout the project life cycle.
Remember the relocation project? The project management plan's been created and project work gets underway. Now follow along as Betty, the project manager, discusses an issue that has arisen with Scott, the person in charge of the risk management plan.
Betty:
Hi Scott. Thanks for coming to see me. I wanted to discuss an issue that's going to impact our risk management plan.
Scott:
No problem Betty. What's going on?
Betty:
There's an environmental activist group that has expressed some concern about the rapid industrialization of the area where our production site is. Specifically, the group is worried about carbon emissions in that area.
Scott:
What are the implications on our project?
Betty:
Well, the group is asking us to make sure our environmental policy takes its concerns into account. Otherwise we could face protest action.
Scott:
I remember environmental sustainability was a point raised at our last shareholders meeting.
Betty:
Yes, and many of our shareholders are in strong agreement with the environmentalist group. They're demanding to know how we plan to make sure this project is as eco-friendly as possible.
Scott:
So what will we do about this?
Betty:
We've been meeting with environmental consultants, and together we've come up with a plan that will allow us to reduce our carbon emissions by 40%. Now we're going to need to update the planning documents to reflect this change.
In this case, stakeholders emerged who had not been identified in the initial planning stage of the project. Because the stakeholders had valid concerns, the project requirements were changed to accommodate their demands.
The changes affected numerous aspects of the project, so the scope baseline, communications management plan, stakeholder management plan, and risk management plan were updated.
These updates will be consolidated into the project management plan.
There are many other conditions and events that will trigger plan updates. However, as project manager, you must establish a date or phase in the project life cycle when updates and iterations to the planning processes will stop.
For example, you may mark a date on your calendar as the deadline to complete planning.
Which statement correctly describes how planning fits into the project life cycle?
Options:
Option 1: This is the correct option. Project planning documents are updated and refined continuously, throughout the project life cycle. Subsidiary plans and the project management plan are adjusted as more information becomes available. This occurs as performance is measured, risks are identified, and changes are controlled.
Option 2: This option is incorrect. The project management plan and subsidiary plans should be updated to reflect new information as it becomes available. This continues to occur throughout the project life cycle.
Option 3: This is an incorrect option because project planning documents must be updated continually, as relevant information for a project becomes available.
Option 4: This is an incorrect option. It's impossible for those planning a project to foresee every possible circumstance and change that will affect the project. Instead, project plans are continually updated and refined as a project progresses.
Correct answer(s):
The Planning Process Group defines the scope of a project, refines its objectives, and determines what activities are needed to meet these objectives. The main output of the Planning Process Group is the project management plan, which becomes the primary source of information for managing a project throughout its life cycle.
Coordinated Planning processes occur across the Knowledge Areas. The subsidiary plans for all the Knowledge Areas are then integrated in the project management plan.
Planning for a project is continuous. As a project progresses, subsidiary plans and the project management plan continue to be updated to reflect new information.
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Follow-on Activity
Access the follow-on activity The Planning Process Group to help you memorize the processes of the Planning Process Group for exam purposes.
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Once initial plans are complete, it's time to start getting the planned work done.
This is where the Executing Process Group comes in.
The Executing Process Group includes the processes for carrying out what's in the project management plan. So its purpose is to complete the work required to meet a project's objectives.
This involves processes spread across six of the ten Knowledge Areas.
There are six Knowledge Areas that contain Executing processes. The Project Integration Management Knowledge Area contains the Direct and Manage Project Work process. The Project Quality Management Knowledge Area contains the Perform Quality Assurance process. The Project Human Resource Management Knowledge Area has three processes in the Execution Group - Acquire Project Team, Develop Project Team and Manage Project Team. The Project Communications Management Knowledge Area has one process in the Executing Process Group, which is Manage Communications. The Project Procurement Management Knowledge Area includes the Conduct Procurements process. And the Project Stakeholder Management Knowledge Area includes the Manage Stakeholder Engagement process within the Executing process group.
Each Process Group includes one or more processes in the Project Integration Management Knowledge Area. It's these processes that unite all other activities in the groups. In the Executing Process Group, it's the Direct and Manage Project Work process that serves this purpose.
The Direct and Manage Project Work process contains several activities:
Select each activity to learn more about it.
Consider an example of how these activities take place in a project. A project manager at a software company has been contracted to produce a web-based service that parents can use to track the grades their children are receiving in school.
She has scheduled weekly progress meetings with the development team. In these meetings, the entire team revisits the project schedule, which is constantly on display in the meeting room.
Examples of phases in the project schedule include prototype, design, and development.
Each team member reports on their progress, and the project manager adds this data to the schedule. So everyone can see where the project is on track, behind schedule, or ahead of schedule.
The manager notices that the system will be ready for testing sooner than planned. And she decides to use the extra time to include another batch of screening tests, which will help the programmers identify bugs sooner and refine the system.
She submits a change request to the change control board, noting that extra testing will require additional money to be spent on the project, but that it will deliver a higher-quality product within the same scheduled timeframe.
A change request contains space to record the change request description and change impact analysis.
The change request is approved, so the manager updates the change log and requirements documentation. She also drafts an update to the project management plan. This update will be distributed to team members.
The actions the project manager took in this example were all related to the Direct and Manage Project Work process. The outputs of this process are deliverables, work performance data, change requests, updates to the project management plan, and any necessary updates to project documents.
These outputs link the Executing Process Group with the Planning and the Monitoring and Controlling Process Groups.
Select each output to find out how it relates to planning, monitoring, and controlling activities.
You're managing a project at an advertising agency to create an advertising campaign for a leading fashion retailer.
Which examples of activities fall in the Direct and Manage Project Work process?
Options:
Option 1: This option is correct. Directing the creation of project deliverables is one of the important activities in the Direct and Manage Project Work process. Reviewing storyboards might be one of the ways you do this.
Option 2: This option is incorrect. Work performance data, such as schedule progress, is generated during the Direct and Manage Project Work process and is then used during the Monitor and Control Project Work process. That is where the actual progress would be compared to planned progress.
Option 3: This option is correct. As project manager, your job is to make sure project work is done in the most effective way possible to achieve project objectives. Sometimes that means changing the way things were planned. This is done by means of change requests, which are issued as an output of the Direct and Manage Project Work process.
Option 4: This is a correct option. Generating updates to the project management plan is an important activity in the Direct and Manage Project Work process.
Option 5: This option is incorrect. Updates to the project management plan and other project documents are often generated during the Direct and Manage Project Work process, but they're distributed to stakeholders through the Manage Communications process.
Option 6: This is an incorrect option. Quality control occurs through the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group, rather than as part of the Direct and Manage Project Work process.
Correct answer(s):
Directing and managing the work carried out for a project is just one process in the Executing Process Group. For a project to meet its objectives, you also need to make sure the work is of the required quality. You need to manage the people doing the work and ensure appropriate stakeholders are engaged. And you need to manage communication and make sure resources are available when they're needed.
As well as Project Integration Management, five other Knowledge Areas are at work in the Executing Process Group. These are Project Quality, Human Resource, Communications, Procurement, and Stakeholder Management.
Select each of the Knowledge Areas for more information about the Executing processes they contain.
In the Project Procurement Management Knowledge Area, you use the Conduct Procurements process to purchase required materials and services for a project. This involves finding suppliers, reviewing offers, and awarding contracts, based on the project's procurement plan.
Using the Perform Quality Assurance process, you monitor the results of quality assurance activities. This involves checking that processes used to create products meet the required standards, so it's part of managing project quality.
The results of the process allow continuous improvements to the project.
The process generates change requests, and updates to organizational process assets, the project management plan, and other project documents.
What processes in the Project Human Resource Management area do you think relate to the Executing Process Group?
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Project Human Resource Management processes
In the Executing Process Group, you use three processes in the Project Human Resource Management Knowledge Area to select and manage project team members: Acquire Project Team, Develop Project Team, and Manage Project Team.
The Manage Communications process ensures information about the project reaches team members and stakeholders on time and in a suitable format.
An output of the Manage Communications process is the communications management plan. It falls within the Project Communications Management Knowledge Area.
This is done in line with the communications management plan, as performance reports bring new information to light.
The final Knowledge Area impacted by the Executing Process Group is Project Stakeholder Management. You need to engage with stakeholders to ensure that they have realistic expectations, and work with them to meet their needs. You do this using the Manage Stakeholder Engagement process.
You now see how the Direct and Manage Project Work process integrates the other processes in the Executing Process Group. It brings together the different Knowledge Areas involved in executing project work.
Figure A1-32 of the PMBOK® Guide - Fifth Edition shows that Project Integration Management's Direct & Manage Project Work process links to the Project Human Resource Management processes Acquire Project Team, Develop Project Team, and Manage Project Team. It also links to the Project Communications Management process Manage Communications. It links to the Project Quality Management process Perform Quality Assurance, and it links to the Conduct Procurements process, which is a Project Procurement Management process. It also links to the Manage Stakeholder Engagement process in the Project Stakeholder Management Knowledge Area.
You're managing a project sponsored by an international non-profit organization, to train rural community members in sustainable subsistence farming methods.
Which examples of activities fall in the Executing Process Group?
Options:
Option 1: This option is correct. Auditing the quality requirements is the objective of the Perform Quality Assurance process, which is in the Project Quality Management Knowledge Area of the Executing Process Group.
Option 2: This is a correct option. You appoint project team members during the Acquire Project Team process, in the Executing Process Group.
Option 3: This option is correct. Communicating project information and engaging stakeholders are both activities that take place within the Executing Process Group.
Option 4: This is a correct option. This activity takes place in the Conduct Procurements process, which falls in the Executing Process Group and in the Project Procurement Management Knowledge Area.
Option 5: This option is incorrect. You identify risks and plan responses to them via the Plan Risk Responses process, which falls in the Planning Process Group.
Option 6: This is an incorrect option. The Identify Stakeholders process falls within the Initiating Process Group.
Correct answer(s):
The purpose of the Executing Process Group is to complete the work required to meet project objectives. In this group, the Direct and Manage Project Work process falls in the Project Integration Management Knowledge Area because it's responsible for integrating other processes. It includes activities for directing the creation of project deliverables, generating work performance data, creating change requests, and updating the project management plan.
Executing processes also occur in the Project Quality, Human Resource, Communications, Procurement, and Stakeholder Management Knowledge Areas. Activities in these areas include monitoring the results of quality assurance activities, selecting and managing project team members, distributing information to stakeholders, purchasing required raw materials and services, and engaging appropriate stakeholders during project work.
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Follow-on Activity
Use the follow-on activity The Executing Process Group to help you memorize the Executing processes and their Knowledge Areas for exam purposes.
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Think of all the effort that goes into planning a huge event like a circus or stage show. Every detail – from lighting configuration to costume changes – is taken into account. If all goes well, the audience doesn't even notice all the behind-the-scenes activities. But even with the best plans in place, things can still go wrong on a project. What if the sound equipment couldn't be delivered on time, or you found out on the night of the show that the venue had been double-booked?
You'd end up with some pretty upset fans, irate stage artists, and a badly damaged reputation.
When you've invested a lot of energy into planning a project, you want to make sure it turns out right.
In project management, you do this through the activities in the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group.
In A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, or PMBOK® Guide, the Monitoring and Controlling processes are distributed among nine of the ten Knowledge Areas.
The processes of the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group are contained in the Project Integration Management, Scope Management, Time Management, Cost Management, Quality Management, Communications Management, Risk Management, Procurement Management, and Stakeholder Management Knowledge Areas. The only Knowledge Area that does not contain any monitoring and controlling processes is Project Human Resource Management.
The objectives of the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group are to track progress, review performance, regulate and control variances, and change the project management plan if required.
What do you think is the main benefit of the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group?
Options:
Option 1: This is the correct option. The main benefit of continually monitoring and controlling a project is being able to identify problems and resolve them. This is like the benefit of visiting your doctor for regular checkups. The goal is to monitor your health so you can detect issues early on and deal with them. Just think about what happens when disease goes undetected and untreated. The same principle applies in project management.
Option 2: This option is incorrect. Monitoring and controlling processes do help ensure you know how a project is progressing. But a more important benefit than being able to fill in stakeholders is being able to get a project back on track when necessary so it meets its objectives.
Option 3: This is an incorrect option. Monitoring and controlling processes help make it clear if responsibilities aren't being met. But their primary benefit is making sure a project stays on track to meet its objectives.
Correct answer(s):
The Project Integration Management Knowledge Area contains the "umbrella" processes that tie together the Knowledge Areas and connect the Process Groups. In the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group, these processes are Monitor and Control Project Work and Perform Integrated Change Control.
Select each process for information about the activities it involves.
A project to measure trends in renewable energy investment involves working with team members on different continents. Find out how Darren, the project manager, monitored and controlled the project work in this situation.
Because our team members are working in different countries, we have most of our meetings via conference call.
When I reviewed the project expenses recently, I noticed that the cost of these telephone calls had gone way over what we'd budgeted for communications.
So I investigated alternatives and found that we could make our telephone calls over the Internet, and even if we used videoconferencing, it would still be at a fraction of the cost of connecting through a standard telephone line.
I realized we could save a lot of money by switching over to the new communication method as soon as possible.
I presented my suggestion to the change control board. The board had a few questions regarding information security, but once we'd come up with strategies for managing that risk, it approved the change.
After only two months of having implemented the change, we're now back within the budget.
Say you're managing a document translation project.
Which activities would you undertake while monitoring and controlling project work?
Options:
Option 1: This option is correct. In the Monitor and Control Project Work process, you compare actual project performance to planned performance. You then manage the results of the comparison either by adjusting project baselines or by issuing change requests.
Option 2: This is a correct option. Change requests, issued during the Monitor and Control Project Work process, are reviewed in the Perform Integrated Change Control process. They are either approved or rejected, and are then managed to make sure that only approved changes are implemented in the Executing Process Group.
Option 3: This is an incorrect option. Change requests are approved in this Process Group, but they are implemented in the Direct and Manage Project Execution process, which is in the Executing Process Group.
Option 4: This option is incorrect. Although updates to the project management plan are generated in the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group, they are implemented in the Planning Process Group, as revisions to the Develop Project Management Plan process.
Correct answer(s):
It's of vital importance to monitor and control project scope, time, cost, and quality.
The processes that correspond to the scope, time, cost, and quality management Knowledge Areas are Control Scope, Control Schedule, Control Costs, and Control Quality.
These four aspects of a project are what determine its success in meeting objectives.
The Validate Scope and Control Scope processes are in the Project Scope Management Knowledge Area.
Validating scope involves making sure completed deliverables are formally accepted and making scope changes where needed.
Activities for controlling scope focus on checking that a project stays in line with its planned scope and taking action if it doesn't.
A project manager at a company that specializes in video game development works with a very talented and creative team, who is really enthusiastic about its work.
While this attitude is a major asset to the company, the manager often has to remind the team to limit its efforts to the task at hand.
Recently, one of the developers felt that the game's web site should include customizable scenarios that could be downloaded onto the user's PC, and used in multiplayer mode via a LAN connection.
The project manager had to remind him that although this was a great idea, it simply fell outside of the project scope, and would have required unmanageable changes to the schedule and budget.
The Control Schedule process fits in the Project Time Management Knowledge Area. Here you identify and manage changes to the project schedule.
Say you're a project manager, and a key member of the project team has suddenly fallen ill and taken extended leave. This will lead to a delay in project work, as other team members may struggle to cope with the additional workload.
Which actions are examples of activities from the Control Schedule process?
Options:
Calculating the cost of an unforeseen item like overtime pay, and monitoring the quality of team members' work are both important activities that fall under the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group. However, they do not form part of the Control Schedule process. This process deals specifically with activities to identify and manage changes to the project schedule. You manage those changes either by understanding their impact on the schedule, or by changing the schedule if you can't shorten or prevent a delay. In this instance, that would involve performing a variance analysis or adjusting the schedule baseline.
Option 1: This is a correct option. One of the key activities of project schedule control is to determine the cause and level of variance with respect to the original schedule baseline. This will help in deciding if corrective or preventive action is required.
Option 2: This is a correct option. Analysis of schedule variance, progress reports, schedule performance, and changes to the schedule may result in changes to the schedule baseline. Any proposed adjustments would need to go through the Integrated Change Control process to determine if they affect other components of the project management plan.
Option 3: This is an incorrect option. Calculating the cost of the remaining team members working overtime is an important activity that would need to be performed to determine if the project is still within budget. While this activity could occur during monitoring and controlling, it is not part of the Control Schedule process.
Option 4: This is an incorrect option. Evaluating the quality of the work performed by the remaining team members would be an activity of quality management. Controlling the schedule is part of time management.
Correct answer(s):
The Project Cost Management Knowledge Area contains the Control Costs process. You use this to evaluate project costs against the cost performance baseline and budget. As well as making sure spending stays within the agreed limits, you might need to update the budget and baselines to achieve required results.
The Control Quality process fits in the Project Quality Management Knowledge Area.
It's what you use to check that performance results and deliverables meet the standards outlined in the quality management plan.
If you find areas not meeting quality requirements, you need to identify the causes and take corrective action.
In the Project Risk Management Knowledge Area, the relevant process is Control Risks. This is what you use to track risks and make sure they don't hurt a project. Activities in the process include monitoring identified risks, carrying out planned risk responses, and making needed change requests. They also include identifying remaining or new risks. As you identify new risks, you should update project documents and organizational process assets.
Now you have a general idea of the kinds of activities in the Project Quality Management and Risk Management Knowledge Areas for the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group.
Select each Knowledge Area to find more specific examples of some of those activities.
In the Project Communications Management Knowledge Area, you use the Control Communications process. This is where you consolidate information about the results of monitoring and controlling. The results are communicated to relevant stakeholders as outlined in the communication management plan. From the results, change requests are sometimes issued, and updates to organizational process assets are made.
The Project Procurement Management Knowledge Area contains the Control Procurements process.
Using this process, you manage the contracts and relationships between buyers and sellers and review and document sellers' performance.
An important part of this process is ensuring that supplies are being received and paid for on time.
The Project Stakeholder Management Knowledge Area contains the Control Stakeholder Engagement process.
This process involves controlling relationships with project stakeholders and adjusting strategies for keeping them appropriately engaged and supportive throughout the life of the project.
This brief scenario illustrates how communications, procurements, and stakeholder engagement are controlled. The project manager is collecting status reports and progress measurements from several different areas in the project. She'll be integrating the information into a single report and distributing it to stakeholders.
The project manager consults the cost management plan, a tax invoice, a change request, and the project schedule.
As part of her report, she includes information about one of the project's suppliers of production equipment for the new plant.
An invoice from a supplier called Diallonic contains the quantities and costs of linoleum, terra foam and piping.
This is the first time the organization has worked with the supplier. Having tracked their performance, the project manager is pleased with the supplier's reliability and efficiency, so she notes this in the report. Two of the key stakeholders e-mail her to acknowledge they are pleased things are going well.
You're the project manager for a fund-raising concert that will be broadcast live. The televised event is expected to draw donations from viewers worldwide.
Which activities relate to monitoring and controlling the project?
Options:
Option 1: This is a correct option. An important activity in the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group is verifying that a project is meeting quality requirements.
Option 2: This option is correct. As part of the Project Time Management Knowledge Area, the Control Schedule process requires that you spot differences between planned and actual progress in the project. You can then deal with those appropriately.
Option 3: This option is incorrect. Managing a project team falls under the Project Human Resource Management Knowledge Area. This is the only Knowledge Area that does not contain a process in the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group.
Option 4: This is a correct option. If the event is not televised, people have no reason, and no way, to donate. Therefore, a huge amount of risk hinges on the concert being broadcast as planned. The Control Risks process entails defining expected and actual project risks and making sure that effective action is taken to manage those risks.
Option 5: This option is correct. You compile project information into an integrated report as part of the Control Communications and Control Stakeholder Engagement processes, which are part of the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group.
Option 6: This is an incorrect option. You gather and compile information in the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group. But you distribute it in the Executing Process Group.
Correct answer(s):
You use the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group to track progress, review performance, regulate and control variances, and change the project management plan if required. Its main objective is to make sure you identify and resolve problems so a project will meet its objectives.
Together, the Process Group includes processes for monitoring and controlling project scope, time, quality, cost, risk, communication, procurements, and stakeholder engagement. Monitoring and controlling activities in the Project Integration Management Knowledge Area integrate activities that occur in processes across other Knowledge Areas.
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Follow-on Activity
Access the follow-on activity The Monitoring and Controlling Process Group to help you memorize this group's processes and Knowledge Areas for exam purposes.
After completing this topic, you should be able to
Once a project team has finished creating a product or service, you might think the project is over. But imagine what could happen if you leave loose ends. An upset customer could come back weeks later, after finding out that an important requirement was missed. And if you don't record and store final information about the project, you won't be able to learn much from it when you take on similar projects later.
The Closing Process Group ensures you don't leave loose ends in a project.
Its objective is to finalize all project activities and formally close a project or phase.
There are two Closing processes. The Close Project or Phase process is part of the Project Integration Management Knowledge Area. This is where most activities for wrapping up a project happen. The second process is Close Procurements. This involves completing and closing procurement contracts for a project. It fits in the Project Procurement Management Knowledge Area.
In the Closing Process Group, it's the Close Project or Phase process that unites activities in other processes.
It coordinates activities in the Close Procurements process.
It also wraps up activities in the Planning, Executing, and Monitoring and Controlling Process Groups.
What are the key objectives of the Closing Process Group?
Options:
Option 1: This option is correct. The two activities of project closing are making sure that all project activities can and do end, and then formally and officially bringing the project or phase to a close.
Option 2: This option is correct. The main objective of the Closing Process Group is to finalize the project by making sure that the work of all the other Process Groups is complete and has been officially ended.
Option 3: This is an incorrect option. The Close Procurements process does belong to the Closing Process Group. However, it involves finalizing all project contracts, not just those of the project team members. The key objectives of this Process Group are to finalize and formally close the project or phase.
Option 4: This is an incorrect option. Formally and completely closing the current project is the main objective of the Closing Process Group, without any particular reference to upcoming projects.
Correct answer(s):
Three of the main activities in the Close Project or Phase process are conducting phase-end or project-end reviews, verifying acceptance of project deliverables, and recording lessons learned.
Select each activity to find out what it involves.
A project manager is wrapping up a project to create a new secure purchasing system for an online bookstore.
When the team finishes its work, the project manager checks that the system meets all performance baselines. He also goes over the results of quality tests and makes sure any earlier issues were resolved.
When the project manager is sure the system meets all requirements, he meets the project sponsor to go over the system. The sponsor is happy, so she signs a document stating that all terms have been met. This marks the formal close of the project.
The project manager then takes time to record information about the project. For example, he notes how processes for handling changes to the system caused some delays during the design phase.
By completing three activities in the Close Project or Phase process, he ensures that the system meets the agreed requirements.
You're managing a project to design a new water filtration system. To close the project once the system has been designed, you perform several activities during the Close Project or Phase process.
What are examples of these activities?
Options:
Option 1: This option is correct. You confirm that the system passed all planned quality checks as part of conducting a review. You do this as one activity in the Close Project or Phase process to ensure deliverables meet all requirements.
Option 2: This option is correct. Verifying acceptance of the project's deliverables is an essential activity in closing a project. It's also sometimes required to close a phase. Typically, the customer or sponsor indicates acceptance of a deliverable through an official signoff.
Option 3: This is a correct option. Recording information about problems that affected the project is an example of recording lessons learned. You do this during the Close Project or Phase process to ensure the information is available to inform decisions and speed up processes in later projects or phases.
Option 4: This option is incorrect. It's the customer or sponsor, rather than project team members, who must verify acceptance of the project deliverables.
Option 5: This option is incorrect. By the time you're ready to close the project, the system should already have been tested. This would normally happen as part of carrying out the project work. However, you do need to verify that the system passed all tests and quality checks.
Correct answer(s):
As well as recording information about a project, it's important to update organizational process assets.
If the project used new processes or improved on existing ones, you should make this information available for use in the future.
Select each example of updating organizational process assets for more information.
Each of the process improvements identified can be added to the companies' organizational process assets. They may then influence the way future projects are handled.
The final activity in the Close Project or Phase process is archiving project information. This includes project files and all relevant documents.
Most organizations use some sort of electronic information system to create databases of historical data.
The data can help in planning and making estimations for future projects.
For example, when estimating project costs, a project manager could go into the database and look up the cost of labor and materials for similar projects carried out in the past. The database may also include human resource information, so project managers looking to staff future projects would be able to locate team members with the skills they need.
Closing a project properly has benefits for the project and for the organization as a whole. By securing formal acceptance of deliverables by stakeholders, you give the team the all-clear to end all project activity without worrying about negative repercussions down the line. You also add long-term value to your organization by making your experiences on a project available for use in future project work.
You and the project team have just finished work on a fund-raising project for a large charity organization.
What activities do you perform while closing the project?
Options:
Option 1: This is a correct option. As a project ends, you should record any additions, updates, and improvements to existing organizational process assets – like the company's procurement policy. This will influence the way that future projects are conducted.
Option 2: This option is correct. Historical data gathered from project work is very useful for planning future projects, so it should be recorded as part of closing a project.
Option 3: This is an incorrect option. An action like this would have to take place on the new project. It doesn't form part of closing a project.
Option 4: This option is incorrect. Market conditions are an example of enterprise environmental factors. Don't confuse these with organizational process assets, which are updated during project closure. You add to the organizational process assets by updating changes to the company's policies, processes, and procedures, or its corporate knowledge base.
Correct answer(s):
The Closing Process Group contains two processes you use to make sure a project is formally brought to a close. These are the Close Project or Phase and Close Procurements processes. The Close Project or Phase process integrates activities in other Knowledge Areas, so it's part of the Project Integration Management Knowledge Area.
Key activities in closing a project or phase are conducting phase-end or project-end reviews, verifying acceptance of deliverables, and recording lessons learned. Other important activities are updating organizational process assets and archiving project information for future use.
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Follow-on Activity
Use the follow-on activity The Closing Process Group to help you memorize the Closing processes and their Knowledge Areas for exam purposes.
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