Topic 1.3: The Process Groups

Process Group Activity (End)

- there is activity in the closing process group - little activity in other groups

Objectives of the Develop Project Charter process

- to define the initial project scope, identify and assign a project manager, and commit organizational resources to the project. - formally authorizes and kicks off new projects

Objectives of the Initiating Process Group (specific)

- to gain formal authorization to start a new project or phase - to clarify the basic purpose of a project - to identify who has an interest in the project outcome - when a large project is divided into project phases, each phase is kicked off by revisiting the initiating process.

The objectives of the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group

- track progress - review performance - regulate and control variances - change the project management plan if required

Change requests

- used to recommend a different way to execute the project work. - can be used to influence various aspects of the project like it's scope, budget, or schedule. - If approved, they lead to alterations in the way project work is executed.

Before starting a project, what must an organization do?

- weigh the potential benefits - determine if the project is in line with organizational goals - determine whether investment in the project will be worthwhile

How many processes are in the Closing Process Group?

1 - The Close Project or Phase Process

3 main objectives of Planning

1. Define the scope of a project 2. Refine the project objectives that were introduced when the project was initiated. 3. Determine the actions the project team must take to meet the project's objectives.

Two processes of the Initiating Process Group

1. Develop project charter process 2. Identify stakeholders process

Which 7 Knowledge Areas are included in the Executing Process Group

1. Direct and Manage Project Work 2. Project Quality Management 3. Project Resource Management 4. Project Communications Management 5. Project Risk Management 6. Project Procurement Management 7. Project Stakeholder Management

What are the outputs of the Initiating Processes?

1. Project Charter 2. Stakeholder Register 3. Assumption Log 4. Change Requests 5. Project Management Plan Updates 6. Project Document Updates

Initiating Processes fall into which knowledge areas?

1. Project Integration Management (Develop Project Charter process falls into this KA) 2. Project Stakeholder Management (Identify Process Stakeholders process falls into this KA)

What are the benefits of completing the Initiating Processes thoroughly?

1. Project objectives are discussed and documented in an organized manner. 2. A project manager will be identified with the right skills, knowledge, and attitude to lead the project successfully through all five process groups.

How many processes are defined within PMBOK?

49

How many process groups are there? What is the purpose of a process group?

5 - to organize processes with related objectives into groups.

Executing processes fall into how many Knowledge Areas?

7

Subsidiary Plans

Each KA produces its own plan that makes up a section of the Project Management Plan. They are called subsidiary plans.

Relationship between Process Group and Knowledge Areas

Each knowledge area spans multiple process groups

How does identification and management of stakeholders affect the the project?

If stakeholders are identified and strategies developed to take their influence and expectations into account, there is a greater likelihood that project deliverables will be acceptable. If project stakeholders are ineffectively managed, you may neglect to engage in control key decision makers, which could result in problems at a later stage of the project.

What are the 5 process groups?

Initiating Planning Executing Monitoring and Controlling Closing

Can you/should you apply ALL the processes within PMBOK to every project?

No. As a project manager, you and your team must decide which processes to use and how to apply them.

Factors that will affect how you and your team apply project management processes.

Organizational process assets Enterprise environmental factors

Which knowledge area contains the umbrella processes that tie together the knowledge areas and connect the process groups?

Project Integration Management KA

Under which KA is the Develop Project Management Plan process?

Project Integration Management because it integrates and ties all the knowledge areas together.

Which group contains the greatest number of processes?

The Planning Process Group because you have to consider all aspects of the project in order to create an effective plan.

What is the key output of the planning process?

The Project Management Plan

Knowledge Area

a collection of processes that focus on the same area of concern in project management.

Stakeholder Register

a list of all the projects stakeholders who have been identified. It is used in several knowledge areas including scope, quality, communications, risk, procurement, and stakeholder management.

Why is Develop Project Charter process part of the Project Integration Management KA?

because its outputs unite the activities of the initiating process group and link it with the other process groups.

The project management processes outlined in the PMBOK Guide represent .......

best practices

Control Quality Process

check that performance results and deliverables meet the standards outlined in the quality management plan.

Control Communications Process

consolidate information about the results of monitoring and controlling and communicate them to relevant stakeholders as outlined in the communications management plan.

Purpose of the Executing Process Group (general)

contains the actions you take to implement the project plan and perform the work.

Control Resources Process

ensure planned resources are appropriate for the project

Control Cost Process

evaluate project cost against the cost performance baseline and budget.

Control Schedule Process

identify and manage changes to the project schedule

Elements of a process

inputs tools and techniques outputs

What connects project management processes?

inputs and outputs

Validating Scope Process

making sure completed deliverables are formally accepted, and making scope changes where needed.

Monitor and Control Project Work Process

monitoring project work to ensure it complies with the project management plan

A single technique may employ.....

one or more tools

Iterative Nature of Processes

projects almost always encounter changes during the life cycle, so the planning, executing, and monitoring and controlling processes are iterative in nature. They are performed again and again, often resulting in updates and revisions to the project plan. Changes to one process usually impacts a number of related processes because processes are connected by inputs and outputs.

What four aspects of a project determine it's success?

scope, schedule, cost, and quality

tool

something tangible like a template or a software program that you use to produce a product or result or to facilitate a technique or a systematic procedure

Project Management Plan

the central planning document used throughout at project. - the primary source of information on how the project will be planned, executed, monitored and controlled, and closed. - created during the develop Project Management Plan process

Purpose of the Initiating Process Group (general)

to kick off a project by defining and authorizing it

Monitor Risk Process

track risks and make sure they don't hurt a project. Activities include monitoring identified risks, carrying out planned risk responses, and making needed change requests as well as identifying remaining or new risks.

Project Charter

used as an input to planning processes in several of the knowledge areas including project integration, scope, schedule, cost, risk, and stakeholder management.

Perform Integrated Change Control Process

used to ensure only approved changes are made to the way the project work is carried out

product-oriented processes

used to outline the steps for creating a specific product, service, or result

Purpose of the Planning Process Group (general)

uses the outputs from the initiating process group to develop a blueprint for project implementation, evaluation, and closing.

As a PM, why is it important to understand process dependencies?

- Because wherever there are dependencies between processes or process groups, the project plan is vulnerable to change. - It is the PM's responsibility to identify process dependencies and manage those dependencies when changes occur.

What are the benefits of closing a project properly?

- 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 (Organizational Process Assets)

Which processes from the Project Integration Management KA are included under Monitoring and Controlling Process Group?

- Monitor and Control Work - Perform Integrated Change Control

Process Group Activity (Middle)

- Significant activity in and overlap between the planning, executing, and monitoring and controlling process groups.

Process Group Activity (Beginning)

- Significant activity in the initiating processes - Not much in the other process groups

How do project management processes support the program manager?

- They help the PM and team ensure that a project flows successfully. - They apply globally to projects in any industry

Updates to the Plan

- Updates are generated in the Executing Process Group. - Updates take place in the Planning Process Group.

Where do process dependencies exist?

- Wherever a process group and a knowledge area intersect and contain multiple processes, there will probably be process dependencies. - Dependencies exist both between the process groups and between the individual processes within a process group.

technique

- a defined systematic procedure that you use to perform an activity within a process - the method or one of the methods you use to perform the process.

output

- a product, result, or service generated by a process. - an output from one process often serves as an input to another process later on.

Why are plans important?

- a project team depends on accurate plans, without which the project team may not know what steps to take or in what order - without clear plans, a project is unlikely to meet expecations. - plans are vital to the success of any project

Monitoring and Controlling Processes vs. Life Cycle

- active from the beginning to the end of a project - reach highest point as planning slows down and execution reaches its peak

input

- any item that is required before you can begin the process - can be internal or external - often the input for one process is the output from another

Organizational Process Assets

- assets in an organization that are already available to a project. - are usually inputs to a process.

Closing Processes vs. Life Cycle

- begin soon after the initiating processes end. - activity increases rapidly once planning processes are completed - activity peaks as the executing processes are coming to an end - these are the final processes to take place in a project

Purpose of the Monitoring and Controlling Group (general)

- contains the processes that verify, track, control, and report on the project progress. - The outputs of these processes serve as feedback to the executing process group and can result in revised plans.

Enterprise Environmental Factors

- external and internal factors that contribute to the circumstances around a project. - often provide constraints to project planning and execution, so they impact how a project is tailored as well.

Initiating processes vs. life cycle

- initiating processes are in full swing at the beginning of a project - they tend to wind down once the project is underway

Objectives of the Identify Stakeholders process

- listing all the people who have an interest in the project, estimating what impact they can have, and planning how to manage their expectations. - should take place as early as possible - stakeholder interests, expectations, and influence can change over the course of a project

Control Procurement Process

- manage the contracts and relationships between buyers and sellers, and review and document sellers' performance. - Ensure that supplies are being received and paid for on time.

Executing processes vs. life cycle

- occur throughout the project life cycle - begin after the planning processes start and speed up as the initiating processes end - Executing reaches its peak, planning processes slow down.

Close Project or Phase Process

- part of the Project Integration Management KA - Conduct reviews at the end of each phase and at the end of a project - Verify final acceptance of the finished product or service at the end of a project - archive project information

Planning processes vs. life cycle

- planning happens from the very beginning of a project - activity in the planning process group increases as the initiating processes end. - has a high level of interaction with the executing and monitoring and controlling groups, especially during the phases when the project work is being carried out. - planning processes slow down after execution reaches its peak.

Describe the Direct and Manage Work Process

- project team members create deliverables - work performance data is generated as the work of the project is carried out - the data is then used to control project work in the various processes of the monitoring and controlling process group. - this output is one way in which the direct and manage project work process interfaces with many of the other knowledge areas such as project cost management and project schedule management. - leads to change requests when work performance information reveals that aspects of the project execution are not effective.

Planning processes are included in which KAs?

ALL 10 because they inform all aspects of project management and are coordinated across the knowledge areas.

Process Groups vs. Project Phases

All process groups are present in each project phase

Executing processes have the potential to generate what?

Change requests and updates to the organizational process assets, the project management plan, and other project documents.

Controlling Scope Process

Checking that a project stays in line with its planned scope and taking action if it doesn't

Control Stakeholder Engagement Process

Controlling relationships with project stakeholders, and adjusting strategies for keeping them appropriately engaged and supportive throughout the life of the project.

Project Tailoring

Deciding which processes to use and how to apply them to your project.

Why is Identify Stakeholders process part of the Project Stakeholder Management KA?

The process gives the project team a framework for managing interactions between the project and its stakeholders.

Purpose of the Closing Process Group (general)

They bring the project to an official end, including closing procurements and project activities and recording project information as organizational project assets to be used as inputs to future projects.

When does planning take place.

Throughout the project, however, the PM must establish a date or phase in the project life cycle when updates and iterations to the planning process will stop.

What is the purpose of the Executing Process Group?

To complete the work required to meet a project's objectives.

What is the objective of the Closing Process Group?

To finalize all project activities and formally close a project or phase ensuring you don't leave loose ends in a project.

The main purpose of the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group

To make sure you identify and resolve problems, so a project will meet its objectives. In other words, to make sure the project turns out right.

What two processes are included in the Project Scope Management KA?

Validate Scope Control Scope

Do project management processes and product-oriented processes interact?

Yes, they interact throughout the life cycle of a project