Chapter 3 - PM Process and Role of the Project Manager

PMI Talent Triangle

1. Technical Project Management 2. Leadership 3. Strategic and Business Management

PMBOK Guide - Leadership Styles

Laissez-faire: hands off, allowing the team to make their own decisions. Transactional: focus on the goals of the project and how to reward team members. Servant leader: focuses on removing obstacles from the team and giving the team what is needed in order to complete the work. Mostly used in agile projects. Transformational: the project manager tries to empower the project team and motivates inspires them. Charismatic: the project manager has eye energy and is very enthusiastic and influences the people around them. Interactional: combination of different leadership styles, such as charismatic and transactional.

Understanding the flow of the process groups, and how they relate to the phases in a project is a very important skill. You will need to pass the exam.

Enter phase/start project, Monitoring & Controlling Process (initiating process, planning process, executing process, closing process), exit phase/end project.

Decision making - Common Toos

Gathering a lot of data, and then having to make a decision on what to do with that data. It is a tool used to come to a decision that can best serve the project. Examples of decision making: Voting, a group determines whether to proceed change or reject something. Multi criteria, decision analysis, is when you make a table matrix that lists different types of criteria and then evaluate an idea based on those criteria. Autocratic decision making, is when one person makes a decision for the entire team.

Initiating

Getting authorization to actually start that phase or project. Develop a project charter. Assign authority for PM Identify stakeholders Determine "why" project in business terms. Identify high-level estimates for time and costs. Determine high-level risks that can affect schedule/budget.

Executing

Getting the project work done. Acquiring a project team. This process group usually requires the most time and resources to complete. The main output of executing is deliverables. It only has 10 processes, but it actually carries more weight and questions than planning does. The executing process involves human resources, 3/10. Satisfy project specifications. Implement all change requests, which include corrective and preventative, actions, and defect repairs. Select and acquire the project team. Develop and manage the project team. Manage and resolve conflicts among project stakeholders. Conduct quality assurance for overall process Improvement. Communicate project status with stakeholders. Select a vendor and award them a contract. Engage the stakeholders on the project, so they are aware of what's happening. Implement the responses to any risk identified for the project. Capture and document lessons learned.

Exam Tip #4

Keep in mind that "executing" and "monitoring and controlling" are parallel, simultaneous processes. After you have planned your project, you then execute and monitor and control at the same time. While you are executing a project, you will monitor and control that execution to ensure the project stays on plan.

Meetings - Common Tools

Meetings are used very often in the 49 processes. They can be done face-to-face or virtually. They include all different types of stakeholders throughout the project. Effective meetings have: An agenda and distribute it to all attendees before the meeting. It timed, including start and finish times for topics and the entire meeting. Making sure meeting stays on topic. ensure attendees have input on the topics. Distribute detailed meeting minutes once the meeting is complete.

Tailoring the Processes

On this exam, we will assume that all projects will follow all of the 49 processes within each phase. Keep in mind that this is a PMI exam, and they are going to assume that every project will follow all of the processes. Don't think for a second they process may not be needed on a project when it comes to answering and exam question. Again, all projects on your exam will assume all of the 49 processes will be in each phase of the project. The project.

Expert Judgement - Common Tools

One of the most common tools in the planning process, which includes hiring an expert or subject matter expert (SME) to help you plan a process or conduct a process. Experts are people with specialized knowledge or training in a particular process, industry or technology.

Enterprise Environmental Factors (EEF) - Input

One of the most commonly used inputs. Input to almost all planning processes. Factors not under the control of the project team. Example: government regulations req government approval which takes time (permit). Organizational culture, structure, and governance. Government or industry standards, such as regulations or quality standards. Infrastructure such as facilities and equipment. Personnel and the way the company manages them. Stakeholder's risk tolerances. Company work authorization systems. This is a system that ensures work gets done at the right time and the right sequence. IT software that a company would use to manage a project. This can include software tool that will help the PM to manage the budget, schedule and requirements.

Interpersonal and team skills - Common Tools

PMs need to have good interpersonal and team skills in order to manage the different stakeholders that will be on the project. This is the most important tool in real life project management. Techniques include: Active listening, is understanding, acknowledging, and clarifying what others are saying to you. Conflict management, is the need to resolve these conflicts in order to move forward. Facilitation, is the art of managing a group. Bringing the group together, generating ideas, solving problems, and dissipating the team. Meeting management, many meetings, involve different types of stakeholders. PMs need to be able to manage these meetings to ensure their productive and meaningful to the project. Having an agenda, inviting the right stakeholders, setting a time limit, and following up .

What are the (10) Knowledge Groups

Project "Integration" Management, Scope, Schedule, Cost, Quality, Resource, Communications, Risk, Procurement and Stakeholder

List of documents inside the PMP

Scope Management Plan 2. Requirement Management Plan 3. Schedule Management Plan 4. Cost Management Plan 5. Quality Management Plan 6. Resource Management Plan 7. Communication Managers Plan 8. Risk Management Plan 9. Procurement Management Plan 10. Stakeholder Management Plan 11. Change Management Plan 12. Configuration Management Plan 13. Scope Baseline 14. Schedule Baseline 15. Cost Baseline 16. Performance Measurement Baseline 17. Project Life Cycles Description 18. Development Approach

Strategic and Business Management Skills

Skills related to the business, and how to make decisions on a project that will benefit the business. Chi, to understand that projects are done to ensure the business stays competitive and profitable. Period PMs should understand the mission of the business and the strategy needed to accomplish that mission.

Exam Tip #3

The 49 processes are a part of every phase of the project. The goal of the 49 processes is to create a final product, service, or result.

Project Management Information Systems (PMIS) - Common Tools

The PMIS is an automated system that is used to help the project manager optimize the schedule or keep track of all the documents and deliverables. It includes the work authorization system and the configuration management system. The work authorization system is used to ensure work gets done in the right order and at the right time. *The configuration management system is used to ensure the product gets the right settings and configuration. The configuration management system includes the change management system. This is used to ensure that changes to a project are documented, tracked, and authorized or denied.

Role of Project Manager

The project manager is in charge of managing the project team, to complete the project work and deliver the final product, service, or result for the business. Usually assigned by the sponsor, PMO, program, manager, or portfolio manager to lead the project team and complete the project objectives. Good communication and soft skills. Involved during the initiating section of the project or phase, manage the resources. Project managers, main skill will be communicating with the different stakeholders on the project. Understanding the needs simplifying communications, and having clear and concise, writing and speaking skills.

Exam Tip #4

You take the work performance data and compare it against the plan to come up with the work performance information. Then, you take all the work performance information and create the work performance reports. In short, data feeds info, and all the info creates reports.

What are the (5) Process Groups

"Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing"

Change Request - Common Outputs

A change request is one of the most common outputs in executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing. This is when a stakeholder needs to change a component of the project management plan. Changes can include a request to add or remove work from the scope, finish the project, faster, or complete the project more cheaply. They change request, implements, corrective actions, preventative, actions, and defect repairs. Corrective action is something that's taken to ensure the project gets back on track. Preventative action is something you put in place to ensure the project stays on tracked.

Common Inputs, Tools, and Techniques, and Outputs (ITTO)

Across the 49 processes, there are 665 ITTO's. There are 239 Inputs, 245, Tools and Techniques, and 181 Outputs. Many of the processes have the same Inputs, Tools and Techniques, and Outputs.

Organization Process Assets (OPA) - Inputs

Another commonly used input. OPA are the plans, processes, policies, procedures, and knowledge bases that are used by the organizations. OPA are things that help a PM manage the project more easily. Previous Project Plans Templates Historical Information Lessons Learned Knowledge Bases Software Tools Organization procedures and policies Project management databases Project files from previous projects

Project Documents - Input

Any document related to the project at hand. A very common Input. Examples of Project Documents: Activity Attributes Activity List Assumption log Basis of estimate Change log Cost estimates Cost forecast Duration estimates Issue log Lessons learned register Milestone list Physical resources assignments Project calendars Project communications Project schedule Project schedule network diagram Project scope statement Project team assignments Quality control measurements Quality metrics Quality report Requirements documentation Requirements traceability matrix Resource breakdown structure 25. Resource calendar 26. Resource requirements 27. Risk register 28. Risk report 29. Schedule data 30. Schedule forecast 31. Stakeholder register 32. Team charter 33. Test and evaluate documents

Closing

Closing happens after the customer or sponsor has excepted the deliverables. Closing only has one process, but it will be covered heavily in the exam. When you have excepted deliverables, the project manager will still need to do additional work, such as ensuring the contracts are closed out and lessons learned are documented. The project manager will also have to hand over the completed deliverables to the project customers, or sponsors. Contract closures and documentation. Archive project records. Document reasons why a project may have been terminated before completion. Update templates and knowledge bases. Transition deliverables to customers or sponsors. Create a final report on the project outcome.

Planning

Create the PM's plan. Large document, specifying how project will be executed, monitored and controlled, and closed. Planning has 24 processes across all 10 knowledge areas. It will identify the efforts and objectives needed to create project deliverables. Create the PM plan and it's subsidiaries. Create the (3) baselines (scope, time, costs). This will be added to the project management plan. Collect requirements from stakeholders Identify risk and create the correct response. Determine what components need to be allocated from outside sellers. Plan to meet quality requirements. Obtain approval of the plan from stakeholders.

Leadership

Dealing with people. Negotiating, communicating, solving problems, and having good interpersonal skills. Continuous learning. Prioritizing work that needs to be done. Critical thinking. Leader ship is more about guiding and influencing people to accomplish a certain task, while simultaneously developing new processes and procedures. Management is more about controlling people, while leaders tend to inspire people. Leaders tend to motivate and create visions for their teams. Both leadership and management skills will be needed on a project to ensure success.

Technical Project Management Skills

The skills to effectively apply project management knowledge to deliver the desired outcomes for programs or projects.

Updates (Project management, plan, project documents, EEF, 0PA) - Common Output

This is a catchall term. When you complete many of the planning, executing, monitoring, and controlling, and closing processes, you will need to update various documents and processes. Updates can include project documents, the project management plan, OPA, and EEF updates.

Work Performance Information - Common Output

This is information about the work that was performed compared to the plan. The actual status of deliverables. It is useful because it is the raw data that has been analyzed against the project management plan. *Work performance information is usually the output of most monitoring and controlling processes.

Work Performance Data - Common Output

This is simply raw data. Work that was done, but did not have any analysis applied to it.

Work Performance Report - Common Output

This is the overall status report of the actual project. All the work performance information together into one comprehensive document.

Project Management Plan - Input

This is the single most important document in the entire project. The plan will define how the project is executed, monitored and controlled, and closed. The PMP is made up of 18 components, used to guide the project manager on the different processes that will be executed in the project. For example, when doing the "control costs" process, the input will be the project management plan, because it contains the budget and the cost management plan.

Monitoring and Controlling

This project process group is where activities are performed to monitor the progress of the project and determine whether there are variances from the project plan. Corrective actions are taken during this process to get the project back on course. It is about measuring, inspecting, monitoring, verifying, reviewing, and comparing the actual work to the planned work. If this is not done properly, the project can very quickly go over its budget or fall behind schedule. Check on the project work to ensure that it is with the scope, on time, and on budget. Check to make sure the quality requirements are met. Control risk to ensure it does not derail the project. Ensure vendors are completing the work, as stated in the agreements. Ensure stakeholders are actually being engaged, as stated in the plan. If there are any internal deviations from the stated plan, then the PM should make corrections . Get deliverables formally excepted so the project can then move into the closing phase. Manage changes to ensure they are either approved or denied.

Data analysis - common tools

Used to analyze the data that has been gathered. For example, in the process of "Control Schedule", you will gather data about the schedule and then you will need to analyze the data to determine if the project is ahead or behind schedule. Techniques using this tool: Alternative analysis involves looking at different options or ways to accomplish some thing. (this seems to be the most popular option in the PMBOK guide.) Root cause analysis (RCA) , to identify the main cause. Variance analysis, is used quite often to find the exact differences between different things. To identify if a project is on budget by looking at the variance between the planned budget and the actual cost. Trend analysis involves looking at data over a period of time to see if a particular trend is forming. Example of looking to see if the project is consistently on budget or over budget.

Data gathering - common tools

Used to do exactly what the name says, gather data about a particular process that you're working on. This is considered a tool. Brainstorming is part of data gathering. It's just a technique that used to gather information in a particular process. Techniques in Data Gathering: Brainstorming. Interview stakeholders. Focus groups, bring people together to crowd source. Checklist for stakeholders Questionnaires and surveys for stakeholders.

Data Representation - Common Tools

Used to illustrate different ways that data could be shown to stakeholders. Charts, matrixes, and different types of diagrams.