Project Management Lesson: Project Management Processes

Initiating processes: recognizing a project or phase should begin
Planning processes: devising and maintaining a workable plan
Executing processes: coordinating resources to execute the plan
Controlling processes: ensuring project objectives are met; monitoring, correcting and measuring progress
Closing processes: formalized acceptance

Provides details of work to complete current phase and provide preliminary description of work for subsequent phases

Individual processes have inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs (deliverable)
Initiating and Planning Processes
Committing the organization to begin

Scope Planning – written statement
Scope Definition – subdividing major deliverables into more manageable units
Activity Definition – determine specific tasks needed to produce project deliverables
Activity Sequencing – plotting dependencies
Activity Duration Estimating – determine amount of work needed to complete the activities
Schedule Development – analyze activity sequences, duration, and resource requirements
Resource Planning – identify what and how many resources are needed to perform the activities
Cost Estimating – develop resource and total project costs
Cost Budgeting – allocating project estimates to individual work items
Project Plan Development – taking results from other planning processes into a collective document

Planning/Facilitating Processes – manage the interaction among the planning processes

Quality Planning – standards that are relevant to the project and determining how to meet standards
Organizational Planning – identify, document, and assigning project roles and responsibilities
Staff Acquisition – obtaining the human resources
Communications Planning – determining rules and reporting methods to stakeholders
Risk Identification – determining what is likely to affect the project and documenting these risks
Risk Quantification – evaluating risks and interactions to access the possible project outcomes
Risk Response Development – defining enhancement steps and change control measures
Procurement Planning – determining what to buy and when
Solicitation Planning – documenting product requirements and identifying possible sources
Order of events:

Project Plan Execution – performing the activities
Complete Tasks/Work Packages
Information Distribution
Scope Verification – acceptance of project scope
Quality Assurance – evaluating overall project performance on a regular basis; meeting standards
Team Development – developing team and individual skill sets to enhance the project
Progress Meetings
Information Distribution – making project information available in a timely manner
Solicitation – obtaining quotes, bids, proposals as appropriate
Source Selection – deciding on appropriate suppliers
Contract Administration – managing vendor relationships

Controlling Processes – needed to regularly measure project performance and to adjust project plan
Take preventive actions in anticipation of possible problems

Change Control – coordinating changes across the entire project plan
Scope Change Control – controlling “scope creep”
Schedule Control – adjusting time and project schedule of activities
Cost Control – managing project budget
Quality Control – monitoring standards and specific project results; eliminating causes of unsatisfactory performance
Performance Reporting – status, forecasting, and progress reporting schedule
Risk Response Control – responding to changes in risk during the duration of the project

Administrative Closure – generating necessary information to formally recognize phase or project completion
Contract Close-out – completion and delivery of project deliverables and resolving open issues

Ensures that the project processes are properly coordinated
Tradeoffs between competing objectives and alternatives in order to meet stakeholder approval

These processes may occur repeatedly over the project duration
Historical Records are needed to perform project management well, they are inputs to continuous improvement