Unit 2

Project
A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service

A Project -planned undertaking of related activities to reach an objective that has a beginning and an
end. Hoffer, George and Valacich

Project Management Processes

A Project Management Process is defined as "a set of interrelated actions and activities that are
performed to achieve a pre-specified set of products, results, or services.”

PMBOK

Almost all projects usually use the same set of processes to accomplish project management
successfully. The Project Management team is responsible for selecting appropriate processes
to meet/comply with project requirements and balance the "triple constraints" (time, scope, and
budget) of a project.

Each process and its inputs and outputs should serve as a high-level guide for a project
management team. The project management team should "tailor" each process to the individual
needs of a project. Project Management Processes deal with initiation, execution, monitoring,
control, and closing a project. All processes interact throughout the project via their constituent
inputs and outputs. "Successful project management includes actively managing these
interactions to successfully meet stakeholder requirements."

Project management process progress from initiation activities to planning activities, executing
activities, monitoring and controlling activities, and closing activities.
Initiating processes include defining and authorizing a project or project phase. To initiate a
project or just the concept phase of a project, someone must define the business need for the
project, someone must sponsor the project, and someone must take on the role of project
manager. Initiating processes take place during each phase of a project. For example, project
managersand teams should reexamine the business need for the project during
every phase of the project life cycle to determine if the project is worth
continuing. Initiating processes are also required to end a project.

Planning processes include devising and maintaining a workablescheme to ensure that the
project addresses the organization’s needs.There normally is no single “project plan.” There are
several plans, such as the scope management plan, schedule management plan, cost management
plan, procurement management plan, and so on, defining each knowledge area as it relates to the
project at that point. For example, a project team must develop a plan to define the work that
needs to be done for the project, to schedule activities related to that work, to estimate costs for
performing the work, to decide what resources to procure to accomplish the work, and so on. To
account for changing conditions on the project and in the organization, project teams often revise
plans during each phase of the project life cycle.
Executing processes include coordinating people and other resources to carry out the various
plans and produce the products, services, or results of the project or phase. Examples of
executing processes include developing the project team, directing and managing the project
team, performing quality assurance, distributing information, and selecting sellers.

Monitoring and controlling processes include regularly measuring andmonitoring progress to

ensure that the project team meets the projectobjectives. The project manager and staff monitor
and measure progress against the plans and take corrective action when necessary.

Closing processes include formalizing acceptance of the project or project phase and ending it
efficiently. Administrative activities are often involved in this process group, such as archiving
project files, closing out contracts, documenting lessons learned, and receiving formal
acceptance of the delivered work as part of the phase or project.

Project Management Process Groups

The management processes are aggregated into five project management process
groups:

1. Initiating Process Group: Defines and authorizes the project or a project phase.
2. Planning Process Group: Defines and refines objectives, and plans the course
of action required to attain the objective and scope.
3. Executing Process Group: Integrates people and resources to carry out the
project management plan for the project.
4. Monitoring and Controlling Initiating Process Group: Measures and monitors
progress to identify if the correction action can be taken to meet project
objectives.
5. Closing Process Group: Formalizes acceptance of the product, services, or
result and brings the project or a project phase to an orderly end.
Project Management Knowledge Areas

There are nine Project Management Knowledge Areas. The following list briefly describes each
PM Knowledge Area:

1. Project Integration Management: Deals with processes that integrate different

aspects of project management. This knowledge area deals with developing
Project Charter, Preliminary Project Scope, and Project Management Plan. It
also deals with monitoring and controlling project work, integrated change
control, and closing a project.
2. Project Scope Management: Encapsulates processes that are responsible for
controlling project scope. It consists of Scope Planning, Definition, Verification,
and Control.
3. Project Time Management: Includes processes concerning the time constraints
of the project. It deals with Activity definition, sequencing, resource estimating,
and duration estimating. It also deals with schedule development and control.
4. Project Cost Management: Includes processes concerning the cost constrains
of the project. Some of the processes that are part of this knowledge area are
Cost Estimating, Budgeting, and Control.
5. Project Quality Management: Describes the processes that assure that the
project meets its quality obligations. It consists of Quality Planning, Quality
Assurance, and Quality Control.
6. Project Human Resources Management: Includes the processes that deal with
obtaining and managing the project team. Some of the processes of this
knowledge area are Human Resource Planning, Acquire Project Team, Develop
Project Team, and Manage Project Team.
7. Project Communication Management: Describes the processes concerning
communication mechanisms of a project, namely, Communication Planning,
Performance Reporting, and Information Distribution.
8. Project Risk Management: Describes the processes concerned with project-
related risk management. It consists of Risk Identification, Quantitative and
Qualitative Risk Analysis, Risk Response Planning, and Risk Monitoring.
9. Project Procurement Management: Includes all processes that deal with
obtaining products and services needed to complete a project. It consists of Plan
Contracting, Select Seller Responses, Select Seller, and Contract Closer.
Project Management Process mapping

KNOWLEDGE INITIATING PLANNING EXECUTING MONITORING & CLOSING

AREA CLOSING
CONTROLLING
Project Develop Develop Direct and Monitor and Close the
Integration project charter mangemant plan manage control the project
Management Develop project project
preliminary execution work,Integrate
project scope d change
statement. control
Project Scope Scope planning, Scope
Management Scope definition, verification,
Scope
control
Project Time Activity Schedule
Management definition, control
Activity
sequencing,
Activity
resource
estimating,
Activity
duration
estimating,
Schedule
development
Project Cost Cost estimating, Cost control
Management Cost budgeting

Project Quality Quality planning

Perform Perform quality
Management quality control
assurance
Project Human Human resource Acquire Manage the
Resource planning project team, project team
Management develop
project team
Project Communications Information Manage
Communication planning , distribution stakeholders
s Performance
Management reporting

Project Risk Risk Risk

Management management monitoring and
planning, Risk control
identification,
Qualitative risk
analysis,
Quantitative risk
analysis, Risk
 response
planning
Project Plan purchases Request Contract Contract
Procurement and acquisition, sellers administration closure
Management Plan contracting response,
select sellers

Process Interactions

Within each process group, individual processes are linked by their inputs and outputs

Input – documents or document able items that were acted upon .

Tools & Techniques – mechanisms applied to the inputs to create the outputs .

Outputs – documents or document able item that are a result of the process.