- Introduction
- Learning Objectives
- Why Are Projects Important?
- Who Are Project Managers?
- Project Management Roots
- Key Concepts of Project Management
- The PMBOK Guide?the Standard
- How to Use the PMBOK Guide
- Where the Activity Occurs
- Project Management Issues Not Addressed by the PMBOK Guide
- Emerging Issues Likely to Be Addressed in Future Editions
- Common Project Management Methodologies
- Summary
- Key Terms You Should Know
- Discussion Questions
- Exercises
- Final Points
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Where the Activity Occurs
One potentially useful and clarifying way of looking at project management activity and lifecycle phases is to identify where the activity occurs.
Management Process Activity occurs in only two Process Groups in five of the Knowledge Areas, as shown in the following charts.
Project Scope Management |
|
Planning Process Group |
5.1 Plan Scope Management |
5.2 Collect Requirements |
|
5.3 Define Scope |
|
5.4 Create WBS |
|
Monitoring and Controlling |
5.5 Validate Scope |
Process Group |
5.6 Control Scope |
Project Time Management |
|
Planning Process Group |
6.1 Plan Schedule Management |
6.2 Define Activities |
|
6.3 Sequence Activities |
|
6.4 Estimate Activity Resource |
|
6.5 Estimate Activity Durations |
|
6.6 Develop Schedule |
|
Monitoring and Controlling |
6.7 Control Schedule |
Process Group |
Project Cost Management |
|
Planning Process Group |
7.1 Plan Cost Management |
7.2 Estimate Costs |
|
7.3 Determine Budgets |
|
Monitoring and Controlling |
7.4 Control Costs |
Process Group |
Project Human Resource Management |
|
Planning Process Group |
9.1 Plan Human Resource |
Management |
|
Executing Process Group |
9.2 Acquire Project Team |
9.3 Develop Project Team |
|
9.4 Manage Project Team |
Project Risk Management |
|
Planning Process Group |
11.1 Plan Risk Management |
11.2 Identify Risks |
|
11.3 Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis |
|
11.4 Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis |
|
11.5 Plan Risk Responses |
|
Monitoring and Controlling |
11.6 Control Risks |
Process Group |
Management Process Activity occurs in three Process Groups in two of the Knowledge Areas.
Project Quality Management |
|
Planning Process Group |
8.1 Plan Quality Management |
Executing Process Group |
8.2 Perform Quality Assurance |
Monitoring and Controlling |
8.3 Control Quality |
Process Group |
Project Communications Management |
|
Planning Process Group |
10.1 Plan Communications Management |
Executing Process Group |
10.2 Manage Communications |
Monitoring and Controlling |
10.3 Control Communications |
Process Group |
Two of the Knowledge Areas have Management Process Activity occurring in four Process Groups.
Project Procurement Management |
|
Planning Process Group |
12.1 Plan Procurement Management |
Executing Process Group |
12.2 Conduct Procurements |
Monitoring and Controlling |
12.3 Control Procurements |
Process Group |
|
Closing Process Group |
12.4 Close Procurements |
Project Stakeholder Management |
|
Initiating Process Group |
13.1 Identify Stakeholders |
Planning Process Group |
13.2 Plan Stakeholder Management |
Executing Process Group |
13.3 Manage Stakeholder Engagement |
Monitoring and Controlling |
13.4 Control Stakeholder |
Process Group |
Engagement |
And one Knowledge Area has Management Process Activity occurring in all five Process Groups.
Project Procurement Management |
|
Initiating Process Group |
4.1 Develop Project Charter |
Planning Process Group |
4.2 Develop Project Management Plan |
Executing Process Group |
4.3 Direct and Manage Project Work |
Monitoring and Controlling |
4.4 Monitor and Control |
Process Group |
Project Work |
4.5 Perform Integrated Change Control |
|
Closing Process Group |
4.6 Close Project or Phase |
Conversely, one—and only one—Process Group has Management Process Activity in all ten Knowledge Areas: the Planning Process Group. Judging simply on the basis of Management Process Activity, the Process Planning Group and the Project Integration Management Knowledge Area seem to hold the most challenge and opportunity to achieve a successful outcome. Figure 1.6 illustrates the relative frequency of the management processes within the process groups.
)
Figure 1.6 Pareto chart of the 47 management processes
This reflects my personal experience in project management. For instance, some team members are only present at the beginning of the project and serve only on the team that develops the project charter. This is important—critical even—to the project, but they make their contributions in this one area and have no further (or very limited) involvement in the remainder of the project.
Although we must be careful to avoid making unfounded assumptions, it is clear that with over 50% of the Management Process Activity occurring in the Planning Process Group, planning is critical to the successful outcome of any project. I think few experienced Project Management Professionals would take exception to this statement.