PMBOK Guide (Project Management Body of Knowledge), covering the project lifecycle from initiation to closure. In PMP (Project Management Professional), Process group is represent group of activities that correlate to achieve specifics project objectives.
1. Initiating Process Group
Goal: Define the project’s purpose, secure authorization, and identify stakeholders.
Key Processes:
Develop Project Charter:
Purpose: Authorize the project and define its objectives, scope, and high-level requirements.
Inputs:
Business Case: Why the project matters (e.g., “Build an app to increase revenue by 20%”).
Agreements: Contracts or MOUs with clients/vendors.
Enterprise Environmental Factors: Organizational culture, market conditions.
Organizational Process Assets: Templates, historical data.
Output: Project Charter (approved by the sponsor).
Tools & Techniques:
Expert Judgment: Consult stakeholders or SMEs to refine objectives.
Meetings: Workshops with sponsors to align on goals.
Example: A charter for building a mobile app might include business goals, budget, and success criteria.
Identify Stakeholders:
Purpose: Determine who is impacted by the project and their expectations.
Output: Stakeholder Register including:
Name/Title
Role (e.g., Sponsor, End-User, Vendor).
Requirements (e.g., “Needs real-time reporting”).
Influence Level (High/Medium/Low).
Communication Preferences (e.g., weekly email updates).
Tools & Techniques:
Stakeholder Analysis: Classify stakeholders by:
Power/Interest Grid:
High Power, High Interest (Manage closely, e.g., CEO).
High Power, Low Interest (Keep satisfied, e.g., regulatory bodies).
Low Power, High Interest (Keep informed, e.g., end-users).
Low Power, Low Interest (Monitor, e.g., suppliers).
Stakeholder Mapping: Visual representation of relationships.
Example: Key stakeholders for a software project could include end-users, developers, and executives.
2. Planning Process Group
Goal: Create a detailed road map project management plan to guide execution, monitoring and control.
Key Processes:
Develop Project Management Plan:
Purpose: Integrate all initial and subsidiary plans (Project Charter, Stakeholder Register, scope, schedule, cost, risk, etc.) into a single document.
Output: Project Management Plan (the master plan for the project).
Tools & Techniques:
Expert Judgment: Consult SMEs for best practices.
Facilitation Techniques: Workshops to align team and stakeholders.
Plan Scope Management:
Purpose: Define how scope will be defined, validated, and controlled.
Output: Scope Management Plan.
Requirements collection methods (e.g., surveys, interviews).
Process for creating the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).
- Collect Requirements:
- Purpose: Identify and documenting all stakeholder needs and expectations.
Tools & Techniques:
Interviews/Focus Groups: Direct stakeholder input.
Surveys: Broad data collection.
Prototyping: Validate requirements with mockups.
- Output: Requirements Documentation and Traceability Matrix
Create Work Breakdown Structure (WBS):
Purpose: Break deliverables into smaller, manageable tasks.
Output: WBS (hierarchical decomposition of work).
Decomposition: Divide deliverables into smaller components (e.g., "Develop Login Page" → "UI Design," "API Integration").
Plan Schedule Management:
Purpose: Define how the schedule will be created, monitored, and controlled.
Output: Schedule Management Plan specifying: Tools (e.g., MS Project, Jira), milestones, and approval processes.
Define Activities & Sequence Activities:
Purpose: Identify tasks and dependencies. Every activity that correlated need to define and create the sequence of each other
Steps:
Define Activities: Break WBS into actionable tasks (e.g., "Write Code for Login Feature").
Sequence Activities: Use Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM) to map dependencies
Tools:
Network Diagrams: Visualize task flow.
Dependency Types:
Mandatory (e.g., foundation before framing).
Discretionary (team preference).
Example:
Software tasks: "Design UI" → "Develop Frontend" → "QA Testing."
Estimate Activity Duration & Resources:
Purpose: Determine time, resources, unit of works needed to finish the tasks
Output: Schedule Management Plan specifying:
- Tools (e.g., MS Project, Jira), milestones, and approval processes.
- Story Points or Unit of WorksTools:
Analogous Estimating: Use historical data (e.g., "Previous app took 3 months").
Parametric Estimating: Statistical models (e.g., cost per square foot).
Three-Point Estimating: Optimistic, pessimistic, most likely scenarios.
Develop Schedule:
Purpose: Create Timeline with clear start and end dates.
Tools:
Critical Path Method (CPM): Identify the longest path of tasks.
Gantt Charts: Visual timeline.
Output: Clear Data or Chart like Gantt Charts
Plan Cost Management:
Purpose: Estimate and budget Project Costs.
Steps:
Estimate Costs: Use techniques like Bottom-Up Estimating (sum of all task costs).
Determine Budget: Aggregate costs into a Cost Baseline.
Plan Quality Management:
Purpose: Define quality standards and how to achieve them.
Tools:
Cost-Benefit Analysis: Balance quality vs. cost.
Flowcharts: Map processes to identify defects.
- Output: Quality Management Plan (e.g., "All code must pass unit tests before deployment").
Plan Procurement Management
Purpose: Identify external resources needed (vendors, contractors).
Output: Procurement Management Plan including:
Selection criteria (e.g., cost, expertise).
Contract types (fixed-price, time-and-materials).
Sample: https://exceltmp.com/procurement-spreadsheet-templates/
Plan Stakeholder Engagement
Purpose: Define strategies to engage stakeholders effectively.
Output: Stakeholder Engagement Plan including:
Communication frequency (e.g., monthly reports for regulators).
Conflict resolution methods.
3. Executing Process Group
Goal: Carry out the project plan to deliver deliverables.
Key Processes:
- Direct and Manage Project Work
Purpose: Execute tasks defined in the project plan to produce deliverables.
Steps:
Inputs:
Project Management Plan (scope, schedule, cost baselines).
Approved Change Requests (e.g., adding a new feature).
Tools & Techniques:
Project Management Information System (PMIS): Tools like Jira, Asana, or MS Project.
Expert Judgment: Guidance from SMEs or senior managers.
Outputs:
Deliverables (e.g., completed software module, constructed building phase).
Work Performance Data (e.g., % of tasks completed, budget spent).
Manage Quality
Purpose: Ensure deliverables meet quality standards defined in the Quality Management Plan.
Steps:
Tools & Techniques:
Quality Audits: Review processes to identify gaps (e.g., "Is code being peer-reviewed?").
Checklists: Verify all steps are completed (e.g., "Testing checklist for software release").
Outputs:
Quality Reports: Document defects and corrective actions.
Verified Deliverables (approved by stakeholders).
Acquire Resources
Purpose: Obtain the team, equipment, and materials needed to execute the project.
Steps:
Tools:
Negotiation: Secure resources from other departments or vendors.
Pre-assignment: Assign critical roles early (e.g., lead developer).
Outputs:
Physical Resource Assignments (e.g., leased machinery).
Project Team Assignments (e.g., hiring a contractor for UX design).
Acquire Resources
Purpose: Obtain the team, equipment, and materials needed to execute the project.
Steps:
Tools:
Negotiation: Secure resources from other departments or vendors.
Pre-assignment: Assign critical roles early (e.g., lead developer).
Outputs:
Physical Resource Assignments (e.g., leased machinery).
Project Team Assignments (e.g., hiring a contractor for UX design).
Manage Communications
Purpose: Distribute information to stakeholders as planned.
Tools:
Communication Technology: Slack for updates, Zoom for meetings.
Communication Models: "Sender-receiver" feedback loops.
Outputs:
Project Communications (e.g., weekly status emails, stakeholder dashboards).
Implement Risk Responses
Purpose: Execute planned strategies to address identified risks.
Tools:
Contingency Plans: Activate backup vendors if a supplier fails.
Workarounds: Unplanned responses to unforeseen risks (e.g., shifting deadlines due to a natural disaster).
Outputs:
Updated Risk Register (e.g., "Risk X mitigated by action Y").
Manage Stakeholder Engagement
Purpose: Communicate with stakeholders to ensure their needs are met.
Tools:
Feedback Mechanisms: Surveys or focus groups.
Stakeholder Analysis Revisited: Adjust strategies based on changing influence.
Outputs:
Updated Stakeholder Register (e.g., new communication preferences).