Chapter 3:
The Project Management Process
Groups
Information Technology Project Management,
Fourth Edition


Describe the five project management (PM) process groups, the typical level of activity for each, and the interactions among them.

Understand how the PM process groups relate to the PM knowledge areas.
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Discuss how organizations develop information technology PM methodologies to meet their needs.
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Apply the PM process groups to manage an information technology project, and understand the contribution that effective project initiation, project planning, project execution, project monitoring and controlling, and project closing make to project success.
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A process is a series of actions directed toward a particular result.
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Project management can be viewed as a number of interlinked processes.
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The project management process groups include:
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Initiating processes
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Planning processes
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Executing processes

Monitoring and controlling processes
 Closing processes
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Project Management Processes and
ITPM Phases
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Defining and authorizing a project or project phase
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Define the business need for the project, sponsor, project manager
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Devising and maintaining a workable scheme to ensure that the project address the organization’s needs.
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There is no single project plan such as the scope management plan, schedule management plan
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Defining each knowledge area as it relates to the project
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The work needs to be done
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Schedule activities
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Cost estimate
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Resources to procure
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Coordinating people and other resources to
 carry out the project plans
 produce the products, services, or results
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Monitoring and Controlling
Processes

Measuring and monitoring progress to ensure that the project team meets the project objectives.

Measure progress against the plans

Common monitoring and controlling process is performance reporting
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Formalizing acceptance of the project or project phase and ending it efficiently.

Administrative activities are often involved in this process group

Archiving project files

Closing out contracts
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Documenting lessons learned
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Receiving formal accepatance
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Figure 3-1. Level of Activity and Overlap of Process Groups Over Time
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Mapping the Process Groups to the
Knowledge Areas

You can map the main activities of each PM process group into the nine knowledge areas by using the
PMBOK® Guide 2004 .
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Note that there are activities from each knowledge area under the planning process group.
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All initiating activities are part of the project integration management knowledge area.
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Table 3-1. Relationships Among Process Groups and Knowledge Areas
PMBOK® Guide 2004, p. 69
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Table 3-1. Relationships Among Process Groups and Knowledge Areas (cont’d)
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Developing an IT Project
Management Methodology

Methodology describes how things should be done, and different organizations often have different ways of doing things.

Six Sigma projects and the Rational Unified Process
(RUP) framework use project management methodologies.
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RUP is an iterative software development process that focuses on team productivity and delivers software best practices to all team members
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Initiating a project includes recognizing and starting a new project or project phase.
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Some organizations use a pre-initiation phase, while others include items such as developing a business case as part of the initiation.
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The main goal is to formally select and start off projects.
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Key outputs include:
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Assigning the project manager.
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Identifying key stakeholders.
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Completing a business case.
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Completing a project charter and getting signatures on it.
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Business case: See pages 82-85.
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Charter: See pages 86-87.
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Every organization has its own variations of what documents are required to initiate a project. It’s important to identify the project need, stakeholders, and main goals.
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An analysis of the organizational value, feasibility, costs, benefits, and risks of the project plan.
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Not a budget or project plan
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To provide senior management with all the information needed to make an informed decision as to whether a specific project should be funded.
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Must document the methods & rationale used for quantifying the costs and benefits.
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Attributes of a Good Business Case
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Details all possible impacts, costs, benefits
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Clearly compares alternatives
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Objectively includes all pertinent information
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Systematic in terms of summarizing findings
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Project charter is a document that formally recognizes the existence of a project and provides a direction on the project’s objectives and management.
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Purpose of the Project Charter
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Document the project objectives
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Define project infrastructure
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Summarize details of project plan
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Define roles and responsibilities
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Show explicit commitment to project
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Set out project control mechanisms
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The main purpose of project planning is to guide execution .
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Every knowledge area includes planning information (see
Table 3-5 on pages 87-89).
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Key outputs included in the JWD project include:
 A team contract.
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A scope statement.
 A work breakdown structure (WBS).
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A project schedule, in the form of a Gantt chart with all dependencies and resources entered.
 A list of prioritized risks (part of a risk register).
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See sample documents on pages 90-98.
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Scope Statement (Draft Version)
(continued)
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Figure 3-4. JWD Consulting Intranet
Site Project Baseline Gantt Chart
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Figure 3-4. JWD Consulting Intranet
Site Project Partial Network Diagram
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Table 3-8. List of Prioritized Risks
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
Project execution usually takes the most time and resources.

Project managers must use their leadership skills to handle the many challenges that occur during project execution.
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Table 3-9 on page 99 lists the executing processes and outputs. Many project sponsors and customers focus on deliverables related to providing the products, services, or results desired from the project.
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A milestone report (see example on page 100) can keep the focus on completing major milestones.
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Executing Processes and Outputs
(continued)
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Project Monitoring and Controlling
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Involves measuring progress toward project objectives, monitoring deviation from the plan, and taking corrective action to match progress with the plan.
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Affects all other process groups and occurs during all phases of the project life cycle.
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Outputs include performance reports, requested changes, and updates to various plans.
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Monitoring and Controlling
Processes and Outputs
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Monitoring and Controlling
Processes and Outputs (continued)
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Monitoring and Controlling
Processes and Outputs (continued)
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Monitoring and Controlling
Processes and Outputs (continued)
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Monitoring and Controlling
Processes and Outputs (continued)
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Table 3-12:
Sample Weekly Status Report
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Table 3-12:
Sample Weekly Status Report (continued)
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Involves gaining stakeholder and customer acceptance of the final products and services.
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Even if projects are not completed, they should be formally closed in order to reflect on what can be learned to improve future projects.
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Outputs include project archives and lessons learned, which are part of organizational process assets.
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Most projects also include a final report and presentation to the sponsor or senior management.
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Table 3-13: Closing Processes and
Output
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Table 3-14: Lessons-Learned Report
(abbreviated)
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Lessons-Learned Report
(abbreviated) (continued)
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Final Project Report Table of
Contents
1.
Project Objectives
2.
Summary of Project Results
3.
Original and Actual Start and End Dates
4.
Original and Actual Budget
5.
Project Assessment (Why did you do this project?
What did you produce? Was theproject a success?
What went right and wrong on the project?)
6.
Transition Plan
7.
Annual Project Benefits Measurement Approach
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Final Project Report Table of
Contents (continued)
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Attachments: A. Project Management Documentation
Business case
 Project charter
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Team contract
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Scope statement
WBS
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Baseline and actual Gantt chart
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List of prioritized risks
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Milestone reports
 Status reports
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Contract files
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Lessons-learned reports
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Final presentation
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Client acceptance form
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Final Project Report Table of
Contents (continued)
Attachments: B. Product-Related Documentation

Survey and results
 Summary of user inputs
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Intranet site content

Intranet site design documents

Test plans and reports
 Intranet site promotion information
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Intranet site roll-out information
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Project benefits measurement information
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