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Adapting the Project Management Processes

Did you ever have one of those Junior Scientist Chemistry Kits when you were a kid? These kits had recipes for different reactions, formulas, and experiments. You could make smoke, sparks, smells, and iridescent colors if you followed the step-by-step directions. Of course, if you were a “real scientist,” you’d experiment and things could go haywire. One small change, an uncalculated variable, or a mistaken catalyst could cause your whole experiment to literally blow up in your face.

Sounds like project management, doesn’t it?

All of the different elements in project management are integrated. The cost, time, scope, cultural achievability, technical achievability, and more are all related and interdependent. A small change, delay, decision (or lack thereof) can amplify into serious problems further down the project timeline.

The work of project management is full of processes—42 of ’em in fact. There are logical groupings of these processes: initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, controlling, and, finally, closing. Of course, for your PMP exam, you’ll want to be familiar with all of these process groups and all of the activities that happen in each group. But more importantly (yes, even more important than your PMP exam), you’ll need to know how to apply these processes to your job out in the real world.

Just because there are loads of processes available doesn’t uniformly mean that a project manager can—or should—complete every project management process in every project. You do not have to follow every process on every project—only use the processes that are most appropriate. The project manager along with the project team should determine which processes are needed in order to successfully complete the project. Just to be clear, project managers don’t have to use every process on every project. As a whole, for projects to be successful, you’ll need four things:

The application of the most appropriate project management processes to complete the project

A solid plan and execution of this solid plan to meet project and product requirements

A method to satisfy stakeholder expectations and requirements

An approach to keep the project’s time, cost, quality, scope, resources, and risk in balance

Project management, unlike those Junior Scientist Chemistry Kits, doesn’t come with exact step-by-step directions. It is a fluid process with general guidelines, stakeholder requirements, and you leading the project to achieve the customer’s requirements. In this chapter, we’ll talk about how all of the different parts of a project are interrelated. Specifically, we’ll discuss the project processes and their interactions, the ability to customize the project processes, and how all of this business works towards your current project of passing the PMP examination.

Learning the Project Processes

All projects, from technology to architecture, are composed of processes. Recall that phases are unique to each project and that the goal of the phase is to conclude with a specific, desired result. The completion of phases is the end of the project, culminating in the creation of a unique product, service, or result. Processes are a series of actions with a common, parent goal to create a result, such as the one Figure 3-1 reflects. Processes within project management monitor and move the phases along.

FIGURE 3-1    Projects are completed through project processes.

In your organization, you may treat equipment as a true resource. For example, manufacturing equipment, printing equipment, or even transactions may be treated as resources whose time is billable to project customers.

People perform processes. It may be tempting to say that a piece of equipment, such as a manufacturing device, a computer, or a bulldozer, completes the process, but it is technically, for your exam, a person or group of people that complete the process. Think of the processes within a project you’ve worked on. Know that the processes are not the individual activities, but the control of individual activities to complete a project phase.

Identifying the Project Management Process Groups

The following are the five project management process groups and what occurs under each:

Initiating     The project or project phase is authorized.

Planning     Project objectives are determined, as well as how to reach those objectives with the identified constraints, project scope, schedule, costs, quality demands, and risks.

Executing     The project is executed utilizing acquired resources.

Monitoring and controlling     Project performance is monitored and measured to ensure the project plan is being implemented to design specifications and requirements.

Closing     The project, its phases, and contracts are brought to a formal end.

See the video Project Management Life Cycle.

These process groups are not solo activities. The groups are a collection of activities that contribute to the control and implementation of the project management life cycle. The output of one process group will act as input for another process group. For example, one of the outputs of the initiating process is the project charter. The charter is thus input for the planning processes, being that it authorizes and sanctions the project, the project manager, and the resources required to complete the project work. While there is a logical succession and order to the flow of the processes, process groups will overlap other groups (as shown in Figure 3-2).

FIGURE 3-2    Process groups may overlap other process groups.

Not only will process groups overlap, but some process groups may be repeated based on the activities within the project. When you’re managing a multiphase, large project, you’ll even repeat initiating and closing. Most projects, because of the cyclic nature of the project management work, will at least repeat planning, monitoring and controlling, and executing processes throughout the project, as Figure 3-3 demonstrates.

FIGURE 3-3    Processes may be iterative throughout the project.

For example, within a project designed to create a new piece of software, there will be logical project phases: design, build, test, implement, and so on. Within each of the phases, project processes can also exist. Each phase of the project has processes unique to the logical activities within that phase. The closing processes happen at the end of each project phase and at the end of the project. With that thought, know that the closing process of a project phase can serve as input for the next phase within the project.

There’s more than one correct way to manage a project. It’s a project manager’s role to follow the method for project management that his organization subscribes to—or, in many instances, it’s the project manager’s role to find the best approach to reach a successful project conclusion. Every organization can have a slightly different approach to project management. Regardless of the project management approach, however, the project management processes within project management are always the same: integrative and interdependent.

Project management does, to some extent, follow W. Edwards Deming’s quality approach of “Plan-Do-Check-Act,” as shown in Figure 3-4. Project management is full of iterations, repetitive work, and constant controlling and monitoring. The primary difference between Deming’s model and PMI’s model is that a project will end with the closing process group, whereas Deming’s quality approach is continuously repeated.

FIGURE 3-4    A project’s management flows through project boundaries and iterations of processes.

Identifying the Initiating Process Group

This process group launches the project or phase and allows the project manager to have authority over the project. Project initiation, while simple on the surface, admits that there is some problem that a solution should solve. As a solution is considered, a level of authority is transferred from senior management to the project manager to lead the organization to the desired future state.

In most organizations, much of the work of the initiation process group happens outside of the project manager’s control and sometimes doesn’t even involve this person. This is one of those “chicken-or-the-egg” scenarios. Many PMP candidates ask, “If a project manager isn’t identified until the charter is formed, what’s initiation got to do with the project manager?” Let’s be realistic for a moment: The project manager is involved with the initiation process group because her input, guidance, and participation are needed. Sure, sure, the project isn’t official until the charter is signed, but everyone usually knows who the project manager is going to be.

Identifying Needs

A project is generally called upon to provide a solution to a problem or to take advantage of an opportunity. The needs of the current state are then answered by the deliverables of the proposed project. These needs might have to do with:

Reducing costs

Increasing revenues

Eliminating waste

Increasing productivity and efficiency

Solving a business or functional problem

Taking advantage of market opportunities

This is just a short list. Countless other needs can be addressed through project plans.

Business reasons for why a project is created depend on your business objectives. If you’re pitching a project to management, address the most prevalent business needs first. So first, from a business perspective, answer the following question: “Why is this important to my organization?”

Creating a Feasibility Study

A feasibility study is conducted to prove a problem actually exists, document the opportunities at hand, and then determine if a project can be created to resolve the problem or take advantage of the opportunity cited. A feasibility study may also look at the cost of the solution in relation to the possible rewards gained by its implementation.

Identifying the Business Needs

The business needs will examine the problem, opportunity, and solution to see how the potential project and its expected outcome fit within the realm of the business vision and goals. Recall the organizational pyramid in the following illustration? The business level of an organization asks, “Why is this important?” The focus of the business level is vision and strategy, so the results of the project must support that level. Projects must align with the strategy of the organization.

Creating a Product Description

The initial product description will describe what the expected outcome of the project is to be. This may be a service, a product, or even a description of the desired future state. The initial product description does not have to be an exact specification document of what the project will create, though in some instances it may. Typically, the product description describes the high-level solution or realized opportunity that the project will accomplish.

Creating a Project Charter

The project charter authorizes the project, officially naming the project manager and authorizing the project work. Yes, it’s true that the project manager and the project management team may write the project charter, but the charter’s approval and funding are outside the project’s boundaries. In others words, the project charter should be approved and funded by an individual within the organization who has the proper authority to approve the project manager, the needed funds, and the resources that will be utilized within the project work.

Project charters authorize. When you think of the project charter, think authority for the project manager.

The project manager is officially named in the project charter, but the involvement of the project manager will likely come early on in this process group. The project manager will need to know the expectations of his role in the type of organizational structure he is participating in (functional, matrix, projectized, or composite). The organizational structure recognition is important, since it will determine the level of authority and power that the project manager can expect within a project.

The project charter should also reflect the initial scope, the needed resources to complete the project, and any identified assumptions and constraints. Constraints such as a preset budget or mandatory project deadline must be identified in the project charter, as this sets the tempo and immediate expectations for the project’s success.

In order to create a project charter, the project management team requires the following:

A contract, if the project is being completed for another entity

Business case defining the project purpose to capture an opportunity, solve a problem, or other reason why the project is authorized

A project statement of work identifying the project’s goals

Enterprise environmental factors, such as the organization’s structure, culture, and relevant regulations and standards

Organizational process assets, including policies, standard project management forms, templates, and organizational procedures that affect the project work

Identify the Project Stakeholders

Stakeholders are the people, groups, and organizations that are affected by the project’s existence and outcome. Stakeholders have varying roles in the project, such as contributing project information, paying for the project, working on the project, or receiving and using the project deliverables. Stakeholders’ roles, interest, participation, and contact information should all be recorded in the stakeholder registry.

Some stakeholders will be happy your project exists and will want your project to succeed. These are your favorite people, and they’re considered positive stakeholders. Those pesky, gloomy people who don’t like your project and want your project to fail are, as you might have guessed, negative stakeholders. A stakeholder management strategy is needed, as you’ll want to communicate accurately, timely, and effectively with both positive and negative stakeholders. The stakeholder management strategy is directly linked to the project communications management.

Identifying the Planning Process Group

The planning processes are iterative in nature; a project manager does not complete the planning processes and then move on to other activities within the project, never to return. Throughout the project, the project manager and the project team will be returning to the planning processes as often as needed. Changes to the project scope, new risks, challenges, and issues all can send the project back to planning. It’s not a bad thing—it’s supposed to work this way.

The project manager should include the stakeholders in the planning processes as much as possible to obtain buy-in of the project deliverables. Including the project stakeholders not only accomplishes buy-in, but also provides shared ownership of the project. This is important because shared ownership allows the customer to recognize the value and intensity of the project work and process. In addition, the project manager should include stakeholders to ensure the project deliverables are in alignment with what the stakeholders and the project team are expecting to receive.

Collect and Document Project Requirements

As part of planning, the stakeholders’ expectations and requirements must be analyzed. The stakeholders’ expectations must be documented, prioritized, and balanced between competing objectives. Managing stakeholders’ expectations is crucial to a project’s success, so having a complete understanding of their expectations is mandatory. Business analysts can help the project manager identify and elicit project requirements. It’s paramount to have a clear vision of the project’s deliverables to save time and frustration and to promote accuracy within project planning.

Stakeholder analysis allows the project manager and the project team to determine the expectations of the customer. If the customer doesn’t know what their expectations are, the project manager cannot decide for them. The project manager and the customer must be in agreement with what the project should create before the creation begins.

Within large or highly technical projects, planning can also be known as rolling wave planning. Rolling wave planning focuses detailed planning on the immediate activities of the project rather than on remote, future activities that may be affected by the outcome of the direct project results. The issues further downstream are addressed in rolling wave planning, but in high-level detail, rather than the specifics the pressing focus is on. This is an example of progressive elaboration.

Rolling wave planning is an acceptable planning solution for long projects whose later planned activities in the project schedule are unknown or will be determined based on the results of early project phases.

Creating the Project Scope

Project managers must have a scope management plan that defines how the project scope will be defined, what changes will be allowed, and how the scope can be controlled. The scope management plan also defines the approach to create the work breakdown structure.

The scope statement is a document that describes the work, and only the required work, necessary to meet the project objectives. It is based on the project charter, identified requirements, and organizational process assets. The scope statement establishes a common vision among the project stakeholders to establish the point and purpose of the project work. It is used as a baseline against which all future project decisions are made in order to determine if proposed changes or work results are aligned with expectations. The scope statement may, with adequate reason, be updated to reflect changes in the project work.

The project manager and the project team should create a change management plan that specifies how the project scope may be changed, what the procedure to change the scope is, and what the requirements are to make a change. On large or high-profile projects, the project manager may be working with a change control board (CCB) to determine if changes should be approved and factored into a project scope.

Creating the Work Breakdown Structure

The work breakdown structure (WBS) is an organized collection of the project-deliverable components to be created by project work. The project manager cannot complete this activity alone. The input and guidance of the project team is required, as they are the individuals closest to the work and will be completing the actual activities within the project phases. The WBS is not a list of activities—it’s a deliverables-oriented decomposition of the project. The activity list is based on the identified deliverables within the WBS.

Along with the WBS, the project team will create a WBS dictionary. The WBS dictionary is a companion document to the WBS. It defines all of the elements of the WBS and their project attributes, such as time, cost, quality, and risk. When (and if) the project scope is changed, the WBS and the WBS dictionary are also changed to reflect the scope updates.

Creating the Activity List

The activity list, as I mentioned, is based on the WBS. The project manager and the project team will decompose the project scope statement into deliverables in the form of a WBS. The smallest item in the WBS is called a work package. Each work package is related to an activity or set of activities that will create the deliverables. The sum of all of the activities will create all the work packages, which in turn satisfies the project scope. In other words, if your project team completes all of the project activities on the activity list, they will have created all of the work packages. When all of the work packages are created, the project scope is fulfilled.

This planning process also documents the attributes of each activity in the activity list. The project team should document any risks, issues, or concerns about the nature of the activity to prevent problems during project execution. The project manager and the project management team will also identify the project milestones with the activity list. A milestone is a timeless event that signals project progress. By identifying the milestones with the activity list, it is clear which activities will contribute to the milestone. It’s also useful, as milestones are typically created by the completion of a project phase. Now the project manager and team can see the work required in each phase of the project.

Creating the Network Diagram

Once the activity list has been created, the project team can sequence the activities in the order in which the work should be completed. The network diagram, also called the project network diagram (PND), illustrates the flow of activities to complete the project and/or the project phase. It identifies the sequencing of activities noted within the WBS and determines which activities may be scheduled sequentially versus in tandem.

You’ll create a plan for your projects, so you ought to create a plan for your PMP exam preparation. Define what areas you need to work on, how you’ll study, and when you’ll study. And like all plans—it’s largely up to the execution to complete the project objectives. Work smart and knock this exam out!

Estimating Project Resources

Resources are people, equipment, facilities, and materials that are needed in order to complete the project activities. You’ll need to know what resources are needed in order to do accurate time and cost estimates later in planning. The project manager can rely on the project team for much of the project resource estimating, as they’re closest to the project work, but you can also rely on historical information, expert judgment, and supporting detail.

It’s at this point in the project planning that a resource calendar should be created, if one does not exist within the organization already. A resource calendar helps the project manager identify when resources are available and complete scheduling of the needed resources. Consider people, meeting rooms, and equipment when you think of the resource calendar—it’s more than just the project team members you’ll utilize on the project work.

Developing the Project Schedule

The project schedule is dependent on the creation of the WBS, the PND, and the availability of the resources. Based on when the resources, the project team, and other required resources, such as equipment and facilities, are available, the schedule can be determined. In many instances, the project must be scheduled according to time constraints. Using the constraint of a deadline on the project, all activities must be scheduled, from the project’s start to its completion, to ensure the project can finish on time.

The critical path is the chain of activities within the PND that cannot be delayed without delaying the project end date. There can be more than one critical path, and it is possible for the critical path to change. The other paths within the PND have float or slack. Float or slack means these paths may be delayed to a point without delaying the end result of the project. Figure 3-5 shows a typical project network diagram.

FIGURE 3-5    Project network diagrams illustrate a project’s workflow.

Completing Estimates

Time and cost estimates are completed within the planning process. Time estimates reflect the amount of time to complete each activity within the WBS. Once the estimates are mapped to the PND, an accurate estimate of how long the project will take to complete may be created.

Cost estimates can be calculated a number of different ways, such as through top-down estimates, bottom-up estimates, or the dreaded informal “hallway estimates.” All estimates should identify a range of variance reflective of the degree of confidence of the estimate, the assumption the estimate is based on, and how long the estimate is valid.

Planning for Project Financials

The project manager and the project team need to create a cost estimate for the project work. Cost estimates should include a qualifier, such as +/− 10 percent and the reasoning behind the qualifier.

The project budget is the cost of the project, cash flow projections, and how the monies will be spent. The project budget should cover the cost of the team’s time, facilities, and all foreseeable expenses. Cash flow projections are needed to alert management as to when monies must be available for the project to continue. Figure 3-6 demonstrates a project with expected cash flow expenses.

FIGURE 3-6    Cash flow projections allow an organization to plan for project expenses.

Creating a Quality Management Plan

The quality management plan details how the project will map to the organizational quality policy—for example, ISO 9000 or Six Sigma specific actions. The plan will provide specifics on how the project team will meet the quality expectations of the organizational quality assurance (QA) program. The quality management plan also sets the guidelines for how the project will adhere to quality control (QC) mechanisms and ongoing quality improvement. The following illustration demonstrates how QC fits within QA.

Planning for Human Resource Needs

The project team completes the project work, while the project manager relies on the project team to do several tasks, including the following:

Completion of the project work

Providing information on the work needed to complete the project scope

Providing the necessary accuracy in project estimating

Reporting on project progress

The project manager must use human resource and leadership skills to guide and lead the project team to project completion. The human resource plan will document planning decisions made about the project resources. In some organizations, the project team may be assigned to the project, while in other organizations, the project manager may have the luxury of handpicking the project team members.

Creating a Communications Management Plan

The communications management plan determines who needs what information, how they need it, and when it will be delivered. The plan specifies team meetings, reports, expectations for reports, and expectations of communication among team members. The communications plan must account for all needed communications within the project.

Consider a project manager of a high-profile project called Project XYZ. The project manager requires that the project team members report their progress on Project XYZ every Tuesday at the project status meeting. In addition to team members reporting their status, they will need to update their work electronically through the project management information system (PMIS). These communication requirements are defined in the communications management plan.

It has been said that 90 percent of a project manager’s time is spent communicating. Communicating equates to a big chunk of project management duties.

Completing Risk Management Planning

Risk can be both good and bad. Generally, risk is a perceived threat (or opportunity) to the completion of the project. Every organization has a different approach and attitude towards risk. Risk management planning defines the project manager’s obligations to acknowledge, document, research, and plan for risks within the project. Many organizations use a predefined risk management plan that all project managers must adhere to.

Identifying Project Risks

The initial risk assessment allows the project manager and the project team to determine what high-level risks may influence the feasibility, resources, and requirements needed to complete the project. The initial risk assessment may also steer the project toward a different solution. Risk assessment is an ongoing, active project management process. All identified risks and their characteristics, responses, and analysis results are recorded in the project risk register.

Completing Qualitative and Quantitative Risk Analyses

Risk assessment is an in-depth analysis of the project risks through qualitative and quantitative analyses. Qualitative risk analysis calls for a probability and impact matrix. Risks are typically categorized as high, medium, and low. Quantitative risk analysis is a more in-depth study of the identified risks. This technique calls for a risk matrix based on probability and impact. Quantitative analysis also uses simulations and decision tree models.

Completing Risk Response Planning

The risks are analyzed for both positive and negative impacts, entered through a risk matrix, and then planned for accordingly. Risks may be accepted, avoided, mitigated, countered, or planned for through contingency. Risks are also assigned to risk owners, who will monitor thresholds and triggers.

Planning for Project Procurement

Chances are that a project will need to purchase materials and services and hire contractors to complete the project work. The purchase of a thing or service requires the project manager to follow the organizational policies and procedures for procurement. This can include finding qualified vendors, requesting quotes or proposals, and reviewing those proposals for the best vendor. The procurement management plan will guide the project manager through the processes of selecting vendors, the appropriate procurement documents, and contract selection and administration.

Officially Launching the Project Work

Planning is an iterative process. The result of planning is to allow the project work to begin. Once the project has reached a collective state of agreement between the project manager, management, the project team, and the customer, the project execution is officially allowed to begin. Bear in mind that planning does not have to be 100 percent complete for project execution to begin. Planning can move through iterations, as appropriate, based on the project work, conditions, and demands of the organization.

Managing the Executing Processes

The executing processes allow the project team to perform the project work. It is the execution of the project plan, the execution of the vendor management, and the management of the project implementation. The project manager works closely with the project team in this process to ensure that the work is being completed and that the work results are of quality. The project manager also works with vendors to ensure that their procured work is complete, of quality, and meets the obligations of the agreed-upon contracts.

Variances are the difference between what was planned and what was experienced. Common variances are time and cost estimates, risk impacts, risks that were not identified but came into planning, and the availability of project resources. Some variances can spur change requests that will cause the project management plan to be changed, the scope to be broadened or reduced, or, in some situations, cause the project to be rebaselined.

Directing and Managing Project Execution

This is the business of getting the project done. The project team executes the work as defined in the project management plan, and the project manager manages the work. This also includes the management of the organizational and technical interfaces the project manager must interact with to ensure that project work flows smoothly and as planned. The bulk of the project time and budget are consumed during project execution.

A work authorization system is a method that allows work to begin according to schedule and circumstance. It provides for the verification of predecessor activities and the permission to begin successor activities. When changes have been approved, the project management plan is updated, baselines are rebaselined to reflect the changes, and the changes are, according to the plan, executed into being.

Mapping to Quality Assurance

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As the project work continues, the project team and the project manager will need to verify that the project work results are mapping to the organization’s quality assurance program as described in the quality management plan. Failure to adhere to the quality assurance program may result in penalties, project delays, and work that needs to be redone, as shown in the following illustration.

Acquiring and Developing the Project Team

There needs to be a project team in order for the project to be completed. Based on the organizational structure, the project manager will recruit the project team or the project team will be assigned to the project manager. In some organizations, such as with a functional structure, the project team will already be assembled. The project plan will dictate what roles and responsibilities are needed for the project, while the staffing management plan will guide how human resources, the project manager, and the project team members interact.

The project team members will be assigned work to complete, while the project manager oversees and manages the work the project team members do. One challenge for all project managers is the availability of project team members. It’s not much fun for project managers or project team members when multiple projects create various demands simultaneously. This happens far too much in matrix structures, where project team members are likely to work on multiple projects. That’s why, once again, the reliance of a resource calendar is needed to identify when resources are available and to reserve resources for your project.

Competition for resources is common. It’s not unusual for some less-than-bright project managers to hoard resources. For example, I once consulted on a project where a developer was assigned to a project that lasted 18 months. The developer was only needed for about 200 hours for the entire project duration. He surfed the Web, read books, and nearly died of boredom because his time was reserved for the project. It was a total waste of time and talent.

The project manager must work with the project team members to ensure that their level of proficiency is in line with their obligations on the project. This may involve classroom learning, shadowing among project team members, or on-the-job training. The success of the project work is dependent on the project team’s ability. Should the team or team members be lagging in required knowledge to complete the project work, additional education and development are necessary.

As project team members complete their work, the staffing management plan will be referenced by the project manager on how to complete project team member assessments. In particular, reward and recognition systems should be documented and followed. Project team members, just like project managers, like to be rewarded for a job well done.

Managing the Project Team

The project team completes the work, and the project manager ensures that they do so according to the plan. Team management is limited to the authority the project manager has over the project team. In any organizational structure, however, the project manager should evaluate the project team performance and seek methods to improve all team performance to improve the project deliverables. The outcome of managing the project team includes the following:

Change requests

Corrective actions

Preventive actions

Project management plan updates

At some point in the project, based on the organizational structure, team members will be reassigned to new projects. Reassigning project team members is of utmost importance in a projectized organization, where project team members are with a project full-time through completion. As the project in a projectized organization nears completion, the project team may be anxious about their next assignment. In a functional matrix environment, the project team may fluctuate at phases or milestones as they complete their assignments and then move on to other activities within the organization.

Dispersing Project Information

Information must be disseminated according to the communications plan. Stakeholders will need to be kept abreast of the project status. Management may want milestone reports, variance reports, and status reports, and customers will have specific communications requirements. All of these demands, from any stakeholder, should be documented within the communications plan—and then followed through in the execution process.

Manage Stakeholder Expectations

When it comes to managing stakeholder expectations, it’s really about communicating with the project stakeholders. The project manager needs to address the stakeholders’ concerns, needs, and perceived threats about the project. This execution process is somewhat reliant on the stakeholder management strategy identified earlier in the project. Issues, risks, and changes are all things that the project manager needs to address directly with stakeholders to keep the project moving.

Managing Procurement Activities

In most projects, vendors are involved at some point. Part of the executing process is to find the best vendors to be involved with the project. Adequate timing is required for the procurement process to allow the vendors to provide adequate, appropriate information for the project—and to allow the project manager to make an educated decision on which vendors should be selected. Procurement includes obtaining quotations, bids, and proposals for the services or goods to be purchased for the project’s completion.

This part of procurement involves making a decision as to which identified vendor will be the source of the service or good being procured. Source selection is based upon the selection criteria determined by the performing organization.

Once a vendor has been selected, procurement involves administering the contracts between the buyer and the seller. The contract must be fair and legal. The contract typically is a document that represents the offer and acceptance of both parties. Some organizations may utilize centralized contracting or a contracting office to manage all project contracts.

Monitoring and Controlling the Project

The monitoring and controlling processes are the activities that ensure the project goes according to plan and identifies the actions that need to be implemented when evidence proves the project isn’t going according to plan. Specifically, the controlling processes verify project work and the response to that work. In addition, the project manager must work to control the predicted cost and schedule of the project. Variances to the cost and schedule will affect the project’s success.

At the heart of this process group is simply controlling and monitoring the project work. This means the project manager and the project team actively collect and measure the project’s performance, risk, time, cost, and scope. Then, based on the collection of project performance, performance reports, and the project management plan, the project manager can react to performance to improve the project and to forecast project performance based on trend analysis.

Managing Integrated Change Control

Integration management is the control of the project’s components and how each part of a project may affect its other parts. For example, a proposed change to the project scope may affect the project schedule, time, cost, quality, risk, communications, human resources, and even procurement issues.

Integrated change control is the process of examining change requests, changes, preventive actions, corrective actions, and defect repairs to see how these issues affect the remaining portions of the project. The outcome of integrated change control includes updates to the project management plan and project scope, but also approved or declined change requests, approved corrective and preventative actions, and validated defect repair. The ultimate result of integrated change control is the project deliverable.

Providing Scope Verification

Scope verification is the process of verifying that the work results are within the expectations of the scope. It is typically done at project phase completion, where the customer formally accepts the product of the project work. Should scope verification fail, corrective actions are generally needed to bring the work results back into alignment with the expectations of the project scope. If the scope has not been met, the project may be halted, reworked, or delayed during a decision-making process by the customer.

Scope verification is a control process. However, at the end of the project, the scope must be verified for final acceptance. This process is completed with the project manager and the key stakeholders. Scope verification is the process of inspecting, touring, and “taking a walkthrough” of the project deliverables to confirm that the requirements of the project have been met. Scope verification may happen at different intervals throughout the project, such as at key milestones or phase completions. Scope verification at the end of a project may require a formal sign-off from the customer that the project is complete and to their satisfaction.

Implementing Scope Change Control

The project manager must follow the change management plan to ensure inappropriate changes to the project scope do not occur. This includes scope creep that the project team may be creating on its own accord—for example, the project team members may be making additional adjustments to the equipment they are installing in a project, even through the project scope does not call for the additional adjustments. Scope change control ensures that the documented procedures to permit changes to the scope are followed.

Enforcing Schedule Control

Schedule control requires constant monitoring of the project’s progress, approval of phase deliverables, and task completion. Slippage must be analyzed early in the project to determine the root cause of the problem. Activities that slip may indicate inaccurate estimates, hidden work, or a poor WBS. Quality issues can also throw off the project schedule when the time to redo project activities is taken into consideration, as shown in the following illustration. Finally, the project manager must also consider outside influences and their effect on the project—for example, weather, market conditions, cultural issues, and so on.

Managing Cost Control

Controlling the project’s cost requires accurate estimates and then a check and balance against those estimates. Procurement management, cash flow, and fundamental accounting practices are required. Though cost control is dependent on project expenses, it also hinges on hidden and fluctuating expenses, such as shipping, exchange rates for international projects, travel, and incidentals. Thus, accurate and thorough record keeping is imperative.

Ensuring Quality Control

Quality control (QC) measures work results to determine if they are in alignment with quality standards. If the work results are not of quality, QC uses methods to determine why the results are inadequate and how to eliminate the causes of the quality deficiencies. QC is inspection-driven and strives to keep mistakes away from the project customer.

Ensuring Performance Reporting

The project manager and the project team must work together to report and record accurate completions of work. Performance reporting stems from accurate measurement by the project team, proof of work completion, and factual estimates. The project manager then churns the reported projects through earned value management, schedule baselines, cost baselines, and milestone targets. The status reports to management are reflective of where the project has been, where it stands now, and where it’s heading.

Completing Performance Reporting

It’s been said that if an organization doesn’t measure itself, it cannot improve. As the project moves towards completion, the project manager and the project team must measure the project performance. Performance reporting includes the following:

Status reports

Progress measurement

Forecasting

Performance reports

Recommended corrective actions

Monitoring and Controlling Project Risks

Risk management requires risk ownership and monitoring by the project team members. As activities in the project network diagram (PND) are completed, the project manager and the risk owners must pay special attention to the possible risks and the mitigation plans that may come into play. Risk responses, should they be acted on, may cause secondary risks, cost increases, and schedule delays. Risk response must be rapid and thorough—and their outcomes well documented for historical reference for downstream activities and other projects.

Risk response may also include risk impact statements that detail project risk, its possible impact on the project, and its probability. The project manager and management sign the risk impact statement for each identified risk beyond a predetermined score.

Administering Project Procurement

Based on the procurement documents, the project contracts, and the performance of the contracted work, the project manager will administer the project contracts. This means the project manager and the vendor work together to ensure that both parties are adhering to the terms and conditions of the contract. This process is also about fostering relationships with the vendors, clients, and subcontractors. Much of this process can be linked to project communications and documented expectations.

Closing the Project

Closing a project is a wonderful feeling. Project closure has many requirements for it to be successful, however. Project closure requires a final, complete effort by the project manager, the project team, the project stakeholders, and management to officially close the project and move on to other opportunities. The activities in this process are typically associated with the end of a project, but most may also be completed within project phases.

Closing Vendor Contracts

At the completion of a project or project phase, the vendor contracts must be closed out. Confirmation that vendor invoices and purchase orders have been fulfilled, met, and paid is needed to complete the vendor closeout process. Closing out vendor contracts may also require proof of delivery of the goods or services purchased, and vendor contracts may be audited to confirm that vendor responsibilities have been met.

Closing Administrative Duties

When the project is completed, the project manager must finalize all reports, document the project experience, and provide evidence of customer acceptance. The project manager will create a final report reflecting the project’s success or its failure. The project manager will also provide information reflective of the project product and how it met the project requirements, and then will complete the lessons-learned documentation.

At project completion, a celebration to thank and reward the project team for their hard work and dedication to the project is needed. Celebrations are also a good time to reflect on the work completed, the challenges of the project, and to come back together as a team before moving on to other projects and opportunities within the organization.

How Process Groups Interact

Imagine any project: building a new house, creating a new service, deploying a technology solution. Within any of these projects there will be a logical approach from start to finish. Within project management, and in particular for your PMP exam, the flow of activities must be documented from initiation to closure. The five process groups don’t necessarily allow the work to progress—they serve more as a mechanism to identify and oversee the flow of actions within the project.

Each process has unique activities, as you’ve seen already in this chapter, but each of these activities contributes to and coincides with the project work. The activities guide the project work from concept to completion. Specifically, the parts of the processes are the gears to the “project machine.” The processes allow for a specific, manageable, and expected outcome of the project. Within each process, there are three common components:

Inputs     Documented conditions, values, and expectations that start the given process

Tools and techniques     The actions to evaluate and act upon the inputs to create the outputs

Outputs     The documented results of a process that may serve as an input to another process

These three components are fundamental through all five process groups. Typically, plans, documented evidence of problems, or documented outcomes of activities are inputs to a project process—for example, resource planning requires the WBS. The WBS is an input to resource planning, but it’s also an output of the planning process group. The tools and techniques used to plan for resources include expert judgment, alternative identification, and your nifty project management software.

Customizing Process Interactions

The processes discussed in the previous section are the mainstream, generally accepted order of operations. You can count on these processes existing and progressing in the preceding order. However, having said that, you can also count on these processes to be flexible and customized to work in any order that the project demands. Project processes are made not of stone but of flexible steel.

The following are some general guidelines about customizing project processes:

Projects that are resource-dependent may define roles and responsibilities prior to scope creation. This is because the scope of the project may be limited by the availability of the resources to complete the scope.

The processes may be governed by a project constraint. Consider a predetermined deadline, budget, or project scope. The project constraint, such as a deadline, will determine the activity sequencing, the need for resources, risk management, and other processes.

Larger projects require more detail. Remember that projects fail at the beginning, not at the end.

Subprojects and smaller projects have more flexibility, with the processes based on the usefulness of the process. For example, a project with a relatively small team may not benefit from an in-depth communications plan the same way that a large project with 35 project team members might.

Plotting the Processes

The first three chapters of this book have focused on the project management endeavor, the project management context, and the project management processes. Chapters 4 through 12 will focus on the project management knowledge areas. In those chapters, we’ll zoom in on the processes we’ve identified and break down the topics into exam-specific information. You know that there are five process groups—that’s been the thrust of this chapter. There are also, however, nine knowledge areas:

Project integration management     How all of the project knowledge areas and processes work together

Project scope management     Defining, executing, and managing the project scope

Project time management     Creating and controlling the project schedule

Project cost management     Defining and controlling all things financial

Project quality management     Defining and adhering to a project quality policy

Project human resources management     Managing the people on the project team

Project communications management     Communicating the most appropriate information in the best way at the right time in the project

Project risk management     Identifying, analyzing, responding to, and controlling risks within the project

Project procurement management     Purchasing the contracted resources the project needs in order to be successful

While the information covered in this chapter is important, it is more of an umbrella of the nine knowledge areas that you’ll want to focus on for your PMP exam. You’ll see all of the 42 project management processes in detail in the upcoming chapters. At the beginning of each chapter, I’ll highlight the processes the knowledge area deals with. As a quick recap, here’s a breakdown of the 42 processes as you’ve learned about them in this broad chapter.

Initiating the Project

There are just two processes to know for project initiation.

Create the project charter

Identify the project stakeholder

Planning the Project

There are 20 processes to know for project planning.

Create the project management plan

Gather project requirements

Create the project scope

Build the work breakdown structure

Define the project activities

Sequence the project activities

Estimate the project resources

Estimate the project schedule duration

Develop the project schedule

Estimate the project costs

Establish the project budget

Create the quality management plan

Write the human resources plan

Create the project communications management plan

Create the project risk management plan

Identify the project risks

Complete qualitative risk analysis

Complete quantitative risk analysis

Create risk responses

Create the procurement management plan

Executing the Project

There are eight executing processes.

Execute the project plan

Do quality assurance

Obtain the project team

Perform team development

Manage your project team

Perform information distribution

Administer stakeholder expectations

Execute the procurement management plan

Monitoring and Controlling the Project

There are 10 monitoring and controlling processes.

Monitor and control the project

Administer integrated change control

Complete scope verification

Control the project scope

Perform schedule control

Perform cost control

Administer quality control activities

Report on the project performance

Control the project risks according to the risk management plan

Control and monitor procurement activities

Closing the Project

There are just two closing processes.

Close out the project or the project phase

Close out procurement according to the procurement management plan

CERTIFICATION SUMMARY

There are 5 process groups and 42 processes within a project. You’ll want to know what activity happens within each of these groups. Projects start in the initiating process group, where projects get authorized. From here, the project moves into the planning process group. Planning is an iterative process and allows the project objectives to be determined, as well as how the project will achieve those objectives. The project plan is executed in the executing process group. The monitoring and controlling process group is where project performance is monitored, measured, and controlled. Finally, the project is completed and the contracts are completed in the closing process group.

You should know that a project can move between planning, monitoring and controlling, and executing as conditions change—for example, a new risk may be identified. This risk is analyzed and then a risk response is created in the planning processes group. The project work moves on, but the risk management is implemented during the executing processes. The response to the risk is monitored in the controlling process group. Should the risk change, the project can revisit the planning processes. Don’t subscribe to the theory that the project work stops as the project moves back into planning. Other project activities may continue to operate as the project planning processes group is revisited.

The project moves along according to the project schedule and the project network diagram. Activities on the critical path are actively monitored for slippage, while noncritical path activities are periodically checked for slippage. This is important, as activities on the critical path have no tolerance for delays, while noncritical path activities can be delayed as long as they do not delay the project’s completion.

As the project progresses, the project manager must monitor and communicate the project performance. Work results that are below an accepted level of performance must be adjusted with corrective actions to bring the project back into alignment with the cost, schedule, and scope baselines. Communication of the project performance is one of the key elements for successful project management—and for passing the PMP exam.

KEY TERMS

To pass the PMP exam, you will need to memorize these terms and their definitions. For maximum value, create your own flashcards based on these definitions and review them daily.

closing The fifth of five project management process groups. It contains the processes responsible for closing a project, a project phase, or the procurement relationships.

executing The project management process group that carries out the project management plan to create the project deliverables.

initiating The start and authorization of the project; the project manager is identified, the project is authorized through the charter, and the stakeholders are identified.

knowledge areas There are nine knowledge areas within project management; each knowledge area is a specific portion of the project, and all nine project management knowledge areas are interrelated.

monitoring and controlling The project management process group responsible for ensuring that the project execution is completed according to the project management plan and expectations.

planning The iterative process group where the intention of the project is determined and documented in the project management plan.

project charter The first project document that authorizes the project, identifies the project manager, and creates the high-level objectives for the project.

project communications management A project management knowledge area that carries out the directions of the project’s communication management plan.

project cost management A project management knowledge area that defines cost estimating, cost budgeting, and cost control.

project human resource management A project management knowledge area that creates the human resource plan, acquires the project team, develops the project team, and manages the project team.

project integration management A project management knowledge area that coordinates all of the effort of the project’s initiation, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing.

project procurement management A project management knowledge area that plans what needs to be procured, procures the project needs, administers the procurement process, and closes procurement according to the project terms and the procurement management plan.

project quality management A project management knowledge area that coordinates the quality planning, quality assurance, and quality control of the project.

project risk management A project management knowledge area that creates the risk management plan, performs qualitative and quantitative risk analysis, plans risk responses, and monitors and controls the project risks.

project scope management A project management knowledge area responsible for collecting project requirements, defining the project scope, creating the WBS, performing scope verification, and controlling the project scope.

project time management A project management knowledge area that defines the project activities, sequences project work, estimates resources and activity durations, and develops the project schedule. This knowledge area is also responsible for control of the project schedule.

TWO-MINUTE DRILL

Learning the Project Processes

Projects are comprised of processes. People, not things, complete processes; processes move the project or phase to completion.

Process groups comprise the actions within a project. These five process groups have sets of actions that move the project forward towards completion. There are five groups of processes in the project management life cycle:

Initiating

Planning

Executing

Monitoring and controlling

Closing

Just because a process was not completed does not mean it was not needed. A project manager, however, doesn’t always have to complete every process within each process group—just those processes that are needed for the project to be successful.

Projects are created to provide a solution for a problem or to take advantage of an opportunity. They can be created to reduce costs, reduce waste, increase revenue, increase productivity and efficiency, or produce other results. The project manager should know why the project is created in order to aim towards the project purpose.

Some projects require a feasibility study to prove that the problem exists or to conduct root-cause analysis to find the root of a given problem. Feasibility studies also determine the capability of the project to solve the identified problem for a reasonable cost and within a reasonable amount of time.

The product description describes the expected outcome of the project. The product description should define what the project is creating. If the project is solving a problem, the product description should describe how the organization will perform without the problem in existence. If the project is seizing a market opportunity, it should describe the organization once the opportunity is seized. Basically, product descriptions describe life after a successful project.

Identifying the Initiating Process Group

This process group launches the project or phase and allows the project manager to have the authority over the project.

The project charter authorizes the project, officially naming the project manager and authorizing the project work.

Stakeholders are the people, groups, and organizations that are affected by the project’s existence and outcome.

Identifying the Planning Process Group

Throughout the project, the project manager and the project team will be returning to the planning processes as often as needed. Changes to the project scope, new risks, challenges, and issues all can send the project back to planning.

The stakeholders’ expectations must be documented, prioritized, and balanced between competing objectives. Managing stakeholders’ expectations is crucial to a project’s success, so having a complete understanding of their expectations is mandatory.

Rolling wave planning focuses detailed planning on the immediate activities of the project rather than on remote, future activities that may be affected by the outcome of the direct project results.

Managing the Executing Processes

The executing processes allow the project team to perform the project work. It is the execution of the project plan, the execution of the vendor management, and the management of the project implementation.

Variances are the difference between what was planned and what was experienced.

A work authorization system is a method that allows work to begin according to schedule and circumstance.

Monitoring and Controlling the Project

Integration management is the control of the project’s components and how each part of a project may affect its other parts.

Scope verification is the process of verifying that the work results are within the expectations of the scope. It is typically done at project phase completion, where the customer formally accepts the product of the project work.

Quality control (QC) measures work results to determine if they are in alignment with quality standards.

Closing the Project

At the completion of a project or project phase, the vendor contracts must be closed out. Confirmation that vendor invoices and purchase orders have been fulfilled, met, and paid is needed to complete the vendor closeout process.

When the project is completed, the project manager must finalize all reports, document the project experience, and provide evidence of customer acceptance. The project manager will create a final report reflecting the project’s success or its failure.

SELF TEST

1. What is a project process?

A. The creation of a product or service

B. The progressive elaboration resulting in a product

C. A series of actions that brings about a result

D. A series of actions that allows the project to move from concept to deliverable

2. Within a project, there are two distinct types of processes. Which of the following processes is unique to the project?

A. EVM processes

B. Project management planning

C. IPECC

D. A product-oriented process

3. There are five project management processes that allow projects to move from start to completion. Which one of the following is not one of the project management process groups?

A. Initiating

B. Planning

C. Communicating

D. Closing

4. Of the following, which is the logical order of the project management processes?

A. Initiating, planning, monitoring and controlling, executing

B. Planning, initiating, monitoring and controlling, executing, closing

C. Initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, closing

D. Planning, initiating, executing, closing

5. Which of the project management processes is progressively elaborated?

A. Planning

B. Communicating

C. Contract administration

D. Closing

6. The ongoing process of project planning is also known as _______________.

A. Constant integration planning

B. Rolling wave planning

C. Continuous planning

D. Phase gates

7. You are the project manager for the AQA Project. You would like to include several of the customers in the project planning sessions, but your project leader would like to know why the stakeholders should be involved since your project team will be determining the best method to reach the project objectives. You explain to the project leader that the stakeholders should be included because _______________.

A. It generates goodwill between the project team and the stakeholders.

B. It allows the stakeholders to see the project manager as the authority of the project.

C. It allows the project team to meet the stakeholders and express their concerns regarding project constraints.

D. It allows the stakeholders to realize the shared ownership of the project.

8. You have requested that several of the stakeholders participate in the different phases of the project. Why is this important?

A. It prevents scope creep.

B. It allows for scope constraints.

C. It improves the probability of satisfying the customer requirements.

D. It allows for effective communications.

9. The information from the planning phase is input into which of the following processes?

A. Initiating

B. Monitoring and controlling

C. Executing

D. Closing

10. The information from the initiating phase is input into which of the following processes?

A. Planning

B. Executing

C. Controlling

D. All of the project phases

11. Which process represents an ongoing effort throughout the project?

A. Lessons learned

B. Planning

C. Closing

D. EVM

12. Which of the following processes happen in the correct order?

A. Activity definition, scope planning, activity duration estimating, cost budgeting

B. Scope planning, resource planning, activity duration estimating, activity sequencing

C. Scope definition, scope planning, activity definition, activity sequencing

D. Define scope, define activities, plan quality

13. Which of the following processes happens in the closing process?

A. Activity definition

B. Cost budgeting

C. Quality planning

D. Close procurement

14. Which of the following planning processes is concerned with reporting relationships?

A. Organizational planning

B. Human resource planning

C. Scope planning

D. Activity definition

15. Of the following, which process is most concerned with mitigation?

A. Quality planning

B. Risk response planning

C. Procurement planning

D. Risk identification

16. You are the project manager for the FTG Project. This project will affect several lines of business, and controversy on the project deliverables already abounds. You have 45 key stakeholders on this project representing internal customers from all areas of your organization. With this many stakeholders, what challenge will be the most difficult for the project’s success?

A. Communication

B. Managing stakeholder expectations

C. Managing scope creep

D. Coordinating communications between the project manager, project team, and the project stakeholders

17. Which of the following is representative of a project constraint?

A. A project that must be finished by year’s end

B. That 45 stakeholders exist on a long-term project

C. The requirement to complete EVM

D. The requirement to produce a new product

18. You are a project manager of a large construction project. There are many different stakeholders involved in the project, and each has their own opinion as to what the project should create. To maintain communication, set objectives, and document all decisions, you can say that larger projects generally require _______________.

A. A larger budget

B. More detail

C. Phase gate estimating

D. A large project team

19. In order to create a network diagram, the project manager needs which of the following?

A. Activity sequencing

B. Project sponsor approval of the WBS

C. The WBS dictionary

D. A cost baseline

20. All of the following are processes that happen within the project cost management knowledge area except for which one?

A. Cost estimating

B. Control cost

C. Determine the project budget

D. Establishing the resource estimates

21. Which of the following is considered an output of risk management planning?

A. Activity lists

B. WBS

C. The risk management plan

D. The scope management plan

22. Which project management knowledge area coordinates the efforts of the five process groups?

A. Project integration management

B. Project planning

C. Project management plan creation process

D. Monitoring and controlling

23. Frances is the project manager of the JHG Project. This project is similar to a recent project she completed for another customer. Which planning process will Frances need to finish first to ensure the project is completed successfully?

A. Contract planning

B. Scope definition

C. Activity sequencing

D. Quality planning

24. You are the project manager for the BKL Project. This type of project has never been attempted before by your organization. The stakeholders already have high requirements for the project deliverables, and you need to create a change control system. This system should be controlled by which of the following?

A. A formal change control form

B. It should be completed by the team.

C. The change control board

D. It is specific to the organizational structure.

25. Complete this statement: Projects fail _______________.

A. At the beginning, not at the end

B. During initiating, not closing

C. Because of inadequate project managers

D. Because of the project manager

SELF TEST ANSWERS

1. What is a project process?

A. The creation of a product or service

B. The progressive elaboration resulting in a product

C. A series of actions that brings about a result

D. A series of actions that allows the project to move from concept to deliverable

2. Within a project, there are two distinct types of processes. Which of the following processes is unique to the project?

A. EVM processes

B. Project management planning

C. IPECC

D. A product-oriented process

3. There are five project management processes that allow projects to move from start to completion. Which one of the following is not one of the project management process groups?

A. Initiating

B. Planning

C. Communicating

D. Closing

4. Of the following, which is the logical order of the project management processes?

A. Initiating, planning, monitoring and controlling, executing

B. Planning, initiating, monitoring and controlling, executing, closing

C. Initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, closing

D. Planning, initiating, executing, closing

5. Which of the project management processes is progressively elaborated?

A. Planning

B. Communicating

C. Contract administration

D. Closing

6. The ongoing process of project planning is also known as _______________.

A. Constant integration planning

B. Rolling wave planning

C. Continuous planning

D. Phase gates

7. You are the project manager for the AQA Project. You would like to include several of the customers in the project planning sessions, but your project leader would like to know why the stakeholders should be involved since your project team will be determining the best method to reach the project objectives. You explain to the project leader that the stakeholders should be included because _______________.

A. It generates goodwill between the project team and the stakeholders.

B. It allows the stakeholders to see the project manager as the authority of the project.

C. It allows the project team to meet the stakeholders and express their concerns regarding project constraints.

D. It allows the stakeholders to realize the shared ownership of the project.

8. You have requested that several of the stakeholders participate in the different phases of the project. Why is this important?

A. It prevents scope creep.

B. It allows for scope constraints.

C. It improves the probability of satisfying the customer requirements.

D. It allows for effective communications.

9. The information from the planning phase is input into which of the following processes?

A. Initiating

B. Monitoring and controlling

C. Executing

D. Closing

10. The information from the initiating phase is input into which of the following processes?

A. Planning

B. Executing

C. Controlling

D. All of the project phases

11. Which process represents an ongoing effort throughout the project?

A. Lessons learned

B. Planning

C. Closing

D. EVM

12. Which of the following processes happen in the correct order?

A. Activity definition, scope planning, activity duration estimating, cost budgeting

B. Scope planning, resource planning, activity duration estimating, activity sequencing

C. Scope definition, scope planning, activity definition, activity sequencing

D. Define scope, define activities, plan quality

13. Which of the following processes happens in the closing process?

A. Activity definition

B. Cost budgeting

C. Resource planning

D. Close procurement

14. Which of the following planning processes is concerned with reporting relationships?

A. Organizational planning

B. Human resource planning

C. Scope planning

D. Activity definition

15. Of the following, which process is most concerned with mitigation?

A. Quality planning

B. Risk response planning

C. Procurement planning

D. Risk identification

16. You are the project manager for the FTG Project. This project will affect several lines of business, and controversy on the project deliverables already abounds. You have 45 key stakeholders on this project representing internal customers from all areas of your organization. With this many stakeholders, what challenge will be the most difficult for the project’s success?

A. Communication

B. Managing stakeholder expectations

C. Managing scope creep

D. Coordinating communications between the project manager, project team, and the project stakeholders

17. Which of the following is representative of a project constraint?

A. A project that must be finished by year’s end

B. That 45 stakeholders exist on a long-term project

C. The requirement to complete EVM

D. The requirement to produce a new product

18. You are a project manager of a large construction project. There are many different stakeholders involved in the project, and each has their own opinion as to what the project should create. To maintain communication, set objectives, and document all decisions, you can say that larger projects generally require _______________.

A. A larger budget

B. More detail

C. Phase gate estimating

D. A large project team

19. In order to create a network diagram, the project manager needs which of the following?

A. Activity sequencing

B. Project sponsor approval of the WBS

C. The WBS dictionary

D. A cost baseline

20. All of the following are processes that happen within the project cost management knowledge area except for which one?

A. Cost estimating

B. Control cost

C. Determine the project budget

D. Establishing the resource estimates

21. Which of the following is considered an output of risk management planning?

A. Activity lists

B. WBS

C. The risk management plan

D. The scope management plan

22. Which project management knowledge area coordinates the efforts of the five process groups?

A. Project integration management

B. Project planning

C. Project management plan creation process

D. Monitoring and controlling

23. Frances is the project manager of the JHG Project. This project is similar to a recent project she completed for another customer. Which planning process will Frances need to finish first to ensure the project is completed successfully?

A. Contract planning

B. Scope definition

C. Activity sequencing

D. Quality planning

24. You are the project manager for the BKL Project. This type of project has never been attempted before by your organization. The stakeholders already have high requirements for the project deliverables, and you need to create a change control system. This system should be controlled by which of the following?

A. A formal change control form

B. It should be completed by the team.

C. The change control board

D. It is specific to the organizational structure.

25. Complete this statement: Projects fail _______________.

A. At the beginning, not at the end

B. During initiating, not closing

C. Because of inadequate project managers

D. Because of the project manager