PROJECT MANAGEMENT
PROCESS
PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROCESS
Process Groups
Every phase of the project life cycle could be
carried out as process groups from initiation Initiating
to closing as shown in the figure:
Planning
Monitoring &
Executing
Controlling
Closing
PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROCESS
Initiating Plan Execute Control Close
Project
Charter Plan Results Delays Signoff
Scope Schedule Reports Changes Close
Team Suppliers
Deliverable Resources
Lessons
Client Risks
Learned
Communication
PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROCESS
• Traditionally (depending on what project management methodology is being used),
project management includes a number of elements: four to five project management
process groups, and a control system.
• Regardless of the methodology or terminology used, the same basic project
management processes or stages of development will be used.
Major process groups generally include:
• Initiation
• Planning
• Production or execution
• Monitoring and controlling
• Closing
INITIATION
• The initiating processes determine the nature and scope of the project.
• If this stage is not performed well, it is unlikely that the project will be successful in meeting the
business’ needs.
• The key project controls needed here are an understanding of the business environment and
making sure that all necessary controls are incorporated into the project.
• Any deficiencies should be reported and a recommendation should be made to fix them.
• The initiating processes determine the nature and scope of the project.
• If this stage is not performed well, it is unlikely that the project will be successful in meeting the
business’ needs.
• The key project controls needed here are an understanding of the business environment and
making sure that all necessary controls are incorporated into the project.
INITIATION
• Any deficiencies should be reported and a recommendation should be made to fix them.
• The initiating stage should include a plan that encompasses the following areas.
• These areas can be recorded in a series of documents called Project Initiation documents.
• Project Initiation documents are a series of planned documents used to create order for the
duration of the project.
These tend to include:
• project proposal goal
• project scope
• Project contract
• Project client needs
PLANNING
• After the initiation stage, the project is planned to an appropriate level of detail.
• The main purpose is to plan time, cost and resources adequately to estimate the work
needed and to effectively manage risk during project execution.
• As with the Initiation process group, a failure to adequately plan greatly reduces the
project's chances of successfully accomplishing its goals.
Project planning generally consists of:
• Work breakdown structure
• Project plans & Checklists
• Schedules
• Resources & Tasks
• Risks
EXECUTING
• While executing we must know what are the planned terms that need to be executed.
• The execution/implementation phase ensures that the project management plan's
deliverables are executed accordingly.
• This phase involves proper allocation, co-ordination and management of human
• resources and any other resources such as material and budgets.
• The output of this phase is the project deliverables.
PROJECT DOCUMENTATION
• Documenting everything within a project is key to being successful.
• To maintain budget, scope, effectiveness and pace a project must have physical documents
pertaining to each specific task.
• With correct documentation, it is easy to see whether or not a project's requirement has been met.
• To go along with that, documentation provides information regarding what has already been
completed for that project.
• Documentation throughout a project provides a paper trail for anyone who needs to go back and
reference the work in the past.
• In most cases, documentation is the most successful way to monitor and control the specific phases
of a project.
• With the correct documentation, a project's success can be tracked and observed as the project
goes on.
• If performed correctly documentation can be the backbone to a project's success.
MONITORING AND CONTROLLING
• Monitoring and controlling consists of those processes performed to observe project execution so
that potential problems can be identified in a timely manner and corrective action can be taken,
when necessary, to control the execution of the project.
• The key benefit is that project performance is observed and measured regularly to identify
variances from the project management plan.
Monitoring and controlling includes:
• Measuring the ongoing project activities ('where we are');
• Monitoring the project variables (cost, effort, scope, etc.) against the project management plan and
the project performance baseline (where we should be);
Identifying corrective actions to address issues and risks properly (How can we get on track
again);
Influencing the factors that could circumvent integrated change control so only approved
changes are implemented.
MONITORING AND CONTROLLING
• In multi-phase projects, the monitoring and control process also provides feedback
between project phases, to implement corrective or preventive actions to bring the
project into compliance with the project management plan.
• Project maintenance is an ongoing process, and it includes:
Continuing support of end-users
Correction of errors
Updates to the product over time
CLOSING
• Closing includes the formal acceptance of the project and the ending thereof.
• Administrative activities include the archiving of the files and documenting lessons learned.
This phase consists of:
Contract closure:
Complete and settle each contract (including the resolution of any open items) and close
each contract applicable to the project or project phase.
Project close:
Finalize all activities across all of the process groups to formally close the project or a
project phase
• Also included in this phase is the Post Implementation Review.
• This is a vital phase of the project for the project team to learn from experiences and apply
to future projects.
• Normally a Post Implementation Review consists of looking at things that went well and
analyzing things that went badly on the project to come up with lessons learned.
