Project Management 1

Project

A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result. It has specific objectives, a defined start and end date, and involves the allocation of resources to achieve its goals.

Project Management

The process of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling resources and activities to achieve specific project goals within defined constraints, such as time, cost, and quality.

Scope

Defines the boundaries and deliverables of the project, including objectives and exclusions.

Time (Schedule)

Refers to the timeline and deadlines for the project's completion.

Cost (Budget)

The financial resources required to complete the project, including expenses and contingencies.

Quality

The standards and criteria that the project's deliverables must meet.

Human Resources

The people involved in the project, including their roles, skills, and responsibilities.

Communication

The flow of information between stakeholders and team members.

Risk

The identification, analysis, and management of potential risks that could impact the project.

Procurement

The process of acquiring goods, services, or resources necessary for the project.

Enterprise Environmental Factors

External factors that can influence a project, such as conditions or constraints that are beyond the control of the project team.

Examples of Enterprise Environmental Factors

Government regulations and laws, market conditions or economic factors, available technology and infrastructure.

Organizational Process Assets

Internal resources, processes, and knowledge that are used by an organization to support project management and improve project outcomes.

Examples of Organizational Process Assets

Templates and checklists for project plans, historical data and lessons learned from past projects, organizational policies, procedures, and guidelines.

Initiating

This is the starting phase where the project's purpose, goals, scope, and feasibility are defined. The project's key stakeholders are identified, and the project charter is created.

Importance of Initiating

This phase sets the foundation for the project. Clear objectives and proper identification of stakeholders prevent misunderstandings later in the project.

Planning

In this phase, detailed plans are made regarding the project's scope, timeline, resources, budget, and risks.

Importance of Planning

Proper planning is critical for project success. It sets expectations, identifies potential risks, and outlines how the project will be executed.

Executing

This is the phase where the work defined in the planning stage is carried out. The project team works on delivering the project's objectives, and resources are allocated and utilized.

Importance of Executing

Execution is where the project deliverables are produced. This phase requires effective coordination among team members and stakeholders.

Stakeholder

Individuals or groups who are impacted by or can impact a project's outcome.

Stakeholders

Individuals or groups that can affect or are affected by the project.

Stakeholder Identification

The process of identifying all potential stakeholders involved in or affected by the project.

Stakeholder Interest

The concerns, needs, and expectations that stakeholders have regarding the project.

Stakeholder Categories

The classification of stakeholders based on their level of influence, interest, or role in the project.

Stakeholder Management

The process of managing stakeholder expectations and engagement throughout the project lifecycle.

Tuckman's Theory of Team Development

A model that describes the stages teams go through as they develop.

Forming

Initial stage of team development where members are just getting to know each other.

Storming

Marked by conflict and tension as team members assert opinions and challenge roles or decisions.

Norming

The stage where the team begins to build strong relationships and work more cohesively toward shared goals.

Performing

High productivity and efficiency, working collaboratively with minimal supervision.

Mourning/Adjourning

Final stage of team development, where the project or team disbands after completion.

Portfolio Management

Involves the centralized management of multiple projects and programs to achieve specific strategic business objectives.

Program Management

Refers to the process of managing multiple related projects in a coordinated way to achieve benefits and control.

Functional Organization

A hierarchical structure where employees are grouped based on their specific functions or roles.

Matrix Organization

A structure where employees report to both a functional manager and a project manager.

Projectized Organization

A structure where the focus is entirely on projects, with project managers having full authority over project activities.

Project Integration Management

The process of coordinating all aspects of a project to ensure successful completion.

Initiating Process Group

Involves the creation of the project charter, which formally authorizes the existence of the project.

Planning Process Group

Involves the creation of a detailed project management plan that defines how the project will be executed, monitored, and controlled.

Executing Process Group

Coordinating and executing the work defined in the project management plan.

Monitoring and Controlling

Tracking, reviewing, and regulating the progress of the project to ensure that it stays aligned with the project.

Reports

Provide information on the project's progress and status.

Inputs

The raw materials, such as documents, plans, or data, that are needed to perform a project management process.

Outputs

The end results or deliverables of applying tools and techniques to the inputs.

Tools and Techniques

Methods, skills, software, or approaches used to analyze or process the inputs to get the desired results.

Statement of Work (SOW)

A detailed description of a project's products, services, or results, outlining what needs to be done, deliverables, and requirements.

Business Case

A document that explains why a project is worth doing, including the benefits, costs, risks, and how it aligns with business goals.

Contract

A legally binding agreement between two or more parties that defines roles, responsibilities, scope, and terms for project work.

Enterprise Environmental Factors (EEFs)

External or internal conditions that influence the project, like company culture, market trends, tools, or regulations.

Organizational Process Assets (OPAs)

Internal resources like templates, policies, procedures, and historical data that help guide and support project work.

Project Management Plan

A comprehensive document that outlines how the project will be executed, monitored, and closed.

Schedule Baseline

Approved version of the project schedule, which includes the planned start and finish dates for project activities.

Cost Baseline

Approved version of the project budget, which includes all planned expenses for the project, broken down by project phases and work packages.

Purpose of Cost Baseline

Provide a standard for measuring and controlling project costs and to identify any variances between the planned and actual expenditures.

Purpose of Schedule Baseline

Provide a standard for comparison to track project progress and identify any deviations from the planned schedule.

Project Scope

Approved version of the project scope, which includes the detailed project scope statement, work breakdown structure (WBS), and WBS dictionary.

Project Deliverable

Tangible or intangible output produced as a result of project activities that is required to complete the project or phase.

Direct and Manage Project Execution

Involves expert judgment, project management information systems (PMIS), meetings, and direct and manage project work techniques.

Deliverables

Outputs that are produced as a result of project activities.

Work Performance Data

Information about project performance that is collected during project execution.

Issue Logs

Records of issues that arise during the project and their resolution.

Change Requests

Formal proposals to modify any document, deliverable, or baseline.

Project plans

Documents that outline scope, schedule, and cost management plans for a project.

Risk assessments and mitigation plans

Documents that identify potential risks and outline strategies to minimize their impact.

Monitor and Control Project Work

The process of evaluating performance and identifying necessary changes through decision-making, expert judgment, and meetings.

Work performance reports

Documents that provide information on project performance to assess progress.

Gold Plating

Delivering more than what was agreed upon in the project scope, often resulting in unnecessary or excessive work that doesn't add value.

Examples of Gold Plating

Adding extra features or functionalities to a product that the customer did not ask for.

Scope Creep

Uncontrolled expansion of a project's scope without proper approval, often leading to additional features, tasks, or changes that were not initially planned.

Examples of Scope Creep

Continuously modifying project deliverables based on changing client requests that weren't initially defined in the project scope.

Perform Integrated Change Control

The process of evaluating and approving or rejecting changes using change control tools and data analysis.

Change Control Process

A structured procedure used to identify, evaluate, approve, and implement changes to the project scope, schedule, or budget.

Change Control Request

A formal proposal to modify any aspect of the project, such as scope, schedule, cost, or resources.

Change Control Board

A group of stakeholders responsible for reviewing, evaluating, approving, or rejecting change requests.

Close Project or Phase

The process of confirming completion and gathering lessons learned through expert judgment and data analysis.

Lessons Learned

Documentation of key successes and challenges encountered throughout the project to improve future processes.

Document Archival

The process of storing all project records in a secure, accessible location for future reference or audits.

Project Scope Management

The process of defining, controlling, and ensuring all required work is included to successfully complete a project.

Collect Requirements

The process of gathering and documenting stakeholder needs and expectations to define the project scope clearly.

Define Scope

The process of developing a detailed project scope statement that outlines the project's boundaries, deliverables, and acceptance criteria.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

Decomposition of a project's scope.

Scope Baseline

A set of documents that formally defines the project's scope.

WBS Dictionary

A document that provides detailed information about each component of a WBS.

Decomposition

Decomposition refers to the process of breaking down large, complex projects into smaller, more manageable components.

Project Scope Statement

A document that describes the characteristics of the product, service, or result described in the project charter and requirements documentation.

Product Acceptance Criteria

Defines the process and criteria for accepting completed products, services, or results.

Project Deliverables

Include both the outputs that comprise the product or service of the project, as well ancillary results such as project management reports and documentation.

Project Exclusions

Identifies what is excluded from the project, helping manage stakeholders by explicitly stating what is out of scope.

Project Constraints

Lists and describes specific project constraints associated with the project scope, such as time, budget, milestones, or any other contractual obligations.

Project Assumptions

Lists and describes the specific project assumptions associated with the project scope and the potential impact of those assumptions if they prove to be false.

Requirements Documentation

Documents how requirements will be analyzed, documented, and managed throughout the project.

Traceability Matrix

A table that links requirements to their origin and traces them throughout the project life cycle.

Verify Scope

Formally reviewing and accepting completed project deliverables to ensure they meet the defined requirements and obtain stakeholder approval.

Inspection

A review of a work product and its components to determine if it meets requirements.

Accepted Deliverables

The products and services that have been formally validated and approved by stakeholders.

Control Scope

A process involving a detailed project charter, work breakdown structure (WBS), and scope management plan.

Variance Analysis

Project performance measurements are used to assess the magnitude of variation from the original scope baseline.

Work Performance Measurements

Measurements can include planned vs. actual technical performance or other scope performance measurements.

Project Time Management

Efficiently managing time during a project to make sure the project is completed on time.