-          Each process group is made up of a collection of processes used throughout the project life cycle

-          PMBOK Guide groups these processes into nine categories that it calls The Project Management Knowledge Areas

-          Knowledge Areas

• Bring together processes by commonalities, whereas Project Management Process Groups are more or less the order in which you perform the project management processes
• Nine Knowledge Areas are as follows:
  • Project Integration Management
  • Project Scope Management
  • Project Time Management
  • Project Cost Management
  • Project Quality Management
  • Project Human Resource Management
  • Project Communications Management
  • Project Risk Management
  • Project Procurement Management

Reference:

PMP Project Management Professional Exam Study Guide, Includes Audio CD

Check out this PMP Review Resources from Amazon.com

-          Organize and describe the work of the project

-          Per PMBOK Guide: 5 process groups

• Initiating
• Planning
• Execution
• Monitoring and Controlling
• Closing

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Project Phases & Life Cycles v. Project Management Process Groups

-          Project phases and lifecycles describe how the work associated with the product of the project will be completed

-          The five project management process groups organize and describe how the project will conducted in order to meet the requirements

Initiating Process Group

-          Occurs at the beginning of the project and at the beginning of each project phase for large projects

-          Acknowledges that a project or the next project phase should begin

Planning Process Group

-          The process group of formulating and revising project goals and objectives and creating the project management plan that will be used to achieve the goals of the project was undertaken to address

-          Also involves determining alternative courses of action and selecting from a month the best of those to produce the project goals

-          Where the project requirements are fleshed out and stakeholders are identified

-          Has more processes that any of the other project management process groups

-          Project Prioritization Issues – The greatest conflicts a project manager will encounter in this process group

Executing Process Group

-          Involves putting the project management plan into action

-          The project manager will coordinate and direct the project resources to meet the objectives of the project plan

-          Typically where the approved changes are implemented

-          Will utilize the most project time and resources, and as a result, cost are usually the highest

-          Schedules – greatest conflict project managers will encounter

Monitoring and Controlling Process Group

-          Where project performance measurements are taken and analyzed to determine whether the project is staying true to the project plan

-          The idea is to identify the problems as soon as possible and apply corrective action to control the work of the project and assure successful outcomes

-          Used to track the progress of the work being performed and identify problems and variances within a process group as well as the project as a whole

Closing Process Group

-          Probably the most often skipped process group

-          Brings a formal, orderly end to the activities of a project phase or the project itself

-          Important because all the project information are gathered and stored for future reference

-          Where contract close-out occurs and formal acceptance and approval are obtained from project stakeholders

Tailoring

-          Determining which processes within each process group are appropriate for the project

-          Responsibility of the project manager and the project team

Reference:

PMP Project Management Professional Exam Study Guide, Includes Audio CD

Check out this PMP Review Resources from Amazon.com

-          Most projects are divided into phases, and all projects, large or small, have a similar project life cycle structure

-          Project Phases

• Generally consist of segments of work that allow for easier management, planning and control of the work

-          Project Life Cycle

• All the collective phases the project processes through in concert
• Similar for all projects regardless of their size and complexity
• Phases are typically sequential, and sometimes overlap each other
• Most projects at least the 4 following project life cycles:
  • Beginning the project
  • Planning and organizing the work of the project
  • Performing the work of the project
  • Closing out the project

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Handoffs

-          Project phases evolve through the life cycle in a series of phase sequences

-          A.k.a. technical transfers

Phase Completion

-          Has a specific deliverable or multiple deliverables

-          Deliverable

• An output that must be produced, reviewed and approved to bring the phase or project to completion
• Tangible and can be measured and easily proven

-          Phase End Review

• Allows those involved with the work to determine whether the project should continue on to the next phase
• Per the PMBOK Guide: a.k.a. phase exits, phase gates, milestones, stage gates, decision gates and kill points

Multi-phased Projects

-          Projects may consist of one or more phases

-          Phases of the project are often performed sequentially, but there are situations where performing phases concurrently or overlapping the start date of a sequential phase can benefit the project

-          Per PMBOK Guide: Three types of phase-to-phase relationships:

• Sequential relationships – one phase must finish before the next phase can begin
• Overlapping relationships – one phase starts before the prior phase completes
• Iterative relationships – work for the subsequent phases are planned as the work of the previous phase is performed

-          Sometimes phases are overlapped to shorten or compress the project schedule otherwise known as Fast-tracking

-          Fast Tracking – means that a later phase is started prior to completing and approving the phase, or phases, that come before it, technique is used to shorten the overall duration of the project

Most projects have the following characteristics in common:

-          Cost are low in the beginning of the project, when the project is just being initiated

-          During initiation/project beginning only a few team members are assigned to the project

-          Cost and staffing and increases as the project progresses and tapers off as it gets to closing

-          Successful ending potential a project is lowest in the beginning; chances for success increases as the project progresses through its phases and life cycle stages

-          Risk is highest at the beginning of the project and gradually decreases the closer the project comes to completion

-          Stakeholders have the greatest chance of influencing the project and the characteristics of the product, service or result of the project in the beginning phases and have less and less influence as the project progresses

Reference:

PMP Project Management Professional Exam Study Guide, Includes Audio CD

Check out this PMP Review Resources from Amazon.com

Synopsis: Jeff Minder uses his interactive whiteboard to show you some tips you need to follow if you expect to pass the PMP Exam. Jeff is an award winning instructor and entrepreneur who teaches Project Management and Business Analysis classes all over the nation. You can contact Jeff at www.VictoryVets.com.

-    Brings together a set of tools and techniques – performed by people – to describe, organize and monitor the work of project activities
-    According to PMBOK Guide: involves applying knowledge skills, tools and techniques during the course of the project to accomplish the project’s objective; it is the responsibility of the project manager to ensure that project management techniques are applied and followed

-    Exam Spotlight: Per the PMBOK Guide, the definition of project management is applying tools, techniques, skills and knowledge to project activities to bring about successful results and meet the project requirements
-    A process that includes initiating a new project, planning, putting the project plan into action, and measuring progress and performance
-    Involves identifying the project requirements, establishing project objectives, balancing constraints and taking the needs and expectations of key stakeholders into consideration
-    Planning – one of the most important functions you’ll perform during the course of a project

Project Managers – The people responsible for managing the project processes and applying the tools and techniques to carry out the project activities

Reference: PMP Project Management Professional Exam Study Guide, Includes Audio CD