Chapter 3:
The Project Management Process Groups: A Case Study
Project Management Process Groups
It can be viewed as a number of interlinked processes
Project management process groups
A process is a series of actions directed toward a particular result
initiating processes
planning processes
executing processes
monitoring and controlling processes
closing processes
Developing an IT Project Management Methodology
Just as projects are unique, so are approaches to project management
Many organizations develop their own project management methodologies, especially for IT projects
A methodology describes how things should be done; a standard describes what should be done
PRINCE2, Agile, RUP, and Six Sigma provide different project management methodologies
What Went Wrong?
Philip A. Pell, PMP, commented on how the U.S. IRS needed to improve its project management process.
A 2008 U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report stated that IRS had fixed just 29 of 98 information security weaknesses identified the previous year
Global Issues
A 2011 study of organizations across India
Two-thirds of organizations in some stage of Agile adoption are realizing key software and business benefits in terms of
faster delivery of products to the customer
an improved ability to manage changing requirements
higher quality and productivity in IT.
Organizations struggle with the
opposition to change
a lack of coaching and help in the Agile adoption process
magnitude of the cultural shift required for Agile
a lack of qualified people
The daily stand-up, iteration planning, and release planning are the most commonly used practices, while paired programming and open work-spaces are not popular
What Went Right?
AgênciaClick
an interactive advertising and online communications company based in São Paulo, Brazil, made PMI’s list of outstanding organizations in project management in 2007
Since 2002, the company saw revenues jump 132 percent, primarily due to their five-year emphasis on practicing good project management across the entire company
Project Pre-initiation
It is good practice to lay the groundwork for a project before it officially starts
Senior managers often perform several pre-initiation tasks
Determine the scope, time, and cost constraints for the project
Identify the project sponsor
Select the project manager
Develop a business case for a project (see Table 3-2 for an example)
Meet with the project manager to review the process and expectations for managing the project
Determine if the project should be divided into two or more smaller projects
Project Initiation
Initiating a project includes recognizing and starting a new project or project phase
The main goal is to formally select and start off projects
The project initiation includes knowledge areas, processes, and outputs
Project Charters and Kick-off Meetings
*See Table 3-6 for an example of a charter
Charters are normally short and include key project information and stakeholder signatures
It’s good practice to hold a kick-off meeting at the beginning of a project so that stakeholders can meet each other, review the goals of the project, and discuss future plans
Project Planning
Every knowledge area includes planning information (see Table 3-7 on pages 101-102)
Key outputs included in the JWD project
The main purpose of project planning is to guide execution
A team contract
A project scope statement
A work breakdown structure (WBS)
A project schedule, in the form of a Gantt chart with all dependencies and resources entered
A list of prioritized risks (part of a risk register)
Project Executing
Project managers must use their leadership skills to handle the many challenges that occur during project execution
Many project sponsors and customers focus on deliverables related to providing the products, services, or results desired from the project
(Table 3-11 on p. 111 lists the executing processes and outputs. )
Usually takes the most time and resources to perform project execution
A milestone report (example on pp. 112-113) can help focus on completing major milestones
Best Practice
One way to learn about best practices in project management is by studying recipients of PMI’s Project of the Year award
The Quartier international de Montreal (QIM), Montreal’s international district, was a 66-acre urban revitalization project in the heart of downtown Montreal
This $90 million, five-year project turned a once unpopular area into a thriving section of the city with a booming real estate market and has generated $770 million in related construction
Project Monitoring and Controlling
Involves measuring progress toward project objectives, monitoring deviation from the plan, and taking correction actions
Affects all other process groups and occurs during all phases of the project life cycle
Outputs include performance reports, change requests, and updates to various plans
See Table 3-13
Project Closing
Involves gaining stakeholder and customer acceptance of the final products and services
Even if projects are not completed, they should be closed out to learn from the past
Outputs include project files and lessons-learned reports, part of organizational process assets
Most projects also include a final report and presentation to the sponsor/senior management
An Informed Decision
It is not a snap decision whether to use an agile approach or not, just like flying or driving somewhere on a trip
Projects with
The following example uses Scrum roles, artifacts, and ceremonies
less rigid constraints
experienced and preferably co-located teams
smaller risks
unclear requirements
more flexible scheduling
would be more compatible with an agile approach
Scrum Roles
ScrumMaster
Scrum team or development team
Product owner
The person responsible for the business value of the project and for deciding what work to do and in what order, as documented in the product backlog.
The person who ensures that the team is productive, facilitates the daily Scrum, enables close cooperation across all roles and functions, and removes barriers that prevent the team from being effective.
A cross-functional team of five to nine people who organize themselves and the work to produce the desired results for each sprint, which normally lasts 2-4 weeks.
Scrum Artifacts
An artifact is a useful object created by people
Scrum artifacts include
Product backlog: A list of features prioritized by business value
Sprint backlog: The highest-priority items from the product backlog to be completed within a sprint
Burndown chart: Shows the cumulative work remaining in a sprint on a day-by-day basis
Scrum Ceremonies
Daily Scrum: A short meeting for the development team to share progress and challenges and plan work for the day.
Sprint reviews: A meeting in which the team demonstrates to the product owner what it has completed during the sprint.
Sprint planning session: A meeting with the team to select a set of work from the product backlog to deliver during a sprint.
Sprint retrospectives: A meeting in which the team looks for ways to improve the product and the process based on a review of the actual performance of the development team.
Unique Scrum Activities by Process Group
Executing
Monitoring and Controlling
Planning
Closing
Initiating
Scrum Activities
Executing
Monitoring and Controlling
Planning
Closing
Not different from PMBOK® Guide
Different
Still create a scope statement and can use a Gantt chart for the entire project schedule; other planning similar (risk, etc.)
Descriptions of work are identified in the product and sprint backlogs, more detailed work documented in technical stories, estimate a velocity or capacity for each sprint; release roadmap often used for schedule
Not different from PMBOK® Guide
Different
Still produce products, lead people, etc.
Produce several releases of software - users of the new software might be confused by getting several iterations of the product instead of just one
Communications different because the project team meets every morning, physically or virtually
Not different from PMBOK® Guide
Different
Still check actual work vs. planned work
A sprint board is used instead of a tracking Gantt chart or other tools
Use a burndown chart vs. earned value chart
Names of key reviews are the daily Scrum and the sprint review
Different
Not different from PMBOK® Guide
Focus is still on acceptance of deliverables and reflection
The retrospective is similar to a lessons-learned report, but it focuses on a shorter period of time. It is intended to answer two fundamental questions
What could we do differently to improve the product or process?
What went well during the last sprint that we should continue doing?