Chapter 3:

The Project Management Process Groups:

A Case Study

Information Technology
Project Management,
Fifth Edition
Project Management Process Groups
 A process is a series of actions directed toward a particular result
 Project management can be viewed as a number of interlinked
processes
 The project management process groups include:
 Initiating processes
 Defining and authorizing a project or project phase
 Planning processes
 Devising and maintaining a workable scheme to ensure that the project
addresses the organization’s needs
 Executing processes
 Coordinating people and resources to carry out the various plans and produce
the products, services or results of the project or phase
 Monitoring and controlling processes
 Regularly measuring and monitoring progress ro ensure that the project objectives are
met
 Closing processes
 Formalizing acceptance of the project or phase, closing out contracts, documenting
lessons learned
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Chapter 3 - The Project Management Process Groups
 Level of Activity and Overlap of
Process Groups Over Time

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Chapter 3 - The Project Management Process Groups
Project Management Process Groups
Level of activity and length of each process group
varies for every product
On the average:
Executing process requires 50-60% of the resources and
time
The planning process requires about 15-25%
The initiating and closing processes are usually the shortest
and require the least amount of resources, usually 5 -10%
each
Monitoring and controlling is done throughout the project
and generally takes 5-15%

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Chapter 3 - The Project Management Process Groups
Process Groups Outcomes
 Initiating processes
The organization recognizes that a new project exists –
completion of a business case and project charter
 Planning processes
Completing the WBS and scope statement, project schedule and
cost estimate
 Executing processes
Performing actions necessary to complete the work described in
the planning activities
 Monitoring and controlling processes
Measuring progress toward the project objectives, monitoring
deviation from the plan and taking corrective action to match
progress with the plan
 Closing processes
Formal acceptance of the work and creation of closing documents

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Chapter 3 - The Project Management Process Groups
 What Went Wrong?
 Philip A. Pell, PMP, commented on how the U.S. IRS
needed to improve its project management process.
“Pure and simple, good, methodology-centric, predictable,
and repeatable project management is the SINGLE
greatest factor in the success (or in this case failure) of
any project… The project manager is ultimately
responsible for the success or failure of the project.”*
 In 2006, the IRS lost over $320 million due to a botched
fraud-detection system project

*Comments posted on CIO Magazine Web site on article “For the IRS, There’s
No EZ Fix,” (April 1, 2004).

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Chapter 3 - The Project Management Process Groups
 Media Snapshot
 Just as information technology projects need to follow the
project management process groups, so do other projects,
such as the production of a movie.
 Processes involved in making movies might include
screenwriting (initiating), producing (planning), acting and
directing (executing), editing (monitoring and controlling), and
releasing the movie to theaters (closing).
 Many people enjoy watching the extra features on a DVD that
describe how these processes lead to the creation of a
movie…
 This acted “…not as promotional filler but as a serious and meticulously
detailed examination of the entire filmmaking process.”*
 Project managers in any field know how important it is to
follow a good process.

*Jacks, Brian, “Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Extended Edition (New Line)”,
Underground Online (accessed from [Link] August 4, 2004).
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Chapter 3 - The Project Management Process Groups
 Mapping the Process Groups
to the Knowledge Areas
You can map the main activities of each PM
process group into the nine knowledge areas
using the PMBOK® Guide 2004
Note that there are activities from each
knowledge area under the planning and
monitoring and controlling process groups
All initiating activities are part of the project
integration management knowledge area

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Chapter 3 - The Project Management Process Groups
 Relationships Among Process Groups
and Knowledge Areas

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9 PMBOK® Guide 2004, p. 69
Chapter 3 - The Project Management Process Groups
 Relationships Among Process Groups and
Knowledge Areas (continued)

PMBOK® Guide 2004, p. 69

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Chapter 3 - The Project Management Process Groups
 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
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan implemented a
SDLC for the entire organization but developers and
PMs were often working on different IT projects in
different ways
Deliverables were often missing or looked different from
project to project
An IT project management methodology was developed
using PMBOK as a guide
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Chapter 3 - The Project Management Process Groups
What Went Right?
Jordan Telecom (JT), Jordan’s only telecom
operator, introduced new customized project
management processes to improve efficiency and
reduce costs in its Information Technology
department…JT created three lines of processes
based on the size of the project: high, medium, or
low. ..Rula Ammuri, JT’s Chief Information
Officer, believes this new methodology will result
in a 40-50 percent increase in productivity.”*
*Al-Tamimi, Fairooz, “Jordanian Company Uses PMI Methods to ‘Go Global,’
Improve Productivity,” PMI Today (August 2004).

12 Chapter 3 - The Project Management Process Groups

 Case Study: JWD Consulting’s
Project Management Intranet Site
This case study provides an example of what’s
involved in initiating, planning, executing,
controlling, and closing an IT project
This case study provides a big picture view of
managing a project; later chapters provide
detailed information on each knowledge area

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Chapter 3 - The Project Management Process Groups
 Project Initiation
Initiating a project includes recognizing and
starting a new project or project phase
Some organizations use a pre-initiation phase,
while others include items like developing a
business case as part of initiation
The main goal is to formally select and start off
projects
Key outputs include:
Assigning the project manager
Identifying key stakeholders
Completing a business case
Completing a project charter and getting signatures on it
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Chapter 3 - The Project Management Process Groups
 Project Initiation Documents
Business case
Charter
Note: Every organization has its own variations of
what documents are required for project initiation
It’s important to identify the need for projects, who the
stakeholders are, and what the main goals are for the
project

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Chapter 3 - The Project Management Process Groups
 Project Planning
The main purpose of project planning is to guide
execution
Every knowledge area includes planning
information
Key outputs included in the JWD project include:
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)

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Chapter 3 - The Project Management Process Groups
JWD Consulting Intranet Site Project
Baseline Gantt Chart

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17 Chapter 3 - The Project Management Process Groups
Information Technology Project Management, Fifth Edition, Copyright 2007
List of Prioritized Risks

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Chapter 3 - The Project Management Process Groups
 Project Executing
Usually takes the most time and resources to
perform project execution
Project managers must use their leadership skills
to handle the many challenges that occur during
project execution
Table 3-9 lists the executing processes and
outputs; many project sponsors and customers
focus on deliverables related to providing the
products, services, or results desired from the
project
A milestone report can help focus on completing
major milestones

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Chapter 3 - The Project Management Process Groups
 Part of Milestone Report

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Chapter 3 - The Project Management Process Groups
 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
generated $770 million in related construction. Strategies included:
 Divided work into packages that allowed for smaller-scale testing of
management techniques and contract awards. Based on these experiences,
managers could adjust future work segments and management styles
accordingly
 Identified champions in each stakeholder group to help inspire others to
achieve to project goals
 Implemented a web site dedicated to public concerns
21  Two-day review meetings at the beginning of each project phase to discuss
Chapter 3 - The Project Management Process Groups
problems and develop solutions to prevent conflict
 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, requested
changes, and updates to various plans

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Chapter 3 - The Project Management Process Groups
 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 archives and lessons
learned, part of organizational process assets
Most projects also include a final report and
presentation to the sponsor/senior management

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Chapter 3 - The Project Management Process Groups