Standard for PMBOK Flashcards
Define: Project
A Project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique:
• Product
• Service, or
* Result
Define: Project Management
Project Management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements. Project management is accomplished through the appropriate application and integration of project management processes identified for the project.
Define: Program Management
Program management is defined as the application of knowledge, skills, and principles to a program to achieve the program objectives and to obtain benefits and control not available by managing program components individually. A program component refers to projects and other programs within a program.
Define: Portfolio Management
Portfolio management is defined as the centralized management of one or more portfolios to achieve strategic objectives. The programs or projects of the portfolio may not necessarily be interdependent or directly related.
Define: OPM
Organizational Project Management (OPM) is defined as a framework in which portfolio, program, and project management are integrated with organizational enablers in order to achieve strategic objectives.
Define: Project Phase
A project phase is a collection of logically related project activities that culminates in the completion of one or more deliverables.
Define: Phase Gate
A phase gate is held at the end of a phase. The project’s performance and progress are compared to project and business documents (project business case, project charter, project management plan, benefits management plan).
What are the 5 Project Management Process Groups?
Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring & Controlling, and Closing Process Groups
What are the 10 Project Management Knowledge Areas?
Integration, Scope, Schedule, Cost, Quality, Resource, Communications, Risk, Procurement, Stakeholder
What are the generic 5 phases of a project?
Pre-Project Work, Starting the Project, Organizing and Preparing, Carrying Out the Work, Completing the Project
What are 3 typical document artifacts typically shaped and completed in the Pre-Project Work Phase?
Needs Analysis / Assessment, Business Case, Benefits Management Plan
Who creates the Project Charter?
Usually the project sponsor…
Define: Project Business Case
The Project Business Case is a documented economic feasibility study used to establish the validity of the benefits of a selected component lacking sufficient definition and is used as a basis for the authorization of further project management activities. The project business case lists the objectives and reasons for project initiation and helps measure success against the project objectives.
Define: Project Management Benefits Plan
The project management benefits plan is the document that describes how and when the benefits of the project will be delivered, and describes the mechanisms that should be in place to measure those benefits.
Define: Project Benefit
A project benefit is defined as an outcome of actions, behaviors, products, services, or results that provide value to the sponsoring organization as well as to the project’s intended beneficiaries.
Define: Project Charter
A project charter is defined as a document issued by the project sponsor that formally authorizes the existence of a project and provides the project manager with the authority to apply organizational resources to project activities.
Define: Project Management Plan
A project management plan is defined as the document that describes how the project will be executed, monitored, and controlled.
What are the 3 big questions project stakeholders should answer regarding project success?
- What does success look like on this project?
- How will success be measured?
- What factors impact success?
What are the 10 PM Knowledge Areas?
Integration Mgmt Scope Mgmt Schedule Mgmt Cost Mgmt Quality Mgmt Resource Mgmt Comms Mgmt Risk Mgmt Procurement Mgmt Stakeholder Mgmt
What are the 5 PM Process Groups
Initiating Planning Executing Control and Monitoring Closing
True or False?
“Process Groups are the same as Project Phases?”
False.
Process groups can be repeated inside project phases - such as concept development (we initiate a CONOPS effort, we Plan for a CONOPS, we execute the development of a CONOPS, we control and monitor that execution, and then at some point we complete and deliver the CONOPS as a close-out activity.
What are the two kinds of external influence that can place positive or negative pressure on a project?
Org. Process Assets (OPAs) - internal to your company.
Enterprise Environmental Factors (EEFs) - external to your company.
What is the purpose of the Initiating Process Group?
To align stakeholder expectations and project purpose, inform stakeholders of the scope and objectives, and discuss how their participation in the project and its associated phases can help ensure their expectations are met.
What are the key benefits of the Initiating Process Group?
Stakeholder engagement from the start (both internal and external).
Should you revisit the artifacts produced from the Initiating Process group at the beginning of each project phase?
Yes - and you should involve your project stakeholders to create a shared understanding of success criteria - and increase the likelihood of deliverable acceptance when the project is complete - and maintain stakeholder satisfaction.
What are the Initiating Processes?
Develop Project Charter
Identify Stakeholders
What is the purpose of the Planning Process Group?
These processes develop the Project Management Plan and the project docs to carry out the project. They establish mainly: the total scope of the effort, define and refine the objectives, and the course of action to attain those objectives.
What is the key benefit of the Planning Process Group?
To define the COA to successfully complete the project or phase.
What is “progressive elaboration?”
It’s the notion that project artifacts are living and evolve over time as the project does.
When do you have a “baseline?”
When the PM Plan is approved.
Controlling and Monitoring processes will compare project performance against the baseline.
What are the major Planning Processes?
They are the mirror of the 10 PMBOK Knowledge Areas:
- Plan Scope Management
- Plan Schedule Mgmt
- Plan Cost Mgmt
- Plan Quality Mgmt
- Plan Resource Mgmt
- Plan Comms Mgmt
- Plan Procurement Mgmt
- Plan Risk Mgmt
- Plan Stakeholder Mgmt
- Intg Mgmt
What are the Planning Processes for Scope Mgmt?
Collect Requirements
Define Scope
Create WBS
What are the Planning Processes for Schedule Mgmt?
Define Activities
Sequence Activities
Estimate Activity Durations
Develop Schedule
What are the Planning Processes for Cost Mgmt?
Estimate Costs
Determine Budget
What are the Planning Processes for Quality Mgmt?
none - there is only the general Plan for Quality Mgmt. This is due to how variable quality’s definition is from project type to project type - and will be sensitive to what that is (software project vs. construction project).
What are the Planning Processes for Resource Mgmt?
Only one: Estimate Activity Resources
What are the Planning Processes Procurement Mgmt?
none - procurement, like quality, will differ from project to project.
What are the Planning Processes for Risk Mgmt?
Identify Risks
Perform Quantitative Analysis
Perform Qualitative Analysis
Plan Risk Responses
What are the Planning Processes for Stakeholder Mgmt?
None - stakeholder engagement strategies will also differ, like procurement and quality.
Which Planning Process has the sole aim of developing the Project Mgmt. Plan?
Project Integration Mgmt.
What is the purpose of the Executing Process Group?
To do the work that achieves the objectives laid out in the PM Plan.
What is the key benefit of the Executing Process Group?
Work gets done.
Which process group requires the most time, money and resources?
The Executing Process Group.
What activity, if triggered during project execution, could force a re-planning and re-baselining of project documents and their contents?
A Change Request.
What are the two primary Executing Processes?
Direct and Manage Project Work
Manage Project Knowledge
What are 8 secondary Executing processes?
Manage Quality Acquire Resources Develop Team Manage Team Manage Comms Implement Risk Responses Conduct Procurements Manage Stakeholder Interactions
What is the dual-purpose of the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group?
They (1) track, review, and regulate the progress and performance of the project, and (2) ID any places where change is required so that corresponding changes can be made to the project.
What is involved with monitoring a project?
Collecting project perf data
Producing perf measures
Reporting and disseminating perf information
What is involved with controlling a project?
Comparing actual vs planned project perf
Analyzing variances
Assessing trends to effect process improvements
Evaluating possible alternatives
Recommending appropriate corrective action as needed
When do monitoring and controlling processes go into effect>?
Immediately - they are involved at every stage / phase of a project.
What are the 2 primary Monitoring and Controlling Processes?
Monitor and Control Project Work (for each knowledge area)
Perform Integrated Change Control
Which secondary Monitoring and Controlling process is not simply ‘monitor / control ‘x’?
Validate Scope - the process of formalizing acceptance of the completed project deliverables. It is performed periodically throughout the project’s life (easy to see in Agile).
What is the purpose of the Closing Process Group and why does it only have one process?
Purpose: to formally close out the project or contract.
Why only 1 process for a ‘group?’ - because each organization has different ways of doing this - each with multiple processes bespoke to their mission.
What are some of the key benefits of closing out a project?
Project / phase information gets to be cleanly archived as ‘done.’
Planned work is agreed as ‘completed’
Org resources are released to pursue new endeavors.
Do closing processes happen just once in a project’s life?
Not necessarily. There could be a close to each project phase.
