Project Management

Chapter 4 : Project Management Processes

Project Processes

Process Groups

Process Interactions

Initiation Processes
Planning Processes
Implementation Processes
Controlling Processes
Closing Processes

Customizing Process Interactions

Chapter Summary

Project management is an integrated and interdependent function. The success or failure of one activity of a project affects other activities. The interactions between the various components of project management can be direct and clearly defined, or they can be ambiguous. For instance, a slight change in the scope of the project will certainly change the cost of the project but it is difficult to determine whether it will have an impact on the team motivation and quality of the end product. For a project to be successful there has to be a balance between the various objectives of the project, because to enhance performance in one area, performance in another area may have to be sacrificed.

Project management processes can be split into five groups of one or more processes each. They are;

• The initiating process that identifies the beginning of a project or its phase
• The planning process that designs and maintains a realistic and achievable plan to attain the business objective
• The implementation phase that manages all the coordination and resource requirements to implement the plan
• The controlling processes that includes reviewing and measuring project progress and implementing corrective measures when needed
• The closing processes that includes the formal submission of the project to the client to give the project or phase a structured ending.

All the components of these processes go through specific interaction patterns that contribute to the success of the individual processes and the project as a whole. Since these processes and the interaction between their components is not applicable to all projects, these processes can be customized as per the requirements of the project.

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