Project Management Process Groups

Process organizes and illustrates the work of the project. There are five process groups that are defined in the PMBOK. Each of these five process groups is interrelated and dependent on each other. Each of the process groups have processes that make up the group. The five process groups are:

• Initiating
• Planning
• Executing
• Monitoring and Control
• Closing

The beginning of a project is the initiating process group. This process group recognizes that the project should begin. There are two process groups in the initiating process group, develop project charter and develop preliminary project scope statement. It also grants approval to commit resources to the project.The planning process group creates the project management plan. This is done by gathering and revising project goals and objectives. Alternate courses of action are compared and the best is select to produce the project’s goal. This process group updates the requirements and identifies the stakeholders. The planning process group has the most processes because all the other groups rely on the thoroughness of this process group.

• Develop project management plan
• Scope planning
• Scope definition
• Create WBS
• Activity definition
• Activity sequencing
• Activity resource estimating
• Activity duration estimating
• Schedule development
• Cost estimating
• Cost budgeting
• Quality planning
• Human resource planning
• Risk management planning
• Risk identification
• Qualitative risk analysis
• Quantitative risk analysis
• Risk response planning
• Plan purchases and acquisitions
• Plan contracting

The executing process group puts the project management plan to work. This is where the project manager will execute his duties in meeting the objectives of the project plan and where approved changes are implemented. Costs are usually highest during the executing process and the greatest conflicts over schedules will be during this process group.Direct and manage project execution

• Perform quality assurance
• Acquire project team
• Develop project team
• Information distribution
• Request seller responses
• Select sellers

Project performance measurements are taken and analyzed during the monitoring and controlling process group. This tells us if the project plan is staying on course. The process group is to identify problems and apply corrective action to guarantee the successful outcome of the project.

• Monitor and control project work
• Integrated change control
• Scope verification
• Scope control
• Schedule control
• Cost control
• Perform quality control
• Manage project team
• Performance reporting
• Manage stakeholders
• Risk monitoring and control
• Contract administration

The closing process group brings a formal end to a project phase or the project. Information is gathered and stored for future project that might need information. This information can help in preventing future problems on future projects. Contract closure, formal acceptance and approval are received from the project stakeholders.

• Close project
• Contract closure

Additional information

• Costs are low in the beginning and the end but high in the middle (Executing process group).
• Chance of success is lowest at the beginning and highest at the end.
• Stakeholder influence is highest at the beginning and lowest at the end.
• Risk is lowest in the beginning and high in the middle while being low at the end.
• Phase ending reviews are also know as: phase exits, phase gates, or kill points.