Five Project Management Process Groups
The PMBOK® Guide defines five project management process groups: Initiating Process Group, Planning Process Group, Executing Process Group, Monitoring and Controlling Process Group, and Closing Process Group."These groupings reflect the logical integration and interactions between the individual processes, as well as the common purpose they serve". - Cornelius Fichtner
The 47 Project Management Processes are distributed among the five project management process groups. Initiating Process Group has two project management processes; Planing Process Group has 24 project management processes; Executing Process Group has eight project management processes; Monitoring and Controlling Process Groups has 11 project management processes; and Closing Process Group has two project management processes.
Overview of Five Project Management Process Groups
- In Initiating Process Group we are concerned with initiating a project or a phase of a project by defining its boundaries and getting formal/documented approval from sponsor(s); Initiating Process Group brings a project or a phase formally into existence. Key deliverables of Initiating Process Group are Project Charter and Stakeholder Register.
- In Planning Process Group we detail the blueprint of the project created in the Initiating Process Group. Based on the requirements and expectations of stakeholders, we refine objectives of the project; in order to achieve the objectives, we determine overall scope of work that we need to carry out; and we devise a comprehensive course of action considering different aspects of implementation. Key deliverables of Planning Process Group are Project Management Plan (its subsidiary plan and baselines) and Project Documents.
- In Executing Process Group we carry out work and create deliverables based on the Project Management Plan created in the Planning Process Group.
- In Monitoring and Controlling Process Group we deal with progress and performance issues of our project. We track our progress with respect to what was planned; we review our progress and analyze our performance; and then based on our findings, suggest and initiate changes in order to make necessary adjustments.
- In Closing Process Group we bring our project or a phase of our project formally to an end by finalizing all activities.
Project Management Process Groups - Important Concepts
Project Management Process Groups are Interdependent
The project management process groups are dependent on each other. Deliverables of one project management process group becomes input to another. For example, Initiating Process Group provides input to Planning Process Group, whereas Executing Process Group depends on output of Planning Process Group.
Project Management Process Groups Interact
Project Management Process Groups Interact
The interdependency of project management process groups necessitates frequent interaction.
This interaction can be at different level: one process group interacting with another process group; project management processes interacting with each other with in a process group; or project management processes of one project management process group interacting with project management processes of another process group.
The interaction indicates project management processes are linked. This linkage is based on input-output relationship - output of one becomes input of another.
Project Management Process Groups are NOT Project Phases
Project Management Process Groups are NOT Project Phases
Project Management Process Groups should not be confused with project life cycle. It is wrong to call a project management process groups as project phases: the two are different. In fact the five project management process groups, collectively, are repeated for every phase of project life cycle.
Project Management Process Groups Names
Project Management Process Groups Names
Names of all the five project management process groups ends with 'ing' - initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing.
Initiating and executing are different from initiation and execution respectively. While the former represents project management process groups, the later refers to project phases usually of a generic project life cycle.
Project Management Process Groups are Globally Applicable
Project Management Process Groups are Globally Applicable
Project life cycles are industry or application area specific - a project life cycle for a construction project would be different from project life cycle of an application software project.
But one of the things common among project life cycles across all industries and application areas is that they have phases. Project management process groups are repeated for every phase. It is through this approach that the PMBOK® Guide maintains it claim to be 'generally recognized as good practice' (Page 2).
In simple words, no matter to which ever industry or application area your project belongs to, project management process groups, and their constituent project management processes, are applicable to your project and you can benefit from them. They are typically performed in each project.
Project Management Process Groups have Basic Flow and Sequence
Project Management Process Groups have a basic flow, and are performed in a specific sequence:
Project Management Process Groups Iterate
Though we have seen above that there is a basic and specific sequence in which the five project management process groups are performed, however, practically a process group is not performed only once. The five project management process groups may iterate a number of times.
For example, as we discussed earlier, Planning Process Group provides inputs to Executing Process Group in the form of Project Management Plan and Project Documents. The inputs serve as basis for carrying out work in the Executing Process Group. However, as the work progresses on the project, Executing Process Group often recommends or initiates updates to the Project Management Plan and Project documents. The recommended updated, if approved, might require us to iterate back to Planning Process Group to make changes to its outputs.
Project Management Process Groups have Basic Flow and Sequence
Project Management Process Groups have a basic flow, and are performed in a specific sequence:
- Initiating Process Group is the starting point. It produces Project Charter and Stakeholder Register as outputs.
- Outputs of the Initiating Process Group becomes inputs to Planning Process Group, which produces Project Management Plan and Project Documents as its outputs.
- Outputs of the Planning Process Group are used as input by Executing Process Group wherein work is carried out. Executing Process Group often creates updates to outputs of Initiating Process Group.
- When Executing Process Group completes and gets confirmed by the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group, we move on to Closing Process Group where the project or a project phase phase is closed.
- Monitoring and Controlling Process Group overlaps all the other four process groups. However, major portion of the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group happens in parallel to Executing Process Group. It takes outputs of all other process groups and produces its outputs.
Project Management Process Groups Iterate
Though we have seen above that there is a basic and specific sequence in which the five project management process groups are performed, however, practically a process group is not performed only once. The five project management process groups may iterate a number of times.
For example, as we discussed earlier, Planning Process Group provides inputs to Executing Process Group in the form of Project Management Plan and Project Documents. The inputs serve as basis for carrying out work in the Executing Process Group. However, as the work progresses on the project, Executing Process Group often recommends or initiates updates to the Project Management Plan and Project documents. The recommended updated, if approved, might require us to iterate back to Planning Process Group to make changes to its outputs.
Related Posts:
- Project Management Processes - Outline
- Project Management Processes - Resources
- What is a Project Management Process?
- Fitting together Processes, Process Groups, Phases and Project Life Cycle
- What are Project Management Process Groups?
- Project Management Processes Flow in Initiating Process Group and Planning Process Group
