Chapter one: Introduction

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Chapter one is an introduction

1. “Project Management Knowledge System” : it should include specific knowledge, skills, methods and practices of project management in all industries and application fields. 2. This huge book is called “Project Management Knowledge System Guide” or “PMBOK Guide”. The purpose of PMBOK Guide is:

  • Include “generally accepted” good practices in the project management body of knowledge.
  • A project management standard and framework that provides a common vocabulary for the project management profession; Applicable to all fields and industries of project management.
  • Standard practices can be selected and tailored;
  • The PMBOK guide only discusses the management of a single project
  • The PMBOK guide only discusses commonalities in project management
  • It is a set of guidelines for project management, not a specific methodology.

1. What is a project?

A project is: temporary work done to create a unique product, service or outcome.

Pmbok tells us that projects have three main characteristics: temporary, unique, and incremental.

1) The process of the project is temporary, but temporary does not mean short. For example, the construction of the Bird’s Nest stadium was a project that took several years, a long time. The process is temporary, meaning that the project has a clear beginning and end, and the starting point is when the project is initiated. The finish is:

  • Goal achievement (Normal closure)
  • Failure to meet the target project termination (possibly lack of money)
  • Project requirements no longer exist
  • The client or sponsor wishes to terminate, etc

2) Uniqueness of results: The deliverables created by the project are unique, leading to uncertainty and risk of the project. The results of the project are what PMBOK calls deliverables. Deliverables: can be tangible products, can be intangible service capabilities, knowledge. For example, we participate in PMP training, which is a project. After taking the exam, we get the TRAINING certificate of PMP, which is a tangible product, but the project management knowledge we have mastered is intangible. These are deliverables.

3) Progressive details: It is impossible to complete the project plan in one step. As the progress information of the project becomes more and more detailed and the estimation becomes more and more accurate, the plan should be continuously improved and refined. Due to the possibility of change, the project management plan should be developed repeatedly throughout the project life cycle, and the plan should be gradually detailed.

1.1 Commercial Value

It refers to the overall value of the business the organization is engaged in, including all tangible and intangible values.

1) Tangible value includes: monetary assets, fixed facilities, shareholders’ equity, goods and equipment, etc

2) Intangible value includes: goodwill, brand recognition, public interest, trademark, etc

Effective management of ongoing operations creates business value. Investment in projects increases the ability to create business value.

2. What is project management?

  1. Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements. Project management is achieved through the rational use and integration of 49 project management processes.

  2. The 49 project management processes are grouped into five process groups: initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and closure. Projects may be diverse, but the processes and process groups of project management are universal.

  3. Project management needs to satisfy and balance multiple mutually limiting factors, such as scope, quality, schedule, budget, resources, and risk.

2.1 Project Set Management, Project portfolio Management:

  1. Project set: A set of interrelated and coordinated projects, subproject sets, and project set activities. Project sets focus on the dependencies between projects and find the best way to manage those dependencies. For example: English training + College English test CET 4, 6, TOEFL, IELTS. This is a set of items. Each other are related to English training tests, there is a dependent relationship.

  2. Portfolio: a portfolio of projects, project sets, sub-project portfolios, and operations managed together to achieve strategic objectives. Projects that are grouped together to achieve strategic goals or facilitate management may not be dependent on or directly related to each other, but may share resources, suppliers, technologies, etc., and pay attention to the priority allocation of resources. Such as: jay Chou himself is a singer, bank should sing a song for a concert, but now also do some things that have nothing to do with our open restaurants, selling antiques, gym, etc., these things may not directly related to, but it is to focus on resources (jay Chou) priority allocation, what money first to open a restaurant or open the gym? They also share jay Chou, a common employer.

  3. Relationships among project sets, portfolios, and projects: A portfolio can contain several project sets or projects, and a project set can contain several projects.

3. Project and strategic planning

Projects are a common means by which organizations achieve strategic goals. This sentence means that any project should be consistent with the strategic goals of the organization. If it is not consistent with the strategic goals, the project has no meaning.

Projects are approved for the following strategic considerations:

  • The market demand
  • Strategic opportunities/business needs
  • The need of society
  • Environmental concerns
  • The customer request
  • Advances in technology
  • The law requires

3.1 Project and operation

Operations are the means to support daily business and achieve business strategic and tactical objectives. Operation characteristics: continuity, repeatability. Project characteristics: temporary, unique.

The goal of operation is to maintain operation. Project needs will arise in operation, and some results that cannot be achieved by operation need to be achieved by project. The results of the project may go back to operations and become part of the daily work. Therefore, the project manager needs to fully consider the needs of the stakeholders from the operations department in the project. The goal of a project is to achieve its goals and then end the project.

3.2 Project life cycle

1. Definition: The project life cycle refers to a series of phases from start to finish. These phases are usually arranged in sequence, usually with time limits, and each phase is a sub-project with a clear beginning and end.

Common project lifecycle structure:

  • Start the project (concept stage)
  • Organization and preparation (development/planning stage)
  • Implementation of project work (implementation stage)
  • Closing the project (closing phase)

How many phases need to be defined depends on the management control requirements. If you want tighter control, you can define more stages. Vice versa can be less. Phase is divided from the technical point of view; Process groups, which divide projects from a management perspective. Since each phase is a sub-project, it means that each phase consists of five process groups (initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and closure).

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3.3 Characteristics of project life cycle:

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1) The cost and manpower input are low at the beginning, and the highest during the implementation, and then fall rapidly at the end of the project;

2) The risk and uncertainty of the project and the influence of the stakeholders begin to reach the maximum and gradually decrease; The risk of the project is the biggest at the beginning, because everything is unknown at the beginning. As the project progresses, the risks and uncertainties gradually decrease. Stakeholders have the greatest influence at the beginning. At the beginning, only the embryonic stakeholders can easily change the product. As the project progresses and the product gradually has clear characteristics, it is very difficult for the stakeholders to change it, and the cost of change is very high.

3) The cost of change is minimum at the beginning and maximum at the end of the project. As the project progresses, the cost of change increases.

3. The relationship between stages: 1) Stages are carried out sequentially, and one stage can only be started after the completion of the previous stage, which is called “sequential relationship”. The step-by-step nature of the project reduces the uncertainty of the project, but also precludes the possibility of shortening the total project duration.

2) In order to shorten the project duration, one phase is started before the completion of the previous phase, which is called “overlapping relationship”. This approach may require additional resources to work in parallel, potentially increasing risk and rework opportunities. The end of a phase is marked by the handover of phased deliverables. The end time of a phase can be called milestone, phase pass, phase review, phase gate and key decision point.

3.4 Five types of life cycle:

1) Predictive life cycle: also known as fully planned, it is carried out step by step step by stage, which is suitable for projects with full understanding of project results.

Do requirements analysis, then outline design, detailed design, then code, test, and finally release. Do as planned, basically unchanged.

2) Iterative life cycle: continuously optimize product functions through a series of repeated cyclic activities. For example: sharpening a knife, sharpening it with each iteration.

3) Incremental life cycle: incremental additions to product functionality over a predetermined period of time. For example: to develop a multi-functional washing machine, one function (rinsing) is developed in the first stage, the second function (spin-drying) is developed in the second stage, and the third function (drying) is developed in the third stage.

4) Adaptive lifecycle (also known as change-driven, agile) : a mix of iterative and incremental. The end goals and deliverables are also difficult to determine in advance, and management processes are constantly changing and need to cope with a rapidly changing environment. For example, the secretary writes for the leader. The secretary writes the first draft (deliverable) according to the leader’s initial requirements. After the leader read the suggestions (new requirements), the secretary wrote a second draft (deliverables) according to the suggestions, and handed it to the leader for review. Do this many times until you write something that satisfies your boss. It’s about delivering as you demand.

5) Hybrid lifecycle: a mixture of waterfall and Agile, where project elements with fully understood or defined requirements follow the predictive development lifecycle, while elements still in development follow the adaptive development lifecycle. For example, the hardware part is predictive, and the software part is adaptive.

3.5 Project management process

1. A process is a series of interrelated actions and activities performed to create a predetermined product, service, or outcome. Process will be the main content of the PMP handout in the future. Organizational process assets and business environment factors should be referred to even if they are not listed. Business environment factors (EEFs) limit project flexibility, and organizational Process Assets (OPAs) provide guidance and guidelines for tailoring processes.

2. The process consists of three parts: input, tool and technology, and output

Input Tools & Technique Output Output of Tools and techniques

Inputs, Tools & Techniques, outputs referred to as ITTO I inputs, what is required? What methods and means does TT use? O output, produces what?

For example, the process of making black tea; Input: tea, water, etc. Tools and techniques: fermentation, heating, cooking, cooking; Output: black tea.

3. PMI divides project management into 49 processes; So how are these 49 processes connected?

The output of one process becomes the input of another. Take, for example, the process of making black tea. The output is: black tea. For another process “making pearl milk tea”, at this time “black tea” is used as input.

Input: black tea, pearl, water tools and technology: mixing, stirring, boiling output: pearl milk tea

This is the process of making bubble milk tea.

The 49 project management processes are divided into 5 process groups, starting, planning, executing, monitoring and closing. PMP learning will focus on the ITTO of these 49 processes.

The 49 project management processes are grouped into 5 process groups: initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and closure. PMP learning will focus on the ITTO of these 49 processes.

1) Startup process group:

Define a new project or phase; Process group objectives: To ensure consistency between stakeholder expectations and project objectives, to enable stakeholders to understand the scope and objectives of the project, to understand their participation in the project and phase, and to achieve their expectations.

  • Initiate the two processes of the process group: stakeholder identification and project charter development.
  • Identify the stakeholders: Identify their involvement, expectations, influence, and impact on the success of the project.
  • Develop project charter: generally prepared by the project manager, assisted by the project management team. Approved by the sponsor, the PMO, or the portfolio Governance committee. Once the project charter is approved, the project is formally authorized.

2) Planning process group

Define the scope of the project and develop an action plan to achieve the goals; Process group purpose: To develop project management plans and project documents to guide project implementation. Process group role: Define strategies, tactics and action plans and routes for successful completion of a project or phase. As more project information or features are collected and mastered, and as significant changes occur, the project may require further planning. The gradual refinement of a project management plan is called “progressive detail,” indicating that project planning and documentation are repetitive orderly activities. The project team should consult and encourage the participation of all stakeholders in planning the project, developing the project management plan and project documentation.

3) Execution process group

Complete the work defined in the project management plan and meet the requirements of the project specification; Process group needs: coordinate people and resources according to the project management plan, manage stakeholder expectations, and integrate and implement project activities. The results of the execution may trigger plan updates and baseline reconstruction, and deviations from the execution may affect the project management plan or project documentation, requiring careful analysis and the development of appropriate management responses. Most of the project budget will be spent in the execution process group.

4) Monitoring process group

Track, review and adjust project progress and performance, initiate necessary changes; Role of process group: Regularly measure and analyze project performance to identify deviations from project management plan. Control change, recommend corrective action, develop preventive action, etc.

5) Closure process group

To formally close a project or phase by completing all process group activities.

Logically the five process groups are sequential, but in practice there are intersecting parts, monitoring process groups throughout the life cycle. Phase is to break down the project from a technical perspective; The process is to break down the project from a management perspective.

4. 15 matrix

The 49 project management processes were grouped into ten project management knowledge areas and five project management process groups.

1. On the far left, ten knowledge fields are longitudiously followed: project integration management, project scope management, project time management, project cost management, project quality management, project resource management, project communication management, project risk management, project procurement management and project stakeholder management;

In pmBOK 6th edition, Chapter 13 is called Stakeholder Management. However, considering that the term “stakeholder” has been used in project management circles for more than 10 years, we still think “stakeholder” is more professional and still call Chapter 13 stakeholder management

Chapter 4 Project integration management: interface management of coordination sub-plan; Chapter 5 Project scope management: determine what should be done and what should not be done; Chapter vi Project Schedule Management: To ensure the timely completion of project work; Chapter vii Project Cost Management: to ensure the completion of project work in accordance with the budget; Chapter viii Project Quality management: to ensure that the project work meets the requirements; Chapter 9 Project Resource Management: Manage physical resources and project team well; Chapter 10 Project communication management: There is a team need to communicate, good communication management; Chapter 11 Project Risk Management: If the project has uncertain and possible events, do a good job in risk management; Chapter xii Project Procurement management: Some work can not be done by ourselves, so we need to outsource it. Chapter 13 Project Stakeholder Management: The project is to meet the requirements of the stakeholders and manage them well.

2. At the top, the project management process is divided into five process groups: start-up process group, planning process group, execution process group, monitoring process group and closure process group. On the right, there are 49 processes in gray and white filling, which will be the focus of studying PMP theory in the future.

3. Chapter IV Project integrated management knowledge field includes :4.1 Formulating project charter, 4.2 formulating project management plan, 4.3 guiding and managing project execution, 4.4 Managing project knowledge, 4.5 monitoring project work, 4.6 implementing overall change control and 4.7 ending project or phase.

4.1 The process of making project charter belongs to the start-up process group 4.2 The process of making project management plan belongs to the planning process group 4.3 Guiding and managing the project execution process and 4.4 managing project knowledge. The two processes belong to the execution process group 4.5 Monitoring project work and 4.6 implementing overall change control. The two processes belong to the monitoring process group 4.7 The end project or phase process belongs to the end process group

And so on, there are 49 processes. It can be seen that it is called 15 matrix because of ten knowledge fields and five process groups. The following chapters will focus on 49 processes and their inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs. The 49 processes must be familiar with, which knowledge domain they belong to, and which process group they belong to

Exercises of 5.

There are three projects A, B and C in the company. These projects are prioritized according to a common set of criteria based on the company’s goals. Project B is a higher priority because it will expand the company’s market share and reduce its dependence on unreliable suppliers. What kind of activity is being carried out?

A, Project management B, project management C, project management D, Share management

A. Focus on prioritizing resources and reducing dependency. That’s the key word

Plans for a technology reengineering project have been in the planning stage for several months, during which time the technology has improved significantly. The project is expected to begin this month, and the scope management plan must be updated to reflect technical changes. The project manager must detail potential changes to the project scope to key stakeholders. The project manager understands that the project’s level of uncertainty will be in which of the following situations?

A, keep at the expected and planned level B, increase C, first increase, then decrease D, decrease

D. The project has the greatest risk at the beginning, because everything is unknown at the beginning. As the project progresses, the risks and uncertainties gradually decrease.

Which of the following statements best describes the project?

A, the cost of the project scope changes in the initial stage of project B biggest, the influence of stakeholders throughout the project period is the same C, during project execution phase cost and manpower inputs to peak D, the next phase of the project should never start, until the previous phase of the deliverables is fully review and approval

C. The cost of A project scope change is minimal at the initial stage of the project. The stakeholder impact is greatest at the beginning of the project period and decreases thereafter. Rule out that phase B may overlap, rule out D.

A project manager working in a rapidly changing environment prioritizes the list of requirements collected and plans the work. Get the highest priority deliverables completed in 3 weeks. Which project lifecycle approach is being used by the project manager?

A. A B. A C. A D. A

A) Adaptive agile development B) Agile development C) Agile development D) agile development B) rapid changes are not predictable.

Which of the following statements reflects the degree of project risk?

A. Minimum risk in the initial stage of the project B. Risk remains constant throughout the project period C. Maximum risk during the project implementation D. Maximum risk in the initial stage of the project

D. The risk and uncertainty of the project are maximum at the beginning and gradually reduced;

Which of the following best describes the impact of stakeholder involvement in project planning?

A) time-consuming, which slows down the planning process B) only helpful for internal service contracts C) usually helpful for the development of A complete and accurate project plan D) Not necessary, as stakeholders usually do not want to get involved

C. When planning the project, developing the project management plan and project documentation, the project team should solicit input from all stakeholders and encourage their participation.

The project manager is in charge of a large and complex project. After discussion with the project team members, he decides to implement it in stages, and sets the first stage as the design stage. What project management process groups should be carried out during the design phase?

A, Start and Plan process group B, Plan and Execute process group C, Start, Plan, Execute, Monitor, close process group D, Start, Execute, Close process group

C. Each phase is a sub-project and should be run in five process groups. Phases = subprojects

At what point in the project will the project manager review the controls?

A, during the planning phase B, during the initiation and implementation phase C, during the project closure phase D, during the ongoing review of the project

D. Monitor process groups throughout the project.

What are the main objectives of the execution process group?

A. Tracking and reviewing project progress B. managing stakeholder expectations C. meeting project specifications D. Monitor the schedule

C. Execution process Group definition: To complete the work in the project management plan and meet the requirements of the project specification.

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