PMP Study Guide

Chapter 1: What is a Project?

 Chapter 1 What Is a Project?
• Is It a Project?
• What Is Project Management?
• Defining Skills Every Good
Project Manager Needs
• Understanding Organizational
Structures
• Understanding Project Life Cycles
and Project Management Processes
 Is It a Project?
• Projects are unique.
• Projects are temporary in
nature and have a definite
beginning and ending date.
• Projects are completed when
the project goals are achieved.
• A successful project is one that
meets the expectations of your
stakeholders.
Project Stakeholders
 Chapter 1 What Is a Project?
• Is It a Project?
• What Is Project Management?
• Defining Skills Every Good
Project Manager Needs
• Understanding Organizational
Structures
• Understanding Project Life Cycles
and Project Management Processes
• Project Management Knowledge
Areas
What Is Project Management?

• A set of tools and techniques—

performed by people—to describe,
organize, and monitor, the work of
project activities
• Programs – multiple similar projects
managed in a coordinated way
• Portfolios – multiple projects that
must meet a strategic business goal
• Project Management Offices
 Projects, Programs, and
Portfolios Table 1.1 Manager Objectives Success

Purpose Area of focus

Project Applies and uses project management Delivery of products, Project Detailed objectives for the Objectives are met
processes, knowledge, and skills services, or results manager project and stakeholder
satisfaction.

Program Collections of related projects, subsidiary Project interdependencies Program Coordinated objectives and Collective
programs, or work managed in a manager interdependencies across objectives and
coordinated fashion the program to realize benefits are
benefits realized.

Portfolio Aligns Optimizing efficiencies, Portfolio Align with the Performance and
projects/programs/portfolios/subsidiary objectives, costs, managers. organization’s strategic benefit realization
portfolios/operations to the resources, risks, and Project and business objectives. of the portfolio
organization’s strategic business schedules program Prioritizes the right
objectives managers may programs and projects,
report to the prioritizes work, and
portfolio. ensures resources are
available.
 Chapter 1 What Is a Project?
• Is It a Project?
• What Is Project Management?
• Defining Skills Every Good
Project Manager Needs
• Understanding Organizational
Structures
• Understanding Project Life
Cycles and Project Management
Processes
• Project Management Knowledge
Areas
 Defining Skills Every Good
Project Manager Needs

• Project manager’s are a mile wide

and an inch deep.
• Project manager’s are like small
business owners.
• General management skills
• Application skills
 Project Manager’s Skills
• Technical PM skills
• Business management skills
• Communication skills
• Organizational and planning skills
• Budgeting skills
• Conflict management skills
• Negotiation and influencing skills
• Leadership skills
• Team building and motivating
skills
 Chapter 1 What Is a Project?
• Is It a Project?
• What Is Project Management?
• Defining Skills Every Good
Project Manager Needs
• Understanding Organizational
Structures
• Understanding Project Life
Cycles and Project Management
Processes
• Project Management Knowledge
Areas
Understanding Organizational
Structures
• Functional Organizations
• Project Oriented Organizations
• Matrix Organizations
Functional Org Chart
Functional Organizations
Project Oriented Org Chart
 Project Oriented Organizations

• Project managers have ultimate

authority over the project.
• The focus of the organization is the
project.
• The organization’s resources are
focused on projects and project
work.
• Team members are collocated.
• Loyalties are formed to the project,
not to a functional manager.
Strong Matrix Org Chart
Weak Matrix Org Chart
Balanced Matrix Org Chart
 Comparing Matrix Structures
Weak Matrix Balanced Matrix Strong Matrix

PM’s Project Project manager Project manager

Title coordinator,
project leader, or
project expeditor
PM’s Split focus Projects and Projects and
Focus between project project work project work
and functional
responsibilities
PM’s Minimal authority Balance of Full time on
Power and power authority and projects
power
Org Style Most like Blend of both Most like a
functional weak and strong projectized
organization matrix organization
PM Functional A functional Manager of
Reports manager manger, but project managers
to shares authority
and power
 Other Organizational
Structures
• Simple or organic
• Virtual
• Hybrid
• Project-Based Organization
(PBO)
 Chapter 1 What Is a Project?
• Is It a Project?
• What Is Project Management?
• Defining Skills Every Good
Project Manager Needs
• Understanding Organizational
Structures
• Understanding Project Life Cycles and
Project Management Processes
• Project Management Knowledge
Areas
 Understanding Project Life
Cycles and Project Management
Process Groups
• Project phases
– Hand offs
– Phase reviews
– Phase completing
– Multi-phased projects
– Phase ending review (phase gates,
phase entrance, phase exit, stage
gates, and kill points
 Understanding Project Life
Cycles and Project
Management Process Groups
Multiphase Projects:
• Sequential Relationships
– One phase must finish before the
next phase can begin.
• Overlapping Relationships
– One phase starts before the prior
phase completes.
 Development Life Cycle
Categories
• Development life cycle
• Life cycle categories
– Predictive (Plan-drive or Waterfall)
– Iterative
– Incremental
– Hybrid
 Project Life Cycles

• Predictive (plan-driven, Waterfall)

• Adaptive (Agile, change-driven)
Understanding Project Life Cycles
and Project Management Process
Groups
Project Management Process Groups:
• Initiating
• Planning
• Executing
• Monitoring and Controlling
• Closing
Characteristics of the Process
Groups
Project Management
Process Groups
 Initiating

Project Phase
(Feasibility Study) Process
Interactions with
Planning Executing
the “Plan-Do-
Check-Act” cycle
Project Management
Process Groups

Monitoring Monitoring
and Control and Control

Closing

Initiating

Project Phase
(Design)
 Agile Project Management

• Agile is a method of managing

projects in small, incremental
portions of work that can be
easily assigned, easily managed,
and completed within a short
period of time called an iteration
or sprint.
 Iteration/Sprint

• Time bound
• Typical = 2 weeks, can be any
short period of time
 Agile PM Approach

• Quickly adapt to new

requirements
• Continual assessment
• Small deliverables in limited time
frame
 Highly predictive (Waterfall) Hybrid Highly adaptive (Agile)

Requirements Detailed specifications High-level planning and iterative refinements Progressively elaborated

Risk and costs Reduced due to detailed plans Reduced through iterative evolution of initial high-level Reduced by progressively elaborating the requirements
plans

Stakeholders Heavily involved in gathering and documenting More involvement than highly predictive approach and Continuous involvement and frequent feedback
requirements. Involvement tapers off as project less involvement than highly adaptive approach
progresses.

Initiating Performed once for the project or phase May be performed once with high-level objectives and Performed regularly throughout the project. Relies
elaborated [AU: increase? LW][it s/b elaborated - kh]as heavily on customer knowledge.
project progresses

Planning Once the plan is approved, changes that impact scope, High-level plan developed and elaborated as project Progressive elaboration of scope based on continuous
time, or budget are controlled and minimized. progresses feedback.

Executing Performed all at once after requirements are defined Work is performed as requirements are defined. Managed using iterations and retrospectives. Small
and project plan is approved. components of work delivered in each iteration.

Monitoring and Controlling Focus is on constraining changes that impact scope, Varies from minimal changes to welcoming changes Changes welcome. Track and monitor work using the
budget, or schedule. backlog.

Closing Close out the project or phase. May close the phase or continue in an iterative Address highest business value items first. Produce a
approach proof of concept.
 Agile Roles and
Responsibilities
• Scrum master
• Product owner
• Stakeholders
• Team members
 Sprint Planning

• Time bound
• Starts with sprint planning
meeting
• Backlog items reviewed
– Prioritized by product owner
 Daily Standups/Scrum
Meetings
• Same time/same place every day
• 15 minutes
• What did I accomplish
yesterday?
• What will I work on today?
• Do I have any roadblocks or
issues preventing me from doing
my work?
 Scrum Retrospective
• Held at Sprint conclusion
– Overall progress
– Work that was completed
– Work that was planned but not
completed
– Work that needs to carry over into
the next sprint
– To review lessons learned to
determine how the next sprint, and
future sprints, can be improved
 Other Methodologies

• Waterfall
• PRINCE2
 Chapter 1 Summary
• Project definition and characteristics
• Key skills for success
• Organizational structures
• Project lifecycles
• Project management process groups
• Characteristics of process groups
• Plan-Do-Check-Act
• Agile project management