Project Management & Process Groups

                                                               Project Management

Process Groups:

The project life cycle describes the stages that project managers must take to properly manage a project from start to conclusion. The project life cycle is divided into five phases, which are sometimes known as the five process groups: 

1. Initiating

2. Planning

3. Executing

4. Monitoring and Controlling

5. Closing

Each of these project stages reflects a collection of interconnected processes that must occur.

 

Initiating Phase:

Initiating aims to form the idea of what is to be done. This is the stage at which the project is formally authorized by the sponsor, the first scope is determined, and stakeholders are identified. Stakeholder identification is critical in this case since the accurate identification and management of stakeholders can make or destroy the project. These processes are carried out to ensure that initiatives and projects are not only sanctioned by a sponsoring body but are also linked with the organization's strategic objectives. If this is not done, initiatives may be begun and carried out haphazardly, with no specified purpose or target.

Planning Phase:

Establishing the overall scope of the project is a critical component of planning. Though it may appear that scope together with risks, goals, overview, and cost was established at a high level in Initiating, this was not the case. The project manager employs an iterative and more thorough planning approach known as progressive elaboration in planning, which allows project documentation to be created at a much more comprehensive level over time.

The team's ability to think through the entire project in advance is an important notion in planning. As a result, they not only devise a range of strategies but also evaluate everything that may go wrong (risks) and how they might respond to them. First, a project management strategy is developed to govern all aspects of the project. This is critical since it serves as the overall management document for the whole project.

Executing Phase:

The Executing process group is where all the real work is done. The project management strategy will assist in staying on track. The project team begins working on the deliverables here, while the project manager manages those resources. And if it was the only thing that happened, it may have sufficed. However, numerous additional things must occur during execution.

Because the project team is so crucial to the project's success, it stands to reason that developing the team is important as well. As a result, it is assumed that the project manager would not only recruit and manage the team but will also develop it through team-building activities.

The majority of the money will be spent as well as the project deliverables will be created in this section of Execution. And stakeholder change requests will probably begin here. While the project team can bring authorized changes into action, only the change control board can accept or reject them. Depending on the length of the project, it might take days, weeks, months, or years to complete. However, just carrying out a plan is insufficient. It is necessary to ensure that the project remains on schedule.

Monitoring and Controlling Phase:

The Monitoring and Controlling process group are where the project manager evaluates the performance of the project and makes modifications as needed to keep it on track or bring it back on track. These are the procedures that are necessary to track, review, and control the project's progress and performance, identify any areas where modifications to the plan are required, and implement the relevant adjustments. Monitoring and controlling is where you get back on track by comparing the plan to the actual, measuring variation, and taking corrective action. 

Controlling aspects such as scope, cost, and scheduling are just a few examples. These all differ in terms of the tools and techniques used to create them. But they all have one thing in common: they all have baselines that were established throughout the planning process. You don't make adjustments to these baselines lightly since we're measuring our success against them. They are feasible. However, as previously said, modifications must be regulated and authorized on a case-by-case basis. Assuming that you'll miraculously stay on track simply because you've planned to do so is a formula for disaster. Only continual attention, tracking, and reporting will keep the project on pace to fulfill its goals.

Closing Phase:

You officially close the project, and you also receive client approval and acceptance. While it should be self-evident, far too many ventures fail. People quit attending meetings, and everyone simply turns up for the next one. Guiding principles demand that the same discipline that was given to the rest of the project be applied here as well. The project manager should formally conclude the project by archiving documents, conducting a lessons learned session, and congratulating and releasing the team. And, to avoid recreating the wheel, the lessons learned, along with other historical information, should be centrally stored and used as input to future initiatives.