Project Management Planning Processes

Planning Process Group

• Big ideas take shape, and actionable plans are created within this group.
• Project scope is defined, objectives are sharpened, and steps are mapped out.
• It involves crafting the project management plan and key documents.
• Stakeholder input ensures alignment.
• The finalized plan becomes the baseline for tracking project performance.
• The project team should involve all appropriate stakeholders.
• Planning involves gathering project information, developing the Project Management Plan, and identifying project scope, cost, quality, communication, risk and procurement.

Planning Processes

• These are the 24Planning Processes
• Develop Project Management plan
• Plan Scope Management
• Collect Requirements
• Define Scope
• Create WBS
• Plan Schedule Management
• Define Activities
• Sequence Activities
• Estimate Activity Durations
• Develop Schedule
• Plan Cost Management
• Mitigate costs
• Determine Budget
• Plan Quality Management
• Plan Resource Management
• Mitigate Activity Resources
• Plan Communications Management
• Plan Risk Management
• Identify Risks
• Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis
• Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis
• Plan Risk Responses
• Plan Procurement Management
• Plan Stakeholder Engagement

Develop Project Management Plan

• The Develop Project Management Plan brings every project component into one integrated plan.
• You define, prepare, and coordinate the moving parts.
• The result is a comprehensive guide for all project work.
• It's a roadmap to ensure the team knows what to do and when.

Plan Scope Management

• This is about setting the stage for a successful project.
• It creates a clear plan so you can define, validate, and control the project and product scope.
• It ensures you have a roadmap to keep everything on track and avoid scope creep.
• The process is done once or at key milestones.

Collect Requirements

• Understanding, documenting, and managing stakeholder needs to achieve project goals are key to collecting requirements.
• Crucial because it lays the foundation for defining both the product and project scope.
• The process is carried out once or at key stages, ensuring everyone stays aligned.

Data Gathering

• This technique collects data and information from various sources.
• It is used to support project decision-making.

Data Gathering Tools and Techniques

• Brainstorming: Generates many ideas in a short period.
• Interviews: Involves one-on-one discussions with stakeholders.
• Focus Groups: Uses structured discussions with a diverse group.
• Questionnaires & Surveys: It systematically gathers data from stakeholders through questionnaires or interviews.
• Benchmarking: Compares practices, processes, or metrics with other organizations.

Data Analysis

• Document Analysis: Existing documents are reviewed to uncover valuable insights and information.
• Diving into relevant information to uncover valuable insights is involved.
• Reviewing and assessing key documents that can shape decisions and strategies is key.
• Examples of documents: agreements, business plans, repositories, process flows, marketing materials, plans, logs, procedures, reports, requests, and use cases.
• Document analysis ensures essential tool for informed decision-making.

Decision Making

• Voting: A collective approach to decision-making to assess alternatives.
• Unanimity: Everyone agrees on a single course of action.
• Majority: Over 50% of the group supports a decision, use an odd number to avoid ties.
• Plurality: The largest block in the group decides, even without a majority, useful when more than two options exist.
• Autocratic Decision-Making: One person takes charge for efficiency.
• Multicriteria Decision Analysis: A decision matrix evaluates options based on risk, uncertainty, and value.

Data Representation

• Data representation presents information clearly for smart project decisions.
• Affinity Diagrams: Groups and organizes ideas for better review and to pinpoint causes of defects.
• Mind Maps: Explores concepts, connections, and relationships visually.

Interpersonal and Team Skills: Nominal Group Technique

• The Nominal group technique combines creativity with structure, helping teams effectively prioritize the best ideas.
  1. A question/problem is presented, and each person brainstorms independently.
  2. A moderator collects ideas on a visible board or flip chart.
  3. The team discusses each idea for understanding.
  4. Participants privately vote to rank ideas (1-5). Multiple rounds narrow down to the best ideas.

Observation and Conversation

• Allows you to understand how people work by watching their environment and processes.
• Known as “job shadowing,” it uncovers hidden requirements and needs.

Facilitation

• Facilitation turns group discussion into a valuable event
• Skilled facilitator ensures:
  • Everyone participates effectively.
  • The group reaches a shared understanding.
  • Every idea and contribution is valued.
  • Decisions are supported by all participants.
  • Agreed actions are followed up appropriately.

Context Diagrams

• This diagram is a visualizing product scope tool
• The business system and connects people is what it illustrates
• It models highlights inputs, actors, and outputs.

Prototypes

• This is a way to gather early feedback by showcasing a working model. -Small-scale product -Computer model -Mock-up -Simulation
• Storyboarding is another prototyping tool that brings ideas to life through images or illustrations.
• Storyboards are used across industries to visually map out a journey.

Define Scope

• This is about creating a clear, detailed description of the project.
• This sets boundaries and defines acceptance criteria.
• Process often occurs at project milestones.

Alternatives Analysis

• This is about evaluating options to tackle project work and finding the most effective approach within constraints.

Product Analysis

• Used to shape products and services.
• Asking the right questions and uncovering answers to define how a product will be are important aspects to this.
• Product Breakdown: This is deconstructing a product into smaller parts.
• Requirements Analysis: Pinpointing exactly what the product needs to succeed.
• Systems Analysis & Engineering: Exploring how components interact.
• Value Analysis & Engineering: Maximizing functionality while minimizing cost.

Create WBS

• Creating a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) breaks down project deliverables and tasks into manageable pieces.
• Happens once or at specific milestones during the project.

Decomposition

• This breaks down a project’s scope and deliverables into manageable pieces.
• Work package is the smallest unit within the WBS.
• Project into work packages steps: -Identifying and analyzing deliverables -Structuring the WBS -Breaking down higher-level components -Assigning identification codes to WBS components -Ensuring the correct level of detail

Plan Schedule Management

• This is about setting up the policies, procedures, and tools to plan, create, manage, and control your project schedule.
• Happens once or at key moments during the project’s lifecycle to ensure things stay aligned.