Topic 3Project Planning I.  Project management process Project Management Process Arrows  represent flow of documents and documentable items Initiating processes--recognizing that a project or phase should begin or and committing to do so Planning processes--devising and maintaining a workable scheme to accomplish the business need that the project undertaken to address Executing processes--coordinating people and other resources to carry out the plan Controlling processes--ensuring that project objectives are met by monitoring and measuring progress and taking corrective action when necessary Closing processes--formalizing acceptance of the project or phase and bringing it to an orderly end Initiating process The formal initiating links the project to the ongoing work of the performing Org. Inputs: product description; strategic plan; project selection criteria; historical information Tools and techniques: project selection methods; expert judgement Outputs: project charter; project manager identified/assigned; constrains; assumptions Planning processes Core process Facilitating process Planning is of major importance to a project because the project involves doing something which has not been done before. The processes above are subject to to frequent iterations prior to competing the plan. For example, if the initial completion date is unacceptable, project resources, cost, or even scope may need to be redefined. In addition, planning is not an exact science--two different teams could generate very different plans for the same project. Scope planning: developing a written scope statement as the basis for future project decisions Scope definition: subdividing the major project deliverables into smaller, or manageable components Activity definition: identifying the specific activities that must be performed to produce the various project deliverables Activity sequencing: identifying and documenting interactivity dependencies Activity duration estimating: estimating the number of work periods which will be needed to complete individual activities Schedule development: analyzing activity sequences, activity durations, and resource requirements to create the project schedule. Resource planning: determining what resources (people, equipment, materials) and what quantities of each should be used to perform project activities. ......