P M P (5th Edition)

Chapter (1) 1- Purpose of the PMBOK guide :-

- The PMBOK guide identifies that subset of the P.M body of knowledge that is generally

recognized as good practice.

“Generally recognized” means the knowledge and practices are applicable to most

projects most of time and there is consensus about their value and usefulness.

“Good practice” doesn’t mean that the knowledge described should always be applied

uniformaly to all projects.

2- What is the project? :-

- A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service

or result. Temporary:

- The project has a define beginning and end...It refers to the project’s engagement and its longevity.

- Temporary doesn’t:

a- Mean the duration of the project is short.

b- Apply to the product, service or result created by the project, most

Projects are undertaken to create a lasting outcome (E.X: National

mounment).

- End : the end of the project is reached when :

a- The project objectives have been reached.

b- The project is terminated because:

1- Its objectives can not be met.

2- The need for the project no longer exists.

3- The client wishes to terminate the project.

Unique:

- The outcome of the project may be tangible or intangible.

- The repetitive elements in some projects doesn't change the unique characteristics of the

project , each project remains unique with a different location , different circumstances and

situations, different stakeholders, and so on.

Progressive elaboration:

- Continuously improving and detailing a plan as more detailed and specific information and more

accurate.

Project Operation Temporary endeavor Ongoing endeavor

Unique product Repetitive product

Constructing building Production line

4 – A project can create :- - A product can be either a component of another item, an enhancement of an item, or an end

item itself.

- A service capability to perform a service (production or distribution).

- An improvement in the existing product or service lines. (Six Sigma project undertaken to reduce

defects).

- A result such as outcome or document.

5– Examples of projects include:- - Developing a new product, service or result.

- Constructing building, industrial plant, or infrastructure.

- Developing or acquiring a new or modified information system (Hardware or software).

- Effecting a change in the structure, processes, staffing or style of an organization.

- Conducting a research effort whose outcome will be aptly recorded.

Example: If your boss walked into your office and said “the system is broken, can you figure out what is the wrong with it and fix it?” would this be a project?

6– What is the project management?:- - It is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet the

project requirement.

- Five process groups :

1- Intiating.

2- Planning.

3- Executing.

4- Monitoring and controlling.

5- Closing.

- Knowlegde area: (Intergation, Scope, Time, Cost, Quality, human resource, communications,

risk, procurement management, buget and schedule).

- Managing a project include also :

1. Identifying requirements.

2. Expectaion of the stakeholders in planning and executing the project to meet project

requirements and managing, maintaining and carrying out communications and collaborative

among stakeholders.

TheProgressive elaboration throughout the project makes improving details and informations

and more accurate estimates become available and allow a project management team to define

work and manage it to greater level.

7– The relationships among (Portfolios, programs, and projects):-

- Program Management:

o A program is defined as a group of related projects, subprograms and program activities

managed in a coordinated way to obtain benefits not available from managing them

individually.

o Programs may include elements of related work outside the scope of the discrete projects in the

program (A project may or may not be a part of program but a program will always have

projects).

o Program management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to a program

in order to meet the program requirements and to obtain benefits and control not available by

managing projects individually.

o If the relationship between projects is only that of a shared client, seller, technology, or

resource, the effort should be managed as a portfolio of projects rather than as a program.

o Program management focuses on the project interdependencies and helps to determine the

optimal approach for managing them. Actions related to these interdependencies may include :

1- Resolving resource constraints and conflicts that affect projects within the program.

2- Aligning organizational/strategic direction that affects project and program goals and

objectives.

3- Resolving issues and change management within a shared governance structure.

- Portfolio Management :

o Refers to a collection of projects, programs, subportfolios and operations managed as a group to

achieve that common strategic goal (The programs and projects that make up the portfolio may

not be interdependent or related).

Portfolio

Program Projects

Sub

portfolio

Projects

Subprogra

m

Projects

Programs

Projects

Subprogram

s

Comparative overview of project, program, and portfolio management

Projects Programs Portfolios

Scope

Projects have defined objectives;

scope is progressively elaborated

throughout the project life cycle.

Programs have a larger scope and

provide more significant benefits.

Portfolios have an organizational

scope that changes with the

strategic objectives of the

organization.

Change

Project managers expect change

and implement process to keep

change managed and controlled.

Program managers expect change

from both inside and outside the

program and prepared to manage

it.

Portfolio managers’ continously

monitor changes in the broader

internal and external environment.

Planning

Project managers progressively

elaborate high-level information

into detailed plans throughout the

project life cycle.

Program managers develop overall

program plan and create high-level

plans to guide detailed planning at

the component level.

Portfolio managers create and

maintain necessary processes and

communication relative to the

aggregate portfolio.

Management

Project managers manage the

project team to meet the project

objectives.

Program managers manage the

program staff and the project

managers; they provide vision and

overall leadership.

Portfolio managers may manage or

coordinate portfolio management

staff, or program and project staff

that may have reporting

responsibilities into the aggregate

portfolio.

Success

Success is measured by

1- Product and project

quality and timeliness

2- Budget compliance.

3- Degree of customer

satisfaction.

Success is measured by the degree

to which the program satisfies the

needs and benefits for which it was

undertaken.

Success is measured in terms of the

aggregate investment performance

and benefit realization of the

portfolio.

Monitoring

Project managers monitor and

control the work of producing the

product, service or result that the

project was undertaken to

produce.

Program managers monitor the

progress of program components

to ensure the overall goals,

schedules, budget and benefits of

the program will be met.

Portfolio managers :

1- Monitor strategic changes.

2- Aggregate resource allocation.

3- Performance result.

4- Risk of the portfolio.

8– Organizational project management (OPM):- - (OPM) is a strategy execution framework utilizing project, program, and portfolio management as well

as organizational enabling practices to consistently and predictably deliver organizational strategy

producing better performance, better results, and a sustainable competitve advantage.

- Portfolio, program, and project management are contributed in different ways to achievement of

strategic goals.

1. Portfolio management aligns with organizational strategy by:

a- Selecting the right programs and projects.

b- Prioritizing the work.

c- Providing the needed resource.

2. Program management align with organizational strategy by:

a- Harmonizing its projects and program components and controls interdependencies in

order to realize specified benefits.

3. Project management align with organizational strategy by:

a- Developing and implementing plans to achieve a specific scope that is driven by the

objectives of the program or portfolio it is subjected to and ultimately to

organizational strategies.

- It advances organizational capability by linking project, program, and portfolio management

principles and practices with organizational enablers to support strategic goals.

9– Projects and strategic planning:- Projects are typically authorized as a result of one or more of the following strategic considerations:

1- Market demand.

2- Strategic opportunity/business needs (training company authorizing a project to create a new

course to increase its revenues).

3- Social needs (Governmental needs doing by nongovernmental organizations).

4- Environmental considerations (Reduce pollution).

5- Customer request.

6- Technological advance.

7- Legal requirement.

10– Project management office (PMO):- (PMO) is a management structure that standardizes the project related governance processes and

facilitates the sharing resources, methodologies, tools, and techniques.

- The responsibilities of a PMO can range from providing project management support functions

to actually for the direct management of one or more projects.

- There are three several types of PMO structures in organizations :

1- Supportive : Supportive PMOs provide a consultative role to projects by supplying templates,

best practices training, access to information and lessons learned from other projects. This

type of PMO serves as a project repository. The degree of control by the PMO is low.

2- Controlling: Controlling PMOs provide support and require compliance through various

means. Compliance may involve adopting project management frameworks, methodologies,

using specific templates, forms and tools or conformance to governance. The degree of

control by the PMO is moderate.

3- Directive: Directive PMOs take control of the projects by directly managing the projects. The

degree of control provided by PMO is high.

- The PMO is the natural liaison between the organization's portfolios, programs, projects and the

corporate measurement systems.

- The projects administrated by the PMO may not be related, other than by being managed

together. The PMO structures are dependent upon the needs of the organization.

- Is responsible for the result of projects of a certain size, type, or influence are managed by this

office.

- The PMO may have the authority to:

1- Act as an integral stakeholder. 2- Key decision maker. 3- Make recommendations.

4- Terminate projects. 5- Selection, management, and deployment of shared project resources.

6- Manage interdependencies between projects. 7- Help gather lesson learned and make them

available to other projects. 8- Provide templates and guidance. 9- Be involved during project

initiation than later in the project.

- The ways of PMO to support project management is :

1- Managing shared resources.

2- Identifying project management methodologies, best practices, and standards.

3- Developing and managing project policies, procedures, templates and other standard

documentation.

4- Monitoring compliance with project management standards, policies, procedures and

templates.

5- Coaching, mentoring and oversight.

6- Coordinating communication across projects.

- The PMO not improve project performance without the use of proper project management

processes and techniques, so professional project management must be promoted.

Difference between the role of project managers and a PMO:

Project Manager Project management office (PMO)

Focuses on the specified project objectives. Manages major program scope changes, which

may be seen as potential opportunities to better

achieve business objectives.

Controls the assigned project resources to best

meet project objectives.

Optimizes the use of shared organizational

resources across all projects.

Manages the constraints (Scope, schedule, cost,

quality, etc.) of the individual projects.

Manages the methodologies, standards, risks,

metrics and interdependencies among projects.

11– Operations management:-

Operation management is an area that outside the scope of formal project management and inside the

management concerned with ongoing production of goods and services.

It concerned with managing processes that transform inputs (Materials, components, energy, and labor)

into outputs (Products, goods, services). - Is responsible for:

1- Overseeing, directing, and controlling business operations.

2- Support the day to day business.

3- Achieving strategic goals of the business.

-Example: (production operations-manufacturing operations-accounting-software support-

maintenance).

- Projects require project management activities and skill sets.

- Operations require 1- Business process management. 2- Operation management activities

and skill sets.

- Ongoing operations are outside of the scope of the project, but they are intersecting at various

points during the product life cycle: 1- At each closeout phase. 2- When developing a new product, upgrading a product or

expanding outputs. 3- While improving operations or the product development process. 4- Until the end of the product life cycle.

- Deliverables and knowledge are transferred between the project and operations:-

At the projects start: Transfer of operational resource to the project.

At the projects end: Transfer of project resources to operations.

- Operations are ongoing endeavors that produce repetitive outputs.

Operation stakeholders in project management:-

- The needs of stakeholders who perform business operations are important considerations in

projects that will affect their future work and endeavors.

- The influence (positive or negative) of the operational stakeholders and their needs should be

addressed as part of the risk management.

- Examples of operational stakeholders :

1- Plant operators. 2- Manufacturing line supervisors. 3- Help disk stuff.

4 – Production system support analysis. 5- Customer service representative. 6- Salespersons.

7- Maintenance workers. 8- Telephone sales personnel. 9- Call center personnel.

10- Retail workers. 11- Line managers. 12- Training officers.

12– Organizations and project management:- - Organizations use governance to establish strategic direction and performance parameters.

- The strategic direction provides the purpose, expectations, goals and actions necessary to guide

business objectives.

- When business alignment for a project is constant, the chance for project success increases

because the project remains aligned with the strategic direction of the organization, should

something change, project should change accordingly.

- Project based organizations (PBOs):-

- Create temporary systems for carrying out the work, the success of the work is measured by the

final result rather than the position or politics.

- PBOs conduct the majority of their work as projects or provide project rather than functional

approaches.

- The link between the project management and organizational governance:-

- Projects are undertaken to achieve strategic business outcomes. For which many organizations

now adopt formal organizational governance processes and procedures.

- Organizational governance criteria can impose constraints on project-particularly if the project

delivers a service which will be subject to strict organizational governance.

- Because project success may be judged on the basis of how will the resultant product or service

supports organizational governance, it is important for the project manager to be

knowledgeable about corporate organizational governance policies and procedures pertaining to

the subject matter of the product or service..

- If an organization has adopted policies in support of sustainability practices and the project

involves construction of a new office building, the project manager should be aware of

sustainability requirements related to building construction.

- The relationship between project management and organizational strategy:-

- Organizational strategy should provide guidance and direction to project management -

especially when one considers that projects exist to support organizational strategy.

- If the goal of a project are in conflict with an established organizational strategy :-

o The project manager document and identify such conflicts as really as possible in the

project.

o The development of an organizational strategy could be the goal of a project rather than

a guiding principle.

- In such a case, it is important for the project to specifically define what constitutes an

appropriate organizational strategy what will sustain the organization.

13– Business value:- (Unique to each organization). - Business value is defined as the entire value of the business, the total sum of all tangible and

intangible elements.

o Tangible elements include (monetary assets, fixtures, stockholder equity, and utility).

o Intangible elements include (good will, brand recognition, public benefit, and

trademarks).

- Business value scope can be short – medium – or long term.

- While not all organizations are business driven, all organizations conduct business-related

activities. Whether an organization is a government agency or nonprofit organization.

- Successful business value realization begins with comprehensive strategic planning and

management, in order to bridge the gap between organizational strategy and successful

business value realization, the use of portfolio, program, and project management techniques is

essential.

- Using Portfolio management: aligns component (projects, programs, or operations) to the

organizational strategy, organized into portfolio or sub-portfolios to optimize project or program

objectives, dependencies, costs, timelines, benefits, resources, and risks. This allows

organizations to have an overall view of how the strategic goals are reflected in the portfolio,

institute appropriate governance management, and authorize human, financial, or material

resources to be allocated based on expected performance and benefits.

- Using program management: align multiple projects for optimized costs, schedule, and benefits.

- Using project management: apply knowledge, processes, skills, tools, and techniques to enhance

of success of projects.

o Project management focus on the successful delivery of products, service, or result.

o Programs management focuses on achieving organizational strategy and objectives.

o Portfolios management focuses on achieving organizational strategy and objectives.

- By continuously conducting portfolio strategic alignment and optimization, performing business

impact analyses, and developing robust organizational enablers, organizations can achieve

successful transitions within the portfolio, program, and project domains and attain effective

investment management and business value realization.

14– Role of the project manager:-

- The project manager: is the person assigned by the performance organization to lead the team

that is responsible for achieving the project objectives.

- The role of the project manager is distinct form functional manager or operations manager: o The functional manager is focused on providing management oversight for a business

unit. o The operation managers are responsible for ensuring that business operations are

efficient.

- Depending on the organizational structure, a project manager may report to operational

manager, in other case may to program manager or portfolio manager who is responsible for

enterprise-wide projects. In this type of structure, the project manager works closely with the

program or portfolio manager to : 1- Achieve the project objectives. 2- Ensure the project management plan aligns with the overarching program plan.

- The project manager also works closely with business analyst, quality assurance manager.

15– Responsibilities and competencies of the project manager:-

- The project managers have the responsibility to : 1- Satisfy needs: task needs, team needs, and individual needs. 2- The link between the strategy and the teams. 3- Understanding and applying the knowledge, tools, and techniques.

- Projects are : 1- Essential to the growth and survival of organizations. 2- Improved business processes. 3- Development of a new product and service, and make it easier for companies to respond to

changes in the environment, competition, and the marketplace.

- The project manager competencies: 1- Knowledge Refers to what the project manager knows about the project management. 2- Performance Refers to what the project manager is able to accomplish. 3- Personal Refers to how the project manager behaves when performing the project.

o Personal effectiveness encompasses attitudes, personality characteristics, and

leadership, which provides the ability to guide the project team.

16– Interpersonal skills of a project manager:-

- The project managers accomplish work through the project team and other stakeholders.

- The important interpersonal skills for the project manager : 1- Leadership. 2- Team building. 3- Motivation. 4- Communication. 5- Influencing. 6- Decision making. 7- Political and culture awareness. 8- Negotiation. 9- Trust building. 10- Conflict management. 11- Coaching. 12- Problem solving.

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