Page 77 -
P. 77
3 - PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROCESSES
Project Management Process Groups are linked by the outputs which are produced. The Process Groups are
seldom either discrete or one-time events; they are overlapping activities that occur throughout the project. The
output of one process generally becomes an input to another process or is a deliverable of the project, subproject, or
project phase. Deliverables at the subproject or project level may be called incremental deliverables. The Planning
Process Group provides the Executing Process Group with the project management plan and project documents, 3
and, as the project progresses, it often creates updates to the project management plan and the project documents.
Figure 3-2 illustrates how the Process Groups interact and shows the level of overlap at various times. If the project
is divided into phases, the Process Groups interact within each phase.
Initiating Planning Executing Monitoring Closing
Process Process Process and Controlling Process
Group Group Group Process Group Group
Level of
Process
Interaction
Start Finish
TIME
Figure 3-2. Process Groups Interact in a Phase or Project
An example of this interaction is the exit of a design phase, which requires sponsor acceptance of the design
document. Once it is available, the design document provides the product description for the Planning and Executing
Process Groups in one or more subsequent phases. When a project is divided into phases, the Process Groups are
used, as appropriate, to effectively drive the project to completion in a controlled manner. In multiphase projects,
processes are repeated within each phase until the criteria for phase completion have been satisfied. Additional
information on project organization, life cycles, and project phases is provided in Section 2.
®
©2013 Project Management Institute. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) – Fifth Edition 51
Licensed To: Jorge Diego Fuentes Sanchez PMI MemberID: 2399412
This copy is a PMI Member benefit, not for distribution, sale, or reproduction.
