PMP Exam Prep - Chapter 3

Project Management Processes

I thoroughly enjoyed Chapter three. I prefer hands on learning, so having the flash cards was a great, and a very helpful, tool. I learned about Project Management Processes in this chapter. An interesting term I read about was "Rolling Wave Planning". It is a concept for a process that occurs with phase planning. The first phase is fully planned and then, when it reaches completion, the next phase is fully planned. All phases are roughly planned in the beginning, but the "Rolling Wave" makes full plan completion phase by phase. A term I heard often throughout chapter 3 was integrated change control process. Requests are evaluated and then approved or rejected in this process. This can be done in either the executing or monitoring and controlling process groups. The main focus of the executing group is to manage people and work to accomplish the project. In the monitoring and controlling group, the main focus is to measure the project's performance against the performance measurement baseline and other established metrics. Project planning does not just occur when the project is beginning. For example, if a change is made, and then approved, this requires replanning.
A helpful way to remember the process groups are as follows:

•  Start (Initiating)
• Plan (Planning)
• Do (Executing)
• Check and Act (Monitoring and Controlling)
• End (Closing)

As simple as this list may seem, it has been a very helpful tool while reading through the book and even while taking the practice tests at the end of the chapters. It not only helps you remember, but it explains what the process groups' jobs are. Monitoring and controlling's main focus is to measure the performance of the project to the project management plan and approve change requests. One last thing from chapter 3 is the term input and the term output. An input question would look like, "What do I need before I can...". Whereas an output question would say, "What will I have when I am done with..." or "What am I trying to achieve when I am doing...". These are good questions to remember, as you should picture yourself in a real-life scenario while taking the exam.