Project performance baselines

After elaborate planning, now your project is executing. During this phase,  you will have to constantly keep an eye on Project's baselines and see how the Project work is performing. The Project performance baselines are Scope baseline, Schedule baseline and Cost baseline. The three constraints outlined by the triangle - remember?

Well, in the following diagram, let me show you:

• The definitions of these baselines. Its very very important to remember them for the Exam. Especially the Scope and Cost baseline.
• The processes that create these baselines. Again very very important for the Exam. Most people tend to think that "Define Scope" process creates Scope baseline, "Estimate Costs" process creates the Cost baseline. Check the diagram to findout why they are wrong.
• These baselines are used as input either directly or via the Project Management Plan.
• When are these baselines updated? 

Deliverable Lifecycle

You undertake a project to product a Final Product, Service or Result. Right? This is your deliverable. If you closely look at the PMBoK 5th edition processes, you will notice that during Execution, "Direct and Manage Project Work" Integration process provides the deliverable to "Control Quality" Monitoring and Controlling process. After the testing, if any defects are found, a Change Request is raised and routed via the "Perform Integrated Change Control" Integration process. If the Change Request is approved, it is routed to "Direct and Manage Project Work" Integration Process, for the team to implement the approved change to correct the deliverable.

Once the deliverable is successfully tested, "Control Quality" Monitoring and Controlling process turns this into Verified Deliverable and sends to "Validate Scope" another Monitoring and Controlling process. Again here, if any defects are found, they are routed via the "Perform Integrated Change Control" Integration process. And what happens afterwards, you already know, isn't it?

If the customer has given a formal signoff, the Accepted deliverable is passed on to the customer via the "Close Project or Phase" integration process.

Project Management Execution Work Data and Information Flow

PMBoK 5th edition, clearly states the three elements related to Work Performance.

• Work Performance Data
• Work Performance Information and
• Work Performance Reports

The Work Performance Data is a critical input to Controlling processes. Based on the data received, the Project Manager evaluates the respective area's performance and raises a Change Request to take either Corrective action, preventive action or defect control. 

The scope of this diagram is with respect to Work Performance Data, Work Performance Information and Work Performance Reports only. You will see not all the inputs and outputs to the processes depicted here mentioned - to confirm to the scope as given above.

Change Management Process Flow

Change is inevitable. During the project, as the Project Manager, you will receive Change Requests from Stakeholders, Customer etc. At times, as a Project Manager, you will also raise Change Requests to get the project performance back on track, to take corrective actions, to perform defect repairs etc.

In PMBoK 5th edition, you already know that there are 47 processes. The "Perform Integrated Change Control" Integration Knowledge Area Process is the one that handles the changes. It receives Change Requests from all Controlling and Manage Processes.

To understand this process better, I have plotted a diagram which clearly shows the Change Requests flowing into "Perform Integrated Change Control" process and its "Approved Change Requests" as output. The scope of this diagram is only on Change Management. You will see other inputs and outputs to and from "Perform Integrated Change Control" process not shown purposefully to meet the scope.

Stakeholder Management Knowledge Area Processes Flow

Well, we have come to our last Knowledge Area i.e. Stakeholder Management. This Knowledge Area has 4 processes. Please find below the process flow diagram for this Knowledge Area.

In case you require a single PDF with all these 10 knowledge area process flows, please provide a comment with your email id.

Procurement Management Knowledge Area Processes Flow

Project Procurement Management Knowledge Area has 4 processes. Find below the Process Flow diagram of all these 4 processes together.
If you require a PDF with all the 10 Knowledge Area process flow diagrams, please post a comment with your email Id.

Risk Management Knowledge Area Processes Flow

Project Risk Management Knowledge area contains 6 processes. Find the processes flow diagram for all these processes together. Identify Risks process has large number of inputs (13 to be precise) as in many processes risks are identified.

In case you need the a single PDF with all the 10 Knowledge Area Processes flow, please comment with your email id.

Communications Management Knowledge Area Processes Flow

Communications Management Knowledge area is also another Knowledge Area along with Quality Management Knowledge Area that has the least number of processes in a Knowledge Area i.e. 3.

Please post a comment with your email id, if you would like to receive the PDF with Processes diagram for all 10 knowledge areas.

Human Resource Knowledge Area Processes Flow

Now lets look at Human Resources Management Knowledge Area Processes flow. This Knowledge area contains 4 processes as you can see in the Process Flow Diagram.

In case you need all the 10 Knowledge Area Process Diagrams in one PDF, kindly post a comment with your email id.

Quality Management Knowledge Area Processes Flow

Its time to have a look at Quality Management Knowledge Area. This Knowledge area has the least number of processes for any of the 10 Knowledge Areas.

In case you need the PDF file with Process Flow Diagrams for all the 10 Knowledge Areas, please comment below with your email id.

Cost Management Knowledge Area Processes Flow

Please find below the Cost Management Knowledge Area Processes Flow Diagram.
For all the 10 knowledge areas process flows together if you want, kindly post a comment with your email id. I shall revert back.

Time Management Knowledge Area Process Flow

The third knowledge area, with maximum number of processes, the process flow is presented here.
In case you need a PDF file with all the 10 knowledge areas process flows together, kindly post a comment with your email id.

Scope Management Knowledge Area Processes Flow

In continuation with my series on Processes flow of each knowledge area, please find here Scope Management Knowledge area.
In case you need a PDF for all the 10 knowledge areas, kindly comment on the blog with your mail id. I will be adding the other 8 knowledge areas in about a week's time. Once done, I shall send the PDF to the mail address provided in comments.

Integration Management Knowledge Area - All processes flow

In my series on Process Flows, Please find the Process Flow chart for Integration Management Knowledge Area.