Planning occurs throughout the project and integrates with each performance domain. At the start of the project, the expected outcomes are identified and high-level plans to achieve them are developed. Depending on the selected development approach and life cycle, intensive planning may be conducted up front, and then plans may be adjusted to reflect the actual environment. Other life cycles encourage just enough planning at various points throughout the project with the expectation that plans will evolve.
Throughout the project, planning guides the project work, delivery of outcomes, and business value. Project teams and stakeholders establish measures of progress and success, and performance is compared to plans. Uncertainty and planning interact as project teams plan for how to address uncertainty and risks. Plans may need to be revised or new plans developed to account for events or conditions that emerge. The project team members, environment, and project details influence plans for working effectively with the project team and engaging proactively with stakeholders.
2.4.11 CHECKING RESULTS
Table 2-6 identifies the outcomes on the left and ways of checking them on the right.
Table 2-6. Checking Outcomes—Planning Performance Domain
2.5 PROJECT WORK PERFORMANCE DOMAIN
Figure 2-19. Project Work Performance Domain
Project work is associated with establishing the processes and performing the work to enable the project team to deliver the expected deliverables and outcomes.
The following definitions are relevant to the Project Work Performance Domain:
Bid Documents. All documents used to solicit information, quotations, or proposals from prospective sellers.
Bidder Conference. The meetings with prospective sellers prior to the preparation of a bid or proposal to ensure all prospective vendors have a clear and common understanding of the procurement. Also known as contractor conferences, vendor conferences, or pre-bid conferences.
Explicit Knowledge. Knowledge that can be codified using symbols such as words, numbers, and pictures.
Tacit Knowledge. Personal knowledge that can be difficult to articulate and share such as beliefs, experience, and insights.
Project work keeps the project team focused and project activities running smoothly. This includes but is not limited to:
- Managing the flow of existing work, new work, and changes to work;
- Keeping the project team focused;
- Establishing efficient project systems and processes;
- Communicating with stakeholders;
- Managing material, equipment, supplies, and logistics;
- Working with contracting professionals and vendors to plan and manage procurements and contracts;
- Monitoring changes that can affect the project; and
- Enabling project learning and knowledge transfer.
2.5.1 PROJECT PROCESSES
The project manager and the project team establish and periodically review the processes the project team is using to conduct the work. This can take the form of reviewing task boards to determine if there are bottlenecks in the process, if work is flowing at the expected rate, and if there are any impediments that are blocking progress.
Process tailoring can be used to optimize the process for the needs of the project. In general, large projects have more process compared to small projects, and critical projects have more process than less significant projects. Tailoring takes into consideration the demands of the environment. Ways of optimizing the processes for the environment include:
- Lean production methods. Lean production uses techniques such as value stream mapping to measure the ratio of value-adding activities and non-value-adding activities. The metrics calculated form a basis and measurement system for identifying and removing waste from production systems.
- Retrospectives or lessons learned. These meetings provide an opportunity for the project team to review the way in which it works and to suggest changes to improve process and efficiency.
- Where is the next best funding spent? Asking this question can help project teams determine if they should continue with the current task or move onto the next activity to optimize value delivery.
Reviewing processes can entail determining if processes are efficient, or if there is waste in the process that can be eliminated. Time spent tracking conformance to process is time the project team cannot spend on delivering the outcomes for which the project was commissioned. Therefore, project teams utilize just enough time reviewing process conformance to maximize the benefits delivered from the review while still satisfying the governance needs of process.
Example of non-value-added work. A PMO wants to track the type of work project team members are doing. They ask the project team to record the type of work they are doing in specific categories on their time sheets. The time taken to categorize and record their time can be viewed as non-value-added work.
In addition to being efficient, processes should be effective. This means they need to comply with quality requirements, regulations, standards, and organizational policies in addition to producing the desired outcome. Process evaluation can include process audits and quality assurance activities to ensure processes are being followed and are accomplishing the intended outcomes.
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