Project driven processes with diagram

Project-driven (project management) processes are the processes that describe, organise and complete the work of the project, and are grouped into the five process groups. Their working is represented by the process-group interaction diagram. Product-oriented processes (that create the product) are separate, but the two overlap.

Process groups in the diagram

1. Initiating: authorise the project (charter).
2. Planning: define scope, set objectives and plan the course of action.
3. Executing: carry out the plan.
4. Monitoring and controlling: measure progress and take corrective action.
5. Closing: formal acceptance and closure.

Diagram

    Initiating
        |
        v
    Planning <------------------+
        |                       |
        v                       |
    Executing ---> Monitoring   |
        |         & Controlling-+
        |              |
        v              |
     Closing <---------+

Explanation

• Outputs of one group become inputs of another. For example, the charter from Initiating is an input to Planning.
• Planning and Executing are linked in a cycle, since the plan is updated as work proceeds ("plan-do-check-act").
• Monitoring and controlling runs through the whole project and links to all groups: it compares actual with plan and issues change requests.
• Closing finishes the phase or project, receives the product and archives the information.

Process groups occur in every phase of a project. For example, in a software project, the design phase includes initiating (approval to start design), planning, executing, controlling and closing (design approval).

Example: Building a website: charter (initiating), scope and schedule (planning), development (executing), tracking bugs and changes (controlling), hand-over and review (closing).