Results of Our Analysis
To illustrate the concepts described in Part 1
of this paper, and apply it to the PMBOK® Guide - Fourth Edition, 2008, we
selected "Project Management Plan", "Project Documents" as well as a few other
typical inputs and outputs. This allows us to produce something practical from
this Guide, e.g. a sequence of critical outputs that lead to the compilation of
a Project Management Plan.
Issues related to Project Management Plan
A significant advance in the Fourth Edition compared to the Third Edition is the removal of Project Management Plan as an input to planning processes. "Our goal was to bring about clarity and have the specific planning process outputs as input to developing the project management plan".[35] From a historical perspective, since the PMBOK® Guide had a similar solution in the 1996 Edition,[36] and 2000 Edition,[37] we must acknowledge that this is an improvement and important contribution in the Fourth Edition.
"In an effort to provide clarification regarding process interactions, data flow diagrams have been added in order to clarify the input source and the output destination for each process".[38] "The data flow diagrams show where the inputs come from and where the outputs go to".[39] The solution of "the input comes from" and "the output goes to" was crafted in detail for the 2000 Edition,[40] and Third Edition.[41] We can see now a part of the solution in the Fourth Edition in the form of data flow diagrams.[42] This move is the first successful strategic step by the Guide's Project Team to show the relationships between processes by means of output/input. Unfortunately, there appear to be some errors in these data flow diagrams.
Apparent errors on data flow diagrams
In the Guide's Figure 4-5 - Develop Project Management Plan Data Flow Diagram:[43]
| |
Only selected planning processes have been listed to relate their outputs with process 4.2 (input 4.2.1.2 Outputs from planning processes). There are other planning processes that relate with process 4.2 (input 4.2.1.2 Outputs from planning processes), which should also be included: 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 7.1, and 11.5. However, all outputs that refer to "baseline", i.e., Scope baseline, Schedule baseline and Cost performance baseline, should be removed from the input list to process 4.2 because they are not identified before the "Project Management Plan" is compiled. |
| |
Some traditional and proven approaches to developing a project management plan and key inputs to process 4.2 have been omitted, e.g. 5.3.3.1 WBS, 6.3.3.1 Project schedule. |
| |
The output from process 4.2, i.e. 4.2.3.1 Project Management Plan, should not relate with inputs in all shown areas. Here is the list of most current outputs of "Project Management Plan (Updates)" that should relate with inputs "Project Management Plan": |
| |
|
Output 4.2.3.1 Project Management Plan, relates with inputs "Project Management Plan" in processes 4.3, 8.2, 9.2, 9.3, 9.4, 10.3, 10.4, 12.2. |
| |
|
Output 4.3.3.4 Project Management Plan Updates, relates with inputs "Project Management Plan" in processes 4.4, 5.4, 5.5, 6.6, 7.3, 8.3, 10.5, 11.6, 12.3. |
| |
|
Output 4.4.3.2 Project Management Plan Updates, relates with inputs "Project Management Plan" in process 4.5 |
| |
|
Output 4.5.3.2 Project Management Plan Updates, relates with inputs "Project Management Plan" in processes 4.6 and 12.4. |
| |
Therefore, regarding the Project Management Plan, the relations from process 4.2 to processes 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 5.4, 5.5, 6.6, 7.3, 8.3, 10.5, 11.6, 12.3, 12.4 should all be deleted. |
| | There is no feedback relationship from the process iterated loop to process 4.2, therefore, those relations should be deleted, see above Figure 2: Iterated Process Loop, Project Management Plan - Development and Update. |
In the Guide's Figure 4-7 - Direct and Manage Project Execution Data Flow Diagram:[44]
| |
There is no feedback relation from process 4.3 to process 4.2. Therefore, this relation should be deleted. |
| |
Output 4.3.3.2 Work performance information from process 4.3 relates with input 4.5.1.2 Work performance information. Therefore, this relation should be added. |
| |
Relations from output 4.3.3.4 Project Management Plan Updates to inputs "Project Management Plan" in processes 4.4, 5.4, 5.5, 6.6, 7.3, 8.3, 10.5, 11.6, 12.3, should be added. |
In the Guide's Figure 4-9 - Monitor and Control Project Data Flow Diagram:[45]
| | There is no relation between process 4.2 and process 4.4. Input 4.4.1.1 Project Management Plan, relates with output 4.3.3.4 Project Management Plan Updates. |
In the Guide's Figure 4-11 - Perform Integrated Change Control Data Flow Diagram:[46]
| | There is no relation between process 4.2 and process 4.5. Input 4.5.1.1 Project Management Plan relates with output 4.4.3.2 Project Management Plan Updates |
| | Process 4.5 should not relate with outputs from all shown areas. Here is the list of outputs of "Change Requests" from other processes that relates with corresponding inputs: |
| | | Input 4.3.1.2 Approved change Requests relate with outputs "Change Requests" from areas 8.2, 9.4, 10.4, 12.1, and 12.2. |
| | Input 4.5.1.3 Change requests, relate with outputs "Change requests" from areas 4.3, 4.4, 5.4, 5.5, 6.6, 7.3, 8.3, 10.5, 11.6, and 12.3. |
In the Guide's Figure 4-13 - Close Project or Phase Data Flow Diagram:[47]
| | There is no relation between process 4.2 and process 4.6. Input 4.6.1.1 Project Management Plan, relates with output 4.5.3.2 Project Management Plan Updates. |
| | Relations should be added from processes 8.3 and 12.4 to process 4.6. Outputs 8.3.3.3 Validated Deliverables and 12.4.3.1 Closed Procurements, relates with input 4.6.1.2 Accepted Deliverables. |
If we can agree on the above issues then this could also help to reconstruct Figure 3-3 Project Management Process Interactions[48] and Figure 3-8 Planning Process Group.[49]
35. Stackpole,
Cynthia, New Updates Bring Harmony to Four PMI Standards: A Guide to the
Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) - Fourth Edition, PMI.org,
3/26/2009 (www.pmi.org)
36. PMBOK® Guide © 1996, pp31, 40
37. Ibid, © 2000, pp33, 43
38. PMBOK® Guide - Fourth Edition, 2008, p350 and chapters 4 through 12
39. Stackpole, Cynthia (Snyder), Changes - An Overview,
PMBOK® Guide - Fourth Edition, Project Management Training Institute, 3/23/2009
(www.4pmti.com)
40. Abdomerovic, Muhamed, Brainstorming The PMBOK® Guide
© 2004 Project Management Publications, Louisville, USA, pp31-108 & 277-288
(www.pmpublications.net/brainstorm).
41. Abdomerovic, Muhamed, Brainstorming The PMBOK® Guide Third Edition © 2005 Project Management Publications, Louisville, USA, pp21-112 (www.pmpublications.net/brainstorm)
42. PMBOK® Guide - Fourth Edition, 2008, pp74-342
43. Ibid, p79
44. Ibid, p84
45. Ibid, p90
46. Ibid, p96
47. Ibid, p100
48. Ibid, p42
49. Ibid, p47
|
Introduction
to Part 2
