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The process 4.2 Develop Project Management Plan is the first of the processes in the Integration Management knowledge area in the Planning process group.   The previous process 4.1 Develop Project Charter was in the Initiating process group.    In the 4.1 Develop Project Charter, the project manager is in contact with the project sponsor and the key stakeholders in order to develop the information in the project charter, the output of that process.

In the process 4.2 Develop Project Management Plan, the project manager is in contact with the project team and subject matter experts in order to develop the subsidiary management plans that end up being the main inputs to the process.   They are also the same people involved in the process of integrating them into the overall Project Management Plan.   Some of the subject matter experts the project manager can consult with may be key stakeholders.

Here are the inputs to process 4.2 Develop Project Management Plan:

1. Project Charter
2. Outputs from other processes
3. Enterprise Environmental factors
4. Operational Process Assets

How do you approach the project team members and subject matter experts in order to  to create the subsidiary plans and then the overall project management plan?   That is where the tools & techniques come into play.   Here they are:

Expert judgment

Talk to stakeholders and/or subject matter experts who know about

• tailoring the project management process to meet the project needs
• developing additional components of the project management plan if needed
• determining which project documents will be used to apply to the project

Data gathering

• Brainstorming–two-part process consisting of a) idea generation and b) analysis, used to gather ideas and solutions about the project approach.
• Focus groups–discussion of project management approach and the integration of the different components of the project management plan.
• Interviews–used to obtain specific information from stakeholders to develop the project management plan.
• Checklists–the project manager can use these to verify that all the required information is included in the project management plan.

Interpersonal and team skills

• Conflict management–bringing stakeholders into alignment with the project management plan.
• Facilitation–Effective participation by all members of the project team ensures that the project management plan has full buy-in according to the decision making process established for the project.
• Meeting management–ensures that meetings are efficient and well-run in addition to being effective in developing the project management plan.

Meetings

Held with project team to discuss the project approach, how the work will be executed, and the way the project will be monitored and controlled.

The kick-off meeting is associated for larger projects with the end of planning and the start of executing; however, for smaller projects, the kick-off may occur after initiation at the start of planning.

The output of the process is (as the title Develop Project Management Plan suggests) the project management plan, and it contains many components.   I will go over these in the next post on the outputs of process 4.2 Develop Project Management Plan.

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