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With this process, we are moving in to the Monitoring & Controlling Process group.   The work that is being done in the process 4.3 Direct and Manage Project Work is tracked and reviewed to see if it is meeting with the performance objectives defined in the project management plan.   The results of this analysis are then reported to various stakeholders.   If the analysis shows that there is a variance from the project plan,  then corrective action in the form of change requests may be recommended.

Let’s take a look at the inputs to this process.

4.5.1..1 Project Management Plan

We need to have the project management plan and all its components to compare it to the actual results that have been accomplished.

4.5.1.2  Project Documents

Besides the project management plan, several project documents may be inputs to this process.   Rather than simply list the bullet points listed in the PMBOK® Guide, let me divide the documents by knowledge area:

Integration Management

Assumption log–contains information about assumptions and constraints affecting the project.

Issue log–used to document and monitor who is responsible for specific issues by a target date.

Lessons learned register–may have information on effective responses for variances, and corrective and preventive actions.

Scope Management

Schedule Management

Basis of estimates–indicates how estimates were derived and can be used to make a decision on how to respond to variances.

Milestone list–shows the scheduled dates for specific milestones and is used to check if the planned milestones have been met.

Schedule forecasts–used to determine if the project is within defined tolerance ranges for schedule and to identify necessary change requests.

Cost Management

Cost forecasts–used to determine if the project is within defined tolerance ranges for budget and to identify any necessary change requests.

Quality Management

Quality reports–includes

• quality management issues
• recommendations for process, project, and product improements
• corrective actions recommendations (rework, defect/bugs repair, 100% inspection, and more)
• summary of findings of the Control Quality process

Risk Management

Risk register–provides information on threats and opportunities that have occurred during project execution.

Risk report–provides information on the overall project risks as well as information that have occurred during project execution

Procurements Management

Agreements (see paragraph 4.5.1.4 below)

4.5.1.3  Work Performance Information

Work performance data is gathered from the process 4.3 Direct and Manage Project Work and is passed to the controlling processes for the various knowledge areas (Control Scope, Control Schedule, Control Costs, etc.).   In these control processes, the work performance data is compared with the corresponding component of the Project Management Plan (input 4.5.1.1) and Project Documents (input 4.5.1.2).   The results of this comparison are turned into work performance information which is useful to the project team when doing the process 4.5 Monitor and Control Project Work.   This information may include metrics that measure performance with regards to cost and schedule and can tell a project manager whether the project is on schedule, on budget, or whether there is a variance.

4.5.1.4  Agreements

If there is a procurement agreement with a contractor, then the project manager may need to monitor the contractor’s work to compare it with the agreements (i.e. contracts) made with that contractor.

4.5.1.5  Enterprise Environmental Factors

The EEFs that can influence the process 4.5 Monitor and Control Project Work are:

• Project management information system (PMIS) such as Microsoft Project
• Infrastructure (facilities, equipment, telecommunications channels)
• Stakeholders’ expectations and risk thresholds
• Government or industry standards

4.5.1.6  Organization Process Assets

The OPAs that can influence the process 4.5 Monitor and Control Project Work are:

• Organizational standard policies, processes, and procedures
• Financial controls procedures (required expenditure and disbursement reviews, accounting codes, standard contract provisions)
• Monitoring and reporting methods
• Issue management procedures (issue controls, issue identification, resolution and item tracking)
• Defect management procedures (defect controls, defect identification, resolution and action item tracking)
• Organizational knowledge base (process measurement, lessons learned repository)

The next post will cover the actual tools and techniques used in this process.

 

 

 

 

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