Showing posts with label online. Show all posts
Showing posts with label online. Show all posts

Sunday, 8 September 2013

Control Procurements Process (PMBOK® 5th edition) - http://pm-prep35.com/chaptertests.aspx - First-Ever Completely Free Online Contact Hours for PMP Exam

Control Procurements Process (PMBOK® 5th edition)

Introduction:
1. Control Procurements, part of Monitoring and Controlling process group, is concerned with managing the procurement relationship , measuring performance and doing corrective actions if performance is not upto the mark.

2. Controlling Procurement process is sensitive because it has legal implications so it is necessary to have a good understanding of the contractual obligations at both the buyer and seller ends. Due to this reason, Contract administration is usually a separate function in an organization and the Procurement Administrator reports to a manager in that department and plays a consulting role to the project team

3. Usually, Whenever the project team lacks the competency to deliver a particular function or busy with existing work , the function is procured externally. Due to this reason, procurement can get integrated with any of the project management processes. For instance, the deliverables or part of it, created as  part of Direct and Manage Project Work, might be procured externally. Similarly, Control risks process of the performing organization should take main care of the procurement relationship.

4. Control Procurements has a financial component, mostly attached to the performance of the seller. So, constant checks in the procurement process are inevitable. The performance is recorded so that it is useful in future project procurements and any corrective actions in the ongoing procurement , if need be. The recording of procurement performance is also useful to facilitate smooth closure.

5. Changes to agreements are possible anytime until the contract is open.

Inputs:
1. Project Management Plan: The master plan with link to other subsidiary plans is very useful input for both planning as well as monitoring and controlling processes, in order to check if the work meets the baseline and then, to record and control performance, if need be.
2. Procurement documents: Any supporting documents, prepared by the buyer or seller during contract initiation, like SoW, which acts the guiding document for the contract work.
3. Agreements: Agreements contain the inclusions decided during project initiation. This acts as the guideline for both the buyer and the seller for smooth procurement process.
4. Approved Change Requests: Approved Change requests are generally an important input for monitoring and controlling processes because of the "control" aspect, in order to implement
the corrective action.
5. Work Performance reports: The summarized report of current project health to check if the procurement process is as such doing fine or if any corrective action will affect the current project health.
6. Work Performance Data: The raw data coming from the project team confirming the project health.

Tools and Techniques:
1. Contract Change Control System: Since procurement is done externally using a team outside the project team, a need for a separate change control system, in case of contract is needed. This will have different levels of escalations and project actions.
2. Procurement Performance reviews: These are review cycles specific to procurement involving probably senior management or the concerned legal department that handles procurement to ensure that everything is monitored and controlled according to the contract.
3. Inspections and audits: As with all monitoring and controlling processes, inspections and audits are random checks to ensure that the procurement results meet what was agreed upon and taking corrective actions, if need be.
4. Performance reporting: How is the procurement performing? - in the format that is agreed and assigning appropriate responsibilities to the right owners in case of escalations and corrective actions.
5. Payment Systems: What was agreed to be paid at what point and what are the implications of not meeting certain aspects of the contract?
6. Claims Administration: Workflow for processing payments.
7. Records management system: How records would be managed and what lifecycle they will follow until contract closure. They are also useful for smooth closure of the contract because they provide reasons for certain actions taken.

Outputs:
1. Work Performance Information: As part of project monitoring process, any information collected for further analysis.
2. Change Requests: As part of project monitoring process, any new changes identified become documented as change requests to be passed onto the change control board.
3. Project Management Plan Updates: Project Management Plan can get updated as part of controlling  process in case of approved changes.
4. Project Document Updates: Risk register updates are classic example of project document updates.
5. Organizational Process Assets Updates: New records or documents as part of procurement management process get updated to organizational process assets for future reference.

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Chapter 3 - Project Management Processes - PMBOK® Guide – Fifth Edition

3. Project Management Processes

Process

Process Group

Organizational Process Assets

Process Group Interaction

Monitoring and Controlling

Planning and Executing

Progressive Elaboration

Change Requests

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4.1 Develop Project Charter - PMBOK® Guide – Fifth Edition


The Develop Project Charter process is part of Initiating Process group and it is probably the process most of the PMP aspirants will be thorough with since it is the first process in the PMBOK.

One of the most common misconceptions I have seen with regard to this process is -

Project Charter is created by the Project Manager.
No, Project Manager might participate in creation of the Project Charter but, it is only the Sponsor who creates the Project Charter. Creation here means authorization (signing on the project charter). Note that the documentation might be done by a document writer but, that doesn't mean he owns the project charter. The question here is who signs it off and it is the project sponsor.

In case of internal projects, if there is no sponsor, the senior management might take the role of the sponsor and a variant of senior management might be the PMO, the project management governance body in the organization.

4.1 Develop Project Charter

One step backward:
According to Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), projects need to be dealt with 5 process groups -
1. Initiating
2. Planning
3. Executing
4. Monitoring and Controlling
5. Closing

The process groups are nothing but how the project manager needs to look at the project or the project phase.
Note that project phases are different from process groups. While phase is dependent on the domain in which the project is undertaken, process groups relate to project management aspects.

Whenever a project is started afresh,
1. The Project Charter is created as the first step (so, according to PMBOK this is part of Initiating Process group). In other words, the project manager is authorized to utilize organizational resources for the concerned project.

2. The senior management gives the PM the power and authority to marshal resources for the sake of the project.

While the above 2 points are relevant to a fresh project, during start of subsequent phases within the same project, the initiating process group or the project charter might be revisited to ensure that the project is proceeding as per the stated objectives. It is something like a review or reinstating of principles both for the project manager as well as for all the stakeholders (like, sponsors, team members, client, senior management).

Since this is the first project document and others get developed from this, the Project Charter has most of the details but mostly at the high-level. There will be details about all the knowledge areas like risk, stakeholder list, communication requirements, scope, time, budget, order of magnitude, contracting opinion but everything mostly in high-level. The Project Manager will use the one-liners or high-level details to come up with detailed plans, processes, tools and techniques and then  the actual deliverables.

Note, that we are talking here about an iterative and an incremental approach. The project manager's role is to provide direction and do it in a measured way. He needs to give the team what they can handle at one time but plan it well so that it can be executed , monitor the execution and then, control if needed. So, this is what process groups are, in a nutshell. Every phase will have this project management approach. All project phases will have IPECC iterations.
I - Initiating
P - Planning
E- Executing
C- Monitoring and Controlling
C- Closing


Introduction

To create the project charter, a proof of project need must come up and that happens through the existence of a Statement of Work : What needs to be developed , what are its characteristics and what are the boundaries (inclusions and exclusions). While contract is more concentrated about legal implications, statement of work is more inclined towards product features highlighting the boundaries.
Inputs - SoW

The Business Case talks about why this project is needed. How will it benefit the organization? What revenue benefits / productivity increase? What will I get from doing this project? How does it align with my strategy?
Inputs - Business Case

Agreements and Contracts are both important and they are a second arm of the statement of work while the former talks about legal implications, the latter is concerned about functional aspects.
Inputs - Agreement

Initiating processes will have expert judgment as a tool because there will be senior management intervention in terms of process alignment, template reuse.
Tools and Techniques - Facilitation Techniques

Outputs - Project Charter

Match the following

Match the following (Answers)

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