PMBOK 5 Pocket Summary

Achille Carette

This book is for sale at http://leanpub.com/pmpexamstudynotes

This version was published on 2014-09-23

This is a Leanpub book. Leanpub empowers authors andpublishers with the Lean Publishing process. Lean Publishing isthe act of publishing an in-progress ebook using lightweighttools and many iterations to get reader feedback, pivot untilyou have the right book and build traction once you do.

©2014 Achille Carette

This work is dedicated to my wife Daniela, who remarkablyapplied the saying “people need loving the most when they

deserve it the least”.

Contents

Overview iPurpose iOrganization iiA Note of Warning iiOrigin iiRevisions ii

Scope Management (5.) ivPlan Scope Management (5.1.) vCollect Requirements (5.2.) vDefine Scope (5.3.) viCreate WBS (5.4.) viiValidate Scope (5.5.) viiiControl Scope (5.6.) viii

Overview

Purpose

The purpose of this work is to be a short but complete digest ofthe PMBOK Guide 5th edition. It was initially created as an aidto prepare for the PMP exam but it can be used by any projectmanager on a daily basis as a quick reference.

Differently from many guides that already provide exhaustiveinformation, the present document aims to be resumed.

Scope

This document is based on the 5th edition of the “A Guide tothe Project Management Body of Knowledge”. It tries to respect itstrictly, only bringing some additional information or explana-tions from well known sources.

..

Additional content coming from the book “Rita Mulcahy’sPMP Exam Prep 8th Edition” is placed in “sidebar” blocks.

i

Overview ii

Organization

The chapters follow the PMBOk’s. However, as the numberingof the titles does not follow the PMBOK (because not all titlesare kept) the original numbering is put in parentheses after thetitle name.

A Note of Warning

This document should not be used without caution. Becauseit is not intended to be a complete reference, not all inputs,outputs, tools and techniques are listed. Only elements that wereconsidered non obvious have been included. In other words, thecontent is somewhat incomplete and arbitrary.

Origin

I studied for the PMP exam using four main sources: the PMBOKitself, the Rita Mulcahy’s guide, mock exams and an in-classcourse. These sources revealed for the most part redundant but,unfortunately, not always coherent. Facing this huge quantityof information I felt the need to create a short and coherentcompilation of themost important parts. This work proved usefulto me and i decided to make it available to the community.

Please feel invited to send any comments, questions or correc-tions you may have.

Revisions

Overview iii

Date Version Description

2014-09-023 1.0 Public WorkingDraft

First publication forreview

Scope Management (5.)Processes to ensure that the project includes all thework requiredand only the work required.

Initiating Planning Executing Monitoring Closing

Plan ScopeManage-ment

ValidateScope

Collect Re-quirements

ControlScope

DefineScopeCreate WBS

..

PM should plan in advance how he will manage scope;scope should be clearly identified and formally approved;requirements are gathered from all stakeholders; require-ments should be evaluated against the business case; changesshould be evaluated for effects on time, cost, risk,..; nochange in scope is allowed without an approved changerequest, and a change should not be approved if it does notfit in the project charter.

iv

Scope Management (5.) v

Plan Scope Management (5.1.)

Create the Scope Management Plan that explains how the scopewill be defined, validated and controlled.

Inputs: Project Management Plan, Project Charter

Outputs: Scope Management Plan, Requirements ManagementPlan

Collect Requirements (5.2.)

Determining, documenting and managing stakeholders needsand requirements to meet project objectives.

Requirements include conditions or capabilities that are to bepresent in the product or result. Requirements are the foundationof the WBS, they should be quantified and documented inenough detail to be included in the scope baseline and measuredonce the project begins.

Requirements can be classified as business requirements, stake-holders requirements, solution requirements (functional or nonfunctional) and quality requirements.

..

High-level requirements have already been collected tocreate the project charter. Collect requirements is gather-ing more detailed input on what is required and relatedexpectations from stakeholders.

Scope Management (5.) vi

Inputs: stakeholders and requirement-related documents: projectcharter, stakeholder register, project management plan.

Tools: interviews, focus groups and facilitated workshops, groupcreativity techniques (brainstorming, mind mapping, affinitydiagram..); surveys; prototypes; benchmarking; group decision-making technique (unanimity / dictatorship / majority / plurality(the biggest group decides even if it hasn’t a majority)

Output: Requirements Documentation; requirements traceabil-ity matrix (which helps ensure that each requirement adds value)

Define Scope (5.3.)

Develop a detailed description of the project or product. De-fine which requirements will be included or excluded from theproject.

..

This is an iterative task. After determining a scope, thePM calculates time and budget. If theses do not complywith the sponsor expectations the PM should come withalternatives and balances the variables.

Input: Project charter, Requirements Documentation, ScopeMan-agement Plan

Output: Project Scope Statement, which contains the descriptionof the scope, major deliverables, acceptance criteria, constraintsand assumptions. Describes in detail the deliverables and the

Scope Management (5.) vii

work needed. It also contains scope exclusions that help man-aging stakeholders expectations.

Create WBS (5.4.)

Subdividing project scope and work in more manageable com-ponents. Hierarchical decomposition with work packages (workproducts to be created) at the lowest level, for which cost andduration can be estimated. Work packages are associated witha control account, control point where scope, budget, cost andschedule are integrated.

Benefit: provides a structured vision of what has to be delivered.

..

The WBS is created with the help of the team; it includesonly deliverables required by the project; is includes allproject work (deliverables not part of the WBS are notpart of the project). Work packages can be realisticallyestimated, completed quickly or outsourced.

Inputs: Scope statement and requirements documentation, scopemanagement plan.

Tools: Decomposition and expert judgment

Output: Scope baseline (approved scope statement, WBS andWBS Dictionary). WBS Dictionary provides detailed deliverable,activity and scheduling information about each WBS compo-nent: description of work, assumptions and constraints, mile-

Scope Management (5.) viii

stones, responsible organization, cost estimates, quality require-ments

Validate Scope (5.5.)

Formalizing acceptance of the completed project deliverables.

Benefit: brings objectivity and increases chance of final productacceptance.

Input: Verified Deliverables (before validating scope documentsthey are checked for correctness and quality requirements bythe Control Quality process); scope baseline, requirements doc-umentation and requirements traceability matrix.

Output: Accepted Deliverables, Change Requests, work perfor-mance information (information about project progress) andproject documents updates.

Control Scope (5.6.)

Monitoring the status of the project scope and maintain changesto the scope baseline.

Ensure that requested changes and recommended actions areprocessed through Integrated Change Control.

Benefit: maintain scope baseline throughout the project.

Tools: Variance Analysis (only)

Outputs: Work Performance Information, change requests andproject management plan updates

Scope Management (5.) ix

..

Control scope involves measuring and assessing work per-formance data against scope baseline andmanaging change.PM responsibility is not passive, he should actively controlthe scope, eventually impeaching out-of-scope changes.