8/2/2019 All Process Net 2

1/1

1

0.16

2. IdentifyStakeholders

0.28

3. DevelopProject Management Plan

1.00

4. CollectRequirements

0.32

5. DefineScope

0.28

6. CreateWBS

0.36

7

0.20

8

0.12

9. EstimateActivity

Resources

0.28

10

0.24

11. DevelopSchedule

0.60

12.Estimate

Costs

0.28

13. DetermineBudget

0.40

14. PlanQuality

0.36

15

0.12

16

0.12

17. Plan RiskManagement

0.40

18. Identify Risks

0.60

19

0.08

20

0.16

21

0.12

22. PlanProcurements

0.36

23. Directand Manage

ProjectExecution

0.36

24

0.16

25. AcquireProjectTeam

0.28

26

0.16

27

0.16

28

0.08

29

0.08

30

0.12

31

0.08

32

0.04

33

0.16

34

0.16

35

0.16

36

0.12

37. PerformQualityControl

0.28

38. ReportPerformance

0.40

39

0.16

40

0.24

41

0.04

42

0.08

Process List

1. Develop Project Charter2. Identify Stakeholders

3. Develop Project Management Plan4. Collect Requirements5. Define Scope6. Create Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)7. Define Activities8. Sequence Activities9. Estimate Activity Resources10.Estimate Activity Durations11. Develop Schedule12. Estimate Costs13. Determine Budget14. Plan Quality15. Develop Human Resource Plan16. Plan Communications17. Plan Risk Management18. Identify Risks19. Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis20. Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis21. Plan Risk Responses22. Plan Procurements23. Direct and Manage Project Execution24. Perform Quality Assurance25. Acquire Project Team26. Develop Project Team27. Manage Project Team28. Distribute Information29. Manage Stakeholder Expectations30. Conduct Procurements31. Monitor and Control Project Work32. Perform Integrated Change Control33. Verify Scope34. Control Scope35. Control Schedule36. Control Costs37. Perform Quality Control

38. Report Performance39. Monitor and Control Risks40. Administer Procurements41. Close Project or Phase42. Close Procurements

USING A NETWORK TO VISUALIZE THE INTERRELATION, SEQUENCE, AND HIERARCHICAL STRUCTURE

OF THE 42 PMI PROCESSES

The network is made of42 nodes correspon-ding to all processes, and 123 edges or con-necting lines. The connecting lines link pairs ofprocesses; they indicate the conversion of out-puts from the preceding process into inputsfor the successor.

To build the network, I created first a data-base to store all relevant information. The da-tabase consisted of five interconnected tables.

The first three tables are called: Process,Group and Knowledge Area. The firsttable included 42 records, one for each pro-cess. The second table contained 5 records,one for each process group. And the third

table had 9 records, one for each knowledgearea.

The fourth table in the databaseis calledProducts. In this table I stored all ele-ments present in the input-output flow of thenetwork. I was careful to consider every ele-ment only once regardless of the times itmight appear in the flow. This table included79 unique records.

The fifth table in the databaseis calledProcess-Product. It establishes the relations-hip between each process and the productsthat it is related to. The table also containsinformation about whether a relataed productfunctions as an input or as an output for agiven process. This table included 240 recordsand it certainly was the most difficult to po-pulate.

With the database ready, it was relativelyeasy for me to build the network. I procee-ded product by product to see how manyprocesses it impacted, which process was theoriginator of the product, and which processeswere the receptors. The rest was just genera-ting nodes and connecting lines appropriately.

Building the networkcertainly was a learningexperience for me. And once I had thischart ready, I started using it as a tool inpreparation for the PMP exam.

An important fact to noticeis that not allprocesses are created equal. The network as-signs a factor to each process depending onits relative importance as a hub in the input-output flow. The most important hub in the

network is of course process 3 Develop Pro-ject Management Plan. Processes 11 DevelopSchedule and 18 Identify Risks follow inimportance. In fact, 20% of the processesaccount for 80% of the total input-output flowin the network. The red lines indicate a trans-ference originated from or received by one ofthe 9 busiest processing hubs in the network.

What are those 9 major processing hubs inthe netwok and why it makes sense that intotal they originate or receive 78.1% of theproducts in the input-output flow?

A good way to use the chart is focusingonone cluster of processes and try to resolve it.

Focus, for example on the clustermade ofprocesses numbers 7, 8, 9, and 10. Noticethat all come out after the WBS has beencreated, and all of them feed the importantprocess 11 Develop Schedule. Process 9 inthe cluster is identified as Estimate ActivityResources.

What are the names of processes 7, 8, and10 in the cluster? (dont look at the list)

Why is process 8 a successor of process 5?What is the input that it receives out of thisconnection, and what is the output that, inturn, process 8 feeds onto process 11? Isthere logic in these exchanges?

The chart functions as a problem-solvingspacethat facilitates asking questions andunderstanding the answers.

The database that I built stores, of course,

the names of all inputs and outputs corres-ponding to the connecting lines. It was im-possible, however, to include this informationin the chart and at the same time maintain itsreadability within acceptable limits.

Once I finish my preparationfor the PMPexam, I will work on a new version of thechart that admits further information withoutloosing readability.

Copyright R. Cid, 2012