7.2 Project Management Process Areas

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7.2 Project Management Process Areas The Project Management process areas cover the activities related to planning, monitoring, and controlling the project. The CMMI-SE/SW model includes six project management process areas:[3] [3] The ordering of these process areas in the continuous representation of the CMMI-SE/SW model is PP, PMC, SAM, IPM, RSKM, and QPM. In the CMMI-SE/SW/IPPD version the order is PP, PMC, SAM, IPM, RSKM, IT, and QPM. In the CMMI-SE/SW/IPPD/SS version the order is PP, PMC, SAM, IPM, RSKM, IT, ISM, and QPM. The order here is different to facilitate our explanation of relationships among the process areas. Project Planning (PP) Project Monitoring and Control (PMC) Integrated Project Management (IPM) Quantitative Project Management (QPM) Supplier Agreement Management (SAM) Risk Management (RSKM) The SE/SW/IPPD model includes one additional process area under Project Management and an expanded version of the Integrated Project Management process area: Integrated Project Management for IPPD (IPM) Integrated Teaming (IT) The SE/SW/IPPD/SS model includes one additional process area under Project Management: Integrated Supplier Management (ISM) This section describes the Project Management process areas in the CMMI-SE/SW model. Section 7.5 covers the process area in the IPPD model extension and Section 7.6 covers the process areas in the Supplier Sourcing model extension. As shown in Figure 7-7, a close relationship exists between four of these process areas. IPM and QPM build on the capabilities of PP and PMC. This relationship is defined in the staged representation with PP and PMC at ML 2, IPM at ML 3, and QPM at ML 4. Likewise, Integrated Supplier Management (ISM) at ML 3 builds on Supplier Agreement Management at ML 2. When using the continuous representation for process improvement, you should understand this relationship and plan your improvement projects accordingly. Figure 7-7. Project Management process area relationships 7.2.1 Project Planning The purpose of Project Planning is to establish and maintain plans that define project activities. PP (see Figure 7-8) has three specific goals: to establish estimates, to develop a project plan, and to obtain commitments. PP and PMC work together, in that the former involves the creation of the project plans, and the latter involves tracking progress against the plans, thereby ensuring that any corrective actions are managed to closure. Figure 7-8. Project Planning context diagram © 2002 by Carnegie Mellon University. In the first goal�establishing estimates for the project�the scope of the project is estimated based on a work breakdown structure, and project attributes for work products and tasks are estimated. To set the scope of the planning effort, a project life cycle is defined. Estimates of effort and cost can then be developed. These estimates are used as the basis for developing the project plans in the second goal, developing a project plan: Budgets and schedules are established, risks are identified, and plans are created for data management, resources, knowledge and skills needed, and stakeholder involvement. For the third goal�obtaining commitment to the plan�the project reviews all of the plans that affect the project to understand project commitments, reconciles the project plan to reflect available and projected resources, and obtains commitments from relevant stakeholders responsible for performing and supporting plan execution. 7.2.2 Project Monitoring and Control The purpose of Project Monitoring and Control is to provide an understanding of the project's progress so that appropriate corrective actions can be taken when the project's performance deviates significantly from the plan. PMC (see Figure 7-9) has two specific goals: one on monitoring actual performance, and another on managing corrective actions. Figure 7-9. Project Monitoring and Control context diagram © 2002 by Carnegie Mellon University. The first goal�monitor the project against the plan�has five practices that identify what should be monitored and two practices that deal with reviews. The monitoring focuses on the following: Project planning parameters Commitments Project risks Data management Stakeholder involvement These monitoring efforts are reviewed at both progress reviews and milestone reviews. Whenever these practices identify needed corrective actions, the second goal�managing corrective actions�provides specific practices to analyze the issues, take the necessary action, and manage the corrective action to closure. Note that other CMMI process areas (such as Verification, Supplier Agreement Management, and Configuration Management) refer to this PMC goal and its practices to obtain information about managing corrective actions. 7.2.3 Integrated Project Management The purpose of Integrated Project Management is to establish and manage the project and the involvement of the relevant stakeholders according to an integrated and defined process that is tailored from the organization's set of standard processes. IPM (see Figure 7-10) has two specific goals in the CMMI-SE/SW model. Adding IPPD provides two more specific goals. The two basic specific goals relate to using a defined process for the project and coordinating activities with relevant stakeholders. These goals build on the planning covered in PP, by making sure that the appropriate organizations and people are involved in managing the project. The organization's standard processes, which were developed in the Organizational Process Definition process area, are the basis for the project's defined process. Figure 7-10. Integrated Project Management (without IPPD) context diagram © 2002 by Carnegie Mellon University. The first IPM goal�using a defined process for the project�has five practices. Establishing the project's defined process is the first step, with the organization's standard processes serving as a starting point. Next, the organizational process assets from the organizational process asset library are used for planning the project activities, integrating all plans to describe the defined process, and managing using the integrated plans. Finally, the project contributes its work products to the organization's process assets for use by future projects and process-improvement activities. The second basic goal�coordination and collaboration with relevant stakeholders�has three practices, which focus on managing the involvement of stakeholders to satisfy commitments and resolve misunderstandings, tracking critical project dependencies, and resolving outstanding issues. The addition of IPPD brings two more specific goals: using the project's shared vision and organizing integrated teams. The first goal (Figure 7-11), which is dubbed SG 3 in the IPPD version, defines a shared vision context that is used to establish a shared vision for the project and evaluates the use and effectiveness of that vision. The second goal, called SG 4 in the IPPD version, organizes integrated teams by determining team structure for a project, developing a plan for distributing requirements to the team, and establishing the teams. Figure 7-11. Integrated Project Management for IPPD context diagram © 2002 by Carnegie Mellon University. 7.2.4 Quantitative Project Management The purpose of the Quantitative Project Management process area is to quantitatively manage the project's defined process to achieve the project's established quality and process-performance objectives. QPM (see Figure 7-12) has two specific goals that build on the goals of PP, PMC, and IPM: using performance objectives to quantitatively manage the project and statistically managing selected subprocesses. The first goal�using performance objectives to quantitatively manage the project�is achieved by specific practices that establish performance objectives, analyze and select candidate subprocesses, and monitor the project's performance objectives to determine whether they have been satisfied. The second goal�statistically managing selected subprocesses�is achieved by specific practices that select measures and analytical techniques, understand variation, monitor the selected subprocesses, and record the resulting data in a measurement repository for the organization. In this way, QPM builds on PMC by ensuring that the organization uses statistical management practices as well as historical data to determine objectives and select the subprocesses that will be quantitatively managed. Figure 7-12. Quantitative Project Management context diagram © 2002 by Carnegie Mellon University. 7.2.5 Supplier Agreement Management The purpose of Supplier Agreement Management is to manage the acquisition of products from suppliers for which there exists a formal agreement. SAM (see Figure 7-13) has two specific goals: one for establishing supplier agreements and another for satisfying them. This process area works in cooperation with the Technical Solution process area, in which the organization decides whether to make or buy products. Once a decision to buy is made, SAM creates the agreement and then manages it from the purchaser's viewpoint. Product-component requirements are developed in the Requirements Development process area. Figure 7-13. Supplier Agreement Management context diagram © 2002 by Carnegie Mellon University. In the first goal�establishing supplier agreements�the project analyzes the acquisition options to see how well they meet the needs and requirements. Suppliers are then identified and selected, and an agreement is established. In the second goal�satisfying supplier agreements�the project reviews commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products, performs the activities mandated in the supplier agreements, ensures that the supplier agreement is satisfied before accepting the acquired products, and transitions the acquired products to the project for the integration effort. 7.2.6 Risk Management The purpose of Risk Management is to identify potential problems before they occur, so that risk-handling activities may be planned and invoked as needed across the life of the product or project to mitigate adverse impacts on achieving objectives. RSKM (see Figure 7-14) actually builds on part of the PP process area, as a specific practice in PP identifies and analyzes project risks, and the project plan should document those risks. However, PP is less systematic and less proactive than the requirements noted in RSKM. Furthermore, RSKM could be applied outside of the project context to manage organizational risks (if desired). Several other process areas reference RSKM. Figure 7-14. Risk Management context diagram © 2002 by Carnegie Mellon University. RSKM has three specific goals that involve preparation for risk management, identification and analysis of the risks, and handling and mitigation of risks as appropriate. The first goal�prepare for risk management�includes determining risk sources and the categories used for organizing risks by "bins," establishing the parameters used to analyze and categorize risks, and developing a risk strategy. The second goal�identification and analysis�focuses on determining the relative priority of the risks based on the analysis parameters. The third goal�handling and mitigation of the risks�encompasses developing and implementing risk mitigation plans.

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