Project planning involves more than the scope, time, and cost elements we reviewed in the last chapter. The project planning process also sets the stage for project communications, project quality, project risk management, procurement management activities, and the project team. The PMBOK refers to these activities as the facilitating processes of project planning.
This subject area, more than any other we discuss in this book, may best illustrate PMI's philosophy that effective project management is proactive, that the project manager should be in control of the project (and not the other way around), and that all project management activities should be planned.
Although most project managers have considerable experience with the core planning steps, there is a much wider range of experience with the facilitating planning processes. Depending on your industry, the mission-critical level of your projects, and the project management methodology of your organization, your exposure to disciplined risk management, quality management, and procurement management procedures may be quite limited. In addition, even when people are experienced in these areas, they often find that the techniques and terms they have utilized are not always consistent with PMI's methodology or philosophy.
On top of all this, the PMBOK coverage of the core and facilitating planning processes tends to make the project planning process seem less intuitive and much more complicated than it really is.
To streamline your exam preparations, we will clarify these process relationships, emphasize the "gotta-know" concepts and terms that are important to PMI, and identify the "common" gaps you may need to close to be ready for the exam questions related to the facilitating project planning processes.
This subject area, more than any other we discuss in this book, may best illustrate PMI's philosophy that effective project management is proactive, that the project manager should be in control of the project (and not the other way around), and that all project management activities should be planned.
Although most project managers have considerable experience with the core planning steps, there is a much wider range of experience with the facilitating planning processes. Depending on your industry, the mission-critical level of your projects, and the project management methodology of your organization, your exposure to disciplined risk management, quality management, and procurement management procedures may be quite limited. In addition, even when people are experienced in these areas, they often find that the techniques and terms they have utilized are not always consistent with PMI's methodology or philosophy.
On top of all this, the PMBOK coverage of the core and facilitating planning processes tends to make the project planning process seem less intuitive and much more complicated than it really is.
To streamline your exam preparations, we will clarify these process relationships, emphasize the "gotta-know" concepts and terms that are important to PMI, and identify the "common" gaps you may need to close to be ready for the exam questions related to the facilitating project planning processes.