T
he Executing the Project performance domain covers approximately 30 per-cent of the questions in the Project Management Professional (PMP®) exam.The tasks contained in the Executing the Project domain focus on those activities and processes required to perform and complete the work defined in the project management plan. It is the role of the project manager to use the relevant plans and baselines to coordinate resources, manage stakeholder expectations, and communicate effectively in order to produce the project deliverables. As a result of executing the planned work, changes are made that flow through the monitor-ing and control tasks and then back to the plannmonitor-ing tasks in an iterative cycle. It is during the execution of the project processes that the majority of the project work is performed and the largest portion of the project budget is spent.
All executing work follows some sort of plan or description of the work to be done. For example, work to be done as part of scope, time, and cost is contained in their respective management plans and baselines. Work to be done as part of communications, procurement, and stakeholder management is also included in their respective management plans.
The work done as part of quality tasks is described in the quality management plan and, more specifically, in the quality assurance plan that is a specific executing task. The risk management plan and the risk register, specifically the planned risk responses, direct risk execution tasks. The human resource management plan guides the tasks involved in acquiring, developing, and managing project team members.
The other source of executing task to be performed comes from the approved change requests that represents a description of work to be done on the project after it completes the approved change control process and its status is approved.
This chapter covers the following tasks:
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■ Task 1: Obtain and manage project resources including outsourced deliv-erables by following the procurement plan, in order to ensure successful project execution.
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■ Task 2: Execute the tasks as defined in the project plan, in order to achieve the project deliverables within budget and schedule.
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■ Task 3: Implement the quality management plan using the appropriate tools and techniques, in order to ensure that work is being performed according to required quality standards.
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■ Task 4: Implement approved changes according to the change management plan, in order to meet project requirements.
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■ Task 5: Implement approved actions, and follow the risk management plan and risk register, in order to minimize the impact of negative risk events on the project.
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■ Task 6: Maximize team performance through leading, mentoring, training, and motivating team members.
Task 1: Obtain and manage project resources including outsourced deliverables by following the procurement plan, in order to ensure successful project execution .
This task focuses on obtaining the resources required to carry out the work of the project. Resources refer to people, machinery, equipment, supplies, and budgets require to complete the project work. The individual plans prepared for each re-source will guide which rere-sources are required, the level of rere-sources required, when they are required, and how they are obtained. If external resources are required, the procurement plan determines how these resources are obtained.
MORE INFO You can find out more about managing project resources by reading the chapters on Cost Management, human Resource Management and Procurement Management in the PMBOK® Guide, 5th edition. You can also read the same chapters in the PMP Training Kit.
Exam need to know...
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■ Resources
For example: What types of resources are used to produce project deliverables?
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■ Human resource management plan
For example: What document is used to obtain and manage project human resources?
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■ Preassignment
For example: How are most human resources obtained?
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■ Acquisition
For example: What is the name of the technique for which a project manager advertises externally the human resources to work on the project?
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■ Virtual teams
For example: What are some of the potential difficulties working with virtual teams?
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■ Staff assignments
For example: How should individual roles and responsibilities be documented?
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■ Resource calendars
For example: What is the best way to document when resources are and are not available?
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■ Cost management plan
For example: What document is used to define how financial resources are obtained for the project?
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■ Procurement management plan
For example: When carrying out external procurements, which document tells the project manager how the process should be carried out?
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■ Source selection criteria
For example: In addition to price, what other criteria can be used to assess sellers wanting to provide external goods or services?
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■ Seller proposals
For example: What is expected of sellers in response to procurement documents?
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■ Bidder conference
For example: How does the project manager ensure that all potential sellers are given the same information and treated fairly during the procurement process?
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■ Proposal evaluation techniques
For example: When evaluating all seller proposals received in response to procurement documents issued, what is the best way to determine which of the potential sellers should be selected to supply the required goods and services?
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■ Independent estimates
For example: How does the project manager ensure that seller proposals are within an expected cost range?
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■ Procurement negotiations
For example: Which tool and technique is used to produce signed project contracts?
Resources
Project work is completed by resources or by using resources. Resources include the skilled human resources that are responsible for completing the work as individu-als or as part of a team. Resources individu-also include the equipment, services, supplies, materials, and budgets required to complete the project work. Many resources are internal to the project and supplied by the performing organization. In relation to obtaining internal resources, the cost management plan and the human resource management plan guide the activities and tasks.
Through make or buy analysis, however, the decision can be made to procure re-sources externally via a formal procurement process. In that case, the procurement plan guides the way these resources are obtained. Make or buy analysis considers all the costs and benefits of making or supplying the goods or services within the organization compared with procuring it from an external organization.
True or false? Resources used on a project can include people, materials, or finances.
Answer: True. Project work is completed by using project resources, so they include the people responsible for completing the work, the materials used to complete the work, and the finances used to obtain people and materials.
For employment of project staff, the project manager has to take into account enterprise environmental factors such as market conditions and employment condi-tions because they might affect the ability to obtain staff.
EXAM TIP In the exam, you should look for any reference to resources. And first seek to determine whether it refers to human, materials, or financial resources. You should then determine whether these resources are procured internally or externally. If they are procured externally, they are subject to a formal procurement process.
MORE INFO You can find out more about resources by reading Chapter 7 on cost management, Chapter 9 on human resource management, and Chapter 12 on project procurement management in the PMBOK® Guide, 5th edition.
Preassignment
When you use the human resource management plan to acquire the human resources required for a project, there are a number of tools and techniques that are useful. Preassignment of project team members is very common; they are usu-ally selected in advance by the organization, relevant functional managers, and the project manager. The project manager might not have much input into this process, depending on the type of organizational structure and the amount of power that the job has within it.
The project manager might have to engage in negotiation with functional managers to get the staff he wants preassigned to the project. The outcomes of these negotiations reflect both the amount of power between project manager and functional manager and the priority given to the project.
True or false? All staff members are preassigned to a project.
Answer: False. It is not a catch-all situation in which all staff are preassigned to a project. For any given project, there might be a mix of preassigned and external recruitment of staff.
EXAM TIP In the exam, you should carefully examine the scenario presented to determine how human resources have been obtained for the project and be able to distinguish between preassignment and external procurement of human resources because the processes are different for obtaining each one.
MORE INFO You can find out more about preassignment in the Acquire Project Team process of the PMBOK® Guide, 5th edition.
acquisition
For employees who cannot be obtained internally via preassignment, the perform-ing organization and the project manager might need to acquire the required services and personnel from outside sources. This can be achieved by advertising, head hunting identified individuals, using recruitment consultants, subcontracting work to another organization, and employing a robust interview and appointment process. Where possible, project managers should be involved in this process be-cause they have a clear understanding of not only the skills and experience required but also the organizational culture and team culture they are seeking to develop within the project.
Project managers also rely on established organizational process assets and the human resources department of the organization to assist with the process of exter-nal acquisition of project team members.
True or false? All team members working on the project are assigned to it from within the organization.
Answer: False. The organization might not have all the required staff or skills required, so it goes through a process of external acquisition and recruitment of project team members.
EXAM TIP In the exam, if you see any reference in a question scenario to acquir-ing project team members from outside the organization, it refers to the process of acquisition.