INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS OF THE FLOW CHART OF THE process "DEFINITION OF THE PROJECT ACTIVITIES"

 

INTRODUCTION

 

The purpose of this work is to describe in detail the Inputs, Tools and Techniques, and Outputs of the process 6.2 Define Project Activities, that corresponds to the Area of Knowledge "Project Time Management" of the PMBOK, indicating in a reasoned way, the best use of all its elements.

Likewise, a critical analysis of the exposed descriptions of the process and the respective conclusions on its relevance for the development of the Knowledge Area "Project Time Management" and the project in general are presented.

 

Process Description 6.2: Define Project activities

Process definition

Defining the Activities is the process that consists of identifying the specific actions to be carried out to prepare the project deliverables. The actions to be developed are represented as activities, meaning as activity every part of the work to be done in the course of a project. The 5.4 Create the WBS process identifies the deliverables at the lowest level of the work breakdown structure (WBS), called work packages. From the work packages originates the decomposition into smaller components called activities; The set of activities that are obtained from the decomposition of a work package, represent all the actions that must be carried out to complete the respective work package. The activities provide the basis for estimating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling the project work in all other knowledge areas.

Process Flow Diagram 6.2 Define Activities

 

Define the Activities of the Project: Inputs

1.    Scope Baseline: The Scope Baseline comes from process 5.4 Create the WBS. It is one of the components of the Management Plan of the Project, and it is comprised of the following elements:

·         Project Scope Statement

·         The WBS (Work Breakdown Structure)

·         The EDT Dictionary

This document is very important in defining activities, since it is from the level of breakdown into work packages that activities can be identified.

2.  Environmental Factors of the Company: Among the environmental factors of the company that can influence the process 6.2 Define the Activities, is the project management information system or the project management software used by the company or organization to manage projects (e.g .: MS-Project).             

3.  Organizational Process Assets: Organizational process assets that can influence the process 6.2 Define Activities include, but are not limited to:             

·         Existing policies, procedures and guidelines, whether formal or informal, related to the planning of activities.

·         The knowledge base of lessons learned.

·    These two aspects refer, in the first place, to regulations or internal procedures of the organization commonly used in the planning of project activities. Some companies have them, others not. Secondly, the knowledge base of lessons learned relate to a historical background from previous projects developed by the organization. This information is important for process 6.2, since the historical files have detailed information on similar works successfully completed, so this experience facilitates the identification of the elements and activities of a new project.

4.    Process 6.1 Plan Schedule Management. This process included in PMBOK v.5 is considered now a previous step for the definition of activities and all subsequent processes. The key input from the schedule management plan is the prescribed level of detail needed to manage the work of the whole project.

Define Project Activities: Tools and Techniques

1.    Decomposition: The decomposition technique, as applied to define activities, consists of subdividing the project work packages into smaller and easier-to-manage components, called activities.             

2.    Gradual Planning: Gradual planning is a form of gradual elaboration planning, where work to be developed in the short term is planned in detail and future work is planned at a higher level of the WBS. It is about progressive planning.             

3. Templates: A template is a list of standard activities or part of a project listed above, which can be used as reference to develop the list of activities of a new project.             

4.    Expert Judgment: Members of the project team or other experts with experience and skills in developing detailed project scope statements, WBS, and project schedules, can contribute with their expertise to define activities.             

Define Project Activities: Outputs

1. List of Activities: It is the main output of the process and consists of an exhaustive list that includes all the activities of the schedule of the different work packages, necessary for the execution of the project. The activity list includes the activity identifier and a description of the scope of work for each activity.
2. Activity Attributes: Activity attributes expand the definition of the activity, and include: the activity identifier, the WBS identifier and the activity name, the activity codes, the activity description, predecessor activities, successor activities, logical relationships, leads and lags, resource requirements, imposed dates, constraints, and assumptions. Durations, costs and resources are determined in other processes.
3. Milestones List: A milestone is a significant point or event within the project. Unlike an activity, it does not consume resources or has no duration. Milestones can be required or optional, such as those based on historical information.

 My own analysis of the process 6.2 Define Activities

Inputs

The Process Flow Diagram indicates that the main input, without which this process cannot be developed, is the Scope Baseline, represented by the WBS obtained from 5.4 Create the WBS. The remaining input elements may or may not exist.

Tools and Techniques

With regard to Tools and Techniques, the ideal is to apply “a little bit of everything”; but both the decomposition technique and the gradual planning technique require a high component of Expert Judgment. The previous experience in projects, of people belonging to the project team or interested parties with high technical expertise, is decisive for obtaining quality outputs from this process. Finally, by way of observation, it is worth mentioning that the PMBOK v.5 indicates in paragraph 6.2.2.1 Decomposition, that the WBS and the List of Activities can be developed simultaneously. If this is the case, the WBS is subject to be modified, so there must be an exit from the 6.2 process in the form of Updating the Project Documents that represents the update / modification of the WBS.

Outputs

In my opinion, the three first outputs of the process could be included in a single list called "List of Activities and Milestones". The attributes are inherent to the activities, so that I find it unmeaningful to generate two lists, one with activities and one with attributes, which can even have repeated elements. Milestones can be presented separately in another list or included in the activity list with a special identification. In the definitive list of activities in the schedule, milestones are recognized as having zero duration “0” and the project planning software identifies them in a special way. All the outputs of this process are inputs of other processes of the same Knowledge Area (Project Time Management)