Project Management Processes and Project Phases: Similar but Different

    Today, let’s talk about the project management process groups.  The confusing thing about the project management groups is that they are not the same as project phases, but they are very similar to project phases.  The four project phases are concept, development, implementation, and close-out.  Keep in mind, that these are not concrete.   A project manager may change or add phases to fit the needs of a particular project.  There are five project management process groups; initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, and closing.   Looking at the processes versus the phases, there are some differences and many similarities.  The key difference is that the process groups are more concrete and will occur in every phase, while the phases can be renamed and adjusted.  Also, a project manager executes all the processes during every phase, but every phase does not have a specific corresponding process.   It makes sense to me that way.

    Let’s clear it up.  If I am performing a vehicle reset, then I can split it into five phases; initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, and closing.  In the initiating phase, I decide if the vehicles need overhauling (reset), if the funds are available, and if this fits in with the strategic plan.  In the planning phase, I decided which organization gets reset, where they get reset and so forth.  In the executing phase, I reset the vehicles.  In the monitoring and controlling phase, I check the vehicles to ensure they are free of defects.   Finally in the closing phase, I return the vehicles to the unit and write down lessons learned.   Each of these phases has their own process groups.  In the executing phase, there is an initiating process that checks to see that the planning is complete and it is time to execute.  There is a planning process, which begins the details of getting the vehicles to the reset center and repair schedule.  Then in the executing process, the vehicles are repaired.   Simultaneously, the project manager is inspecting and measuring progress per the goals of the monitoring and controlling process.  Finally, the vehicles are complete and the closing process begins so that the next phase can begin.   This makes it clear that phases can align with the processes, and phases always contain the processes.

    What about another case.   Let’s say that I am developing a program called World of Tanks.  Well, I have an initiating phase, a planning phase, and an executing phase.  But then I add a phase as the project manager called the Alpha phase.  This is not similar to the monitoring and controlling process, rather it is a hybrid of testing and executing.   Here the processes don’t align with the phases.   The Alpha phase is its own animal created by the project manager to fulfill the project.   Keep in mind, the Alpha phase contains all the five processes.  The point being, that if you know the processes you may not know the phases.   Then the program manager adds a Beta phase.  The Beta phase mirrors the Alpha phase only there are more testers than developers at this point.  Once again deviating from our idea of processes, but still keeping in line with the idea of phases.   Thus all phases have all five processes.   But, all processes do not define all phases.

    Hope this clears some things up.  If it doesn’t I suggest you read a project management book or ask your professor.