indicates task durations and dependencies throughout the project timeline. See Chapter 7 for more on this.Responsibility assignment matrix (RAM): One of the most common versions of a RAM is the RACI, which defines who is responsible, accountable, consulted, or informed for or about project activities, decisions, and deliverables. See Chapter 12 for more on this.Dashboards: Graphical representations of project metrics and KPIs that provide at-a-glance views of overall status. See Chapter 15 for more on this.
Reports: Formal records of pertinent project information. Examples include:Status report: Usually includes progress made since last report, activities planned until the next report, budget and schedule status, risks and issues. See Chapter 15 for more on this.Quality report: Documents any quality management issues, corrective actions and recommendations for process, project, and product improvements to prevent similar quality issues from recurring.
Agreements and contracts: Documentation of agreed-upon intentions and expectations between multiple parties. Examples include:Fixed-price contracts: These contracts define a deliverable and a price to be paid for that deliverable. As long as the project scope adheres to the contractually defined scope, the price does not change. Changes to scope are handled through change orders.Time and materials contracts: T&M contracts require each hour spent working on the project to be logged and invoiced to the client, including any materials or expenses required to satisfy the contract. These contracts often contain a not-to-exceed clause. This clause specifies the maximum number of hours to be invoiced to the client, assuming scope has not changed, before a new contract for any remaining or additional work is executed.Change orders: We all hope to be able to foresee every possible “gotcha” that could arise before our projects even begin but, alas, hope is never a winning strategy. When scope changes, change orders capture the nature of the change and any associated budget, schedule, or resource implications. See Chapter 14 for more on this.
Other artifacts: Some artifacts don’t fit into one of the previous buckets, but are useful and add value, nonetheless. Examples include:Bid documents: Help to answer necessary questions to enable an informed procurement decision, including request for information (RFI), request for quotation (RFQ), and request for proposal (RFP).Requirements document: Depending on the type of project, this is often broken down further into a business requirements document, functional requirements document, and technical requirements document. See Chapter 5 for more on this.
Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 7
Table 3-1 notes topics in this chapter that may be addressed on the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification exam and that are also included in A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, 7th Edition (PMBOK 7).
TABLE 3-1 Chapter 3 Topics in Relation to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 7
| Topic | Location in This Chapter | Location in PMBOK 7 | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business case | “Proposing a project in a business case” | 2.6.1 Delivery of Value | PMBOK 7 discusses the business case as a tool to justify a project and assess anticipated business value in a manner that can be periodically measured to understand ongoing project health. |
| Project charter | “Developing the Project Charter” | 4.6.1 Strategy Artifacts | The project charter is referenced in PMBOK 7, but without much detail. |
| Cost-benefit analysis | “Performing a cost-benefit analysis” | 4.4.1 Data Gathering and Analysis | Similarly, cost-benefit analysis is mentioned in PMBOK 7 but at a high level and without much detail. |
| Feasibility study | “Conducting a feasibility study” | 2.3.5 Life Cycle and Phase Definitions | PMBOK 7 covers feasibility as a phase in a project life cycle but does not mention a feasibility study directly. |
| Tailoring | “Tailoring Your Delivery Approach” | Section 3: Tailoring | A new section is dedicated to tailoring in PMBOK 7, before which it was considered a component to address at the onset of each Knowledge Area rather than a stand-alone concept. Many examples of tailoring described in this chapter align with those described in PMBOK 7. |
| Models, methods, and artifacts | “Identifying the Models, Methods, and Artifacts to Use” | Section 4: Models, Methods, and Artifacts | Models, Methods, and Artifacts is afforded its own distinct section for the first time in PMBOK 7. |
Chapter 4
Knowing Your Project’s Stakeholders: Involving the Right People
IN THIS CHAPTER
Often a project is like an iceberg: Nine-tenths of it lurks below the surface. You receive an assignment and think you know what it entails and who needs to be involved. Then, as the project
