The Basic Project Management process areas address the activities related to establishing and maintaining the project plan, establishing and maintaining commitments, monitoring progress against the plan, taking corrective action, and managing supplier agreements.

Figure 4.3 provides a bird’s-eye view of the interactions among the Basic Project Management process areas and with other process area categories. As illustrated in Figure 4.3, the Project Planning process area includes developing the project plan, involving stakeholders appropriately, obtaining commitment to the plan, and maintaining the plan. When using IPPD, stakeholders represent not just the technical expertise for product and process development, but also the business implications of product and process development.

Figure 4.3:   Basic Project Management Process Areas

Planning begins with requirements that define the product and project (“What to Build” in Figure 4.3). The project plan covers the various project management and development activities performed by the project. The project reviews other plans that affect the project from various relevant stakeholders and establish commitments with those stakeholders for their contributions to the project. For example, these plans cover configuration management, verification, and measurement and analysis.

The Project Monitoring and Control process area includes monitoring activities and taking corrective action. The project plan specifies the appropriate level of project monitoring, the frequency of progress reviews, and the measures used to monitor progress. Progress is determined primarily by comparing project status to the plan. When the actual status deviates significantly from the expected values, corrective actions are taken as appropriate. These actions may include replanning.

The Supplier Agreement Management process area addresses the need of the project to acquire those portions of work that are produced by suppliers. Sources of products that may be used to satisfy project requirements are proactively identified. The supplier is selected, and a supplier agreement is established to manage the supplier. The supplier’s progress and performance are tracked by monitoring selected work products and processes, and the supplier agreement is revised as appropriate. Acceptance reviews and tests are conducted on the supplier-produced product component.