Section: Volume E
Explanation
Explanation:
6.3.2.2 Dependency Determination
Dependencies may be characterized by the following attributes: mandatory or discretionary, internal or external, as described below. Dependency has four attributes, but two can be applicable at the same time in following ways: mandatory external dependencies, mandatory internal dependencies, discretionary external dependencies, or discretionary internal dependencies.
Mandatory dependencies. Mandatory dependencies are those that are legally or contractually required or
inherent in the nature of the work. Mandatory dependencies often involve physical limitations, such as on a construction project, where it is impossible to erect the superstructure until after the foundation has been built, or on an electronics project, where a prototype has to be built before it can be tested. Mandatory dependencies are also sometimes referred to as hard logic or hard dependencies. Technical dependencies may not be mandatory. The project team determines which dependencies are mandatory during the process of sequencing the activities. Mandatory dependencies should not be confused with assigning schedule constraints in the scheduling tool.
Discretionary dependencies. Discretionary dependencies are sometimes referred to as preferred logic,
preferential logic, or soft logic. Discretionary dependencies are established based on knowledge of best practices within a particular application area or some unusual aspect of the project where a specific sequence is desired, even though there may be other acceptable sequences. Discretionary dependencies should be fully documented since they can create arbitrary total float values and can limit later scheduling options. When fast tracking techniques are employed, these discretionary dependencies should be reviewed and considered for Explanation:
4.1.2.1 Expert Judgment
Expert judgment is often used to assess the inputs used to develop the project charter. Expert judgment is applied to all technical and management details during this process. Such expertise is provided by any group or individual with specialized knowledge or training and is available from many sources, including:
Other units within the organization,
Consultants,
Stakeholders, including customers or sponsors,
Professional and technical associations,
Industry groups,
Subject matter experts (SME), and
Project management office (PMO).
Process: 4.2. Develop Project Management Plan
Definition: The process of defining, preparing, and coordinating all subsidiary plans and integrating them into a comprehensive project management plan. The project's integrated baselines and subsidiary plans may be included within the project management plan.
Key Benefit: The key benefit of this process is a central document that defines the basis of all project work.
Inputs
1. Project charter
2. Outputs from other processes
3. Enterprise environmental factors
4. Organizational process assets
Tools & Techniques
5. Expert judgment
6. Facilitation techniques
Outputs
7. Project management plan
4.2.3.1 Project Management Plan
The project management plan is the document that describes how the project will be executed, monitored, and controlled. It integrates and consolidates all of the subsidiary plans and baselines from the planning processes.
Project baselines include, but are not limited to:
Scope baseline (Section 5.4.3.1),
Schedule baseline (Section 6.6.3.1), and
Cost baseline (Section 7.3.3.1).
Subsidiary plans include, but are not limited to:
Scope management plan (Section 5.1.3.1),
Requirements management plan (Section 5.1.3.2),
Schedule management plan (Section 6.1.3.1),
Cost management plan (Section 7.1.3.1),
Quality management plan (Section 8.1.3.1),
Process improvement plan (Section 8.1.3.2),
Human resource management plan (Section 9.1.3.1),
Communications management plan (Section 10.1.3.1),
Risk management plan (Section 11.1.3.1),
Procurement management plan (Section 12.1.3.1), and
Stakeholder management plan (Section 13.2.3.1).
Among other things, the project management plan may also include the following:
Life cycle selected for the project and the processes that will be applied to each phase;
Details of the tailoring decisions specified by the project management team as follows:
○ Project management processes selected by the project management team,
○ Level of implementation for each selected process,
○ Descriptions of the tools and techniques to be used for accomplishing those processes, and
○ Description of how the selected processes will be used to manage the specific project, including the dependencies and interactions among those processes and the essential inputs and outputs.
Description of how work will be executed to accomplish the project objectives;
Change management plan that documents how changes will be monitored and controlled;
Configuration management plan that documents how Configuration management will be performed;
Description of how the integrity of the project baselines will be maintained;
Requirements and techniques for communication among stakeholders; and
Key management reviews for content, the extent of, and timing to address, open issues and pending
decisions.
The project management plan may be either summary level or detailed, and may be composed of one or more subsidiary plans. Each of the subsidiary plans is detailed to the extent required by the specific project. Once the project management plan is baselined, it may only be changed when a change request is generated and approved through the Perform Integrated Change Control process.
modification or removal. The project team determines which dependencies are discretionary during the process of sequencing the activities.
External dependencies. External dependencies involve a relationship between project activities and non-
project activities. These dependencies are usually outside the project team's control. For example, the testing activity in a software project may be dependent on the delivery of hardware from an external source, or governmental environmental hearings may need to be held before site preparation can begin on a construction project. The project management team determines which dependencies are external during the process of sequencing the activities.
Internal dependencies. Internal dependencies involve a precedence relationship between project activities
and are generally inside the project team's control. For example, if the team cannot test a machine until they assemble it, this is an internal mandatory dependency. The project management team determines which dependencies are internal during the process of sequencing the activities.
