Ask the Right Questions at the Right Time

    1=Initiation, 2=Planning, 3=Execution, 4=Control, 5=Closing

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In the realm of project management, the PMI Process Groups stand as a pivotal framework. Developed by the Project Management Institute (PMI), these groups provide a structured approach, particularly valuable for predictive project strategies. In this article, we explore questions to ask for the PMI Process Groups, as highlighted in the PMI Process Groups: A Practice Guide

Ask the Right Questions at the Right Time

The Waterfall methodology is a linear and sequential project management approach where each phase of a project must be completed before moving on to the next phase. It's best suited for projects with well-defined and stable requirements, where changes are expected to be minimal. Examples of projects include:

  • Construction Projects (e.g., bridges, highways, and buildings)
  • Manufacturing Processes
  • Pharmaceutical Drug Development
  • Aerospace Projects
  • Infrastructure Projects (e.g., data center, networking)

Initiating Process Group

  1. Why are we doing this project?
  2. Is your project sponsor fully engaged and on board?
  3. What is the authority level of the project manager?
  4. What do we wish to accomplish?
  5. What are the products and services we wish to deliver?
  6. What are the budget constraints?
  7. What are the schedule constraints?
  8. What assumptions are being made?
  9. Who will be impacted? Which stakeholders have the greatest interest and power?
  10. Who will comprise the project team?
  11. What are the most significant risks?
  12. How will we know if the project was successful?

The Project Charter

Unfortunately, many people think of the project charter as an administrative hoop they must jump through to get their project approved. Therefore, many charters are written hastily with little thought.


The value of the charter process is engaging stakeholders, discussing the issues, resolving conflicts, and getting agreement as you initiate the project. The stakeholder interest is considered and aligned, resulting in less likelihood of costly changes later in the project.


Read: How to Develop a Project Charter

More...

Planning Process Group

  1. Who do we need to communicate with? When? How? Why?
  2. What needs to be done? When?
  3. Will we take a traditional approach or an agile approach?
  4. Who will do each task? Is each person’s supervisor/manager in agreement (matrix environment)?
  5. What is the skill level of the project resources?
  6. How long will each task take (i.e., effort and duration)?
  7. What are the requirements?
  8. How will we ensure the quality will be managed properly?
  9. How will we identify, evaluate, respond, and monitor risks?
  10. What procurement documents are needed?

"The wise man doesn't give right answers, he poses the right questions." —Claude Levi-Strauss

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Executing Process Group

  1. Are team members focused?
  2. Are we managing the stakeholder’s expectations?
  3. Do team members have the resources required to complete their tasks?
  4. What are the roadblocks?
  5. Is the team maturing in working with one another (forming, norming, storming, performing)?
  6. Are we tracking risks, action items, issues, and decisions?

Monitoring and Controlling Process Group

  1. Are we on track? If not, what can we do to get back on track?
  2. Are we managing changes appropriately? If not, how can we improve the change management process?
  3. What are the new risks? What has changed for risks previously identified? Do we need additional risk response plans?
  4. Are we planning and executing in an efficient and effective manner?
  5. Have we provided appropriate support to the team members? If problems persist, have we dealt with the problems appropriately including removal of team members

Closing Process Group

  1. Have all the requirements been met?
  2. What went well in the project?
  3. What did not go well?
  4. If we had to do the project again, what would we do differently?
  5. Have we made the final payments and recorded final accounting transactions?
  6. Have we recorded the lessons learned?
  7. Have we delivered everything promised in the contract(s)?
  8. Have we closed out all risks in the risk register with final notations of what occurred for each risk?
  9. Have we archived the project documentation?
  10. How will we celebrate?

How About You?

So, are you asking the right questions at the right time? Consider using some of these questions in one of your projects. Work on your listening skills.

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