The Process Grid - how to plot the 47 processes in 3 minutes flat

There are 47 processes spread across 10 knowledge areas.

At first glance, it might look intimidating - how do I remember all those processes for the exam? Do I have to memorize? Well,
I would say don't panic. I have devised a method which I used for my learning, found it very effective to plot all the 47
processes in the Grid, under less than 3 minutes.
When you appear for the PMP Exam, at the exam centre, before 15 minutes for your exam start time, you are given some
scrap paper. The first thing I did, was to plot the 47 processes in one of the paper. 3 Minutes of 15 minutes time is gone.
Let's start...Step

1: Draw the grid with 6 columns and 11 rows. Leave enough width and
height for each row and column.
Knowledge Area/Progress Group

Initiating Planning Executing

Monitoring and Controlling

Closing

Integration
Scope
Time
Cost
Quality
HR
Communications
Risk
Procurement
Stakeholder
If you are worried that how you can remember the names of Knowledge Areas and/or process groups, here is the trick:
Process Groups: IPEM&CC
Knowledge Areas: I Scoped Time Cost and Quality with my HR to Communicate Risks on Procurement to
our Stakeholders.
Its pretty simple. Isn't it. Remember that the first I is for Integration.

Step 2: Write the number of processes across each knowledge area

You can remember these numbers bit easily.
Communicating Quality is 3.
Cost of Procurement to HR and Stakeholders is 4.
Integrating Risk and Scope is 6.
Time is more costly at 7.

Knowledge Area/Progress Group

Integration (6)
Scope (6)
Time (7)
Cost (4)
Quality (3)
HR (4)
Communications (3)
Risk (6)
Procurement (4)
Stakeholder (4)

Initiating Planning Executing

Monitoring and Controlling

Closing

Step 3: Mark the boundaries for Process Groups. You score 4.

Mark the four boundaries for the progress groups. One small thing to note is the bottom right boundary is one row above.
Remember this. At these boundary locations, write the four processes as shown.

Score 4/47
Knowledge Area/Progress
Group
Integration (6)

Initiating

Planning Executing

Monitoring and
Controlling

Develop Project
Charter

Closing
Close Project or
Phase

Scope (6)
Time (7)
Cost (4)
Quality (3)
HR (4)
Communications (3)
Risk (6)
Procurement (4)
Stakeholder (4)

Close Procurements
Identify Stakeholders

You have done the marking for Initiating and Closing process groups. Two process groups knocked down.

Step 4: Knock off Management Plans for each Knowledge Area. You score 10.
For each knowledge area, there is a corresponding management plan. Remember that a Project Manager must Plan before
actually doing any work. Each of these management plans helps you to device strategies for managing the respective
knowledge areas. Two things to keep in mind here are:

Integrating all the processes the main work for the Project Manager. So the Management Plan for Integration is the
Project Plan. 2.Time is represented as Schedule in Management Plan.

Score 14/47
Knowledge
Area/Progress Group
Integration (6)

Initiating

Planning

Develop Project Develop Project

Charter
Management Plan

Scope (6)

Plan Scope
Management

Time (7)

Plan Schedule
Management

Cost (4)

Plan Cost Management

Monitoring and
Controlling

Closing
Close Project or
Phase

Plan Quality
Management

Quality (3)
HR (4)

Plan HR Management

Communications (3)

Plan Communications
Management

Risk (6)

Plan Risk Management

Plan Procurement
Management

Procurement (4)
Stakeholder (4)

Executing

Identify
Stakeholders

Plan Stakeholder
Management

Close
Procurements

Step 4: Knock off Controlling Processes for each Knowledge Area. You score 10.

Just like there is a management plan processes for each knowledge area, there are controlling processes for all but
one knowledge areas. The following points must be kept in mind.
Integration has two controlling processes: Monitor and Control Project work and Perform Integrated Change Control.

Time is again represented as Schedule.

There is no Controlling process for HR

Score 24/47
Knowledge
Area/Progress Group

Integration (6)

Initiating

Planning

Executing

Develop Project Develop Project

Charter
Management Plan

Monitoring and
Controlling

Monitor and
Close Project or
Control Project Work
Phase
Perform Integrated
Change Control

Scope (6)

Plan Scope Management

Control Scope

Time (7)

Plan Schedule
Management

Control Schedule

Cost (4)

Plan Cost Management

Control Cost

Plan Quality
Management

Control Quality

Quality (3)
HR (4)

Plan HR Management

Communications (3)

Plan Communications
Management

Control Communications

Risk (6)

Plan Risk Management

Control Risks

Plan Procurement
Management

Control Procurements

Plan Stakeholder
Management

Control Stakeholder
Engagement

Procurement (4)
Stakeholder (4)

Identify
Stakeholders

Closing

Close
Procurements

As you can see here, there is ONLY ONE Process left for Integration, Quality, Communications, Procurement and Stakeholder
process groups after this step. Its that easy with this approach. As you guessed already, if we do Executing Process group, this
will be done.

Step 5: Knock off Executing Processes for each knowledge area. You score 8.
The column without any single entry is our Executing Process group. Lets look at it.
Remember that Executing Process Group is where your team carries out the work to produce the deliverable towards the
project.
Its interesting to note that Scope, Time, Cost and Risk knowledge areas doesn't have any executing processes. It is quite
obvious that the Project Manager's primary focus on these constraints: Cost, Time, Scope is Planning and Monitoring/Control.
The processes in Executing Group are:

Integration: Direct and Manage Project Work (to control your team and activities they do)

Quality: Perform Quality Assurance (to check adherence to Quality Standards, policies etc.)

HR: Acquire, Develop and Manage Project Team (Executing is the team's stage to perform)

Communications: Manage Communications (Manage efficient and effective communications flow)

Procurements: Conduct procurements (Get the resources and/or material as required by the PM Plan)

Stakeholder: Manage Stakeholder Engagement (Update them regularly)

Score 32/47
Knowledge
Area/Progress Group

Integration (6)

Initiating

Planning

Develop Project Develop Project

Charter
Management Plan

Executing

Direct and Manage

Project Work

Monitoring and
Controlling
Monitor and
Control Project Work
Perform
Integrated Change
Control

Scope (6)

Plan Scope
Management

Control Scope

Time (7)

Plan Schedule
Management

Control Schedule

Cost (4)

Plan Cost
Management

Control Cost

Quality (3)

Plan Quality
Management

Perform Quality
Assurance

HR (4)

Communications (3)

Plan Communications Manage

Management
Communications

Control
Communications

Plan Risk
Management

Control Risks

Procurement (4)
Stakeholder (4)

Identify
Stakeholders

Close Project or
Phase

Control Quality

Acquire
Project Team
Develop
Plan HR Management Project Team
Manage
Project Team

Risk (6)

Closing

Plan Procurement
Management

Conduct
Procurements

Plan Stakeholder
Management

Manage Stakeholder Control Stakeholder

Engagement
Engagement

Control Procurements

Close
Procurements

Cool.... If you notice we knocked off the following knowledge areas completely: Integration, Quality, HR, Communications,
Procurement and Stakeholders. Same way we are done with Initiating, Executing and Closing Process groups. Simple and easy
- isn't it?
What is left is: 4 in Scope, 5 in Time, 2 in Cost and 4 in Risk - a total of 15. So 32+15=47 our final score.

Step 6: Complete Scope, Time, Cost and Risk to get your score to 47.

Its good that we are dealing with most important things for a PM now. Since we do here, we remember them better - whey
we need these processes and the order in which we do them.
Scope: Collect Requirements, Define Scope, Create WBS, Validate Scope. Wait a minute here. Collecting Reks,
Defining Scope and Create WBS all are planning tasks. When you do validate scope? When a deliverable is produced to
validate it. So obviously after Executing. So Validate Scope goes to Monitoring and Controlling Process
Group. Before Controlling Scope.
Time: All about activities here. Define Activities, Sequence Activities, Estimate Activity Resources, Estimate Activity
Duration's and Develop Schedule. All are planning tasks - isn't it?
Cost: Estimate Costs and Determine Budget. Again - lot of planning.
Risk: Identify Risks, Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis, Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis, Plan Risk Responses. Again lot of planning.
Lets complete our grid....

Score 47/47
Knowledge
Area/Progress Group

Integration (6)

Initiating

Planning

Develop Project Develop Project

Charter
Management Plan

Executing

Direct and Manage

Project Work

Monitoring and
Controlling
Monitor and
Control Project Work
Perform
Integrated Change
Control

Closing

Close Project
or Phase

Plan Scope
Management

Scope (6)

Validate Scope
Control Scope

Collect
Requirements
Define Scope
Create WBS
Plan Schedule
Management
Define Activities

Time (7)

Sequence
Activities

Control Schedule

Estimate Activity
Resources
Estimate Activity
Durations
Develop Schedule

Cost (4)

Plan Cost
Management
Estimate Costs
Determine
Budget

Quality (3)

Plan Quality Management

Perform Quality
Assurance

Plan HR Management

Acquire
Project Team
Develop
Project Team
Manage
Project Team

Plan Communications
Management

Manage
Communications

HR (4)

Communications (3)

Control Cost

Control Quality

Control Communications

Plan Risk
Management
Identify Risks

Risk (6)

Perform
Qualitative Risk Analysis

Control Risks

Perform
Quantitative Risk Analysis
Plan Risk
Response

Procurement (4)

Plan Procurement
Management

Conduct Procurements Control Procurements

Close
Procurements

Stakeholder (4)

Identify
Stakeholders

Plan Stakeholder
Management

Manage Stakeholder Control Stakeholder

Engagement
Engagement

Do a cross check of Process count and you should get 47. Is easy...
Practice this two to three times to get it right. Having this in front of you in the exam, should make you to answer more
questions right. And it gives confidence. And it saves quite a lot of time.

Important Points to consider:

Integration knowledge area is the only knowledge area that has processes in each process group. This makes sense as
a Project Manager your primarily integrating all the other process together to deliver the project.

Scope, Time, Cost and Risk knowledge areas have all Planning and Monitoring & Controlling processes. The primary
focus of the Project Manager.