Plotting the Knowledge Area/Process Group grid in <5 min

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: In Software Testing Cost and Quality Have Continuous Recurring Problems and Solutions

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

You can remember these numbers bit easily.
ISRo-6 (Intergration, Scope & Risk)
CHiPS-4 (Cost, HR,Procurment & Stakeholder)
QC-3 (Quality, Communication)
T-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

Initiating

Integration (6)

Develop Project
Charter

Planning

Executing

Monitoring and
Controlling

Closing
Close Project or
Phase

Scope (6)
Time (7)
Cost (4)
Quality (3)
HR (4)
Communications (3)
Risk (6)
Close
Procurements

Procurement (4)
Stakeholder (4)

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.
Time is represented as Schedule in Management Plan.

Score 14/47
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

Develop Project Develop Project

Charter
Management Plan
Plan Scope
Management
Plan Schedule
Management
Plan Cost
Management
Plan Quality
Management
Plan HR Management
Plan Communications
Management
Plan Risk
Management
Plan Procurement
Management
Identify
Plan Stakeholder
Stakeholders
Management

Executing

Monitoring and
Controlling

Closing
Close Project or
Phase

Close
Procurements

Step 5: 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

Initiating

Integration (6)

Develop
Develop Project
Project Charter Management Plan

Planning

Executing

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

Identify
Stakeholders

Plan Scope
Management
Plan Schedule
Management
Plan Cost
Management
Plan Quality
Management
Plan HR Management
Plan Communications
Management
Plan Risk
Management
Plan Procurement
Management
Plan Stakeholder
Management

Monitoring and
Controlling

Monitor and Control

Project Work
Perform Integrated
Change Control

Closing

Close Project or
Phase

Control Scope
Control Schedule
Control Cost
Control Quality
Control
Communications
Control Risks
Control Procurements

Close
Procurements

Control Stakeholder
Engagement

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 6: 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

Initiating

Planning

Executing

Integration (6)

Develop
Project
Charter

Develop Project
Management Plan

Direct and Manage

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

Scope (6)
Time (7)
Cost (4)
Quality (3)

Plan Scope
Management
Plan Schedule
Management
Plan Cost
Management
Plan Quality
Management

Plan HR
Management

Control Schedule
Control Cost

Communications
(3)
Risk (6)
Procurement (4)
Stakeholder (4)

Plan
Communications
Management
Plan Risk
Management
Plan Procurement
Management
Identify
Plan Stakeholder
Stakeholders Management

Closing

Control Scope

HR (4)

Monitoring and
Controlling

Perform Quality
Assurance
Acquire Project
Team
Develop Project
Team
Manage Project
Team
Manage
Communications

Control Quality

Control
Communications
Control Risks

Conduct
Procurements
Manage
Stakeholder
Engagement

Control
Procurements
Control Stakeholder
Engagement

Close
Procurements

We have 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.
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 7: 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 Reqmnts,
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

Initiating

Planning

Executing

Integration (6)

Develop
Project
Charter

Develop Project
Management Plan

Direct and Manage

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

Scope (6)

Time (7)

Cost (4)

Plan Scope
Management
Collect
Requirements
Define Scope
Create WBS

Plan Schedule
Management
Define Activities
Sequence Activities
Estimate Activity
Resources
Estimate Activity
Durations
Develop Schedule

Plan Cost
Management
Estimate Costs

Monitoring and
Controlling

Validate Scope
Control Scope

Control Schedule

Control Cost

Closing

Quality (3)

Determine Budget
Plan Quality
Management

Plan HR
Management

HR (4)

Plan
Communications
Management

Communications
(3)

Perform Quality
Assurance
Acquire Project
Team
Develop Project
Team
Manage Project
Team
Manage
Communications

Control Quality

Control
Communications

Risk (6)

Procurement (4)
Stakeholder (4)

Plan Risk
Management
Identify Risks
Perform Qualitative
Risk Analysis
Perform Quantitative
Risk Analysis
Plan Risk Response
Plan Procurement Conduct
Management
Procurements
Manage
Identify
Plan Stakeholder
Stakeholder
Stakeholders Management
Engagement

Control Risks

Control
Procurements
Control Stakeholder
Engagement

Close
Procurements