Develop Project Management Plan
Develop Project Management Plan is the process of defining, preparing, and coordinating all plan components and consolidating them into an integrated project management plan.
Explanation
This process produces the project management plan, the single most important document for guiding project execution. The plan integrates all subsidiary plans (scope, schedule, cost, quality, resource, communications, risk, procurement, and stakeholder management plans) along with baselines for scope, schedule, and cost. It serves as the central reference for how the project will be planned, executed, monitored, controlled, and closed.
Key inputs to this process include the project charter, outputs from other planning processes, enterprise environmental factors, and organizational process assets. The primary tools and techniques are expert judgment, data gathering (such as brainstorming and checklists), interpersonal and team skills (conflict management, facilitation, meeting management), and meetings. The plan is progressively elaborated as more information becomes available.
Once the baselines within the project management plan are approved, changes can only be made through the Perform Integrated Change Control process. The plan is not a static document; it may be updated throughout the project. However, any change to a baseline requires a formal change request and approval, ensuring that project performance is measured against an agreed-upon reference.
Key Points
- •Integrates all subsidiary management plans and baselines into one comprehensive document
- •The project charter is a key input; outputs from other planning processes feed into it
- •Changes to baselines require formal change requests through integrated change control
- •Progressively elaborated as more project information becomes available
Exam Tip
The project management plan is approved by the sponsor and key stakeholders. Once baselines are set, any changes must go through Perform Integrated Change Control — you cannot modify baselines informally.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Topics
Project Charter
A project charter is a document issued by the project sponsor that formally authorizes the existence of a project and provides the project manager with the authority to apply organizational resources to project activities.
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
A work breakdown structure (WBS) is a hierarchical decomposition of the total scope of work to be carried out by the project team to accomplish the project objectives and create the required deliverables.
Schedule Baseline
The schedule baseline is the approved version of the schedule model that is used as a basis for comparison with actual results to determine if corrective or preventive action is needed.
Cost Baseline
The cost baseline is the approved version of the time-phased project budget, excluding management reserves, used as a reference for measuring and monitoring cost performance.
Perform Integrated Change Control
Perform Integrated Change Control is the process of reviewing all change requests, approving or rejecting changes, managing changes to deliverables, project documents, and the project management plan, and communicating the decisions.
Most-studied PMP concepts
High-yield topics our learners drill most before exam day.
Change Control Board (CCB)
A Change Control Board (CCB) is a formally chartered group responsible for reviewing, evaluating, approving, deferring, or rejecting changes to the project, and for recording and communicating those decisions.
Burndown Chart
A Burndown Chart is a graphical representation of work remaining versus time in a Sprint or release, showing whether the team is on track to complete the planned work.
Resource Leveling
Resource leveling is a resource optimization technique in which adjustments are made to the project schedule to keep resource usage at or below a defined limit, often resulting in a longer project duration.
Risk Register
The risk register is a project document that records the details of individual project risks, including their identification, analysis results, response plans, and current status.
Stakeholder Mapping
Stakeholder mapping is the visual representation of stakeholder relationships, influence, interest, or other attributes using grids, matrices, or diagrams to support analysis and engagement planning.
Relative Estimation
Relative Estimation is an agile technique where work items are sized in comparison to each other rather than in absolute units like hours or days, providing faster and more accurate estimates.
Cost Performance Index (CPI)
Cost Performance Index (CPI) is an EVM efficiency metric that measures cost performance as the ratio of earned value to actual cost: CPI = EV / AC.
Schedule Performance Index (SPI)
Schedule Performance Index (SPI) is an EVM efficiency metric that measures schedule performance as the ratio of earned value to planned value: SPI = EV / PV.
Earned Value Management (EVM)
Earned Value Management (EVM) is a methodology that integrates scope, schedule, and cost data to assess project performance and progress objectively.
Part of
Integration Management
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