Slowly you shake the cobwebs from your head and start to think about your day. Who do you need to see? Who do you need to call? What is it that you want to accomplish that day and by when? What is it going to cost you? How long will it take to complete and how many people will need to work in synch in order accomplish your tasks?

The PMBOK© 4^th Edition identifies these planning processes:

4.2 – Develop Project Management Plan;
5.1 – Collect Requirements;
5.2 – Define Scope;
5.3 – Create Work Breakdown Structure.

Your family’s day may include getting the kids up and off to school; getting ready for and driving to work; stopping by the bank and hitting the ATM to withdraw a little money; picking up and delivering the kids to the proper after-school function at the proper time; stopping by the grocery store; cooking dinner and feeding the family; and getting the kids cleaned up and put to bed. Like a jig saw puzzle the once fuzzy day comes into picture; how long each activity will take, the order in which they take place, the cost of each activity, and who will be responsible for each.

Does any of this sound familiar to anyone?

The PMBOK© 4^th Edition identifies these planning processes:

6.1 – Define Activities;
6.2 – Sequence Activities;
6.3 – Estimate Activity Resources;
6.4 – Estimate Activity Durations;
6.5 – Develop Schedule;
7.1 – Estimate Costs;
7.2 – Determine Budget.

Tune in again for Part IV: Time to Go, where I compare how, at the very lowest level, our days can be divided up into a series of activities and how the performance of those activities compare to PMI’s execution processes.