Core Principles & Value Delivery

Principles (PMBOK® 7)

Stewardship • Team • Stakeholders • Value • Systems Thinking • Leadership • Tailoring • Quality • Complexity • Risk • Adaptability • Change.

Project Value System

Strategy → Portfolio → Programs → Projects → Operations (benefits realization).

Enterprise Environmental Factors

Culture, organizational structure, infrastructure, market conditions, regulations, technology.

Organizational Process Assets

Policies, procedures, templates, guidelines, historical information, lessons learned repositories.

Constraint Triangle

WBS Concept

💡 EEF = external environment; OPA = internal assets (templates, lessons). Distinguish on the exam.

Organizations, PMOs, and Governance

Organizational Structures

Functional • Matrix (weak/balanced/strong) • Projectized • Hybrid.

PMO Types

Supportive (consultative) • Controlling (standards/compliance) • Directive (manages projects).

Governance Elements

Decision rights, escalations, policies, stage gates, audits, compliance.

Stakeholder Types

Internal (sponsors, team, managers) • External (customers, regulators, suppliers, community).

💡 Higher PM authority and resource availability in strong matrix/projectized; lower in functional.

Initiating

Develop Project Charter Integration

Inputs

• Business case
• Benefits management plan
• Agreements
• Enterprise environmental factors (EEF)
• Organizational process assets (OPA)

Tools & Techniques

• Expert judgment
• Data gathering (interviews, brainstorming)
• Facilitation
• Meetings

Outputs

• Project charter
• Assumption log

💡 Charter authorizes the project and the PM; include high‑level scope, risks, milestones, and budget.

Identify Stakeholders Stakeholder

Inputs

• Project charter
• Business documents
• Assumption log
• Issue log
• EEFs
• OPAs

Tools & Techniques

• Stakeholder analysis
• Data representation (Power–Interest grid)
• Questionnaires and surveys
• Interviews

Outputs

• Stakeholder register
• Change requests
• Plan/doc updates

💡 Update the stakeholder register at every phase and after major changes.

Planning

Develop Project Management Plan Integration

Inputs

• Project charter
• Outputs from other planning processes
• EEFs
• OPAs

Tools & Techniques

• Expert judgment
• Data gathering & analysis
• Interpersonal & team skills
• Meetings

Outputs

• Project management plan

💡 Planning produces baselines; all control processes compare performance to these baselines.

Plan Scope Management Scope

Inputs

• Project charter
• Project management plan
• EEFs
• OPAs

Tools & Techniques

• Expert judgment
• Data analysis
• Meetings

Outputs

• Scope management plan
• Requirements management plan

💡 Planning produces baselines; all control processes compare performance to these baselines.

Collect Requirements Scope

Inputs

• Project charter
• Stakeholder register
• Assumption log
• OPAs

Tools & Techniques

• Interviews
• Workshops
• Focus groups
• Questionnaires and surveys
• Observation
• Prototypes
• Affinity diagrams
• Mind mapping
• Benchmarking

Outputs

• Requirements documentation
• Requirements traceability matrix (RTM)

💡 Planning produces baselines; all control processes compare performance to these baselines.

Define Scope Scope

Inputs

• Project charter
• Requirements documentation
• EEFs
• OPAs

Tools & Techniques

• Product analysis
• Alternatives analysis
• Facilitation

Outputs

• Project scope statement

💡 Planning produces baselines; all control processes compare performance to these baselines.

Create WBS Scope

Inputs

• Scope management plan
• Project scope statement
• Requirements documentation
• EEFs
• OPAs

Tools & Techniques

• Decomposition
• Expert judgment

Outputs

• Scope baseline (scope statement, WBS, WBS dictionary)

💡 Decompose until work is estimable, schedulable, and controllable; dictionary clarifies acceptance criteria.

Plan Schedule Management Schedule

Inputs

• Project charter
• PM plan (scope/dev approach)
• EEFs
• OPAs

Tools & Techniques

• Expert judgment
• Data analysis
• Meetings

Outputs

• Schedule management plan

💡 Planning produces baselines; all control processes compare performance to these baselines.

Define Activities Schedule

Inputs

• Scope baseline
• EEFs
• OPAs

Tools & Techniques

• Decomposition
• Rolling wave planning
• Expert judgment

Outputs

• Activity list
• Activity attributes
• Milestone list

💡 Planning produces baselines; all control processes compare performance to these baselines.

Sequence Activities Schedule

Inputs

• Activity list/attributes
• Milestone list
• Project scope statement

Tools & Techniques

• Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM)
• Leads and lags
• PMIS

Outputs

• Project schedule network diagrams

💡 Planning produces baselines; all control processes compare performance to these baselines.

Estimate Activity Durations Schedule

Inputs

• Activity list & attributes
• Resource calendars
• Resource requirements
• Risk register

Tools & Techniques

• Analogous
• Parametric
• Bottom‑up
• Three‑point (PERT)
• Reserve analysis

Outputs

• Duration estimates
• Basis of estimates

💡 Use three‑point when uncertainty is high; duration is calendar time, not effort.

Develop Schedule Schedule

Inputs

• Activities/attributes
• Network diagrams
• Duration estimates
• Resource calendars
• Project calendars
• Risk register

Tools & Techniques

• Critical path method
• Resource leveling/smoothing
• What‑if analysis
• Schedule compression (crashing, fast tracking)
• PMIS

Outputs

• Schedule baseline
• Project schedule (Gantt)
• Schedule data
• Project calendars

💡 Only crash/fast‑track after risk and cost impacts are reviewed; watch resource constraints.

Plan Cost Management Cost

Inputs

• Project charter
• PM plan
• EEFs
• OPAs

Tools & Techniques

• Expert judgment
• Data analysis
• Meetings

Outputs

• Cost management plan

💡 Planning produces baselines; all control processes compare performance to these baselines.

Estimate Costs Cost

Inputs

• Cost management plan
• Scope baseline
• Project schedule
• Resource requirements
• Risk register

Tools & Techniques

• Analogous
• Parametric
• Bottom‑up
• Three‑point
• Vendor bid analysis
• Reserve analysis
• Cost of quality

Outputs

• Cost estimates
• Basis of estimates

💡 Planning produces baselines; all control processes compare performance to these baselines.

Determine Budget Cost

Inputs

• Cost estimates
• Basis of estimates
• Project schedule
• Contracts
• Risk register
• Business case

Tools & Techniques

• Cost aggregation
• Funding limit reconciliation
• Historical information review
• Reserve analysis

Outputs

• Cost baseline
• Funding requirements

💡 Planning produces baselines; all control processes compare performance to these baselines.

Plan Quality Management Quality

Inputs

• Project charter
• Stakeholder register
• Requirements documentation
• Risk register
• EEFs
• OPAs

Tools & Techniques

• Cost–benefit analysis
• Cost of quality
• Seven basic quality tools
• Benchmarking
• Design of experiments

Outputs

• Quality management plan
• Quality metrics
• Quality checklists

💡 Know when to use each of the seven basic tools; 'quality' is fitness for use and conformance to requirements.

Fishbone

Pareto + Control

Plan Resource Management Resource

Inputs

• Project charter
• Project management plan
• EEFs
• OPAs

Tools & Techniques

• Organizational theory
• Data representation (RACI, hierarchies)
• Team charter

Outputs

• Resource management plan
• Team charter

💡 Planning produces baselines; all control processes compare performance to these baselines.

Estimate Activity Resources Resource

Inputs

• Scope baseline
• Activity list & attributes
• Resource calendars
• Risk register

Tools & Techniques

• Bottom‑up estimating
• Analogous/parametric
• PMIS

Outputs

• Resource requirements
• Basis of estimates
• Resource breakdown structure (RBS)

💡 Planning produces baselines; all control processes compare performance to these baselines.

Plan Communications Management Communications

Inputs

• Stakeholder register
• Project management plan
• EEFs
• OPAs

Tools & Techniques

• Communication requirements analysis
• Communication models/methods
• Interpersonal & team skills
• PMIS

Outputs

• Communications management plan

💡 Planning produces baselines; all control processes compare performance to these baselines.

Plan Risk Management Risk

Inputs

• Project charter
• PM plan
• Stakeholder register
• EEFs
• OPAs

Tools & Techniques

• Expert judgment
• Data analysis
• Meetings

Outputs

• Risk management plan

💡 Planning produces baselines; all control processes compare performance to these baselines.

Identify Risks Risk

Inputs

• Risk management plan
• Assumption log
• Project documents
• Agreements
• EEFs
• OPAs

Tools & Techniques

• Brainstorming
• Checklists
• Prompt lists
• Interviews
• SWOT
• Root cause analysis

Outputs

• Risk register
• Risk report

💡 Planning produces baselines; all control processes compare performance to these baselines.

Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis Risk

Inputs

• Risk register
• Risk management plan
• Stakeholder register

Tools & Techniques

• Probability & impact matrix
• Data representation (heat maps)
• Facilitation

Outputs

• Updated risk register/report
• Assumption log updates

💡 Planning produces baselines; all control processes compare performance to these baselines.

Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis Risk

Inputs

• Risk register
• Cost/schedule estimates
• Project schedule
• Historical records

Tools & Techniques

• Simulation (Monte Carlo)
• Decision tree analysis (EMV)
• Sensitivity analysis

Outputs

• Quantified risk analysis updates
• Prioritized list of risks

💡 Planning produces baselines; all control processes compare performance to these baselines.

Plan Risk Responses Risk

Inputs

• Risk register/report
• Risk management plan

Tools & Techniques

• Threat strategies: avoid/mitigate/transfer/accept
• Opportunity strategies: exploit/enhance/share/accept
• Contingent response strategies

Outputs

• Change requests
• Updates to plan/docs

💡 Planning produces baselines; all control processes compare performance to these baselines.

Plan Procurement Management Procurement

Inputs

• Project scope requirements
• Schedule
• Cost estimates
• Risk register
• EEFs
• OPAs

Tools & Techniques

• Make-or-buy analysis
• Market research
• Source selection criteria

Outputs

• Procurement management plan
• Procurement strategy
• Bid documents
• Procurement SOW
• Independent cost estimates

💡 Planning produces baselines; all control processes compare performance to these baselines.

Plan Stakeholder Engagement Stakeholder

Inputs

• Stakeholder register
• Project management plan
• EEFs
• OPAs

Tools & Techniques

• Stakeholder engagement assessment matrix
• Decision making
• Meetings

Outputs

• Stakeholder engagement plan

💡 Planning produces baselines; all control processes compare performance to these baselines.

Executing

Direct and Manage Project Work Integration

Inputs

• Project management plan
• Project documents
• Approved change requests
• EEFs
• OPAs

Tools & Techniques

• Expert judgment
• PMIS
• Meetings

Outputs

• Deliverables
• Work performance data
• Issue log
• Change requests
• Project management plan updates

💡 Implement approved CRs only; capture lessons continuously (not just at the end).

Manage Project Knowledge Integration

Inputs

• Project management plan
• Project documents
• Deliverables
• OPAs

Tools & Techniques

• Knowledge management
• Information management
• Interpersonal & team skills

Outputs

• Lessons learned register updates
• OPA updates

💡 Implement approved CRs only; capture lessons continuously (not just at the end).

Manage Quality Quality

Inputs

• Quality management plan
• Quality metrics
• Project documents

Tools & Techniques

• Quality audits
• Design for X
• Process analysis
• Root cause analysis

Outputs

• Quality reports
• Test/inspection planning updates
• Change requests

💡 Audits check process; Control Quality checks product.

Acquire Resources Resource

Inputs

• Resource management plan
• Procurement documents
• OPAs

Tools & Techniques

• Negotiation
• Virtual teams
• Multi-criteria decision analysis

Outputs

• Physical resource assignments
• Project team assignments
• Resource calendars
• CRs

💡 Implement approved CRs only; capture lessons continuously (not just at the end).

Develop Team Resource

Inputs

• Resource management plan
• Team charter
• Project schedule

Tools & Techniques

• Colocation
• Training
• Recognition and rewards
• Team-building
• Assessments

Outputs

• Team performance assessments
• CRs
• Updates

💡 Implement approved CRs only; capture lessons continuously (not just at the end).

Manage Team Resource

Inputs

• Project team assignments
• Team performance assessments
• Issue log
• Work performance reports

Tools & Techniques

• Conflict management
• Decision making
• Emotional intelligence
• Leadership
• Communication

Outputs

• Change requests
• Updates

💡 Implement approved CRs only; capture lessons continuously (not just at the end).

Manage Communications Communications

Inputs

• Communications management plan
• Work performance reports
• Project documents

Tools & Techniques

• Communication technology
• Skills (presentation, writing)
• PMIS

Outputs

• Project communications
• Updates

💡 Implement approved CRs only; capture lessons continuously (not just at the end).

Implement Risk Responses Risk

Inputs

• Risk management plan
• Risk register/report
• Project documents

Tools & Techniques

• Interpersonal and team skills
• PMIS
• Contingent response execution

Outputs

• Change requests
• Project documents updates

💡 Implement approved CRs only; capture lessons continuously (not just at the end).

Conduct Procurements Procurement

Inputs

• Procurement documents
• Seller proposals
• Project documents

Tools & Techniques

• Bidder conferences
• Advertising
• Negotiation
• Independent estimates

Outputs

• Selected sellers
• Agreements
• Change requests
• Updates

💡 Implement approved CRs only; capture lessons continuously (not just at the end).

Manage Stakeholder Engagement Stakeholder

Inputs

• Stakeholder engagement plan
• Communications management plan
• Change log

Tools & Techniques

• Interpersonal and team skills
• Ground rules
• Meetings

Outputs

• Change requests
• Issue log updates
• Stakeholder register updates

💡 Implement approved CRs only; capture lessons continuously (not just at the end).

Monitoring & Controlling

Monitor and Control Project Work Integration

Inputs

• Project management plan
• Project documents
• Work performance information
• Agreements
• EEFs
• OPAs

Tools & Techniques

• Data analysis (trend, variance)
• Decision making
• Meetings

Outputs

• Work performance reports
• Change requests
• Updates

💡 Measure vs. baselines, analyze variances, issue forecasts and CRs as needed.

Perform Integrated Change Control Integration

Inputs

• Project management plan
• Work performance reports
• Change requests
• EEFs
• OPAs

Tools & Techniques

• Change control tools
• Data analysis (impact analysis)
• Decision making (CCB)
• Meetings

Outputs

• Approved change requests
• Updates to plan/docs

💡 Only the CCB approves/rejects CRs; then update baselines/documents.

Validate Scope Scope

Inputs

• PM plan (scope baseline)
• Requirements documentation
• Requirements traceability matrix
• Verified deliverables

Tools & Techniques

• Inspection
• Decision making

Outputs

• Accepted deliverables
• Change requests
• Work performance information

💡 Accepted deliverables precede final closing; distinct from quality control.

Control Scope Scope

Inputs

• PM plan (scope baseline)
• Requirements documentation
• RTM
• Work performance data

Tools & Techniques

• Data analysis (variance, trend)
• Decision making
• Change control

Outputs

• Work performance information
• Change requests
• Updates

💡 Measure vs. baselines, analyze variances, issue forecasts and CRs as needed.

Control Schedule Schedule

Inputs

• PM plan (schedule baseline)
• Project schedule
• Work performance data

Tools & Techniques

• Data analysis (critical path, earned schedule)
• Leads/lags
• Schedule compression

Outputs

• Work performance information
• Schedule forecasts
• Change requests
• Updates

💡 Measure vs. baselines, analyze variances, issue forecasts and CRs as needed.

Control Costs Cost

Inputs

• PM plan (cost baseline)
• Project funding requirements
• Work performance data

Tools & Techniques

• Earned value analysis (EV, PV, AC, CPI, SPI, EAC, ETC, VAC, TCPI)
• Trend/variance analysis

Outputs

• Work performance information
• Cost forecasts
• Change requests
• Updates

💡 Memorize EVM: CPI=EV/AC; SPI=EV/PV; common EAC=BAC/CPI.

EVM Formulas

• EV, PV, AC
• CPI=EV/AC, SPI=EV/PV
• CV=EV−AC, SV=EV−PV
• EAC (typical)=BAC/CPI
• ETC=EAC−AC, TCPI=(BAC−EV)/(BAC−AC)

Control Quality Quality

Inputs

• Quality management plan
• Quality metrics
• Work performance data
• Approved change requests
• Deliverables

Tools & Techniques

• Inspection
• Control charts
• Checklists
• Pareto
• Cause-and-effect
• Sampling

Outputs

• Quality control measurements
• Verified deliverables
• Work performance information
• Change requests
• Updates

💡 Measure vs. baselines, analyze variances, issue forecasts and CRs as needed.

Control Chart

Pareto

Control Resources Resource

Inputs

• Resource management plan
• Physical resource assignments
• Project schedule

Tools & Techniques

• Data analysis (trend, variance)
• Problem solving
• Interpersonal skills

Outputs

• Work performance information
• Change requests
• Updates

💡 Measure vs. baselines, analyze variances, issue forecasts and CRs as needed.

Monitor Communications Communications

Inputs

• Communications management plan
• Project communications
• Work performance data

Tools & Techniques

• Expert judgment
• PMIS
• Data analysis

Outputs

• Work performance information
• Change requests
• Updates

💡 Measure vs. baselines, analyze variances, issue forecasts and CRs as needed.

Monitor Risks Risk

Inputs

• Risk management plan
• Risk register/report
• Work performance data

Tools & Techniques

• Risk reassessment
• Risk audits
• Reserve analysis
• Meetings

Outputs

• Work performance information
• Change requests
• Updates

💡 Measure vs. baselines, analyze variances, issue forecasts and CRs as needed.

Control Procurements Procurement

Inputs

• Agreements
• Procurement documentation
• Approved change requests
• Work performance data

Tools & Techniques

• Claims administration
• Performance reviews
• Audits
• Payment systems

Outputs

• Closed procurements
• Work performance information
• Change requests
• Updates

💡 Measure vs. baselines, analyze variances, issue forecasts and CRs as needed.

Monitor Stakeholder Engagement Stakeholder

Inputs

• Stakeholder engagement plan
• Issue log
• Project communications
• Work performance data

Tools & Techniques

• Data analysis
• Decision making
• Meetings

Outputs

• Work performance information
• Change requests
• Updates

💡 Measure vs. baselines, analyze variances, issue forecasts and CRs as needed.

Closing

Close Project or Phase Integration

Inputs

• Project charter
• Project management plan
• Accepted deliverables
• Business documents
• Agreements
• OPA

Tools & Techniques

• Expert judgment
• Data analysis
• Meetings

Outputs

• Final product/service/result transition
• Final report
• OPA updates
• Archived records

💡 Obtain formal acceptance, hand off deliverable, archive records, release resources.

Agile Overview: Manifesto → Practices

Values

Individuals & interactions • Working product • Customer collaboration • Responding to change.

Principles (Applied)

Deliver early & often → short sprints; Welcome change → adaptive planning; Work together → embedded stakeholders; Sustainable pace → stable velocity; Technical excellence → TDD/CI/CD; Inspect & adapt → Reviews/Retros.

Mindset vs. Methods

Agility is a mindset; Scrum, Kanban, XP are methods that operationalize it.

When to Use

High uncertainty, evolving scope, need for feedback, complex systems, learning orientation.

Delivery Life Cycles (Know the Differences)

Predictive

Stage-gated, upfront scope, limited change; heavy documentation; best for stable, regulated, low‑volatility work.

Iterative

Repeat to refine design/requirements (learning loops) with limited increments delivered.

Incremental

Deliver slices of value frequently; design may be more fixed.

Agile

Iterative + incremental; evolving design; frequent stakeholder feedback; small batches.

Hybrid

Mix governance (predictive) with agile delivery (sprints/flow); common in large enterprises.

Roles Deep Dive & Anti‑Patterns

Product Owner

Owns value; orders backlog; accepts Increment. Anti‑patterns: proxy PO (no authority), changing goals mid‑sprint.

Scrum Master

Servant leader; coaches team/org; removes impediments. Anti‑patterns: task master, status secretary.

Developers

Cross‑functional; accountable for creating Done Increment. Anti‑patterns: mini‑waterfall by role, hero culture.

Stakeholders

Provide feedback; clarify needs; attend reviews. Anti‑patterns: late involvement, bypassing PO.

Events as ITTO‑Style (for Exam)

Sprint Planning

Inputs

• Product Backlog (ordered)
• Definition of Done/Ready
• Velocity / capacity
• Roadmap & goals

Tools & Techniques

• Facilitation, story slicing
• Relative estimation (story points)
• Negotiation & forecasting
• Task breakdown

Outputs

• Sprint Goal
• Selected backlog items
• Initial plan (tasks)
• Updated Definition of Done/Ready (if needed)

💡 Team pulls work based on capacity; PO sets priority, not scope promises.

Daily Scrum

Inputs

• Sprint Goal, Sprint Backlog
• Work in progress
• Impediment list

Tools & Techniques

• Kanban board
• Walk‑the‑board, swarming
• Micro‑replanning

Outputs

• Updated plan for next 24 hours
• Raised impediments
• Improved transparency

Sprint Review

Inputs

• Done Increment
• Stakeholder feedback
• Roadmap & market changes

Tools & Techniques

• Demonstrations
• Collaborative prioritization
• Impact mapping, story mapping

Outputs

• Adapted Product Backlog (re‑ordered)
• Updated forecasts
• New/changed items

Sprint Retrospective

Inputs

• Sprint outcomes & metrics
• Team feedback
• Defects/escaped defects

Tools & Techniques

• Root cause analysis (Fishbone, 5 Whys)
• Safety check
• Actionable experiments

Outputs

• Improvement actions in next Sprint
• Working agreements updates
• Process changes

Backlog Refinement

Inputs

• Product Backlog
• Feedback & metrics
• Architecture/UX inputs

Tools & Techniques

• Story splitting patterns
• DoR alignment
• Relative estimation (Poker)

Outputs

• Clear, small, testable stories
• Prioritized items
• Updated acceptance criteria

Artifacts & Information Radiators

Product Backlog

Ordered list of everything desired; owned by PO; emergent and transparent.

Sprint Backlog

Selected items + plan to meet Sprint Goal; owned by Developers; updated daily.

Increment

Integrated, tested, potentially releasable; meets the Definition of Done (DoD).

Radiators

Burndown/Burnup, CFD, Kanban, risk board, release roadmap.

Estimation, Sizing & Prioritization

Relative Sizing

Story points, T‑shirt sizes; focus on complexity & effort, not hours.

Prioritization

WSJF (Cost of Delay / Duration), MoSCoW, Kano; include risk reduction & opportunity enablement.

Forecasting

Use velocity/throughput ranges; Monte Carlo for dates/scope probability.

Anti‑Patterns

Committed velocity targets; using points for performance comparisons; date promises without ranges.

Metrics & Flow

Burndown

CFD

💡 Use CFD to spot bottlenecks (bands widening). Control charts visualize cycle time stability.

Built‑in Quality & Engineering (XP/DevOps)

Practices

TDD/BDD, Pairing, Code review, Refactoring, CI/CD, Feature toggles, Trunk‑based dev.

Non‑Functional

Security, performance, reliability; include in DoD and acceptance criteria.

Definition of Done

Agreed quality bar: tests, docs, deployment readiness, compliance evidence.

Defects

Fix inside sprint where possible; track escaped defects and address root causes.

Scaling & Hybrid

Scaling

SAFe (ARTs, PI Planning), LeSS (feature teams), Scrum@Scale, Nexus; synchronize, integrate frequently.

Hybrid

Predictive governance (gates, compliance) + agile delivery (sprints/flow). Keep agility where volatility is high.

Coordination

Dependency management, integration cadence, shared Definition of Done.

Tailoring

Right-size ceremonies, artifacts, and documentation; maintain transparency.

Risk in Agile

Approach

Risk-adjusted backlog, spikes, enablers; ROAM board (Resolve, Own, Accept, Mitigate).

Timing

Surface and manage risks continuously (Daily, Review, Retro), not just at gates.

Measures

Defect trends, escaped defects, cycle time variability, technical debt.

Contingency

Capacity buffer, architectural runway, feature toggles for rollback.

Agile Contracts, Procurement & Compliance

Contracts

Time & Materials with caps, incremental fixed price, outcome-based; clear DoD and acceptance paths.

Vendors

Shared cadence, demos, common DoD; transparent progress via done increments.

Compliance

Automated tests and traceability as audit evidence; light docs aligned to working software.

Governance

Risk-based documentation and checkpoints; guardrails, not gates, when feasible.

Kanban Board & WIP

Kanban Board

Agile Exam Tips & Traps

Mindset

Prefer collaboration, transparency, and adaptation over rigid plan control when change is high.

Ownership

PO orders backlog; team selects scope based on capacity; SM enables the system.

Quality

“Definition of Done” means releasable; build quality in (automation) rather than inspect in.

Metrics

Velocity is not for comparing teams; CFD reveals bottlenecks; burnup handles changing scope better.

Needs Assessment

Identify Problem/Opportunity

Business goals, pain points, constraints, success criteria.

Assess Current State

Capabilities, process maps, data, KPIs, stakeholder perspectives.

Determine Future State

Outcomes, capabilities, KPIs, acceptance criteria.

Options & Recommendation

Alternatives analysis, feasibility, scope, costs/benefits, risks.

Fishbone (Root Cause)

💡 Confirm problem statement and measures of success before detailed requirements.

Elicitation & Analysis

Elicitation Techniques

Interviews, Workshops, Surveys, Observation, Prototyping.

Modeling

Use cases, Process flows, Data models, State diagrams, Story maps.

Define & Elaborate

User stories, Acceptance criteria, Non‑functional requirements.

Prioritization

MoSCoW, Kano, WSJF; balance value, risk, effort.

Traceability Matrix

Pareto + Control

💡 Use RTM to assess impact of changes across design, build, and test before approval.

Traceability & Monitoring

Approach

Link requirements → design → build → test → release; define rules for trace and coverage.

Approval

Select and approve requirements when they are valuable, feasible, and testable.

Change Control

Formal request → impact analysis → decision → update RTM and baselines.

Solution Evaluation

Evaluation Approach

Define metrics, data collection, thresholds; plan UAT.

Execute

Pilot, test, defect triage, measure benefits.

Acceptance & Release

Obtain sign‑off; transition to operations; collect lessons learned.

Quick Reference — EVM Formulas

Core

EV, PV, AC; CPI=EV/AC; SPI=EV/PV; CV=EV−AC; SV=EV−PV

Forecasts

EAC≈BAC/CPI (typical); ETC=EAC−AC; TCPI=(BAC−EV)/(BAC−AC)

Earned Schedule

SPI(t)=ES/AT; consider when schedule performance is key.

Quick Reference — Quality Tools

7 Basic Tools

Flowchart • Check Sheet • Cause‑and‑Effect • Histogram • Pareto • Control Chart • Scatter.

Design

Design of Experiments (DOE), Design for X (DfX).

Usage

Plan: choose metrics & thresholds; Control: measure, chart, act.