Executing (Focus Area)
Focus Areas are not project phases. They describe categories of work that can occur at any point in the life cycle and often overlap dynamically.
Definition
The Executing Focus Area consists of those processes, practices, or actions performed to complete the work in a manner consistent with the currently agreed-upon course of action.
Actions in this Focus Area include coordinating resources, managing stakeholder engagement, and performing the activities of the project. The key benefit is to drive focused execution to achieve the value proposition represented by the Integrated Baseline. The project management plan can and should be changed whenever such a change would enhance the value proposition. This Focus Area is where the choice of development approach (adaptive, predictive, or hybrid) is often most evident.
Processes by Domain
| Process | Domain |
|---|---|
| Manage Project Execution | 3.1. Governance |
| Manage Quality Assurance | 3.1. Governance |
| Manage Project Knowledge | 3.1. Governance |
| Acquire Resources | 3.5. Resources Domain |
| Develop Team | 3.5. Resources Domain |
| Lead the Team | 3.5. Resources Domain |
| Manage Stakeholder Engagement | 3.2. Stakeholders |
| Manage Communications | 3.2. Stakeholders |
| Implement Risk Responses | 3.7. Risk Domain |
3.3. Scope Domain, 3.4. Schedule Domain, and 3.6. Finance Domain do not have dedicated Executing processes — their work products are produced here but measured in 2.4. Monitoring and Controlling.
Key artifacts created / updated
- Deliverables — work products and project outputs produced during execution
- Work performance data — raw measurements, counts, and observations collected during execution (input to M&C)
- Issue log — active problems requiring resolution; updated continuously
- Lessons learned register — knowledge captured as execution proceeds (not only at close)
- Change requests — generated when variances, risks, or issues trigger the need for changes
- Team performance assessments — team member evaluation and feedback records
Key activities
- Lead and perform work defined in the project management plan
- Allocate and manage resources efficiently (human and physical)
- Implement approved changes only (corrective actions, preventive actions, defect repair)
- Collect work performance data (raw measurements and observations)
- Manage quality assurance (process effectiveness, audits, shift-left quality practices)
- Manage project knowledge (capture lessons learned, share explicit and tacit knowledge)
- Manage stakeholder engagement and communications
- Develop and lead the team (coaching, recognition, conflict resolution)
- Track and resolve issues using the issue log
Agile / hybrid considerations
- Executing in adaptive = sprint execution; team self-organizes around the sprint backlog
- Daily standups surface impediments in real time — a key executing rhythm in adaptive
- Quality embedded in every sprint via Definition of Done (DoD), peer review, and automated testing — not a separate closing activity
- PM (Scrum Master equivalent) removes impediments and enables the team rather than directing work tasks
Exam angle
- Work performance data vs. information: raw data (measurements, counts, observations) is collected in Executing; analyzed work performance information is produced in 2.4. Monitoring and Controlling — wrong answers conflate the two
- Issue management: issues are actively resolved in Executing (already occurred); risks are managed proactively — wrong answers treat current active problems as future risks
- PM’s role: enabling the team, removing obstacles, maintaining stakeholder alignment — not just task assignment and status tracking
- Change request gate: changes must go through integrated change control and be approved BEFORE implementation — generating a change request during execution does not authorize the change