Processes
What they are: Repeatable methods or governance approaches that define how work is done, such as Quality Assurance or Risk Management. A process groups the activities that carry it out, and says who governs it and when it applies.
Example: "Quality Assurance" groups design reviews, audits and test sign-offs. "Risk Management" groups risk assessments, risk reviews and mitigation tracking. "Configuration Management" groups change control and baseline management.
Key points:
- Processes group related activities: they don't do work themselves
- Each process can have RACI roles, for example the Quality Manager is Accountable for Quality Assurance
- Processes can apply to particular phases or to the whole project
- A process's products come from the products of its linked activities
- Processes are optional: simple projects may not need them
Adding processes
On the By Process tab (under Activities), choose Edit, then Add Process. Open a process to fill in its details:
- Purpose and Description: what the process is for and how it works
- Frequency: Continuous, Per Phase, Periodic, Triggered or Once
- Phases: the phases it applies to
- Entry criteria and Exit criteria: when it starts and when it's complete
- Definition URL: a link to where the process is defined, such as your quality management system
Outside edit mode, View opens a process's details read-only.
Activities and roles
Link activities to a process to show which work carries it out. The By Process tab groups activities by process, so you can see each one's work at a glance.
Assign roles to a process with RACI responsibilities to show who governs it. See them on the Responsibilities tab with Process (see Organisation and RACI). The Health Check flags processes with no Accountable role or no activities.
On the Lifecycle tab, governance processes appear as bars across the phases they apply to (see Phases and milestones).