HKSM

Coordinating people, resources, and information to produce the planned deliverables and value, while adapting to feedback and managing issues, risks, and changes in real time.

Purpose & When to Use

Manage Project Execution turns the plan into delivered outcomes. It focuses on guiding the team’s day-to-day work, removing impediments, ensuring quality, managing suppliers, and keeping stakeholders informed so value is realized. Use it continuously throughout delivery, whether you work in iterations, flow-based delivery, or staged releases.

Mini Flow (How It’s Done)

• Align the team on goals, scope boundaries, working agreements, and acceptance criteria.
• Start the work cycle (iteration/work package), clarify priorities, and confirm dependencies and resource availability.
• Sequence and assign work, limit work in progress, and keep the task board or schedule current.
• Facilitate daily coordination, surface impediments, and escalate or resolve blockers quickly.
• Coordinate with vendors and internal support teams; secure required environments, tools, and materials.
• Build the deliverables following defined methods, standards, and configuration control.
• Verify quality continuously with reviews, tests, and inspections; capture and act on metrics.
• Handle changes using the agreed change process: assess impact, decide, and update baselines when approved.
• Manage risks and issues: monitor, respond, and update owners and due dates.
• Communicate progress and forecasts using simple, reliable information radiators and status reports.
• Obtain validation and acceptance for completed increments; release or hand off as appropriate.
• Capture lessons and improve ways of working through frequent retrospectives and knowledge sharing.

Quality & Acceptance Checklist

• Deliverables meet current requirements and agreed acceptance criteria.
• Definition of Done satisfied: reviews complete, tests passed, defects addressed, and documentation updated.
• Configuration items versioned and traceable; build and release records maintained.
• Required compliance, security, and regulatory checks performed and evidenced.
• Approved changes implemented; schedule, scope, and budget updated after approval.
• Risks, issues, and actions have owners, due dates, and recent updates.
• Stakeholder validation or sign-off recorded for completed deliverables.
• Resource usage within limits; actuals captured against plan for time and cost.
• Operational readiness confirmed for handover, including support and training needs.
• Key learnings documented and shared with the team and stakeholders.

Common Mistakes & Exam Traps

• Implementing scope changes informally; always assess impact and follow the change process.
• Skipping acceptance criteria or Definition of Done, causing rework and delayed acceptance.
• Allowing excessive work in progress, which slows flow and hides bottlenecks.
• Micromanaging tasks instead of enabling the team and removing impediments.
• Reporting only percent complete; provide clear, objective measures such as tested, accepted increments.
• Delaying lessons learned until the end; improvement should be continuous.
• Updating baselines before analysis and approval; analyze first, then change the plan if approved.
• Engaging stakeholders late; maintain regular demos, reviews, and feedback loops.

PMP Example Question

Midway through an iteration, a key vendor announces a shipment delay that threatens a critical deliverable. What should the project manager do first?

1. Update the schedule baseline to reflect the delay.
2. Escalate per the contract, log the issue, and work with the team to evaluate response options.
3. Ask the team to work overtime to protect the delivery date.
4. Notify the sponsor that scope will be reduced to stay on schedule.

Correct Answer: B — Escalate per the contract, log the issue, and evaluate response options.

Explanation: During execution, the first step is to address the impediment using issue and vendor management, analyze options with the team, and then adjust plans only if needed and approved.