Direct and Manage Project Work

The process of guiding the team to execute the work in the project management plan, producing deliverables, and putting approved change requests into action so the project meets its goals.

Key Points

  • Executes the work packages defined in the project management plan to produce deliverables.
  • Implements only approved change requests (corrective, preventive, and defect repair).
  • Provides day-to-day leadership, manages resources, and resolves issues while doing the work.
  • Generates work performance data and other outputs that feed monitoring and control activities.

Example

A project manager leads a software team to build the next release based on the project plan. After the change control board approves a corrective action to improve logging, the PM directs the team to modify the code, updates task assignments, and tracks progress while collecting performance data for reporting.

PMP Example Question

The change control board has just approved a corrective action to address frequent system timeouts. What should the project manager do next?

  1. Update the risk register and wait for the next status meeting
  2. Implement the approved change while executing the plan
  3. Perform variance analysis to confirm the issue persists
  4. Close the change request and notify stakeholders the project is complete

Correct Answer: B — Implement the approved change while executing the planned work

Explanation: Once a change is approved, it is carried out in Direct and Manage Project Work as part of executing the project management plan.

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