Process: Define Activities
Process Group: Planning
Knowledge Area: Project Schedule Management
Purpose
The Define Activities process involves identifying and documenting the specific actions required to produce the project deliverables. These activities are derived from the work packages defined in the WBS and form the foundation for estimating, scheduling, and monitoring project progress.
Inputs
- Project Management Plan – Especially the schedule management plan and scope baseline (WBS, WBS dictionary).
- Enterprise Environmental Factors (EEFs) – Standards, tools, and organizational culture that influence activity definition.
- Organizational Process Assets (OPAs) – Activity lists, templates, and historical information from similar projects.
Tools and Techniques
- Expert Judgment – Used to break down work packages into activities based on knowledge and experience.
- Decomposition – The primary technique for breaking work packages into distinct, manageable tasks.
- Rolling Wave Planning – Progressive elaboration of work that will be done in the near term with more detail than future tasks.
- Meetings – Involving team members and stakeholders to confirm activity lists and ensure completeness.
Outputs
- Activity List – A comprehensive list of all schedule activities required for the project.
- Activity Attributes – Details about each activity, such as ID, description, predecessors, successors, leads/lags, constraints, and responsible resources.
- Milestone List – Identifies significant points or events within the schedule, such as approvals or deliverable completions.
Role in the Process Group and Knowledge Area
- Within the Planning Process Group, Define Activities provides the granular detail needed to support estimation and sequencing.
- In Project Schedule Management, it transforms scope elements (work packages) into actionable tasks.
Why It Matters
- Enables Accurate Scheduling – Breaks down work into trackable units that can be sequenced and estimated.
- Supports Progress Tracking – Activities serve as the basis for monitoring execution and reporting status.
- Improves Resource Planning – Clarifies what needs to be done so resources can be properly allocated.
- Prevents Overlooked Work – Ensures that all required actions are identified and documented.