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Executing the Plan

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03 Executing The Plan

Executing relies on coordinated teamwork, strong communication, and continuous stakeholder engagement to produce deliverables. The executing phase is where the actual deliverables are created. Up until this point all lines of effort are focused on scaffolding.

The Executing Process Group is where the plan becomes action—and action becomes deliverables.The Project Manager and Project Team coordinate people, resources, and vendors to perform the work defined in the plan, while the communications plan keeps everyone informed. The risk management plan puts response mechanisms in place so anticipated risks can be handled if they become events, and execution remains aligned with Monitoring and Controlling to help keep deliverables on time and to standard.

Executing is also where servant leadership and stakeholder engagement matter most: progress depends on clear direction, timely decisions, and removing roadblocks so the team can do its best work.

While Planning defines what needs to be done and how, Executing focuses on doing the work, managing performance, and maintaining alignment with the baselines established in Planning. Issues discovered here are communicated and, when necessary, routed back through Monitoring & Controlling to request changes or corrective actions.

Key Processes in the Executing Group

According to PMI, the Executing Process Group includes the following processes:

  1. Direct and Manage Project Work — Perform the work to produce deliverables.
  2. Manage Quality — Apply planned quality activities to verify processes and prevent defects.
  3. Acquire, Develop, and Manage Team — Build capability, resolve conflicts, and maintain performance.
  4. Manage Communications — Ensure the right information reaches the right stakeholders at the right time.
  5. Manage Stakeholder Engagement — Maintain buy-in, address concerns, and sustain support.
  6. Manage Procurements - Work with vendors to deliver contracted scope.

Execution turns plans into deliverables. Leadership, communication, and Stakeholder Engagement turn deliverables into value. Adapted from PMI guidance

Managing Teams and Communications

Executing is a people centric process group. The project manager enables performance by clarifying expectations, protecting the team’s focus, and escalating blockers early. Communications are proactive and purposeful: status, decisions, and changes are routed to the correct audiences through agreed channels and cadences in accordance with the Communications Management Plan.

Quality is built in—not just inspected at the end—by following defined processes and using feedback loops to prevent defects and rework.

Example in Practice

In most college courses, the Executing Process Group is where the weekly assignments and to-do list (work breakdown structure) gets executed to produce completed assignments [[3-glossary#|(Deliverables.)]] The work defined during Planning—such as creating rubrics and organizing one’s priority list is carried out step by step using the workflow that matches the project’s WBS

Draft documents are developed into final submissions and prepared to submission to the instructor. Execution also includes quality activities: drafts are reviewed against the rubric, refined, and re-checked through Monitoring & Controlling to confirm accuracy, completeness, and compliance. By following the execution checklist, every deliverable is produced, validated, and linked back to planning intent—ensuring both the project requirements and course grading standards are fully met.

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