Phase and artifact map
| Phase |
Core controls |
| Discovery |
Business case, strategic fit, assumptions, and options |
| Initiation |
Charter, sponsor, stakeholders, authority, and kickoff alignment |
| Planning |
Scope, WBS, schedule, baselines, RACI, communications, risks, and procurement |
| Execution |
Status, issues, changes, corrective action, and vendor follow-through |
| Closing |
Acceptance, handoff, archive, lessons, and resource release |
Artifact chooser
| Need |
Artifact |
| Authorize the work |
Charter |
| Define included work |
Scope statement or approved backlog boundary |
| Decompose deliverables |
WBS |
| Assign roles |
RACI or RAM |
| Track future uncertainty |
Risk register |
| Track active problem |
Issue log |
| Propose baseline change |
Change request and change log |
| Report high-level health |
Dashboard |
Common distinctions
| Pair |
Distinction |
| Risk vs. issue |
Future uncertainty vs. current problem |
| Charter vs. plan |
Authorization vs. detailed execution control |
| Critical path vs. float |
Finish-driving sequence vs. schedule flexibility |
| Quality assurance vs. quality control |
Process quality vs. deliverable inspection |
| Dashboard vs. register |
Summary view vs. control record |
| Predictive vs. agile vs. hybrid |
Stable planned work vs. iterative uncertain work vs. intentionally mixed approaches |
For a new request, classify it first: risk, issue, or change. Then identify owner, impact, authority, record, response, and communication path.