Within the Planning Process Group, which combination contains only planning processes or typical planning activities?

Introduction / Context:
The Planning Process Group is where the project manager and team define and refine objectives and plan the course of action required to achieve those objectives. It includes processes from many knowledge areas, such as scope, time, cost, quality, human resources and risk. Being able to recognize which processes belong to planning is important for exam questions that ask where in the life cycle a particular activity occurs. This question provides several combinations and asks you to identify the one that contains only planning activities.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• All options list real project management processes or activities.
• Only one option contains processes that belong entirely to the Planning Process Group.
• You are familiar with PMBOK style process names and their associated groups.
• The focus is on correctly classifying the processes by group, not by knowledge area.

Concept / Approach:
Planning processes create baselines and subsidiary plans. Develop Project Management Plan integrates all planning efforts into one comprehensive plan. Define Scope creates a detailed project scope statement. Create WBS decomposes deliverables into work packages. These are classic planning processes. In contrast, Direct and Manage Project Execution and Perform Quality Assurance belong to Executing, while Monitor and Control Risks and Perform Integrated Change Control are part of Monitoring and Controlling. Develop Project Charter is an Initiating process and Close Project or Phase belongs to Closing. By mapping each process to its group, you can easily select the correct combination.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Analyze option A. Develop Project Management Plan, Define Scope and Create WBS are well known planning processes from Integration and Scope Management.Step 2: Analyze option B. Direct and Manage Project Execution is an Executing process. Perform Quality Assurance and Acquire Project Team are also part of the Executing Process Group.Step 3: Analyze option C. Monitor and Control Risks, Report Performance and Perform Integrated Change Control are processes from the Monitoring and Controlling Process Group.Step 4: Analyze option D. Develop Project Charter and Identify Stakeholders are Initiating processes, while Close Project or Phase is a Closing process.Step 5: Since only option A contains processes that all belong to Planning, it must be the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
Refer to a PMBOK Guide process chart and locate each process by both knowledge area and process group. Develop Project Management Plan appears in Integration under Planning. Define Scope and Create WBS appear in Scope Management under Planning. The other options clearly show processes positioned in other process groups. This cross check proves that option A is the only all planning combination.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B groups executing activities that involve doing the work and managing team and quality during execution. Option C lists typical monitoring and controlling activities, such as tracking risks and managing changes. Option D mixes initiating and closing, which frame the project life cycle but do not represent planning. None of these fulfill the requirement of containing only planning processes.

Common Pitfalls:
A common error is to assume that processes with words like Plan or Develop are always in Planning, while others are not. In reality, some planning related tasks may appear in other groups and some processes without those words can still belong to Planning. Another pitfall is memorizing processes only by knowledge area and not by group, which makes these classification questions difficult. Studying the standard process chart and practicing grouping exercises can significantly improve accuracy.

Final Answer:
The combination that contains only planning processes is Develop Project Management Plan, Define Scope, Create WBS.