Project Management Body of Knowledge

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Project Management Institute (PMI) published the first PMBOK® in an attempt to document and standardize generally accepted project management information and practices. The current edition, the third edition, was released on October 31, 2004 and provides a basic reference for Project Management. The PMBOK Guide is widely accepted to be the standard in project management, although it has its critics: The main thrust of the critique comes from the critical chain (vs. critical path) followers (e.g. Leach). Others consider Agile approaches to software development - such as Scrum, for instance - to be more useful alternatives to master the threads stemming from complexity, unpredictability, and risk in project settlements. The PMBOK documents information and practices applicable to any type of project, not just IT related projects.

For those dedicated PMI Project Managers, a new standard is developing, Organisational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3). Containing three interlocking elements - knowledge, assessment, and improvement; the OPM3 standard is similar to the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) in that it develops upon the model of project management using the PMBOK Guide as the accepted standard.

See also: ISO 10006 and PRINCE2

[edit] PMBOK®

The PMBOK is a collection of processes and knowledge areas generally accepted as best practice within the project management discipline.

The PMBOK is an internationally recognised standard (IEEE Std 1490-2003) that provides the fundamentals of project management that are applicable to a wide range of projects, including construction, software, engineering, automotive, etc.

PMBOK recognizes 5 basic process groups and 9 knowledge areas typical of almost all projects. The basic concepts are applicable to projects, programs and operations. The five basic process groups are:

Initiating,
Planning,
Executing,
Controlling and Monitoring, and
Closing.

Processes overlap and interact throughout a project or phase. Processes are described in terms of:

Inputs (documents, plans, designs, etc.) Tools and Techniques (mechanisms applied to inputs) Outputs (documents, products, etc.)

Section III of the PMBOK lists the Nine Knowledge Areas and the sub areas. They are listed below.

Section III—The Project Management Knowledge Areas,

Chapter 4—Project Integration Management
4.1 Project Plan Development
4.2 Project Plan Execution
4.3 Integrated Change Control

Chapter 5—Project Scope Management
5.1 Initiation
5.2 Scope Planning
5.3 Scope Definition
5.4 Scope Verification
5.5 Scope Change Control

Chapter 6—Project Time Management
6.1 Activity Definition
6.2 Activity Sequencing
6.3 Activity Duration Estimating
6.4 Schedule Development
6.5 Schedule Control

Chapter 7—Project Cost Management
7.1 Resource Planning
7.2 Cost Estimating
7.3 Cost Budgeting
7.4 Cost Control

Chapter 8—Project Quality Management
8.1 Quality Planning
8.2 Quality Assurance
8.3 Quality Control

Chapter 9—Project Human Resource Management
9.1 Organizational Planning
9.2 Staff Acquisition
9.3 Team Development

Chapter 10—Project Communications Management
10.1 Communications Planning
10.2 Information Distribution
10.3 Performance Reporting
10.4 Administrative Closure

Chapter 11—Project Risk Management
11.1 Risk Management Planning
11.2 Risk Identification
11.3 Qualitative Risk Analysis
11.4 Quantitative Risk Analysis
11.5 Risk Response Planning
11.6 Risk Monitoring and Control

Chapter 12—Project Procurement Management
12.1 Procurement Planning
12.2 Plan Contracting
12.3 Request Sellers Response
12.4 Select Sellers
12.5 Contract Administration
12.6 Contract Closeout

Although much of PMBOK is unique to project management, some areas overlap with other management disciplines. General management also includes planning, organizing, staffing, executing, and controlling the operations of an organization. Financial forecasting, organizational behavior, and planning techniques also are integral to project management.

Of course, the most important skill for successful project management is communications. Project managers are expected to be in near-continuous communication with all stakeholders.