The Project Management Body of Knowledge

A project is undertaken to create something new or unique, as well as to enhance an existing product, service, or system. The Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (POMBOK Guide) defines project management as “Project Management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements”. The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) Guide is a document available from the Project Management Institute (PMI)-an international, nonprofit, professional organization with more than 700.000 members worldwide.

PMBOK Guide defines ten knowledge areas for understanding project management:

1. Project integration management: integration focuses on coordinating the project plan’s development, execution, and control of changes.
2. Project scope management: a project’s scope is the work to be completed by the project team. This may include specific requirements, features, functionality, or standards for the product or system to be delivered, or it could include project-related deliverables like the project’s schedule and budget.
3. Project time management: time management is important for developing, monitoring, and managing the project’s schedule. It includes identifying the project’s phases and activities and then estimating, sequencing, and assigning resources for each activity to ensure that the project’s scope and objectives are met.
4. Project cost management: cost management assures that the project’s budget is developed and completed as approved.
5. Project quality management: quality management focuses on planning, developing, and managing a quality environment that allows the project to meet stakeholder needs or expectations.
6. Project human resource management: people are the most important resource on a project. Human resource management focuses on creating and developing the project team as well as understanding and responding appropriately to the behavioral side of project management
7. Project communications management: communication management entails communicating timely and accurate information about the project to the project’s stakeholders.
8. Project risk management: all projects face a certain amount of risk. Project risk management is concerned with identifying and responding appropriately to risks that can impact the project.
9. Project procurement management: projects often require resources (people, hardware, software, etc) that are outside the organization
10. Project stakeholder management: stakeholders are people and include individuals, organizations, or business units that have a vested interest in the success (or failure) of a project.

REFERENCES

Jack T. Marchewka. (-). Information Technology Project Management. 05. 1STBL. Singapore. ISBN: 978-1118911013.