Why the PMBOK is not a methodology

One of the more common discussions on the web and in other places is focused on arguing the merits of, or comparing, the PRINCE2 methodology with the PMBOK methodology. The problem with the proposition is the basic premise is completely wrong! The Project Management Institute’s (PMI) Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) guide is not and never has been a methodology.

Methodologies define the processes, responsibilities and workflows needed to achieve an objective. PRINCE2 is a good project methodology for managing projects with a large internal component. Agile and Waterfall are two different software development methodologies that incorporate elements of project management.

PMBOK is an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard. To give it its full name, it is A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge. The processes described in the PMBOK are generally accepted good practices that apply to most project most of the time. This may be the foundation for a good project management methodology but of itself, the PMBOK guide is not, and cannot ever be, a methodology without adaptation.

The step between the PMBOK guide and a methodology is determining what should be done by whom, when and how:

◈ What of the processes should be applied in you organisation, to what extent and with how much rigour?

◈ Who is responsible for the implementation of the processes, including; generic roles and responsibilities, project organisation structures and governance committees?

◈ How will the processes be applied? Templates, guidelines and workflows.

These are critically important issues.

◈ If a PMO sets out to ‘implement the PMBOK’ you are heading for disaster.

◈ If the same PMO sets out to develop a tailored methodology based on the good practices described in the PMBOK you are potentially on the right road.

Certainly in my business, if someone does not know the difference between a standard and a methodology, I tend to start asking a lot more questions about their competence. Having been involved in the last three upgrades of the PMBOK guide I consider it to be a very valuable resource to underpin the development of any project management methodology but you still need to do the hard work of determining the what, who, when, how and how much.

The gaps in the PMBOK and consequently the information you need to develop and incorporate in your methodology include:

1. Knowing precisely what is to be done. The PMBOK only provides general guidance and states this specifically.

2. Defining precise input, output and performance criteria. The PMBOK is largely silent on these. For one simple example qualitative risk analysis identifies relative impacts, but what represents a 0.80 impact (extreme)? $5,000, $50,000, $500,000? The methodology has to make these definitions. The ‘impact’ can apply to quality, safety, time, cost: which ones matter and need including in the methodology, which can be left out? The last major risk assessment I helped run for a US$1 billion tank farm, the team decided anything over US$250,000 would be considered an extreme risk, on other projects $250,000 is more than the total budget.

3. Defining the people responsible for performing the processes by roles. The PMBOK only provides general guidance. A methodology defines roles, responsibilities and authority levels.

4. Developing user-friendly templates and guidance documents to implement the processes consistently. The PMBOK is largely silent on these.

5. Defining the work flows. The PMBOK is well laid out in this respect but only deals with a single pass; methodologies need to deal with iterative builds.

6. Then you get to the questions of how often the processes are used, how intensely they are applied, who oversees the processes, how performance is measured, how the processes are improved and what happens if there is an identified problem or issue.

The above is an elementary description of the contents of any well designed business methodology, is consistent with concepts such as Six Sigma, is well defined in the PRINCE2 methodology and is assessable in part through the PMI’s Organizational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3) construct.

In short, all the PMBOK guide offers is precisely what it says it offers: “a generally accepted set of good practices that may be used on most projects most of the time.” A methodology expands on this start by defining the, what, how, who, when and how much. Even the PRINCE2 authors expect organisations to constructively adapt the methodology to their needs: one size does not fit all! Real hard work is needed.

The PMBOK is certainly a great starting point (as is PRINCE2), and having a good foundation is crucial, but foundations are only ever the beginning point. Once the foundations are right, the real work of building a useful methodology or adapting a published methodology begins. The real skill is to make sure the methodology is as simple, quick and easy to use as possible while applying sufficient rigour to optimise project outcomes.

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Best 10 Steps to Become a Certified Project Manager

Are you an actual leader who knows how to motivate others, communicate your ideas and create projects to make those plans come to life? Then a becoming project manager may be the right career path for you. Discover what type of world you’d be in if you decide to be a project manager with the information provided in this guide.

What Is the Purpose of a Having a Project Manager in a Company?

From construction to finance, project managers are required in many types of companies. A project manager is accountable for keeping projects organized in the company. A project manager is also responsible for delegating roles and tasks to other members on a project along with watching over a project to ensure it progresses smoothly.

What Personality Traits and Skills Are Needed to Be a Successful Project Manager?

To be a project manager, a significant skill to have is that of the organization. A project manager must have different organizational strategies that can be employed for numerous projects. If you are considering becoming a project manager, you should have a knack for organization and planning as these are essential skills to have for a project management career.

Communication is also a remarkable ability to have as a project manager. As project managers are competent in providing details of a project to other team members, being an excellent communicator is a fundamental trait for a project manager.

Other personality traits and skills a project manager should have included:

◈ Time and task management
◈ Leadership
◈ Ability to interact with others comfortably
◈ Having the capability to perform all roles associated with the project to take over if needed to ensure project continuity
◈ Being able to work under pressure
◈ Being able to manage at least some individuals participating in a project

What Are Examples of a Project Manager’s Duties?

In simple words, a project manager is in charge of a project’s success. Essential responsibilities for a project manager include:

◈ Planning projects and executing them
◈ Managing teams and removing any difficulties the teams face
◈ Assisting with gathering resources for the project
◈ Ensuring that all delegated assignments and projects are being completed and progressing well
◈ Creating a reasonable budget for each project

Depending on which type of project manager you decide to be, tasks can vary for each project manager. For example, an IT project manager may be responsible for providing technical assistance to clients or consulting with them on other product-related matters.

How to Become a Certified Project Manager?

Planning for the certification of Project Management Professional can be challenging. A management or senior-level professional such as Senior IT Manager, Project Head, Senior or Junior Project Manager, Team Leads across all the industries can be recognized for the certification of Project Management.

To become a certified project manager and make a change to the current roles entirely, one will need to follow below suggested ten steps:

1. Assure Your Eligibility to Take the Certification Exam:

First of all, you should make sure that you are eligible to take the Project Management Professional certification (PMP) examination. There is a straightforward procedure to find it. Below is the criterion that must be satisfied by the candidate to be eligible for the certification exam:

If you are a Bachelor’s degree (or its equivalent) holder, then you must have experience of 4500 hours of project management. If you are the Secondary degree holder or high school diploma or associate’s degree holder, then you must have experience of 7500 hours of project management. You must have finished 35 hours of Project Management Education from any Registered Education Provider (REP) of PMI.

It is must for both secondary degree holder and bachelor’s degree holder. Also, you have to get 60 Professional Development Units (PDU) every three years for the preservation of your project management professional certification. It is obliged to upload the PDUs details on PMI website to become qualified for the PMP certification. Learn how to upload PDUs on PMI website.

2. Become a Member of Project Management Institute (PMI):

After you have successfully met the criteria needed to take the exam, become a member of PMI. Although it is not necessary, it is still recommended. By becoming a member of PMI, you will get the advantage while paying the examination fees. Also, you will get the free Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge-6th Edition (PMBOK Guide-6th Edition). Although there is a membership fee, you will get concessions that are more than this membership fee.

3. Sign up for the Exam:

Fill in the Form and Pay the Examination Fee. Register yourself for the PMP exam at the PMI website. Fill the online application form to take the examination and submit it. The application form you have sent will be processed within five business days. Pay the exam fee which is US$405 for PMI members and US$555 for PMI non-members.

4. Schedule the Exam:

You can schedule your exam after getting the PMI eligibility ID. You have to select a proper date and time within three months of the registration such that you get required study time. Also, choose a location for the exam as per your convenience.

5. Prepare with PMBOK Guide-6th Edition:

To pass the PMP exam, you have to do lots of studies. PMP exams are not so easy like other exams. You must read PMBOK guide-6th Edition, and also, you should include other books that are related to the exam syllabus. You should try practice test papers so that you can prove yourself to the variety of PMP questions asked in the exam. Also, you can check out training and webinars available online. A lot of self-study material is available online, go through that. As we know, preparation of any examination requires lots of hard work, efforts, and time. So, prepare well for the exam.

6. Get Informal Project Management Experience:

You don’t become a project manager by starting up a project management stand or offering to manage projects by Advertised. You become a project manager by managing projects. And you can see projects all over the place. Projects occur every day in the wild, so do what you enjoy and be ready to use your organizational and leadership skills when the situation presents itself.

7. Improve Your People Skills:

Projects are made up of people, so project managers must put as much effort into understanding, coaching, and broadcasting with their people as they spend on the technical side of things.

8. Learn How to Use the Devices of the Project Management Trade:

Soft skills can get you pretty far, and may even be enough to land your first bonafide project manager position, but, eventually, you’re going to need to show off some technical skills. If that sounds difficult, fear not. Project management software is designed to assist project managers and their teams with things like collaboration, budgeting, scheduling, and more. Some of the most popular tools available include Microsoft Project, Atlassian, and Basecamp, to name a few.

Learning how to use new software may sound daunting, but this is 2018, and most good project management software is user-friendly and incorporates plenty of assistance. There are also many of online resources available.

9. Appear for the Exam:

When you are thoroughly prepared for your exam with your hard work, taking the exam seems very easy. Later you have finished the exam; you have to do a survey. Then you will get to know regarding the exam results. There is no passing number or percentage for the PMP certification. Instead, there is a grading system. There are three grades – Proficient, Moderate Proficient, and Below Proficient. The candidate with the result as proficient and moderate proficient is supposed to pass, while one with the below proficient grade is considered fail.

10. You are a Certified Project Manager:

If you have happily cleared your exam, you can verify your name on PMI certification registry within 24 hours. You will get your certificate in your mail within a month. As soon as you clear the exam, you will get the PMP certification with your name, and now you are a certified project manager. The importance of a project management certification is a hot subject of discussion in the project management community, but there is a near agreement that it can’t harm your career.

The Project Management Professional certification is the most successful and widely-recognized project management certification. The PMP certification is for working project managers who already have lots of experience, but there are other choices out there for those with less experience. For example, the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM).

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Top 7 PMBOK® Templates

We have compiled a list of what we believe are the Project Management Body of Knowledge’s (PMBOK®) seven most critical project management templates. Each of these templates represents an important part of an effective and integrated project plan.

1. Project Charter – The project charter can be considered the foundation of a project. A completed and signed project charter establishes the authority to begin a project to address a business need that has been identified. Great care and detail should go into the creation of a charter because of its importance. If you sacrifice quality with the project charter, your project performance and deliverables will almost surely suffer.

2. Project Management Plan – If the project charter is the foundation of a project, the project management plan is its core. The project management plan is important because it is an integrated framework which includes the management plans from all of the project management knowledge areas. It ties these management plans together into a collective whole which is then used to manage the project through to completion.

3. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) – Projects have the potential to be very large and very complex. Because of this it is useful to have a tool to break project work down into manageable pieces. This is why the WBS is so important. The WBS allows the project manager and team to break work down into smaller work packages. Each work package can then be viewed as a mini scope statement and managed as such to ensure completion of all project work.

4. Communications Management Plan – Communication is arguably the most important and most difficult project knowledge area to plan and execute. The key to any successful project is effective communication. As such, a detailed management plan is needed to ensure effective communication occurs throughout the project lifecycle. The importance of the communications management plan cannot be overstated.

5. Scope Management Plan – One of the most common causes of project failure is scope creep. If scope is not carefully managed, it can and will get away from a project manager in a hurry. Without a deliberate scope management plan, project stakeholders, with varying influence and interests, will try adding or changing requirements and deliverables which may no longer meet the intent of the original project charter.

6. Risk Management Plan – Everyone understands that project risks must be prevented, avoided, or mitigated. However, before any of these actions occur, risks must be identified. The risk management plan is important because it spells out how risks will be identified and documented. It also lays out the processes for how risks will be categorized and handled. Without this plan many risks will not be identified until it is too late to take action.

7. Lessons Learned – We have heard it over and over again: organizations strive for continuous improvement. But how many of these same organizations ignore one of the key components of improvement? Lessons learned are one of the most critical, and often overlooked, project documents. Lessons learned should be completed at the end of a project, reviewed by the project manager, team, and stakeholders, and archived for use in future projects. By doing this, organizations can take advantage of this key tool in adding to the future success of the organization and its projects.

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The Effectiveness of Various PMP® Exam Study Techniques

If you are just beginning or are in the middle of studying for the Project Management Professional (PMP)®, you probably already know that in order to pass, you need to fully understand both A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI)® and the (PMI)® Code of Ethics. You have probably spent some time thinking about the many study techniques available to you. In this article, I examine four PMP® Exam study techniques, their effectiveness, and some possible alternatives, you may not have considered.

Technique 1 – Reading and Highlighting / Underlining the PMBOK® Guide and PMI® Code of Ethics

Reading text and highlighting or underlining as we go is a technique many of us learned and used during our high school or college days, so it is a familiar technique.

Verdict:

Studies have found that although 84% of students at elite colleges use this technique, they have also found it to be ineffective. It is kind of a security blanket, in that it makes the student feel that they are learning, but the student is actually more focused on highlighting or underlining rather than learning the concept.

Passively reading is a great first step, so don’t discount the need to read the PMBOK® Guide and PMI Code of Ethics; however, highlighting or underlining likely adds very little to your learning.

It does little to enhance understanding of the material and long term recall of the material, which makes this technique ineffective overall.

Alternatives:

Try to find other methods to learn about PMP concepts other than just reading, highlighting, or underlining them such as:
Be more active while reading. For example, ask yourself “why” a concept is relevant, or try to relate the concept to a real world example you can recall when it comes up on the PMP® Exam.

Technique 2 – Using Flashcards

Flashcards are a compact quick use study aid that typically covers one question, formula, or tidbit of information per card. This is another technique you may be familiar with from your high school or college days.

Verdict:

Spreading study sessions out over time, also known as distributed practice, has been found to enhance student performance. Flashcards provide a great method to be able to spread out learning and use the distributed practice method in a controlled and flexible way. You can easily breakdown PMP concepts into smaller “bite sized” chunks to ensure you review and master the material one concept at a time.

Flashcards have been found to be a very effective learning technique. You can pace yourself and easily use the flashcards as many times as you need in order to solidify the concepts in your mind.

Technique 3 – Taking Notes on the PMBOK® Guide and PMI Code of Ethics

Taking notes is the act of write down important information while reading the material to be learned. This is another technique many of us have learned while in school.

Verdict:

Taking notes is a better technique than highlighting or underlining, but can be very time-consuming. If you use this technique wisely then it can be very effective to use while reading the PMBOK® Guide and PMI Code of Ethics. Be careful not to take notes that simply regurgitate information, or your learning will be adversely affected and taking notes would be similarly ineffective as highlighting or underlining.

Alternative 1 – Use Notes to Create Flashcards:

When taking notes, do it in a manner where you can hide terms and definitions easily. For example, create two columns on a single page where the left column contains the terms and the right column contains the definitions. Writing it out this way allows you to hide the definitions with one hand as you try to repeat them to yourself. Or you can leave a lot of extra white space that you can use to rewrite the concept later to “test” yourself.

Then you can compare what you wrote verses the note you took. Using a notebook is not as flexible as using flashcards, but you can use any notes you take as a basis for creating your own flashcards.

Alternative 2 – Use a Brain Dump:

Create a brain dump. After reading about a concept, take a sheet of paper and write down all of the details you can recall about that topic. Don’t forget to verify that the details in your brain dump are correctly recalled and that you did not miss anything.

This is an effective technique for learning a concept since you are actively filtering for the most essential information. You also end up with a way of actively recalling the information over time and most importantly you can recreate the brain dump on the day of your PMP Exam.

Technique 4 – Taking Practice Tests

Taking practice tests can include anything from testing yourself one question at a time or sitting in a quiet location and taking a full length four hour two hundred question simulated PMP Exam.

You can self-test while reading PMP related material. For example, if student A was re-reading a PMBOK® Guide chapter straight through and student B hid some text from themselves purposely as they read in order to recall the information prior to revealing the text (taking a self-imposed practice test) then student B would be more likely to recall the information long term. As student B was going through the self-imposed testing, when he failed to recall information, he simply went back to re-study the concept.

Flashcards are also a form of practice tests as each card poses a test question. Flashcards are not ideal in the sense that the format of the PMP Exam is not necessarily the same as flashcards, but are still effective.

Verdict:

Practice tests are definitely recommended and studies have shown that taking practice tests is a very effective learning technique in a wide array of situations. Self-testing as you read PMP- related study material and using flashcards are both effective methods, but most effective is taking full-length timed practice PMP Exams.

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Distinction between ITIL and PMBOK

1. ITIL

ITIL (formerly an acronym for Information Technology Infrastructure Library) is a set of detailed practices for IT service management (ITSM) that focuses on aligning IT services with the needs of business. In its current form (known as ITIL 2011), ITIL is published as a series of five core volumes, each of which covers a different ITSM lifecycle stage. Although ITIL underpins ISO/IEC 20000 (previously BS 15000), the International Service Management Standard for IT service management, there are some differences between the ISO 20000 standard, ICT Standard by IFGICT and the ITIL framework.

2. PMBOK

The Project Management Body of Knowledge is a set of standard terminology and guidelines (a body of knowledge) for project management. The body of knowledge evolves over time and is presented in A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (the Guide to the PMBOK or the Guide), a book whose sixth edition was released in 2017. The Guide is a document resulting from work overseen by the Project Management Institute (PMI), which offers the CAPM and PMP certifications.

Distinction between ITIL and PMBOK

ITIL	PMBOK
ITIL is focused on Service Delivery and Service Level Management.	The PMBOK Guide is process-based, meaning it describes work as being accomplished by processes
ITIL advocates that IT services must be aligned to the needs of the business and underpin the core business processes. It provides guidance guidance to organizations on how to use IT as a tool to facilitate business change, transformation and growth.	The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) is a collection of processes and knowledge areas generally accepted as best practice within the project management discipline. As an internationally recognised standard (IEEE Std 1490-2003) it provides the fundamentals of project management, irrespective of the type of project be it construction software, engineering, automotive etc
ITIL Version 3 framework defines five phases of IT Service Management Lifecycle. These are part of the ITIL Version 3 Core publications. They are: 1. Service Stategy 2. Service Design 3. Service Transition 4. Service Operation 5. Continual Service Improvement	PMBOK recognises 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: 1. Initiating 2. Planning 3. Executing 4. Monitoring and Controlling 5. Closing
There are mainly four IT functions as per the ITIL Version 3 framework. They are: 1. Service Desk 2. IT Operations Management function 3. Application Management Function 4. Technical Management Function	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.). The nine knowledge areas are: 1. Project Integration Management 2. Project Scope Management 3. Project Time Management 4. Project Cost Management 5. Project Quality Management 6. Project Human Resource Management 7. Project Communications Management 8. Project Risk Management 9. Project Procurement Management
ITIL describes the ideal end state that an organisation would like to achieve.	Much of PMBOK is unique to project management e.g. critical path and work breakdown structure (WBS).
ITIL focuses on the lifecycle of services.	PMBOK focuses on the lifecycle of projects.
The decision as to undertake a project will be made as a result of ITIL Service Strategy and Service Design	The project team may then use PMBOK best practices for accomplishing the goal, objective or output identified during Strategy and Design
ITIL is specific to IT only.	PMBOK project management can be applied to any domain, such as Civil Engineering Construction or Public Sector or IT
ITIL addresses how IT organisations as a whole should operate.	PMP addresses how individual projects within the organisation should be executed.
By taking a larger view of services in the organisation as a whole via a lifecycle approach, ITIL sets out to examine service strategy, service design, service transition, service operation, and continual service improvement.	PMP applies to projects throughout the entire organisation not just IT. The PMP framework, focusing on effective execution of projects, can be applied to any area of any organisation
Take, for example, an organisation that is building and deploying an email service – on one level, ITIL will evaluate what is needed.	PMP will then take this information and further break it down into easier-to-manage increments.
ITIL provides a Body of Knowledge for managing IT Operations which are repetitive in nature.	PMBOK provides a Body of Knowledge (BOK) for managing Projects which are a “temporary endeavor” in general
ITIL Version 3 has 23 processes and 4 IT functions	The latest PMBOK 4th edition has totally 42 processes for the Project Management Body of Knowledge
The UK Office of Government Commerce (OGC) is responsible for the management and distribution of materials on the ITIL framework.	In the US, the Project Management Institute manages the PMP certification. The PMP certification is based on content contained in the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), a book published by the PMI

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What is PMBOK in Project Management?

Project Management has always been practiced informally, but began to emerge as a distinct profession in the mid-20th century. PMI published a manual entitled "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)" to identify the recurring elements for project management process. The complete Project Management Body of Knowledge includes proven traditional practices that are widely applied, as well as innovative emerging practices for the profession with widespread consensus as to their value and usefulness.

History of PMBOK

◈ The first credential for PMI was the Project Management Professional (PMP), and the first certifications were awarded in 1984.

◈ 1969 - Birth of PMI - First Meeting is held in Atlanta, GA.

◈ 1984 - First PMP Exams are administered

◈ 1987 - March - "Project Management Body of Knowledge" is released - not hardcopy - sections A through H, 5-6 pages in each section.

◈ 1994 - August - New exposure draft of the "PMBOK Guide" is released - 64 pages. There are eight Knowledge Areas. (Integration Management is not included until the 1996 First edition.) Test is a six hour exam of 320 questions! (There are 40 questions for each of the eight Knowledge Areas. Each question has five multiple-choice answers.)

◈ 1996 - PMBOK Guide, First Edition is released - 176 Pages. Nine Knowledge Areas and 37 processes.

◈ 2000 - PMBOK Guide, 2000 Edition is released. (Second Edition) - 211 Pages, Nine Knowledge Areas and 39 processes.

◈ December 2004, - PMBOK Guide, Third Edition is released. 390 pages; 44 Processes; 592 ITTO. August 2005 - Test changes to be based on Third Edition, and test becomes much more difficult! (PMI lowers the passing score to 61% to accommodate the increased difficulty of the exam.)

◈ 2007 - PMBOK Guide earns the ANSI/ISO/IEC

◈ December 2008, - PMBOK Guide, Fourth Edition is released. 467 pages; 42 Processes; 517 ITTO. August 2009 - Test changes to be based on Fourth Edition.

◈ August 31, 2011 - 30% of the questions are changed to conform to the latest 2011 RDS (Role Delineation Study)

◈ December 2012, - PMBOK Guide, Fifth Edition is released. 589 pages; 47 Processes; 619 ITTO! August 2013 - Test changes to be based on Fifth Edition.

◈ January 11, 2016 - Test changes to conform to the latest 2015 RDS (Role Delineation Study)

What is a Project?

In project management, a project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service or result.

A project is temporary in that it has a defined beginning and end in time, and therefore defined scope and resources. And a project is unique in that it is not a routine operation, but a specific set of operations designed to accomplish a singular goal. So a project team often includes people who don't usually work together - sometimes from different organizations and across multiple geographies.

The development of software for an improved business process, the construction of a building or bridge, the relief effort after a natural disaster, the expansion of sales into a new geographic market - all are projects. And all must be expertly managed to deliver the on-time, on-budget results, learning and integration that organizations need.

What is Project Management?

Project management is the discipline of initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing the work of a team to achieve specific goals and meet specific success criteria. It is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements.

A project is a unique and transient endeavor undertaken to achieve planned objectives, which could be defined in terms of outputs, outcomes or benefits. A project is usually deemed to be a success if it achieves the objectives according to their acceptance criteria, within an agreed timescale and budget.

Management vs Project Management

A key factor that distinguishes project management from just 'management' is that it has this final deliverable and a finite timespan, unlike management which is an ongoing process. Because of this a project professional needs a wide range of skills; often technical skills, and certainly people management skills and good business awareness.

Why PMBOK?

PMBOK has been used as the standard by which PMP Certification is obtained. PMP Certification is based upon a survey of many companies' best practices. The advantages of using PMP Certified Project Managers and Team members is that resources have already been trained. PMBOK is valuable for both companies and employees. PMBOK is valuable for many reasons. Here are three:

◈ The first reason PMBOK is valuable is that it allows companies to standardize practices across departments. This means that the people in development manage projects in the same manner as those in distribution.

◈ Second, PMBOK can help project managers to work with a standardized system across companies. Someone working for company x who then moves onto company y can use the same practices.

◈ Third, PMBOK discusses what works. The methods documented within the project management community can assist those who are uncertain of how to undertake risk management. PMBOK also discusses what doesn't work. This prevents failure of projects.

Finally, project managers who are familiar with PMBOK standards can custom tailor their project management process to best fit their company's needs. There's an old saying, "To break the rules, first you have to know the rules." When project managers invest time into learning the rules, they also are investing time in learning how and where rules can be broken.

PMBOK Structure

Project management as a practice is rapidly growing and spreading worldwide, and is now seen globally as a recognized and strategic competency, a career path and a subject for training and education. The PMBOK framework consists of five process groups, ten knowledge areas and 47 project management (PM) processes. The knowledge areas group the PM processes by project management content.

The 5 PMBOK Process Groups

Initiating

The initiating process group involves the processes, activities, and skills needed to effectively define the beginning of a project. Setting all permits, authorizations, and initial work orders in place to secure an effective and logical progression of initial project activities sets the stage for subsequent success throughout all project phases. Setting clear phases for work to be completed, initializing teams, and having the budget in place before work begins are vital for a strong start to any project across industry.

Typically activities to be performed in the initiating group:

◈ According to PMI, the process of Initiating helps to set the vision of what is to be accomplished.
◈ This is where the project is formally authorized by the sponsor, initial scope defined, and stakeholders identified.
◈ Stakeholder identification is crucial here because correct identification (and subsequent management and control) of stakeholders can literally make or break the project.

We also need to mindful of the following points:

◈ This process group is performed so that projects and programs are not only sanctioned by a sponsoring entity, but also so that projects are aligned with the strategic objectives of the organization.
◈ Where this is not performed, projects may be started and carried out haphazardly, with no real stated goal or objective.
◈ It should also be noted that management chooses and authorizes the project manager in early this phase.
◈ It's crucial to authorize and establish the PM early as project managers often have accountability but little authority.

Planning

The Planning Process Group sets forth the processes needed to define the scope of the project, set strategic plans in place to maximize workflow, and begin to assemble priority lists and plan team needs. This process group also addresses a more narrow clarification of all project goals and expectations and puts in place the project infrastructure necessary to achieve those goals according to the timeline and budgetary constraints.

Typically activities to be performed in the planning group:

◈ A crucial element of planning is establishing the total scope of the project. While it may appear as though that was accomplished in initiating group, scope (along with risks, milestones, summary and budget) was defined there at a high level.

◈ In planning group, an iterative and more detailed planning process, called progressive elaboration, project documents are developed at a much more detailed level.

◈ In the PMBOK Guide, PMI defines twenty-four discrete processes that are involved in planning.

Executing

The executing process group involves managing teams effectively while orchestrating timeline expectations and reaching benchmark goals. Project managers utilizing this set of skills will demonstrate a high degree of organization and communication skills while addressing team concerns or other complex situations associated with getting the work done on time and within budget.

Here is the typically activities to be performed in this group:

◈ Project manager need to acquire and manage the development team and also cultivate it by performing team-building exercises.
◈ Project Management is not only managing communications but also managing the stakeholder engagement, ensuring project and product quality
◈ If procurement is involved - supporting the effort to contract with a vendor.

Note that:

In the Executing phase, most of the budget will be spent and the deliverables of the project will be produced. And it is likely here where we will begin to see stakeholder change requests. While the project team can implement approved changes, only the change control board can approve or reject these changes.

Monitoring and Controlling

Processing change orders, addressing on-going budget considerations, and mitigating unforeseen circumstances that may affect a team's ability to meet initial project expectations are all part of the core skills and competencies involved in the Monitoring Process Group. Seasoned managers keep the momentum moving forward and guard the project against stalling by actively monitoring progress and using foresight and quick response to address project challenges. While the other process groups occur sequentially, Monitoring and Controlling hover over the whole project and so, happen throughout the project and are not linear. What does it encompass? According to PMBOK GUIDE, these are "processes required to track, review and regulate the progress and performance of the project.

Typically activities to be performed in the monitoring and controlling group:

◈ Identify any areas in which changes to the plan are required
◈ Initiate the corresponding changes (The truth is, you can't assume you'll always stay on plan. In fact, it's likely as not that you won't).
◈ In this group, you often need to get back on track, where you compare plan to actual, measure variance and take corrective action.

Closing

The biggest challenge of this process group is to bring the project to a successful close which means completing it on time and within the budget allotted. The bottom line is that while these process groups are not necessarily easy to implement, not doing so means the team may never realize the full benefits of their highly strategic projects.

Typically activities to be performed in the monitoring and closing group:

◈ Not only do you formally close the project but you also get sign-off and acceptance from the customer.
◈ The project manager should formally close the project by archiving records, holding a lessons learned session, making final payments, closing contracts and celebrating and releasing the team.
◈ Lessons learned along with other historical information should be centrally archived to be used as input to future projects to prevent reinventing the wheel.

The 10 Knowledge Areas of Project Management

Integration - This is covered first in the PMBOK Guide, but it's about bringing together everything you know so that you are managing your project holistically and not in individual process chunks.

Scope - It is the way to define what your project will deliver. Scope management is all about making sure that everyone is clear about what the project is for and what it includes. It covers collecting requirements and preparing the work breakdown structure.

Time - It relates to how you manage the time people are spending on their project tasks, and how long the project takes overall. This knowledge area helps you understand the activities in the project, the sequence of those activities, and how long they are going to take.

Cost - It is all about handling the project's finances. The big activity in this knowledge area is preparing your budget which includes working out how much each task is going to cost and then determining your project's overall budget forecast.

Quality - This area is where you'll learn about and set up the quality control and quality management activities on your project so that you can be confident the result will meet your customers' expectations.

Procurement - It supports all your procurement and supplier work from planning what you need to buy, to going through the tendering and purchasing process to managing the work of the supplier and closing the contract when the project is finished.

Human resources - First, you have to understand what resources you need to be able to complete your project, then you put your team together. After that, it's all about managing the people on the team including giving them extra skills to do their jobs, if they need it

Communications - Given that a project manager's job is often said to be about 80% communication, in there, the PM writes communications plan for the project and monitor all the incoming and outgoing communications.

Risk management - It involves identifying risks and understanding how to assess risks on your project, that includes how you perform quantitative and qualitative risk assessments. Risk management isn't a one-off activity, it covers controlling your project risks going forward through the project life cycle.

Stakeholder management - It is one of the most important group which takes you through the journey of identifying stakeholders, understanding their role and needs in the project and ensuring that you can deliver those. I think we'll see this area develop further in the next edition of the standard.

If you can grasp all these knowledge areas, you'll have everything you need to know as a project manager covered!

The 47 PMBOK Processes

Standardization of processes remains at the heart of all effective business models and plans. In project management, the PMBOK provides a way or transforming isolated processes into a complete, standardized, and collaborative effort. 47 process are classified under 5 different process groups, that associated with the corresponding knowledge areas in the following table:

Initiation	Planning		Execution	Monitoring and Controlling	Closing
Project Charter	Project Management Plan	Cost Management Plan	Project Status Report	Change Request	Lessons Learned
Stakeholder Register	Requirements Management Plan	Activity Cost Estimate	Deliverables Status	Change Log
	Scope Management Plan	Cost Baseline	Change Request	Earned Value Status Report
	Requirements Documentation	Project Funding Requirements	Project Team Directory
	Requirements Traceability Matrix	Quality Management Plan	Team Performance Assessment
	Project Scope Statement	Process Quality Checklists	Enterprise Environment Factors
	Scope Baseline	Product Quality Checklists	Procurement Agreement
	Schedule Management Plan	Quality Metrics	Issue Log
	Activity Attributes	Process Management Plan
	Activity List	Human Resource Management Plan
	Milestone List	Communications Management Plan
	Project Schedule Network	Risk Management Plan
	Activity Resource Requirements	Risk Register
	Resource Breakdown Resource	Change Request
	Activity Duration Estimates	Make-or-Buy Decisions
	Project Calendar	Procurement Management Plan
	Project Schedule	Procurement Statement of Work
	Schedule Baseline	Stakeholder Management Plan

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