PM Framework
Project Management has about 42 processes that need to be integrated and applied to manage a project. These processes are logically grouped into 5 groups based on the various stages they appear in the Project Management Life Cycle. These five Process Groups are laid out in the Guide to the Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide published by the Project Management Institute - PMI)** as:
- Initiating Process Group: The processes performed to authorize the start of a new project or a new phase of an existing project.
- Planning Process Group: The processes that are used to define the scope of the project, refine the objectives and make a project management plan/course of action to complete the project.
- Executing Process Group: The processes performed to complete the work in accordance with the Project Management plan.
- Monitoring and Controlling Process Group: The performances required to track, review and regulate the progress and performance of the project.
- Closing Process Group: The processes that finalize the work done across the above process groups and formally close the project.
While the Process groups divide the processes based on their occurrence in the PM life cycle, there are 9 PM knowledge areas where the 42 processes are grouped based on common characteristics. The PMBOK guide** lists these 9 areas as follows:
- Project Integration Management: These processes help coordinate and combine the various processes performed throughout the project.
- Project Scope Management: Processes that ensure all requirements as needed to complete the project are included and no new requirements are added that could impact the scope of the project.
- Project Time Management: Set of process that manage the timely completion of the project.
- Project Cost Management: Ensure that the project is completed within the planned/approved budget.
- Project Quality Management: Processes that determine quality policies and ensure that the project has met the requirements and does what it is expected out of it.
- Project Human Resource Management: Processes that acquire, develop and manage a project team.
- Project Communications Management: Processes that determine the information needed, how it is sent to the respective stakeholders, how it is stored and retrieved and project performance will be reported.
- Project Risk Management: A set of processes that conduct risk management planning, identification and analysis of risks, plan appropriate responses. They basically monitor and control risk on a project.
- Project Procurements Management: Processes needed to purchase or acquire products, services or results from outside the project team.
It is important to remember that even if the processes are presented as separate elements above, in reality, they overlap and interact with each other throughout the life cycle of the project.
So, for a project to be successful, the project team along with the project manager must:
**"The PMBOK guide identifies a subset of the Project management knowledge generally recognized as good practice". It is a book that is recognized by Project Managers worldwide as a framework for the methodology of Project Management. It provides a set of standard terminology and guidelines for PM and is published by the Project Management Institute (PMI) to standardize generally accepted Project Management information and practices.
So, for a project to be successful, the project team along with the project manager must:
- Select appropriate processes from each of the 5 Process Groups or Knowledge Areas that are required to meet project objectives,
- Define an approach that can be adopted to meet project requirements,
- Comply with requirements to meet stakeholder needs and expectations, and
- Balance the competing demands of scope, time, cost, resources, and risk to produce the specified product, service or result.
**"The PMBOK guide identifies a subset of the Project management knowledge generally recognized as good practice". It is a book that is recognized by Project Managers worldwide as a framework for the methodology of Project Management. It provides a set of standard terminology and guidelines for PM and is published by the Project Management Institute (PMI) to standardize generally accepted Project Management information and practices.