Project Management Knowledge Areas and Processes
1) Nine Knowledge Areas Suggested by PMI
- Project Integration Management
- Project Scope Management
- Project Time Management
- Project Cost Management
- Project Quality Management
- Project Human Resource Management
- Project Communications Management
- Project Risk Management
- Project Procurement Management
2) Project Plan and Knowledge Area
The management plan describes how the project management system will be used. It is the main source of information on how the project will be planned, executed, monitored, controlled, and closed. The project management plan is generated in the Project Integration Management knowledge area.
3) Organizational Process Assets
Organizational process assets are inputs to the first processes, providing information, policies, and procedures external to the project. These assets and factors, plus external outputs used as input, are also available in each subsequent process in their updated form.
4) Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
The WBS is a hierarchical decomposition of the work to be performed by the project team to achieve the project objectives. The WBS organizes and defines the total scope of the project, subdividing it into smaller, more manageable components. Each descending level represents an increasingly detailed definition of project work. You can schedule, estimate costs, and monitor and control the planned work contained in the lower-level components of the WBS, called work packages. The WBS represents the work specified in the approved project scope statement.
WBS Creation and Information Storage
The Create WBS process exists in Project Scope Management. The WBS can store:
- Contract information
- Quality requirements
- References to facilitate work performance
- Resource requirements
- Cost estimates
- A list of associated schedule activities
5) Enterprise Environmental Factors Influencing Human Resources
Examples of enterprise environmental factors that may influence the management of Human Resources:
- Political Factor: Goals and agendas of individual project stakeholders, informal power dynamics, and informal alliances.
- Interpersonal Factor: Formal and informal reporting relationships, job descriptions, supervisor-subordinate relationships, customer-supplier relationships, language or cultural differences, and levels of trust and respect.
- Technical Factor: Disciplines and expertise needed, software languages, engineering approaches, equipment coordination, and challenges in transitions between life cycle phases.
6) Quality Management: Assurance vs. Control
- Perform Quality Assurance: Implementing planned and systematic quality activities to ensure the project employs all processes needed to meet requirements.
- Perform Quality Control: Monitoring specific project results to determine compliance with relevant quality standards and identifying ways to eliminate causes of unsatisfactory performance.
7) Purpose of Resource Planning in Cost Management
To determine what, when, and how many resources (people, equipment, materials, etc.) will be required to undertake project activities.
8) Types of Project Costs
- Cost of labor
- Costs of materials and supplies
- Costs of contracted services
- Cost of delivery systems
- Costs of inflation and interest
9) Communications Planning
Communications Planning Process
Communications Planning determines the information needs of project stakeholders and establishes the communication approach. It identifies who needs what information, when they need it, how it will be provided, and by whom. While all projects need to communicate information, the needs and methods vary widely. Identifying stakeholder information needs and determining an appropriate way to meet those needs is crucial for project success.
10) Developing the Project Team
Importance of Team Development
This process improves the skills and interaction of team members to enhance project performance. Objectives include:
- Improving team members’ skills to increase their ability to complete project activities.
- Improving feelings of trust and cohesion among team members to increase productivity.
11) Purpose of Acquisitions Management
Acquisitions Management includes the processes to purchase or acquire products, services, or results needed from outside the project team. It encompasses contract management and change control required to administer contracts or purchase orders. It also includes administering contracts issued by an external organization (the buyer) acquiring the project from the performing organization (the supplier) and managing contractual obligations imposed on the project team.
12) Importance of Sequencing Activities
Sequencing of activities involves identifying and documenting the logical relationships among schedule activities. Activities are sequenced using precedence relations, leads, and lags to support the development of a realistic and achievable project timeline. Sequencing can be accomplished using project management software or technical manuals.