PMBOK framework

PMBOK means Project Management Body of Knowledge. The PMBOK is a guideline that is revised approximately all four years by the publisher, the Project Management Institute - PMI. The guide is closely linked to the American National Standard Institute called ANSI, which approved the PMBOK Guide as a offical standard in 1999 (Saladis, Kerzner 2011,p. 12). It is recognized worldwide as a reference and reference work for project management. The first edition of the PMBOK was published in 1996, the latest and currently valid 6th edition was published in September 2017. PMOK is characterized by the fact that the guideline is sector-neutral. In addition, PMOK is formulated in an industry- and method-independent way and can be applied to projects of any size and scope (Rodrigues 2001, p.1). It follows the idea that the project manager decides individually which contents from the PMBOK he wants to use for the concrete project. The work is structured in knowledge areas, process groups and processes as well as descriptions of inputs, outputs and suitable tools and methods (Saladis, Kerzner 2011,p. 13).

Fields of knowledge in the PMBOK

The following ten areas of knowledge exist:

• Cost Management

The cost management has the task of estimating and budgeting the expenses for the project and explains how the project can be completed within the approved budget (Saladis, Kerzner 2011,p. 13).

• Quality Management

The aim of this field of knowledge is to ensure that the quality requirements of the client are met or exceeded. To this end, Quality Management defines quality criteria, objectives and areas of responsibility (Saladis, Kerzner 2011,p. 13).

• Resource Management

Identify, compile and control the resources required for the project. The goal is to have the right resources available at the right time. This makes it clear that, in addition to the project team, other resources are also necessary for successful project implementation (Saladis, Kerzner 2011,p. 13).

• Integration Management

Integration management in projects involves the processes and procedures that combine the individual parts of the project into a whole. The goal of this field of knowledge is to coordinate the different project elements, phases and results in a holistic way in order to successfully complete the project. Thus it represents the main task of the project manager (Saladis, Kerzner 2011,p. 13).

• Content and scope management

Scope management deals with the project product to be created and the general conditions: What exactly is done in this project and what is not, what do the work packages look like that create the deliverables and how is it ensured that exactly what is needed is done (Saladis, Kerzner 2011,p. 13).

• Schedule management

Schedule Management deals with the scheduling of the project in order to ensure a timely completion. The duration and resource requirements of tasks are described and these are put into a schedule/sequence.

• Risk Management

Risk management describes the processes for identifying, analyzing and assessing risks as well as for risk treatment and tracking. The aim of risk management is to increase the chances of success of the project. (Saladis, Kerzner 2011,p. 13).

• Procurement Management

Procurement Management provides processes for purchasing goods and services that are to be procured outside the organization. The tasks of this field of knowledge are the procurement of offers, the selection of suppliers and the drafting of contracts with external suppliers. This area of knowledge deals in particular with the drafting of contracts with resulting legal obligations (Saladis, Kerzner 2011,p. 13).

• Stakeholder Management

All parties involved in the project and those interested in the project result are identified, and their needs and expectations are analyzed and documented. To ensure the success of the project, the stakeholders must be actively supported and their influence on the project must be managed and controlled (Saladis, Kerzner 2011,p. 13).

• Communication Management

The task of communication management is to identify information needs, to set up an information and reporting system on the current status quo and the progress of the project, and to make the desired information available to the stakeholders (Saladis, Kerzner 2011,p. 13).

Process groups in the PMBOK

The following five process groups exist:

• Initiation

This group includes the processes for formal authorization of the project or a phase. The most important result is the project order (Saladis, Kerzner 2011,p. 29).

• Planning

The "Planning" group's processes are used to define and refine the project objectives and determine the best way to achieve them. This also includes the definitions of how planning is done within each knowledge area and how this planning is carried out. Key results are the project management plan and the various plans of the individual knowledge areas (Saladis, Kerzner 2011,p. 29).

• Execution

With the processes from the group "Executing" the plans are implemented. The focus is on steering and managing the project work. These processes include the management of the project team and communication, as well as the execution of procurement and quality assurance (Saladis, Kerzner 2011,p. 29).

• Monitoring and control

The processes in "Monitoring and Control" ensure that the defined project goals are achieved. Progress is reviewed regularly to identify deviations from the plan so that necessary corrective measures can be initiated. Information on project performance is collected and evaluated, and corrective and preventive measures are proposed (Saladis, Kerzner 2011,p. 29).

• Closing

The process group "Closing" contains the processes for formally closing a phase or project. The closing of contracts with customers and suppliers also belongs to this group (Saladis, Kerzner 2011,p. 29).

References

• Rodrigues, A. G. (2001, June). Managing and modelling project risk dynamics a system dynamics-based framework. In Fourth European Project Management Conference (pp. 1-7).
• Rose, K. H. (2013). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)—Fifth Edition. Project management journal.
• Saladis, F. P., & Kerzner, H. (2011). Bringing the PMBOK Guide to Life: a companion for the practicing project manager. John Wiley & Sons.

Author: Tom Alender