Top 10 Project Management Knowledge Areas (PMBOK)

What Are the Project Management Knowledge Areas?

Project management knowledge areas are defined as the various disciplines and aspects that are crucial for successful project execution and completion. The project manager can use these to plan, schedule, and deliver projects successfully.

The 10 Project Management Knowledge Areas

The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), currently in its 7th edition, governs project management rules. According to it, 49 processes are mapped across 5 phases and ten knowledge areas of project management. Here’s a detailed overview of each of the 10 project management knowledge areas:

1. Project Integration Management

The journey of Project Integration starts with the preparation of the Charter, which is the primary bible for any project manager and team concerned to investigate the details of the project. Based on this, the Project Management plan is made and given for execution when moving from the initiation to the planning phase. After which the whole responsibility of execution starts with managing and directing the project work and preparing the project knowledge and facts to be presented to the different stakeholders and monitoring agencies.
In the Project integration, the monitoring and controlling phase is very important. The monitoring and controlling team looks to make the best of the work completed and implement any change management if required during the ongoing project.
Finally, Integration management ends with the closure and handover of the project to the customer, followed by thorough checks and signoffs from concerned teams.

2. Project Scope Management 

Defining the project scope is a great step towards making the right inroads into the next development and execution of set goals. The scope here defines collecting the project requirements, defining the goals and missions that will complete the project diagram, and making the right work breakdown structure that will help the team proceed with the schedule management plan for its implementation in the planning stage.
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is an important step as the main work related to the project scope is broken down into minute pieces that will aid the team via brainstorming and a deeper understanding of the requirements. The Scope Management does not have any role in the Execution phase, and in the Monitoring and Controlling phase, the scope of the project is validated and monitored if the project has been successfully executed as per the first accepted and drawn scope insights.

3. Project Schedule Management 

Time is an important factor for the completion of the project, and it is one of the KPIs that can make the customer come back for consecutive deals with the company and boost the performance and ratings in the industry. Schedule Management starts with planning with the inputs of the Work Breakdown structure, defining the activities that will make the project execution smoother, and sequencing the activities in order to help the executor and keep the schedule in order.
Estimation of the schedule keeping different factors in mind—like the availability of the team and their skills, customer requirements, and project charter information; after all the data is considered, the schedule is developed and published.
Maintaining the schedule is a big task; controlling it will provide brownie points in completing the project as part of the Monitoring and controlling phase.

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4. Project Cost Management

Project Cost is another important factor that will determine the credibility and effectiveness of the company in executing the project within the accepted invoice amount. The steps involved in this knowledge area of Project Management are spread across planning, monitoring, and controlling phases. In the planning phase, the cost management and disbursement plan is made for each entity, and inputs are provided on schedule management and cost estimation. Finally, the budget for each phase is allocated on a project basis.
In the Monitoring and controlling phase, the cost is monitored as the project is executed and controlled in case of overheads exceeding the given permissible limits.
Overall, a report is generated for assessment and will be used as a precursor for insights and business sense to be captured when performance is being measured from a project perspective.

Related Learning: Detailed Breakdown of the PMP Certification Cost!

5. Project Quality Management 

Project quality is one of the prominent indicators that determines the deliverables. The cost and schedule are directly proportional to the quality and project scope carried over by the final delivery.
Quality Management comes into play in the planning, execution, and management and control phases; proper planning will be the key to maintaining great quality across all the phases, with input from cost management and the people behind the project who manage and execute for the customer as per their requirements.
In the monitoring and control phase, controlling the quality is the key, as the customer expects the best when the project is handed over for its destination and application.

6. Project Resource Management 

Resources are the backbone of the project in terms of human capabilities and planning your overall work schedule. The tasks under this knowledge category are spread across the planning, Execution, and Managing and control Phases. The work starts with planning the resources based on inputs such as cost, quality, and schedule management, keeping in mind the project scope and focusing on the deliverables.
Next, the estimation of the resources takes place, where the availability of the resources is taken into consideration, and an activity is assigned.
In the Execution phase, the acquisition of the project resources and deployment of the skills to deliver the goals are set as per schedule, and they are managed to ensure all the tasks are done in time through proper planning.
Once the execution is in place, resources are controlled to ensure the deliverables are delivered to the destination customer on time.

7. Project Communications Management 

Communications with different people involved internally or externally are the lifeline for the project’s success or failure. Communication could be synchronous or asynchronous in nature, where all team members are present, or it could be in the form of Emails, Dashboards, etc.
This one is spread across planning, execution, and managing and controlling phases. Managing communications is the key to good relationship management among the team members. Monitoring them at regular intervals is also necessary to ensure all issues are ironed out in time.
Monitoring can be done via an assertive, active, and passive voice that powers the language and way things are being reported back to the customer regarding status reports and meeting procedures to reduce friction between team members.

8. Project Risk Management 

It is a process of identifying the potential risks that will affect your project and analyzing them to see how they will impact the pace of implementing the project over the planned schedule.
Risk Management tenure runs over the Planning, Execution, Monitoring, and controlling phases that are major parts of the project before its closure.
In the planning stage, Risk Management involves preparing a risk management plan, identifying potential risks and branding them positive or negative based on their impact, analyzing and assessing them through qualitative and quantitative methods, and working on the responses for the identified risks.
In the Execution stage, the risks are overseen, and action is taken to mitigate the same…, based on the response and monitoring them to see if the insights can be applied to a similar project next time.

Related Learning: Types of Project Management

9. Project Procurement Management 

Procurement refers to the vendor’s management, and here, it refers purely to the supplies that will affect the project’s deliverables.
This area is run across the planning phase, with planning for the procurement of supplies from vendors within the allocated budget and quality assurance, as it will affect the customer’s deliverables.
In the Executing phase, procurements are completed and executed for the deliverables, which are then checked for quality control in the Managing & Controlling phase.
This area refers to internal and external factors and vendors who will be part of the project and ensure a high-quality deliverable with procurement orders from qualified organizations.

10. Project Stakeholder Management 

One of the most important areas, project stakeholder management, occupies a great deal of responsibility from initiating to managing and controlling phases. Project Stakeholder Management starts with the identification of possible stakeholders to be part of the project, which are classified as internal and external. The people nominated to be represented in the project can be from the customer side and the executor side.
In the planning phase, the rights and roles of the stakeholders are set up according to their engagement.
In the Executing phase, stakeholder engagement is managed, and any issues are ironed out with a regular communication channel.
In the Managing and controlling phase, the engagement is controlled before the sign-off and ensures the smooth acceptance of the deliverables.

Knowledgeable areas in project management are a big aspect. They form the nucleus of the management plan, which is spread over 5 phases and 10 areas, with 49 processes defining the project’s complete life cycle.

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Now, let me first introduce you to the 5 process groups.

1. Initiation Phase – Start the process by developing the initial report and identifying the stakeholders
2. Planning Phase – Planning the project by preparing the management plan, scope, etc.
3. Execution Phase – Execution of the project as per planned management data across all the Project Management knowledge areas.
4. Monitoring and Controlling Phase – Monitoring and controlling of the project as per the planned progress.
5. Closing Phase – Handover of the project to the customer after the final sign-off!

In the table below, you will see how the 10 Knowledge Areas of Project Management and 5 process groups have been mapped with 49 processes.

This covers the aspects of Integration, Scope, Schedule, Cost, Quality, Resources, Risk, Procurement, and Stakeholder engagement. It covers the matrix of work and ensures the project’s end-to-end completion from initiation to closure.
Covering the axis from internal to external vendors, people, and contractors who will be part of the project, as well as knowledgeable areas, will help you gain insights to take your organization to upper heights and build competent teams for handling multiple projects with multitasking.

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This brings us to the end of this project management knowledge areas blog. I have tried my best to keep the concepts crisp and clear. I hope it helped you understand Project Management and various other concepts surrounding it.

Do you have a question for us? Please mention it in the comments section, and we will get back to you.