Project Management Process Groups and Knowledge Areas

What is the difference between Project Management Process Groups and Knowledge Areas? The answer seemed so obvious, yet when I thought about it, I found it hard to describe in words. So, I went back, did some reading and put my understanding in words.

Process Groups

When Project Management processes are grouped logically, they form Process Groups. For example, all the processes required to define a new project or a project phase are grouped into Initiating Process Group. All planning related processes go under Planning Process Group, and so on.

The PMBOK Guide, Fourth Edition defines five Process Groups:

• Initiating Process Group
• Planning Process Group
• Executing Process Group
• Monitoring & Controlling Process Group
• Closing Process Group

The PMBOK Guide requires the use of all five Process Groups in every Project. However, the rigor of implementation of the processes in these Process Groups vary according to the complexity and risk for the specific project. The processes in the Process Groups guide the project manager in application of Project Management knowledge and skills on a project, in order to meet the project objectives.

The Process Groups are linked by the output they produce. For instance, the Initiating Process Group provides the Project Charter as input to the Planning Process Group, which in turn provides the Project Management Plan as input to the Executing Process Group.

Though the Process Groups appear to be discrete and laid out in a specific order, in practice they overlap and interact in several ways. Most processes are iterative and are repeated during the project. Though the Initiating Process Group begins the project and the Closing Process Group ends the project, the Monitoring and Controlling processes overlaps with processes in all other Process Groups and are carried out throughout the project. As an example of iteration, during the Executing Process Group, there may be a need for re-planning and update to the Project Management Plan.

Note that Project Management Process Groups are NOT the same as Project Phases. The PMBOK Guide is very particular about this. For example, in a software project, the Project Phases could be Requirements Analysis, Design, Development, Testing, Release etc. As you can see, these are clearly different from the five Process Groups. When a large project is divided into phases, all five Process Groups would be repeated in each phase.

Knowledge Areas

When Project Management processes are grouped by areas of specialization, they form Knowledge Areas. The PMBOK Guide, Fourth Edition defines nine Knowledge Areas:

• 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

All together, the PMBOK Guide, Fourth Edition defines 42 Project Mangement Processes, mapped across five Process Groups and Nine Knowledge Areas. Refer to the figure below for Process Groups and Knowledge Areas Mapping.


The Knowledge Areas describe what a project manager needs to know, and the Process Groups describe what a project manager needs to do.

Understanding ITTOs for the PMP Exam: Introduction

Input, Tools & Techniques, and Outputs (ITTOs) of the Project Management processes from the PMBOK Guide are probably the most dreaded part of PMP Exam preparation. The PMBOK Guide Fourth Edition lists 42 Project Management processes in 5 Process Groups and 9 Knowledge Areas. These 42 processes have a total of 517 ITTOs. Now memorizing these many ITTOs is almost an impossible task. Even if you believe "impossible is nothing", don't expect the exam questions to be so direct as to test your memory. So, the burning question is, "What is the key to taming ITTOs for the PMP Exam?".

Update 1/1/2011: Worried about ITTOs for the PMP exam? Check out:

brainBOK - PMP and CAPM Certification System

How to Register PDUs with PMI for PMP Re-certification?

This post is obsolete now. Refer to the latest post - PMP Renewal: How to Report PDUs to PMI?

As per PMI's Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR), every certified Project Management Professional (PMP) needs to earn 60 Professional Development Units (PDUs) in each certification cycle (3 years), in order to renew his/her PMP Certification.

Product Scope, Project Scope and Requirements

When I was preparing for the PMP Exam I was really confused by the terms Product Scope, Project Scope and Requirements. Not that I didn't understand what requirements were, it's just the academic definitions of the PMBOK Guide that clouded my mind. The easiest way for me to understand any concept is to look at examples. Unfortunately, the PMBOK Guide doesn't have many. Even the popular exam prep guides don't offer elaborate examples. Now that I have a better understanding, let me help you understand these concepts better. First, we'll look at the PMBOK Guide definition of these terms, then put them in simple words and finally look at some examples to reinforce the concepts.

PMBOK Guide definitions

Product Scope: The features and functions that characterize a product, service, or result.

Project Scope: The work that must be performed to deliver a product, service, or result with the specified features and functions.

Requirement: A condition or capability that must be met or possessed by a system, product, service, result, or component to satisfy a contract, standard, specification, or other formally imposed document. Requirements include the quantified and documented needs, wants, and expectations of the sponsor, customer, and other stakeholders.

Simplified definitions

Requirements are "what" the customer needs. Requirements can be of many types. For example, product related requirements, performance requirements, quality requirements, project management requirements etc.

Product Scope refers to requirements that specifically relate to the "product" of the Project.

Project Scope is all the work that goes in producing the product.

Example

Let's say you have a plot of land and you want to build a house on it.

Product: The house.

Product Scope: The house should have 3 storeys, 1000 sq.m. of built-up area, 4 bedrooms with attached baths, 2 living rooms, a kitchen, a basement and a garage. The exteriors should be white.

Project Scope: Hiring a building contractor, an architect and an interior designer, acquiring legal permits, estimating the cost, taking bank loan, planning for risks such as rain and storms, designing the house, buying construction material, constructing the house, doing the interiors, buying furniture, conducting inspections, conducting regular site visits to track the progress and resolving disputes, making payments and compensations, closing contracts, and moving in.

Requirements: In addition to the Product Scope there could be other requirements for the house. Using a particular grade of cement could be your quality requirement. Making the house earth-quake proof could be a performance requirement. Getting a weekly progress update from your contractor, and making monthly payments could be your project management requirements.

I hope you get a better picture now.

10 Reasons to buy Rita Mulcahy's PMP Exam Prep Book

If you preparing for the PMP Exam, chances are that you already familiar with Rita Mulcahy's PMP Exam Prep book. If you go by the Best PMP Exam Prep Book Survey, 65% respondents recommend this book over any other PMP Exam Prep guide. It's easily the No.1 best-selling PMP Exam Prep book. While you would have heard several favorable comments about this book, you might have also come across some contrasting remarks from critics. Either you love it or you hate it - it's that kind of a book. The critics point out the sarcastic and generally pessimistic tone of the book as the main reason for giving it a thumbs-down. If you have heeded to the advice of the critics and given this book a pass, let me tell you 10 reasons why it should be a part of your study plan.

1. PMI-isms: The key to passing the PMP Exam is to answer the questions the PMI-way (or PMI-isms). Knowing these PMI-isms is absolutely critical to passing the exam. No matter how good a project manager you are in the real world, you must answer the PMP Exam questions the PMI-way. I think I'm sounding like Rita Mulcahy now :) Chapter 1 of this book hits the nail on its head by listing 62 PMI-isms, which are absolutely essential for passing the exam. This gets you rolling immediately. You'll find many more PMI-isms throughout the book and specifically in the Professional and Social Responsibility Chapter.
   
   
2. Rita's Process Chart: The Process Chart elaborates the PMBOK processes and make them easy to understand. While some critique that it distorts the standard vocabulary that PMI has established, but I would say it does help you get a different perspective on the PMBOK processes. She also emphasizes on the order of the planning processes that in itself is a key to answering many exam questions.
   
   
3. The Sample Questions: The quality of the questions in Rita's book (and her PMP Fastrack Exam Simulator) is the best in my opinion. The book contains about 400 sample questions.
   
   
4. Tricks of the Trade: Each chapter has several "Tricks of the Trade" sections, which offer very useful information and tricks for tackling exam questions and also dealing with project managements issues in real world.
   
   
5. Succinctness: The book is written with a razor-sharp focus on the exam. The wording is precise, and content to the point. There are no wasted words in this book.
   
   
6. Exercises: The book has tons of exercises. It really gives you an opportunity to think, write down your answers in blank spaces provided, look at the answers and compare notes to fill in your gaps.
   
   
7. Games: The book includes many other exercises (read Games) such as Rita's Process Game, What-comes-before/after Game and Project Management Scrabble Game. The games really help get your mind around the course material. Just don't expect the same thrills as from your Playstation.
   
   
8. Templates: The book provides some useful templates and samples of Project Management documents such as the Project Charter and WBS Dictionary. These are really useful for people who don't deal with these documents on their projects.
   
   
9. Content Presentation: Use of visual cues, diagrams, charts, tables and bullet points rather than plain text, make the content easy to digest and remember.
   
   
10. Insider Info: Last but not the least, the book gives lots of insider info like the psychology of the exam authors, how the exam questions are written, the important topics for the exam, Knowledge Area and Process Groups wise level of difficulty of exam questions, the common pitfalls, etc. Rita's knowledge and experience truly reflects in this book. After reading this book, you realize why she's a "household name" among PMP aspirants.
    
    

While I agree that the book has a general negative tone to it, so much so that it has a chapter named "Reasons you might fail the exam", I still believe it's an indispensable tool for the PMP Exam. Let me tell you a trick to reading this book (BTW, trick is Rita's favorite word). The first time you read this book, strike-out all the stuff that you find negative, with a black marker. After that, you'll be left with a really useful book.

If you are studying for the PMP Exam, I strongly recommend this book. It's the "Gold Standard" in the PMP Certification world against which all other study material is measured.

Related Posts:

What can Indo-Pak Conflict teach PMP Aspirants?

Recently, a PMP aspirant asked a question about the difference between the two conflict resolution techniques - Smoothing and Compromise - in PMP Cert Online Study Group. His question inspired me to write this article.

First, let's understand what Smoothing and Compromise are, and then we'll look at some examples to understand them better.

Smoothing (or Accomodating) is a conflict resolution technique where the areas of agreement are emphasized and those of disagreement downplayed. The points to note are:

1. The issue is not resolved, but swept under the carpet. In other words, the issue is 'avoided'.
2. Since the underlying issue still exists, the conflict may resurface.
3. Smoothing is used when stakes are low.

Compromise is a conflict resolution technique where the parties involved agree to "give up" something in order to resolve the conflict. The key points are:

1. The issue is actually resolved, and not just covered-up.
2. It is considered to be a lose-lose situation because both parties give up something.
3. It takes more emotional intelligence than smoothing because the issue is brought out into the open and discussed.
4. It may be useful when the stakes are moderate and when both parties want to maintain the relationship.

Put simply, Compromise is usually better than Smoothing, but depending upon the situation either one can be justified.

Let's take the example of the dispute between India and Pakistan.

• Smoothing: After the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India suspended dialogue with Pakistan and demanded Pakistan to take action against the perpetrators. But a new development yesterday really caught my attention. When Indian PM and Pakistani Prez met in Egypt yesterday, they decided to delink the issue of terrorism from talks and resumed the dialogue on other issues. Here the main issue of terrorism has been "swept under the carpet". The issue still exists and will surely resurface, but for now, they are talking to each other. This is a perfect example of 'Smoothing'.
  
  You can read the complete story here: India, Pak delink terrorism from dialogue
  
  
• Compromising: The whole world knows about the stand-off between India and Pakistan on the issue of Kashmir. Let's say India and Pakistan decide to split Kashmir into two parts (I mean 'officially' split it) and take control of one part each. If they resolve the issue in this manner, it would be a 'Compromise'. Both parties want Kashmir but at the end of the day, they resolve the conflict by 'Compromising' and giving up some part of their demand. This is just a hypothetical example. Since the stakes are so high, a compromise may not work in this situation.
  
  

I won't delve further into politics. I hope you can clearly see the difference between Smoothing and Compromise now. Peace.

Three-point estimates vs PERT - What's the difference?

There's a very little probability of completing a project on any one given date. Three-point estimates use 3 different estimates - Optimistic (O), Most Likely (M) and Pessimistic (P) - to estimate project duration and cost. Rather than using a single estimate, three-point estimates use a range of estimates. The three estimates take into consideration the risk in the project and help project managers develop a more realistic schedule or budget. For the purpose of planning, a single estimate is derived from the three-point estimates.

Let's take the example of Duration estimate.

• If you use a "simple" average estimate for a project, you would take a mean of all the 3 estimates i.e. add up all the 3 estimates and divide them by three.
  
  Simple average Duration Estimate = (O + M + P) / 3
  
  
• If you use "weighted" average estimate for a project, you may give different weightage to the three estimates. Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) is a type of "weighted" average duration estimation technique. PERT uses 1-4-1 weightage i.e. it gives 4 times more weightage to the Most Likely (M) estimate.
  
  PERT Duration Estimate = (O + 4*M + P) / 6
  
  

In summary, PERT is a type of three-point estimation technique. PERT uses a "weighted" average estimate rather than a simple average. Three-point estimates are also used for Monte-Carlo Analysis.

Suggested Reading: It Takes Three to Make Good Estimates by Oliver F. Lehmann

3 Free Video Episodes of The PM Prepcast

The PM Prepcast is one of the best self-paced distance learning programs for the PMP Exam. It's a one of its kind, revolutionary product that is very attractively priced and delivers more than it promises. It also qualifies for the 35 Contact Hours of Project Management education, which is a pre-requisite for the PMP Exam.

Here are 3 free video episodes of The Project Management Prepcast that can help you evaluate the program and make a more informed decision.

You can also read Review of The Project Management Prepcast, and compare it with your own evaluation.

Video 1: Project Integration Management Overview

Video 2: 35 Contact Hours

Video 3: Finding the best answer to sample questions

To know more, see The Project Management Prepcast.

The AMA Handbook of Project Management - A Refreshing take on the PMBOK Guide

Are you preparing for the PMP Exam? If yes, tell me honestly - do you know that The AMA Handbook of Project Management is a PMP Exam Prep book? Handbook and Exam Prep Book? Doesn't sound right, isn't it? You might have heard about PMP Exam Prep books from Rita Mulcahy, Andy Crowe and Kim Heldman. But not many PMP aspirants are familiar with The AMA Handbook. And what if I tell you that you can get it for free. Would you be interested to know more? Read on.

Progressive Elaboration vs Rolling Wave Planning

Some PMP aspirants get confused with the difference between Progressive Elaboration and Rolling Wave Planning. The concepts are so similar that the confusion is legitimate. So, let's understand these concepts and look at the differences (or similarities).

Planning is an iterative process. Often times, it's difficult to do detailed planning of a project in the beginning. As the project evolves, and more specific and accurate details are available, the planning gets more detailed. With each successive iteration of the planning process, the project plan becomes more elaborate and complete. This approach to planning is known as Progressive Elaboration. The PMBOK Guide Fourth Edition mentions two forms of Progressive Elaboration:

1. Rolling Wave Planning: It is one of the techniques in the 'Define Activities' process under Project Time Management. In this technique, detailed planning is done for activities in near term and high-level planning for activities to be performed far away in the future. As the project progresses, and requirements become more clear, more detailed planning is done for the work packages at lower levels of the WBS.
   
   What better way to understand a concept than looking at an example. Let's say you want to visit India on vacation and your objective is to have fun and explore the country. However, you've never been there before. You do however know some places of interest like The Taj Mahal. Initially, you decide that you'll leave on Dec 20 and return on Jan 04. You book your flight tickets and hotel room in New Delhi (one of the cities with an International Airports). Once you reach New Delhi, you talk to the locals and figure out all the places of interest. Then you plan your days, like when you want to visit each place, how you are going to get there, where you'll stay, what you'll do there, etc. Your plans become more detailed as days progress. This is an example of Rolling Wave Planning.
   
   


2. Prototypes: Prototypes are a technique in the 'Collect Requirements' process under Project Scope Management. Prototyping is a method of obtaining early feedback on requirements by providing a "tangible" working model or a mock-up of the expected product before actually building it. It gives stakeholders an opportunity to test and experiment with a model of their final product and give them a way to 'visualize' their end product. Prototypes help to identify problems early in the project and reduce project risks.
   
   Let's take an example again. Your company wants to build a commercially viable model of a Hydrogen-powered car. Initially, your researchers build several working models (prototypes) of the car, maybe of a smaller size, to conduct experiments and check the feasibility of the project. Based upon the results of the feasibility studies, your company decides whether to move forward with or kill the project.
   
   

In summary, Rolling Wave Planning and Prototyping are forms of Progressive Elaboration.

Can I Print the PMBOK Guide Fourth Edition PDF legally?

Many Project Managers, PMPs and PMP aspirants are not sure whether they are legally allowed to print the PDF version of the PMBOK Guide Fourth Edition. Some of them might have already printed it and living with the guilt of violating the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. So, is it legal to print the PMBOK Guide Fourth Edition?

Project Management Acronyms for the PMP Exam

The PMBOK Guide Fourth Edition contains nearly 100 acronyms. It even has a separate section for Acronyms in the Glossary. But this section provides a list of only about 50 acronyms used in the Guide. Apart from these acronyms, there are many standard Project Management acronyms that all PMP aspirants should know. On top of this, a lot of jargon has been developed around the PMP Exam like ITTO and LL. I've compiled a list of about 125 acronyms collected from various sources, such as the PMBOK Guide Fourth Edition, PMP Exam Prep books and resources, and online forums.

Acronym	Full form	Remarks
AC	Actual Cost
ACWP	Actual Cost of Work Performed	Old term for AC
ADM	Arrow Diagramming Method	Rarely used now
ADR	Alternative Dispute Resolution
AE	Apportioned Effort
AOA	Activity-on-Arrow	Rarely used now
AON	Activity-on-Node
ARMA	Autoregressive Moving Average
BAC	Budget at Completion
BARF	Bought-into, Approved, Realistic, Formal	from Rita Mulcahy's PMP Exam Prep
BCR	Benefit Cost Ratio
BCWP	Budgeted Cost of Work Performed	Old term for EV
BCWS	Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled	Old term for PV
CA	Control Account
CBR	Cost Benefit Ratio
CBT	Computer-Based Test
CCB	Change Control Board
CCS	Change Control System	Non-standard
CH	Contact Hours	Non-standard
CMMI®	Capability Maturity Model Integrated
COC	Cost of Conformance
CONC	Cost of Non-Conformance
COQ	Cost of Quality
CPAF	Cost Plus Award Fee
CPF	Cost Plus Fee
CPFF	Cost Plus Fixed Fee
CPI	Cost Performance Index
CPIF	Cost Plus Incentive Fee
CPM	Critical Path Methodology
CR	Change Request
CV	Cost Variance
DFD	Data Flow Diagram
DOE	Design of Experiments
DU	Duration
DUR	Duration
EAC	Estimate at Completion
EEF	Enterprise Environmental Factors	Non-standard
EF	Early Finish
EMV	Expected Monetary Value
EPV	Expected Present Value
ES	Early Start
ETC	Estimate to Complete
EV	Earned Value
EVA	Earned Value Analysis
	Economic Value Add
EVM	Earned Value Management
EVT	Earned Value Technique
FF	Finish-to-Finish
FFP	Firm Fixed Price
FMEA	Failure Mode and Effect Analysis
FP-EPA	Fixed Price with Economic Price Adjustment
FPIF	Fixed Price Incentive Fee
FS	Finish-to-Start
FV	Future Value
HR	Human Resource
IFB	Invitation for Bid
IO	Inputs and Outputs	Jargon
IRR	Internal Rate of Return
ISO	International Organization for Standardization
ITTO	Inputs, Tools, Techniques and Outputs	Jargon
JAD	Joint Application Development (or Design)
JIT	Just in Time
KA	Knowledge Area	Non-standard
LF	Late Finish
LL	Lessons Learned (or Learnt)	Jargon
LOE	Level of Effort
LS	Late Start
NPV	Net Present Value
OBS	Organizational Breakdown Structure
OPA	Organizational Process Assets	Non-standard
OPM3®	Organizational Project Management Maturity Model
PBT	Paper-Based Test
PDCA	Plan Do Check Act
PDM	Precedence Diagramming Method
PERT	Program Evaluation and Review Technique
PM	Project Manager
	Project Management
PMB	Performance Measurement Baseline
PMBOK®	Project Management Body of Knowledge
PMI®	Project Management Institute
PMIS	Project Management Information System
PMO	Project Management Office
PMP®	Project Management Professional
PTA	Point of Total Assumption
PV	Planned Value
	Present Value
QA	Quality Assurance
QC	Quality Control
QFD	Quality Function Deployment
QP	Quality Planning	Non-standard
RACI	Responsible, Accountable, Consult, and Inform
RAM	Responsibility Assignment Matrix
RBS	Resource Breakdown Structure	Non-standard
	Risk Breakdown Structure	Standard
RFI	Request for Information
RFP	Request for Proposal
RFQ	Request for Quotation
ROI	Return on Investment
ROM	Rough Order of Magnitude
SF	Start-to-Finish
SME	Subject Matter Expert
SOW	Statement of Work
SPI	Schedule Performance Index
SS	Start-to-Start
SV	Schedule Variance
SWOT	Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats
T&M	Time and Material
TCPI	To-Complete Performance Index
TQM	Total Quality Management
TT	Tools and Techniques	Jargon
VAC	Variance at Completion
VE	Value Engineering
VOC	Voice of the Customer
WAS	Work Authorization System
WBS	Work Breakdown Structure
WPI	Work Performance Information	Non-standard
9x5	9 Knowledge Areas x 5 Process Groups	Jargon

Acronyms related to PMP Re-certification (for certified PMPs)

Acronym	Full form
CCR	Continuing Certification Requirements
CEU	Continuing Education Unit
PDU	Professional Development Unit
SDL	Self-Directed Learning
SIG	Specific Interest Group

Acronyms related to other PMI certifications

Acronym	Full form
CAPM®	Certified Associate in Project Management
PgMP®	Program Management Professional
PMI-REP®	PMI Registered Education Provider
PMI-RMP®	PMI Risk Management Professional
PMI-SP®	PMI Scheduling Professional

Click here to download the entire table as a PDF file.

If you know of other acronyms (related to PMP) that should be on this list, please let me know.

New Anti-Piracy Features in the PMBOK Guide 4th Edition PDF

I downloaded the PMBOK Guide Fourth edition again (lost my previous copy) and found something very interesting.

PMI has embedded 2 new anti-piracy features in the PDF Version of PMBOK Guide 4th Edition to prevent illegal distribution of the standard.