Effective Project Management: Traditional, Agile, Extreme, Sixth Edition

CHAPTER 3

Understanding the Project Management Process Groups

The PMI PMBOK Process Groups are not a project management life cycle; they are the building blocks of every project management life cycle.

—Robert K. Wysocki, Ph.D. President, EII Publications

CHAPTER LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After reading this chapter, you will be able to:

• Define the five Process Groups
• Define the nine Knowledge Areas
• Explain the relationship between the five Process Groups and nine Knowledge Areas

All of the project management life cycles (PMLCs) presented in Part II are constructed from the five Process Groups introduced in this chapter. The five Process Groups were originally defined by the Project Management Institute (PMI) in their standards guidelines called the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). The PMBOK Guide has become the de facto standard for the practice of project management worldwide. This book is compatible with the five Process Groups and the related nine Knowledge Areas of the PMBOK Guide. It is important that you understand the traditional processes and Knowledge Areas in detail because they are the basis of the project management models that you will learn about in Part II. This book extends its treatment beyond those traditional practices into the contemporary world of project management.