CHAPTER 5What Are Project Management Process Groups?
The PMI PMBOK® Guide Process Groups are not a project management life cycle. They document what we need to do but not how we could do it. In that sense they are the foundation of all project management life cycle models.
—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 ten Knowledge Areas
- Explain the relationship between the five Process Groups and ten Knowledge Areas
All of the project management life cycles (PMLCs) presented in Parts II and III are constructed from the five Process Groups and 49 project management processes described in this chapter. The five Process Groups were originally defined by the Project Management Institute (PMI) in their standards guidelines called A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide). 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 ten Knowledge Areas of PMBOK®. It is important that you understand the traditional processes and Knowledge Areas in detail because they are the basis of all the project management models that you will learn about in Parts II and III. This book extends its treatment beyond those traditional practices into the contemporary world of complex project management.