The AMA Handbook of Project Management, Second Edition

Chapter 3. Project Management Process Groups: Project Management Knowledge in Action

GEREE STREUN, PMP, CSQE, ADVANCED NEUROMODULATION SYSTEMS, INC.

One often hears the project management profession’s standard, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK^® Guide), described as consisting of nine knowledge areas. What’s left out of this description is the equally important segment of the standard that describes the processes used by the project manager in order to apply that knowledge appropriately. These processes can be effectively arranged in logical groups for ease of consistent application. These process groups—Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing—describe how a project manager integrates activities ...