Ten Project Management Knowledge Areas

Integration Mgmt	Scope Management	Time Management
Develop Project Charter Develop Project Management Plan Direct and Manage Project Work Monitor and Control Project Work Perform Integrated Change Control Close Project or Phase	Plan Scope Management Collect Requirements Define Scope Create Work Breakdown Structure Verify Scope Control Scope	Plan Schedule Management Define Activities Sequence Activities Estimate Activity Resources Estimate Activity Durations Develop Schedule Control Schedule
Cost Management	Quality Management	Human Resource Management
Plan Cost Management Estimate Costs Determine Budget Control Costs	Plan Quality Perform Quality Assurance Perform Quality Control	Plan Human Resource Management Acquire Project Team Develop Human Resource Plan Manage Project Team
Communications Management	Risk Management	Procurement Management
Plan Communications Management Manage Communications Control Communications	Plan Risk Management Identify Risks Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis Plan Risk Responses Control Risks	Plan Procurement Management Conduct Procurements Administer Procurements Close Procurements
Stakeholder Management
Identify Stakeholders Plan Stakeholder Management Manage Stakeholder Engagement Control Stakeolder Engagement

Communications Management

Communication involves project information sharing to sponsors and stakeholders (subscribers). The communications plan will specify who needs what information and when. Communication systems are typically optimized through push and pull configurations. In a push system, information is sent to subscribers, i.e., broadcast email. In a pull system, subscribers log-in to obtain information, i.e., documents in a SharePoint site. A Stakeholder assessment should indicate the level of interest and influence that sponsors and stakeholders have in a given project.

Cost Management

Cost estimation and budgeting are involved, i.e., top down and bottom up are involved. Project costs are progressively elaborative (they become clearer over time as the project progresses). Additionally, the project team seeks to determine project performance through evaluation, i.e., Earned Value Analysis. Sophisticated cost models may involve meta-analysis.

Human Resource Management

HR planning involves not only the creation of job descriptions, position roles and responsibilities, but also proper positioning within the project organization, and staff development. Job performance evaluations are an important part of HR management.

Integration Management

Think of each part of the project as a fruit (apples, peaches, cherries, etc.), Integration Management is the fruit salad. It is a synergy of the project knowledge areas. It is a lens that continually evaluates what the things that must be completed for the project to be within scope, budget, on time and with quality. Integration involves project start through completion and involves execution, monitoring/controlling through closing. Conceptually speaking, meta-evaluation can play an integral role in the integration management process.

Procurement Management

Obtaining resources, products or services from outside the performing organization is the essence of procurement. Evaluation in the form of vendor analysis and rating systems is a method the project manager will use to plan and purchase things Procurement involves requesting bids, choosing and executing the right type of contracts, and vendor selection. Quality Management

Quality is defined as meeting the expected level of product or performance attributes. This must be done by establishing and then adhering to criteria and values. Because quality represents a standard of an acceptable measure it involves evaluation. Therefore the quality plan should be developed early in the project because quality decisions impact all areas of the project.

Risk Management

A risk is an event that may have negative or positive consequences. A risk may be low, medium or high. A separate classification of risks, called black swans, refers to risk events that could not be anticipated, i.e., Tsunami. The project manager must identify risks to the best of their ability and also plan how to respond to the risk events. The most common ways to handle risk are acceptance (if the event happens we can accept it), avoidance (don't create requirements that could cause a risk to occur) or transference (get an insurance policy to offset possible impacts). Risk analysis typically involves benchmarking forms of evaluation.

Scope Management

Scope involves the boundaries or parameters of the project. It involves the management of the requirements, resources and related processes. Evaluation frequently involves completing a needs assessment. Scope also involves setting expectations, managing changes, and gaining project acceptance. Its goal is to ensure that the objectives are well defined and clearly communicated very clearly ongoing to sponsors and stakeholders.

Stakeholder Management

Managing stakeholders includes the process required to identify those individuals who can impact or be impacted by the project, to assess their expectations and impact on the project, and to develop appropriate management strategies for effectively engaging them in project decisions and execution. It also focuses on continuous communication with stakeholders to determine their needs and expectations, addressing issues as they occur, managing conflict and fostering appropriate engagement in decisions or activities regarding the project.

Time Management

Managing time involves a constant re-evaluation of resources, activities, and schedules. Central to this process is sequencing activities and estimating durations. Projects may be fast tracked by reducing durations (i.e., taking short cuts), or crashed by adding more resources to the project (i.e., temporary employees). *Source: PMI Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) 5th Edition (published January 2013).