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3 - PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROCESSES

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Project MAnAGeMent Processes

Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the
project requirements. This application of knowledge requires the effective management of the project management
processes.

A process is a set of interrelated actions and activities performed to create a pre-specified product, service, or
result. Each process is characterized by its inputs, the tools and techniques that can be applied, and the resulting
outputs. As explained in Section 2, the project manager needs to consider organizational process assets and
enterprise environmental factors. These should be taken into account for every process, even if they are not
explicitly listed as inputs in the process specification. Organizational process assets provide guidelines and criteria
for tailoring the organization’s processes to the specific needs of the project. Enterprise environmental factors may
constrain the project management options.
In order for a project to be successful, the project team should:

• Select appropriate processes required to meet the project objectives;

• Use a defined approach that can be adapted to meet requirements;
• Establish and maintain appropriate communication and engagement with stakeholders;
• Comply with requirements to meet stakeholder needs and expectations; and

• Balance the competing constraints of scope, schedule, budget, quality, resources, and risk to produce the
specified product, service, or result.
The project processes are performed by the project team with stakeholder interaction and generally fall into one
of two major categories:

• Project management processes. These processes ensure the effective flow of the project throughout
its life cycle. These processes encompass the tools and techniques involved in applying the skills and
capabilities described in the Knowledge Areas (Sections 4 through 13).
• Product-oriented processes. These processes specify and create the project’s product. Product-
oriented processes are typically defined by the project life cycle (as discussed in Section 2.4) and vary
by application area as well as the phase of the product life cycle. The scope of the project cannot be
defined without some basic understanding of how to create the specified product. For example, various
construction techniques and tools need to be considered when determining the overall complexity of the
house to be built.

©2013 Project Management Institute. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) – Fifth Edition 47
®

Licensed To: Jorge Diego Fuentes Sanchez PMI MemberID: 2399412
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