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3 - PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROCESSES FOR A PROJECT

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PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROCESSES FOR A PROJECT

This section of the Software Extension to the PMBOK Guide describes the ways in which the five Project
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Management Process Groups of the PMBOK Guide (Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling,
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and Closing) apply to the management of software projects, and includes adaptations and extensions that are
commonly used when managing software projects.

The introduction to Section 3 of the PMBOK Guide makes the distinction between project management
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processes and product-oriented processes as follows:
• Project management processes. These processes ensure the effective flow of the project throughout
its existence. 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 stage of the product life cycle.

Section 2.4 of this Software Extension describes life cycles used to manage software projects. Sections 6
through 13 of this Software Extension address process-oriented Knowledge Areas and the relationships between
project-oriented and product-oriented processes.

As noted in Section 3 of the PMBOK Guide, the five Project Management Process Groups for a project should
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be used as guides in managing a project while considering the overall approach to be followed for the project.
This effort is known as tailoring. Section 2.4 and Sections 4 through 13 of this Software Extension provide tailoring
guidelines for the processes in the PMBOK Guide that are used to manage a software project.
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3.1 Common Project Management Process Interactions

As stated in Section 3.1 of the PMBOK Guide, application of the five Project Management Process Groups is
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often iterative, with many processes repeated during a project. Section 2.4 of this Software Extension indicates that
software project life cycles occupy a continuum ranging from highly predictive models to highly adaptive models.
Variations along this continuum are based on the manner in which the five Project Management Process Groups are
applied.

©2013 Project Management Institute. Software Extension to the PMBOK Guide Fifth Edition 39
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