Project Management Knowledge Areas

Project management is often seen as mysterious, but the success of a project, and in many cases a whole business, is reliant on successful project management and monitoring, which in turn needs the right person managing it.

So what does project management actually consist of? Well in the industry there is a key thinking which suggests there are nine core knowledge areas to be applied to project management, and applied to these are the five key process- initiation, planning, executing, monitoring and closing. Any combination of these processes can occur in each knowledge area.

The nine knowledge areas overlap to create full project management knowledge and they are as follows:

1. Project Integration. This is the knowledge area which underpins and enhances the others, as the ability to integrate all the other knowledge areas and process allows you to co-ordinate them successfully to get the most out of them.

2. Project Scope Management is important as if the planning, content and actual execution of a project are not analysed and controlled correctly the project is not likely to be a success. If proper time and attention is given to the scope then the end product will be more akin to the initial idea.

3. Project Time Management involves all the time related aspects of a project-everything from planning launch dates for the most effective time, to ensuring milestones are put in place and those carrying the work out can, and do, stick to them.

4. Project Cost Management is for many the most important area, and focuses on estimates, budgeting and spending control.

5. Project Quality Management. A project that is under budget and completed more w=quickly than predicted is only a success if the deliverable is of a high enough standard, and so the ability to manage and check quality is key.

6. Project Human Resource Management is also important, as the people responsible for producing the project must be the right type of people for the project and be managed well during the course of the project.

7. Project Communications Management. With project managers spending over 80% of their time communicating, knowing what to communicate to those involved, and the best ways to do it means your project can evolve more efficiently

8. Project Risk Management includes anticipating possible risks, to avoid failure, and being able to manage these issues should they occur.

9. Project Procurement Management. At some point in most projects the need will arise to purchase goods and services from an external source, and so knowledge of the buying process can save a great deal of time and money.

Using project management software with a bug tracker can help with most of the nine knowledge areas and allows you to keep track of a project.