Project Stakeholder Management is introduced as a new knowledge area in the 5th edition of PMBOK (Project Management Body of Knowledge). The classic definition of Stakeholder goes as follows: Show
A stakeholder is anyone who has an interest in the project or will be affected by its deliverable or output. It is important to understand the expectations and issues of every stakeholder in order to provide the successful delivery of a project. Stakeholder management is the process of managing the expectation of anyone who has an interest in a project or will be affected by it. This is an intuitive principle but a rationalized and planned approach in this knowledge area has become the need of the time; therefore the new knowledge area of PMBOK is justified. Can a project manager really manage the expectations of the stakeholders directly? Or does it happen automatically when the processes of other key knowledge areas are properly managed? In a way, it should happen by itself, but there are a few important factors that can be uniquely arranged in this knowledge area which will have a positive impact on the other managed parameters of a project. Before getting elevated to the status of an independent knowledge area, project stakeholder management resided as a part of the project communication management, until the 4th edition of PMBOK. Stakeholder Management Classification :The four process groups identified in project Stakeholder management are as below: • Identify Stakeholders Identify Stakeholders :This is the process group that identifies everyone, be it groups or individuals, affected positively or adversely (know thy enemies! even though you are going to forgive them) by the outcomes of the project. Major stakeholders of a project are: Customers, Sponsors, Functional Management, Project Team and Project Manager. Plan Stakeholder Management :This process group comes up with the management strategies required to engage stakeholders effectively. This inevitably becomes part of the master project management plan. An actionable plan is the expected output of this process group. A power-interest based classification of stakeholders can be handy at this stage. (Know who is interested and got the power to move the cheese) Manage Stakeholder Engagement :This process outputs effective communication with stakeholders and works with them to meet their needs through meaningful and appropriate involvement in project activities. It’s like letting them watch the ‘making of the movie’ before they watch the actual movie. Yes, you are going to sacrifice the pleasant surprise element, but then, you are not looking for nasty surprises either, right? Control Stakeholder Engagement :This is the process of monitoring overall project stakeholder relationships and then adjusting the strategies and plans for engaging stakeholders accordingly. Yes, the classic control’ element of management dominion. The bottom line is: As a project manager, manages the processes in the other knowledge areas magnificently; you will have the least action required in the processes. Project Management Knowledge Areas As Defined By PMBOK :• Project Integration Management Like all management models, the fundamental benefit of stakeholder analysis is that it helps bring understanding to a complex situation and therefore helps project managers to manage stakeholders in the most effective way. It enables them to concentrate on resources where the maximum benefit will be derived and keep an informed communication planning for the project. Did You Find Our Blog Informative? Check Out Our Other Blogs As Well!Read More Effective project management is no simple feat — it takes the right balance of best practices and software to support many functions, like budgetting, time management, communication, and more. Many turn to the Project Management Institute (PMI) to define the details of distinct project management knowledge areas — according to PMBoK there are ten! We decided to make it easier to understand and much briefer in our article. Read on to explore five key project management knowledge areas for project success and some highlights of the other five. Get started What are the 10 key project management knowledge areas?The PMI ‘Bible’ — the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBoK) — refers to 10 key project management knowledge areas. (Image Source) The PMBoK is helpful as it brings a standardized, and repeatable, approach to project management which means you get to profit from the lessons (read: mistakes) others made before you. If you apply the learning from the 10 knowledge areas you’ve got a pretty good chance of a successful project. What are the benefits of using the PMBoK knowledge areas?Some key benefits that come from following a tried-and-tested project management process such as this are:
The most important things to focus on for project success are time, scope, and cost — these are also sometimes called the ‘iron triangle” of project success factors. Here’s a look at the five PM knowledge areas we will cover in the next section:
5 most important project management knowledge areasWhile all knowledge areas in project management offer their benefits to project managers and teammates, we chose the top five that are often poorly managed — or rather could be optimized using software like monday.com. Here, we’ll provide a quick summary of each. 1. Project integration managementProject integration management is the coordination of all project elements. This includes things like:
2. Project scope managementStatistics concerning project duration make for even worse reporting — only 29% of projects run on time. This usually relates to managing the scope of the project.
This knowledge area is critical, as scope creep — adding work that isn’t authorized as a part of the project scope — is a real issue in projects and affects the project timeline and budget, and the ability to effectively manage resources. There are, of course, occasions where the project scope does need to change mid-project which is why it’s so important to have an effective change control process. 3. Project schedule managementDuring the planning phase of the project lifecycle, the project manager has to create the project schedule. This involves taking the agreed project scope and breaking it down into a task list to be completed over time. For each task the project manager has to agree on a start and finish date. You’ll then need to order the tasks by working out the relationships between the tasks and whether any are dependent on each other. Understanding how long each task will take and the relationship between them, helps to identify those tasks where there’s some wiggle room as to when they’re delivered and those which are on the critical path. Tasks on the critical path have to be delivered on time or the whole project timeline is affected. Earned value analysis is conducted during the project execution phase to determine if the project is on track to deliver within budget and schedule. 4. Project cost managementCost management is critical to keeping your project within budget. Only 43% of projects are delivered within budget. Happily, as a knowledge area it’s one of the simplest to understand. There are no acronyms and no fancy analysis tools. It’s just a case of:
5. Project stakeholder managementDuring the project initiation phase, you should spend a significant amount of time identifying and analyzing project stakeholders. This analysis should include plotting key stakeholders on an influence vs. interest matrix to determine your key supporters and also those who are less keen. (Image Source) Once the project is underway, you’ll use your project communication plan — something like the template below — to engage stakeholders and keep them up to date with project progress. It’s important to monitor levels of stakeholder engagement throughout the project lifecycle to check the impact of any communications and make sure stakeholder needs are being met. What about the other 5 PMBoK knowledge areas?As promised, here are some highlights of the remaining five project management knowledge areas. 1. Project quality managementThe desired quality of the output can have a significant influence on project time and cost. It’s important to decide the quality level and standards during the project initiation phase. 2. Project resource managementGood resource management is one of the most challenging areas of project management. Make it easier with this resource management template from monday.com. 3. Project communications managementHaving identified your stakeholders, you need to build a plan to communicate effectively with them through the project lifecycle. During project execution you’ll be putting your communications plan into action and monitoring it to make sure it’s making a difference. Internal communication is crucial. 4. Project risk managementThis knowledge area is about the identification, prioritization, and mitigation of risks. You’ll need to capture all identified risks in the project risk register. Struggling for inspiration? Write down scope creep, project delay, and going over budget. It happens in over 50% of projects. 5. Project Procurement ManagementThis is about planning when, and how, the project would procure resources or services to support the project. The rest of the knowledge area details how to conduct and control the procurement process. Frequently asked questionsWhat is meant by knowledge areas in project management?Knowledge areas in project management help project managers prioritize different project management processes for successful execution. They are general themes like cost management or scheduling. How many knowledge areas are there in PMBoK?There are 10 official knowledge areas according to PMBoK. Why are the project management knowledge areas important?Project management knowledge areas are important because they provide a framework for different project management processes throughout a project lifecycle. Practice project management knowledge areas on monday.comAnd there you have it, the complete list of project management knowledge areas. It’s a lot to keep track of, which is where project management software can really add value. For knowledge, like most things in life, it’s not just that you have it, it’s what you do with it that counts. Using a complete Work OS like monday.com provides the tools you need to take your knowledge and turn it into action. We offer over 200 fully customizable templates that cover all 10 of the project management knowledge areas and make them easy to manage. Why not kick off your project integration management with our Project Roadmap Template? What is a knowledge area in project management?Project management knowledge areas coincide with the process groups, which are project initiation, project planning, project execution, monitoring and controlling, and project closing. These are the chronological phases that every project goes through.
Which is new knowledge area identified by the Project Management Institute quizlet?Project stakeholder management has only been identified as an entire knowledge area by the Project Management Institute since 2013.
What is the most important knowledge area in project management?5 most important project management knowledge areas. Project integration management. Project integration management is the coordination of all project elements. ... . Project scope management. ... . Project schedule management. ... . Project cost management. ... . Project stakeholder management.. What are the 9 knowledge areas of project management?10 Knowledge Areas of Project Management: A Helpful Guide. Project integration management.. Project scope management.. Project time management.. Project cost management.. Project quality management.. Project resource management.. Project communications management.. Project risk management.. |