What is a Project?

A project is a temporary effort to create a unique product or service. Projects usually include constraints and risks regarding cost, schedule or performance outcome.

What is Project Management?

Project management is a set of principles, practices, and techniques applied to lead project teams and control project schedule, cost, and performance risks to result in delighted customers.

What is the Project Management Body of Knowledge?

The Project Management Institute has identified nine topic areas to define the scope of project management knowledge as follows: integration, scope, time, cost, quality, human resources, communications, risk, and procurement. Within each of these topic areas, there is a set of principles, practices, and techniques to help you manage project risks and capture opportunities for success.

The Project Management Institute provides "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge" (PMBOK) that identifies much of the subject area. While this guide is not a comprehensive training resource, it does provide a basic framework for understanding the scope of project management knowledge. You may obtain this document from the PMI Web site link above.

The Scalable Project Management Methodology Guide provided in this web site is organized using the PMBOK, and it is a useful introduction to the details of each project management topic.

 

© Copyright 1997, James R. Chapman, All rights reserved.
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