What are the 10 key project management knowledge areas?<\/h2>\n
The PMI \u2018Bible\u2019 \u2014 the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBoK) \u2014 refers to 10 key project management knowledge areas.<\/p>\n
![\"Screenshot](\"https:\/\/www.monday.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Knolwedge-areas.png\" "\\"The")
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(Image <\/a>Source<\/a>)<\/p>\n 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\u2019ve got a pretty good chance of a successful project.<\/p>\n Some key benefits that come from following a tried-and-tested project management process such as this are:<\/p>\n The most important things to focus on for project success are time, scope, and cost \u2014 these are also sometimes called the ‘project management triangle<\/a>” of project success factors.<\/p>\n Here’s a look at the five PM knowledge areas we will cover in the next section:<\/p>\n While all knowledge areas in project management offer their benefits to project managers and teammates, we chose the top five that are often poorly managed \u2014 or rather could be optimized using software like monday.com. Here, we’ll provide a quick summary of each.<\/p>\n Project integration management is the coordination<\/a> of all project elements. This includes things like:<\/p>\n Statistics concerning project duration make for even worse reporting \u2014 only 29%<\/a> of projects run on time. This usually relates to managing the scope of the project.<\/p>\n Scope is essentially a detailed outline of all expected and required project aspects, including activities, resources, timelines, deliverables, and project boundaries.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n This knowledge area is critical, as scope creep \u2014 adding work that isn’t authorized as a part of the project scope \u2014 is a real issue in projects and affects the project timeline<\/a> 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\u2019s so important to have an effective change control<\/a>\u00a0process.<\/p>\n During 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.<\/p>\n For each task the project manager has to agree on a start and finish date. You\u2019ll then need to order the tasks by working out the relationships between the tasks and whether any are dependent on each other.<\/p>\n Understanding how long each task will take and the relationship between them, helps to identify those tasks where there\u2019s some wiggle room as to when they\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n Earned value analysis<\/a>\u00a0is conducted during the project execution phase to determine if the project is on track to deliver within budget and schedule.<\/p>\n Cost management<\/a>\u00a0is critical to keeping your project within budget. Only 43%<\/a> of projects are delivered within budget.\u00a0 Happily, as a knowledge area it\u2019s one of the simplest to understand. There are no acronyms and no fancy analysis tools. It\u2019s just a case of:<\/p>\n During the project initiation phase, you should spend a significant amount of time identifying and analyzing project stakeholders<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n (Image <\/a>Source<\/a>)<\/p>\n Once the project is underway, you\u2019ll use your project communication<\/a> plan \u2014 something like the template below \u2014 to engage stakeholders and keep them up to date with project progress.<\/p>\n As promised, here are some highlights of the remaining five project management knowledge areas.<\/p>\n The desired quality of the output can have a significant influence on project time and cost. \u00a0It\u2019s important to decide the quality level<\/a> and standards during the project initiation phase.<\/p>\n Good resource management<\/a> is one of the most challenging areas\u00a0of project management. Make it easier with this resource management\u00a0template<\/a> from monday.com.<\/p>\n Having identified your stakeholders, you need to build a plan to communicate effectively with them through the project lifecycle. During project execution you\u2019ll be putting your communications plan into action and monitoring it to make sure it\u2019s making a difference. Internal communication is crucial.<\/p>\n This knowledge area is about the identification, prioritization, and mitigation of risks. You\u2019ll need to capture all identified risks in the project risk register<\/a>. Struggling for inspiration? Write down scope creep, project delay, and going over budget. \u00a0It happens in over 50%<\/a>\u00a0of projects.<\/p>\n This 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n There are 10 official knowledge areas according to PMBoK.<\/p>\n Project management knowledge areas are important because they provide a framework for different project management processes throughout a project lifecycle.<\/p>\n And there you have it, the complete list of project management knowledge areas. It\u2019s a lot to keep track of, which is where project management software<\/a> can really add value. For knowledge, like most things in life, it\u2019s not just that you have it, it\u2019s what you do with it that counts.<\/p>\n Using a complete Work OS like monday.com\u00a0provides 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.<\/p>\nWhat are the benefits of using the PMBoK knowledge areas?<\/h2>\n
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\nIt also lays out the roles and responsibilities of business stakeholders and the project team so everyone knows who\u2019s accountable for what.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
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5 most important project management knowledge areas<\/h2>\n
1. Project integration management<\/h3>\n
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2. Project scope management<\/h3>\n
3. Project schedule management<\/h3>\n
4. Project cost management<\/h3>\n
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5. Project stakeholder management<\/h3>\n
![\"stakeholder](\"https:\/\/www.monday.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Power-vs-influence.png\" "\\"Interest")
<\/p>\n![\"monday.com](\"https:\/\/www.monday.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Screen-Shot-2020-12-31-at-2.09.20-PM.png\" "\\"monday.com")
<\/p>\nIt\u2019s 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.<\/span><\/a>\nWhat about the other 5 PMBoK knowledge areas?<\/h2>\n
1. Project quality management<\/strong><\/h3>\n
2. Project resource management<\/strong><\/h3>\n
3. Project communications management<\/strong><\/h3>\n
4. Project risk management<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"screenshot](\"https:\/\/www.monday.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Risk-register.png\" "\\"project")
<\/p>\n5. Project Procurement Management<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n
What is meant by knowledge areas in project management?<\/h3>\n
How many knowledge areas are there in PMBoK?<\/h3>\n
Why are the project management knowledge areas important?<\/h3>\n
Practice project management knowledge areas on monday.com<\/h2>\n