What are the Knowledge Domains in Project Management?

What are the Knowledge Domains in Project Management?

Project Management Institute (PMI) divides the broad area of project management into 10 sections known as the project management knowledge domains in the PMBOK Guide Ed 6. 

For efficient project management and seamless running of projects, project managers must understand the concepts of these domains. Moreover, these domains are essential for project managers, candidates preparing for their project management certification, or individuals looking to revitalize their knowledge in project management.

Here, we will see the 10 project management knowledge domains and how useful these are to project managers.

What are Project Management Knowledge Domains?

The knowledge domains are standard guidelines for the different fields of project management, where project managers use them to manage the projects and work in alignment with the set project scope and goals.

Moreover, these domains coincide with the process groups - initiation, planning, execution, monitoring & controlling, and closing. These are the chronological stages that every project goes through.

Top 10 Project Management Knowledge Domains

1. Project Integration Management
2. Project Scope Management
3. Project Schedule Management
4. Project Cost Management
5. Project Quality Management
6. Project Resources Management
7. Project Communications Management
8. Project Risk Management
9. Project Procurement Management
10. Project Stakeholder Management

1. Project Integration Management

Within the project management process groups, the processes in project integration management are leveraged to determine, define, integrate, unite, and coordinate several techniques and activities of project management.

This knowledge domain is vital for holding the tasks and processes together and transforming them into a massive project with a defined deliverable.

Let's see the 7 processes included in the Project Integration Management:

• Creating of project charter: This is done to initiate a project and define the project stakeholders.
• Creating a project management plan includes the project plan outline and how to obtain the desired outcomes for profitable products.
• Directing and managing project work includes the production and launch of project deliverables.
• Managing project knowledge indicates precise communication among the project or cross-functional teams to expand productivity and improve project outcomes.
• Monitoring and controlling project work means monitoring and controlling project performance and ensuring the deliverables are according to the schedule.
• Performing integrated change control indicates any transformations or changes concerning project sponsors, admin tasks, and more.
• Project closure includes the tasks and activities for the project closure.

2. Project Scope Management

This knowledge domain includes the deliverables planned according to the stakeholder's demand for completing projects.

Now let's see 6 processes in the project scope management.

• Planning scope management refers to the development of scope management plans.
• Collecting requirements refers to managing the requirements needed for further refining of deliverables and defining the project stakeholder requirements.
• Define the scope - includes developing a detailed project scope description.
• Creating Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) refers to the graphical representation of the whole project divided into different work components.
• Scope validation includes the approval and acceptance of project deliverables by stakeholders.
• Scope controlling refers to ensuring project deliverable completion according to the set scope and prerequisites.

3. Project Schedule Management

It is a significant knowledge domain that ensures whether the project is on time and the deliverables are released on/before deadlines. A project manager is responsible for project task defining and creating schedules with initial and completion dates.

Now, let us see the processes that come under project schedule management.

• Planning of schedule management includes the activity that defines a schedule and the employee responsible for executing a particular task within a set time.
• Define activities refers to a detailed description of project activities concerning the work breakdown structure.
• Task and activity sequences refer to the series that the project team will be following. It includes time allocations like finish-to-start (FS), Start-to-start (SS), Start-to-finish (SF), and Finish-to-finish (FF).
• Estimating activity duration refers to defining the time taken for each project activity.
• Schedule development includes the creation of a diagram with a critical path. Developing the schedule consists of tying a wide range of tasks with the necessary resources with their start and end time.
• Schedule controlling refers to evaluating project progress according to the defined plan.

4. Project Cost Management

In this knowledge domain, the processes are executed to plan, estimate, budget, manage, and control expenses to complete the project within the budget.

Project cost management includes the following processes:

• Planning cost management: A project manager decides the methodologies and practices to define the project budget and an overall expense.
• Cost Estimation
• Determining the budget: Here, the separate estimation of the budget is combined to form a detailed project budget.
• Cost Controlling includes the analysis of the budget spent going forward.

5. Project Quality Management

In this knowledge domain, the processes are executed to integrate the company's quality regulation about planning, managing, and controlling product & project quality criteria to meet stakeholder demands.

Project quality management includes the following processes:

• Planning quality management refers to the documentation of conditions for defining the deliverable quality.
• Quality management consists of ensuring and approving the quality.
• Control quality refers to checking whether quality levels satisfy quality prerequisites.

6. Project Resource Management

In this knowledge domain, the processes are leveraged to recognize, obtain, and manage the resources needed for successful project completion. A project manager is responsible for considering the resources required for project completion - people, facilities, funding, and more.

Project resource management includes the following procedures:

• Planning resource management includes the defining of the project resources.
• Estimation of activity resources includes the analysis of the resources required to complete the project.
• Obtaining resources: It includes the acquisition of the project resources.
• Team development refers to providing the team with adequate training. It also includes team development and enhancement of team interaction.
• Team management includes monitoring the team and directing them to deliver good outcomes.
• Resource controlling refers to the evaluation and monitoring of the resources spent.

7. Project Communication Management

In this knowledge domain, the processes are leveraged to ensure that the project information is:

• Planned
• Developed
• Distributed
• Stored
• Retrieved
• Managed
• Monitored & controlled
• Closed in a timely manner.

Project communication management includes the following procedures:

• Communication management refers to set meeting schedules for the project teams, the daily interactions, and other procedures undertaken for out-of-the-blue situations.
• Communication performance: It refers to the execution of a communication plan.
• Communication monitoring refers to the probing of how the communication plan is performed.

8. Project Risk Management

The processes play a significant role in reducing risk factors in this knowledge domain as they're an inevitable part of projects. Project risk management includes the following procedures:

• Planning risk management includes creating risk management plans that categorize and prioritize the risks.
• Identify risks: Like the name, project managers are responsible for identifying the project risks.
• Conducting qualitative risk analysis refers to the classification of risks concerning the probability of occurrence.
• Conducting quantitative risk analysis refers to estimating project risks and how they can affect the various aspects of a project like budget, team, deadlines, and more.
• Planning risk responses refers to an action course regarding significant risks.
• Executing risk responses refers to implementing risk responses in case of risks.
• Monitoring risks includes the supervision and monitoring of risk management.

9. Project Procurement Management

In this knowledge domain, the processes are leveraged to obtain services, products, or outcomes needed outside the project. Project procurement management includes the following procedures:

• Planning procurement management refers to defining project requirements and the need for hiring additional experts.
• Perform procurement refers to hiring workforces or an outsourcing organization.
• Controlling procurement relates to contract management.

10. Project Stakeholder Management

In this knowledge domain, the processes identify groups, people, or organizations that affect or are impacted by the project, analyze stakeholder expectations, and create suitable management methodologies to engage stakeholders in project decision and execution effectively.

Project stakeholder management includes the following procedures:

• Identifying stakeholders refers to the defining of project stakeholders.
• Planning stakeholder management includes detailed documentation of the stakeholder's role, responsibilities, and their effect on the project.
• Managing stakeholders includes meeting and management of project stakeholders' demands.
• Monitoring stakeholder engagement refers to ensuring whether the stakeholder requirements are satisfied.

Final Thoughts

These are the 10 project management knowledge domains that project managers must understand while executing a project. These domains act as a guideline and support the managers to perform a wide range of project methodologies, frameworks, efficient allocation of resources, and many more.

It can be strenuous when it comes to the implementation of each domain. However, with experience, you might become an expert and can execute these domains seamlessly and align them with your particular project tasks.

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