Project Management Knowledge Areas

Project Management Knowledge Areas 

According to the Project Management Institute (PMI®, www.pmi.org), approximately 66% of all projects fail to meet the approved schedule and are over budget. To keep projects on track and within budget, it is important to understand the ten knowledge areas of project management and the role and responsibility of the project manager.

Back in 2017, I was working in the manufacturing sector as a frontline manager and led a team of eighteen employees. I was also one of the three managers on the floor across various departments that intertwined to manufacture products and ship them to our customers. Overall, approximately sixty people were working on the floor during our shift. To reduce waste and build a stronger sense of ownership among the team on the commonly used supplies, such as box cutters, tape guns, etc., I started a project with a small team to set up personal boxes for each employee, and it will contain a set of tools they need to perform their daily tasks. I did not have project management experience then, which led to many issues with the project.

While we had a good plan as a team, we did not assess our risks, the budget and resources were too low, and the time frame was too short. This led to a cost overrun when our initial supplier of the boxes ran out of stock, forcing us to pay a higher cost to another vendor. The timeline stressed the team and resulted in negative feedback and sentiments. While the project eventually closed and the new process was implemented, it could have gone much smoother had I known what I know now.

The ten knowledge areas of project management are project integration management, project scope management, project schedule management, project cost management, project quality management, project resource management, project communication management, project risk management, project procurement management, and project stakeholder management (Project Management Institute, 2017). While project schedule management directly addresses a project’s activities and schedule aspect, it is not the only area that can lead to schedule slippage. Resource management, specifically resource allocation, is the leading cause of

schedule slippage, followed by change management, project tracking, and project planning (Ayyubi et al., 2007). Change management, project planning, and scope definition are all part of scope management. Inadequate scope management can lead to higher occurrences of scope creep, which can cause delays and cost increases in projects. A survey conducted in June 2007 amongst a large group of professional project managers cited 43% of respondents stating that

communication was a key factor in failed projects, 42% stated process factors were key, and only 32% responded people were a key factor (Discenza et al., 2007). This described the importance of project communication management and how it can cause a project to fail.

Identified as early as 1969, one of the main reasons projects failed was that the wrong person was chosen for the role (Avots, 1969). This speaks to the importance of having an experienced project manager involved in a project, whether leading or supporting. The project manager makes important decisions based on the data provided by the team while balancing the Project Management Triangle. Successful project managers can focus on business values, establish clear accountability for measured results, have a consistent process for managing unambiguous checkpoints, consistent methodology for planning and executing projects, include the customer at the beginning and throughout the project, manage and motivate people, and provide the team with the tool and techniques needed to produce successful projects (Discenza et al., 2007).

References

 Avots, I. (1969). Why Does Project Management Fail? California Management Review, 12(1), 77–82. https://doi-org.ezproxy.snhu.edu/10.2307/41164208

Angus, B., Case, J., Knight, J., & Thomas, R. (2012). Project Management for Profit: A Failsafe Guide to Keeping Projects On Track and Budget. Harvard Business Review Press.

Ayyubi, S. R., Ahmad, M., & Faiz, F. (2007). Schedule Slippage, its prevention factors & their adherence (Assessment of the Project Management Best Practices which contribute to the successful completion of projects in the Software Industry of Pakistan). 2007 International Conference on Information and Emerging Technologies, Information and Emerging Technologies, 2007. ICIET 2007. International Conference On, 1–8. https://doi-org.ezproxy.snhu.edu/10.1109/ICIET.2007.4381331

Discenza, R. & Forman, J. B. (2007). Seven Causes of project failure: how to recognize them and initiate project recovery. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2007—North America, Atlanta, GA. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.

Project Management Institute. (2017). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK(R) Guide–Sixth Edition / Agile Practice Guide Bundle: Vol. Sixth edition.Project Management Institute.

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According to the Project Management Institute (PMI®, www.pmi.org), approximately 66% of all projects fail to meet the approved schedule and are over budget. Considering this, write a short paper describing how the project management knowledge areas are important to successful project management. Include specific examples from your experience.

Project Management Knowledge Areas

What to Submit

Short papers should use double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and one-inch margins. Sources should be cited according to the APA citation method. Page-length requirements: 1–2 pages