Module -2 Project management

knowledge areas

Prepared By-
Prof. Chandrika Krishnan
Assistant Professor
Department of MBA
 Project management knowledge areas
• The project management knowledge areas can be defined as the key aspects of project management
that should be overseen by project managers so they can plan, schedule, track, and deliver projects
successfully with the help of the project team and project stakeholders.

• Each of these project management knowledge areas needs to be managed throughout the five project
life cycle phases, which are project initiation, project planning, project execution, monitoring and
controlling, and project closing. These are the chronological phases every project goes through, also
called project management process groups in PMI’s PMBOK.

• The PMBOK knowledge areas take place during any one of these process groups. You can think of
the process groups as horizontal, while the knowledge areas are vertical. The knowledge areas are the
core technical subject matter, which is necessary for effective project management.
 Project Integration Management
• Project integration management can be simply defined as the framework that
allows project managers to coordinate tasks, resources, stakeholders, changes,
and project variables.
• Project managers can use different tools to make sure there are solid project
integration management practices in place.
• For example, the project management plan is important for project integration
because it works as a roadmap for the project to reach a successful end.
• Once created, the project plan is approved by stakeholders and/or sponsors
before it’s monitored and tracked by the project management team.
 Project Integration Management
• Project management software, like Project Manager, is ideal for project
integration management because it’s an online platform that project
managers can use to create a project plan, oversee project management
knowledge areas, and collaborate with their teams online.
• Choose between online Gantt charts, kanban boards, project calendars, and
other project management views to plan, schedule, and track your projects.
• Project Manager also has project reporting features that allow project
managers to create project reports they can share with project stakeholders
to keep them informed.
 Project Scope Management

• Focuses on defining and controlling what work is required and what is not
within the project.
• Includes processes like scope planning, scope definition, creating a Work
Breakdown Structure (WBS), verifying scope, and controlling scope
changes.
Project Scope Management
 Project Time Management
1. Activity Definition:
1. Identifying and documenting the specific activities that need to be performed to produce the project deliverables.
2. These activities should be defined in sufficient detail to support accurate estimation, scheduling, execution, and control.
2. Activity Sequencing:
1. Determining the order in which project activities should be performed.
2. Dependencies between activities are identified to create a logical sequence, ensuring that work is executed efficiently.
3. Activity Duration Estimation:
1. Estimating the time required to complete each activity.
2. Various techniques like expert judgment, analogous estimation, parametric estimation, and three-point estimation may be used to
derive activity durations.
4. Schedule Development:
1. Creating the project schedule by determining start and finish dates for each activity.
2. Resource availability, dependencies, and constraints are considered to establish a realistic and achievable timeline.
 Project time Management
1. Schedule Control:
1. Monitoring the progress of the project activities against the planned schedule.
2. Identifying deviations, analyzing their impact, and taking corrective actions to bring the project back on track if necessary.
3. Techniques like earned value management (EVM) may be employed to assess schedule performance and forecast project completion dates.
2. Critical Path Method (CPM):
1. A technique used for scheduling project activities to determine the longest path of planned activities that must be completed on time to ensure
project completion by a certain date.
2. Helps in identifying the activities that are critical to the project schedule and those that have float or slack.
3. Resource Leveling and Smoothing:
1. Resource leveling involves adjusting the project schedule to resolve conflicts and avoid resource overallocation.
2. Resource smoothing aims to optimize resource utilization while maintaining a steady workflow, without significant peaks or valleys in resource
demand.
4. Schedule Compression:
1. Techniques like crashing and fast-tracking may be employed to shorten the project schedule without compromising quality or scope.
2. Crashing involves adding more resources to critical path activities to reduce their duration, while fast-tracking involves performing critical path
activities in parallel.
 Project Cost Management
1. Cost Estimation:
1. Determining the approximate costs of project resources, activities, and deliverables.
2. Various techniques such as analogous estimation, parametric estimation, and bottom-up estimation may be used to develop
accurate cost estimates.
2. Cost Budgeting:
1. Allocating the overall project cost estimate to individual work items or activities.
2. The project budget serves as a baseline against which actual costs are monitored and controlled throughout the project.
3. Cost Control:
1. Monitoring and managing project costs to ensure they remain within the approved budget.
2. Variance analysis is used to compare actual costs with planned costs, identifying deviations and taking corrective actions as needed
to prevent cost overruns.
4. Earned Value Management (EVM):
1. A technique for measuring project performance and progress based on the integration of scope, schedule, and cost measurements.
2. Key metrics include Planned Value (PV), Earned Value (EV), Actual Cost (AC), Schedule Performance Index (SPI), Cost
Performance Index (CPI), and Estimate at Completion (EAC).
 Project Cost Management
1. Cost Management Plan:
1. A component of the project management plan that describes how project costs will be estimated, budgeted, and controlled.
2. It outlines roles and responsibilities, cost estimation methods, cost baseline development, and procedures for cost monitoring and
reporting.
2. Contingency and Reserve Analysis:
1. Contingency reserves are funds set aside to cover unforeseen risks and uncertainties that may impact project costs.
2. Reserve analysis involves determining the amount and type of reserves required based on risk assessments and project constraints.
3. Cost-Performance Baseline:
1. The approved version of the project budget, including contingency reserves, against which project performance is monitored and
measured.
2. Changes to the cost baseline may require formal approval through the project change control process.
4. Life Cycle Costing:
1. Evaluating the total cost of ownership of a project over its entire lifecycle, including initial costs, operational costs, maintenance
costs, and disposal costs.
2. Helps in making informed decisions about project investments and resource allocation.
 Project Quality Management
• Project Quality Management is essential for ensuring that the project delivers the expected level of quality in its outcomes.

Quality Planning:
1. Establishing the quality objectives and standards that need to be met for the project.
2. Identifying relevant quality requirements and determining how they will be achieved.
3. Quality planning involves creating quality management plans and quality metrics to measure performance.
Quality Assurance:
4. Implementing processes and activities to ensure that project deliverables meet the quality requirements.
5. It involves systematic reviews, audits, and evaluations to verify that quality standards are being followed throughout the
project lifecycle.
6. Quality assurance aims to prevent defects and identify areas for improvement.
Quality Control:
7. Monitoring project activities and outputs to verify that they meet the specified quality standards.
8. Quality control involves inspecting deliverables, measuring performance, and making necessary adjustments to ensure quality.
9. Techniques like statistical sampling, inspection, and testing may be used to identify defects and non-conformities.
 Project Quality Management
1.Quality Management Tools and Techniques:
1. Various tools and techniques are utilized in project quality management, such as:
1. Pareto Analysis: Identifying the most significant quality issues.
2. Cause and Effect Diagrams (Fishbone Diagrams): Analyzing root causes of quality problems.
3. Control Charts: Monitoring process performance over time.
4. Six Sigma: A systematic approach for improving quality by reducing defects and variation.
5. Quality Function Deployment (QFD): Translating customer requirements into specific product or service characteristics.

2.Continuous Improvement:
1. Quality management is an ongoing process that emphasizes continuous improvement.
2. Lessons learned from quality control activities and project performance reviews are used to refine processes and
enhance future project outcomes.
3. The Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle is often used as a framework for continuous improvement in quality
management.
Project Quality Management
Project Quality Management
Project Quality Management
Project Quality Management
Project Quality Management
 Project Quality Management
1.Customer Focus:
1. Project quality management places a strong emphasis on meeting customer expectations and
requirements.
2. Understanding customer needs, preferences, and feedback is essential for delivering a product or
service that satisfies stakeholders.
2.Cost of Quality:
1. Quality management involves balancing the costs of achieving quality with the costs of poor
quality.
2. The cost of quality includes prevention costs, appraisal costs, internal failure costs, and external
failure costs.
3. Investing in prevention and quality improvement activities can ultimately reduce the overall cost
of quality over the project lifecycle.
 Project Resource Management
Project Resource Management involves the effective utilization and management of various resources
throughout the project lifecycle.
1. Resource Planning:
1. Identifying and documenting the types and quantities of resources required for the project, including human resources,
equipment, materials, and facilities.
2. Resource requirements are determined based on project scope, schedule, and budget constraints.
2. Resource Acquisition:
1. Securing the necessary resources needed to execute the project activities.
2. This may involve hiring personnel, procuring equipment and materials, or securing access to facilities.
3. Team Development:
1. Building and developing the project team to ensure that they have the necessary skills, knowledge, and motivation to
perform their assigned tasks effectively.
2. Team-building activities, training programs, and performance evaluations may be conducted to enhance team cohesion
and productivity.
 Project Resource Management
1.Resource Assignment:
1. Allocating resources to specific project activities based on their availability, skills, and the requirements of each
task.
2. Resource assignments should be balanced to ensure equitable distribution of workload and prevent overallocation
or underutilization of resources.
2.Resource Utilization:
1. Ensuring that resources are utilized efficiently and effectively to maximize project output while minimizing costs
and delays.
2. Monitoring resource usage and performance to identify opportunities for optimization and improvement.
3.Resource Tracking and Control:
1. Monitoring the progress of project activities and the consumption of resources against the planned schedule and
budget.
2. Taking corrective actions to address deviations, reallocate resources as needed, and mitigate risks that may impact
resource availability or performance.
 Project Resource Management
1.Conflict Resolution:
1.Resolving conflicts and disagreements that may arise among project team members or
stakeholders regarding resource allocation, priorities, or responsibilities.
2.Open communication, negotiation, and collaboration are key to resolving conflicts in a
constructive manner.
2.Resource Management Software Tools:
1.Utilizing project management software tools and systems to facilitate resource planning,
scheduling, tracking, and collaboration.
2.These tools help automate repetitive tasks, improve communication, and provide real-time
visibility into resource utilization and project progress.
 Project Communications Management
Project Communication Management is essential for ensuring that information flows effectively within a
project team, stakeholders, and other relevant parties.
1. Communication Planning:
1. Developing a communication management plan that outlines who needs what information, when they need it, and how it
will be provided.
2. Identifying stakeholders, determining their communication needs and preferences, and establishing communication channels
and protocols.
2. Information Distribution:
1. Disseminating project information to stakeholders as outlined in the communication management plan.
2. Ensuring that information is timely, accurate, and relevant to the recipients' needs.
3. Performance Reporting:
1. Providing regular updates on project performance to stakeholders.
2. Reporting on key metrics, milestones, risks, issues, and other relevant information.
3. Reports may vary in frequency and detail depending on the needs of stakeholders.
 Project Communications Management
1.Managing Stakeholder Expectations:
1. Engaging with stakeholders to understand their expectations, concerns, and requirements.
2. Addressing stakeholders' needs and concerns through effective communication and conflict resolution.
3. Keeping stakeholders informed about project progress, changes, and decisions that may impact them.
2.Communication Channels:
1. Determining the most appropriate channels for communicating with different stakeholders.
2. Channels may include meetings, emails, reports, project management software, and other tools.
3. Considering factors such as urgency, complexity, confidentiality, and preferences of stakeholders when selecting
communication channels.
3.Feedback Management:
1. Establishing mechanisms for gathering feedback from stakeholders on project-related communication.
2. Actively soliciting input, addressing concerns, and incorporating feedback to improve communication
effectiveness.
 Project Communications Management
1.Escalation Procedures:
1. Defining procedures for escalating issues and concerns that cannot be resolved at lower levels of the project team.
2. Ensuring that escalation paths are clearly communicated and understood by all stakeholders.
2.Communication Skills:
1. Effective communication requires not only clear and concise messaging but also active listening, empathy, and
adaptability.
2. Project managers and team members should continuously develop their communication skills to facilitate
collaboration and understanding among stakeholders.
3.Cultural and Diversity Considerations:
1. Recognizing and accommodating cultural differences, language barriers, and diversity among project
stakeholders.
2. Adjusting communication strategies and approaches to ensure inclusivity and effectiveness in diverse
environments.
 Project Risk Management
Project Risk Management is a crucial aspect of project management aimed at identifying, analyzing, and responding to potential
risks that may impact project objectives.
1. Risk Identification:
1. Involves systematically identifying and documenting potential risks that may affect the project.
2. Risks can arise from various sources including project scope, technology, resources, stakeholders, environment, and external factors.
3. Techniques such as brainstorming, risk checklists, SWOT analysis, and expert judgment are commonly used for risk identification.
2. Risk Analysis:
1. Once risks are identified, they are analyzed to assess their likelihood of occurrence and potential impact on project objectives.
2. Risk analysis involves both qualitative assessment (assessing the probability and impact of risks) and quantitative assessment (numerically
analyzing the effect of risks on project objectives).
3. Tools such as probability-impact matrices, risk probability and impact assessment, and sensitivity analysis are used for risk analysis.
3. Risk Response Planning:
1. Based on the results of risk analysis, strategies are developed to respond to identified risks.
2. There are four primary risk response strategies: avoidance (eliminating the risk by changing project plans), mitigation (reducing the probability
or impact of the risk), transfer (shifting the risk to a third party), and acceptance (accepting the consequences of the risk).
3. Contingency plans are also developed to address potential risks that cannot be fully mitigated.
 Project Risk Management
1. Risk Monitoring and Control:
1. Throughout the project lifecycle, risks are monitored to track changes in their likelihood and impact and to identify new
risks.
2. Risk response plans are implemented as necessary, and the effectiveness of these plans is monitored.
3. Contingency reserves may be used to address unforeseen risks that materialize during project execution.
4. Lessons learned from risk events are documented and incorporated into future projects to improve risk management
practices.
2. Risk Register:
1. A central repository that contains all identified risks, their characteristics, potential impacts, and planned responses.
2. The risk register is regularly updated throughout the project lifecycle to reflect changes in risk status and response plans.
3. Risk Communication:
1. Effective communication of risks and their potential impact to stakeholders is essential for risk management.
2. Stakeholders should be kept informed about the project's risk exposure, mitigation strategies, and any changes in the risk
landscape.