ISO21500

ISO 21500: Guidance on project management is an International Organization for Standardization standard that provides a high-level, non-prescriptive framework for managing projects. Published in 2012, it offers guidance on concepts, processes, and activities applicable across industries and project types. It is not a certifiable standard; there is no ISO 21500 certification for individuals or projects. Instead, it serves as a common reference to improve understanding and communication among stakeholders and to align practices with other standards.

Content and structure: The standard presents five process groups—Initiating, Planning, Executing, Controlling, and Closing—and ten knowledge areas that correspond to PMBOK-inspired domains: Integration, Scope, Time, Cost, Quality, Resource, Communications, Risk, Procurement, and Stakeholders. These groups and areas describe the lifecycle of a project from start to finish and the activities typically performed to deliver a project successfully. The guidance also emphasizes tailoring the framework to the organization, project complexity, and risk environment, and highlights governance, leadership, and stakeholder engagement as essential elements.

Application and use: ISO 21500 serves as a bridge among different project management approaches and standards. Organizations use it to benchmark practices, establish a shared vocabulary, guide procurement and governance arrangements, and align with sector-specific frameworks or ISO management system standards such as ISO 9001 or ISO 14001. It can be used to inform project selection, planning, execution, and performance measurement without prescribing a specific method.

Relation to other standards: The guidance complements ISO 10006 on quality management in projects and is often mapped to PMBOK Guide and other international standards to facilitate interoperability. It supports integration with broader management-system strategies and encourages ongoing improvement through tailoring and lessons learned.