projectmanagement

Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing, securing, and managing resources to bring about the successful completion of specific project goals and objectives. It aims to balance scope, schedule, cost, and quality while addressing risks and stakeholder expectations.

Projects typically proceed through initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and controlling, and closing. Initiation defines objectives and feasibility; planning creates the project plan, including scope, schedule, budget, quality, resources, and risk management. Execution carries out the plan; monitoring and controlling track progress, manage changes, and mitigate risks; closing formalizes acceptance and captures lessons learned.

Knowledge areas include scope management, schedule management, cost management, quality management, resource management, communications management, risk management, procurement management, stakeholder management, and integration management. These areas guide processes, tools, and metrics used to deliver project outcomes.

Traditional or predictive approaches (often called waterfall) contrast with agile methods (Scrum, Kanban) and hybrid approaches. Widely used frameworks include the PMBOK Guide from PMI, PRINCE2, and various agile frameworks.

Common roles include the project sponsor, project manager, project team, and stakeholders. The project manager leads planning and execution and coordinates communication among stakeholders.

Key artifacts include the project charter, project plan, work breakdown structure, Gantt charts, risk and issue logs, change requests, and performance reports. Tools range from simple task lists to integrated project management software.

Effective governance defines accountability, decision rights, and reporting. The goal is to deliver intended outcomes, raise value, and ensure deliverables meet agreed requirements while managing constraints.

Certifications such as PMP or CAPM, and standards like PMBOK and PRINCE2, are used to demonstrate knowledge and competency in project management.