The Project Management Body Of Knowledge (PMBOK) comprises of the globally accepted project management best practices applicable to most of the projects, most of the time. The Construction Extension to the Project Management Body of Knowledge provides best practices relevant for construction projects. PMBOK construction extension is updated whenever a new version of the PMBOK is released. As you might already know, the new PMBOK is principle based and covers predictive, agile and hybrid project management. Construction extension (latest) is fully aligned to these approaches and at the same time have additional knowledge areas relevant for construction projects.
Though there is one to one mapping, the content within each knowledge area is more specific to construction projects in the construction extension to PMBOK Guide.
Stewardship – Be a diligent, respectful, and caring steward
Team – Build a culture of accountability and respect
Stakeholders – Engage stakeholders to understand their interests and needs.
Value – Focus on value.
Holistic Thinking – Recognize and respond to systems’ interactions.
Leadership – Motivate, influence, coach, and learn.
Tailoring – Tailor the delivery approach based on context.
Quality – Build quality into processes and results.
Complexity – Address complexity using knowledge, experience, and learning.
Opportunities & Threats – Address opportunities and threats.
Adaptability & Resilience – Be adaptable and resilient.
Change Management – Enable change to achieve the envisioned future state.
8 Performance domains
Stakeholders
Team
Development approach and life cycle
Planning
Project work
Delivery
Measurement
Uncertainty
The governing principles and the performance domains are supported by the Models, Methods and Artifacts. If you know PMBOK6, you have already covered all the Methods & Artifacts of PMBOK7. Hence, our primary focus is on the Models, followed by some of the methods and artifacts.
True to the spirit of Agile, we want to reduce the amount of unwanted work not done. Hence we are not repeating the topics again, instead we are providing you with the page numbers of PMBOK7, which will help you to get familiarized with the new terms of PMBOK7.
Here are the list of topics with page numbers of PMBOK7, for your quick reference.
Now open PMBOK7, and skim through these topics, instead of reading the entire PMBOK7.
At the end of this exercise, you can be almost sure that there is no gap between your knowledge and PMBOK7 provided your knowledge about PMBOK6 is good.
Point to note
Do not delete PMBOK6. It is still a valuable reference document along with PMBOK7.
Till yesterday, when people anxiously asked me about the changes in PMBOK7, my reply was in the form of another question – ‘Can you execute a project without any one of the knowledge areas (listed below)?’. The answer is a unanimous ‘No’. So they are inevitable. They have to be there in the new version hidden somewhere. If you can master the 10 knowledge areas and their application in both predictive and agile project management, you are pretty much done with project management. That is my view.
I am glad that my views hold good after going through all the 370 pages of the new PMBOK7.
The Ten Knowledge Areas evolved from Version 1 to Version 6 of the Project Management Body of Knowledge;
Project Integration Management
Project Scope Management
Project Schedule Management
Project Cost Management
Project Quality Management
Project Risk Management
Project Resource management
Project Procurement management
Project communications management
Project stakeholder management
These are immortal. Projects cannot succeed without them. The sequences may vary.
The PMBOK7 looks like an apex manual explaining the;
12 principles of professional project management (new)
8 project performance domains (new)
Tailoring guidelines
Models, methods and artifacts (Not part of the PMBOK7 document, but accessible from the digital library, Old, taken from PMBOK6)
High level mind map of PMBOK7
PMBOK7 comprises of 12 principles, 8 performance domains, tailoring guidelines and the models, methods and artifacts contained in a digital library ‘PM Standards Plus’ maintained by PMI. The immediate thought can be, about the 10 knowledge areas, 5 process groups, 49 processes and the inputs, tools & techniques and the outputs of the PMBOK6. Where is the place for them in the PMBOK7. All of that is under the digital library ‘PM Standards Plus’. In essence, nothing is lost during the transition from PMBOK6 to PMBOK7, and at the same time 12 principles, Eight project performance domains and the tailoring guidelines sits on top of the digital library PMStandards Plus which is nothing but the PMBOK6 contents, that makes up the 10 knowledge areas evolved from version 1.0 till 6.
How will this impact the different stakeholders who comprise the project management community?
Impact on Practitioners – the organizations who have shaped their project management policies and procedures around the structure of PMBOK versions 1 to 6 will have the added opportunity to embrace value driven delivery which can accommodate the whole gamut of project management ranging from large infrastructure projects to research and development projects. Even if they do not change anything, nothing will be in contradiction to PMBOK7.
Impact on 12,0000 PMPs World Wide – Change will always push us outside our comfort zones. Initially there can be expectation mismatch and the frustration stemming out of it. Once one dig deeper, like me, they also will realize that the changes are more to the value system and structure, than to the content.
Impact on PMP trainers – PMP trainers who are good at both predictive and agile project management will not find it difficult. The ones, who have not yet understood the true spirit of agile may need to gain hands on experience on agile to really understand and explain value driven project management.
Impact on the new PMP aspirants – PMI, keeps on repeating the fact that the PMP aspirants can still use the PMBOK6 as the reference material. Going by the earlier revisions, even if one use PMBOK Version 5, it should not make much of a difference because the fundamentals of project management cannot be changed as it revolves around the famous Plan, Do, Check, Act cycle and around the 10 knowledge areas. If you have already completed your PMP preparatory training, then do not disrupt your preparation. Proceed with PMBOK6 as the basis. It will be good if you can go through the new PMBOK7 quickly to understand those new jargon (not many any way).
Impact on other Agile frameworks and certifications – If the PMBOK7 gets wider acceptance, and if the new PMPs are equally adept in both predictive and agile project management frameworks then other agile frameworks and certifications will face a strong contender in PMBOK7 and PMP2021. PMI themselves will be forced to stop the PMI-ACP, as it will become redundant within PMI’s portfolio.
This is the first of a series of unboxing PMBOK7 articles explaining PMBOK7 which will help the readers to bridge between PMBOK6 and Agile to PMBOK7 very easily. Again I want to reiterate the fact that the foundations of project management cannot be disrupted very easily. If you know the basics of predictive project management and agile project management, then it is only a matter of establishing a traceability to the PMBOK7 structure. PMI, the publishers of PMBOK have time and again highlighting the fact that PMBOK is only a reference material and need not be mastered and remembered end to end like every other reference material. With these Unboxing PMBOK7 articles, my goal is to make the transition from PMBOK6 to PMBOK7 as smooth as possible.
Structure of PMBOK 7
From PMBOK version 6 onwards, PMI was trying to catch up with Agile Project Management (APM) which is the most suitable for managing certain types of projects, especially those ones where the scope is continuously evolving and the technology component is fast changing. PMBOK Version 7 can be seen as a natural progression of it. Like the 12 Agile Principles, which are the foundation of all agile frameworks, PMBOK7 also has 12 governing principles at the apex level followed by other components as shown in the diagram below.
Click on the diagram to zoom
12 Governing Principles
At the apex level are the 12 governing principles. These 12 principles based on the project management professions ethics governs the actions and behaviors of project management practice regardless of whether one is following predictive or adaptive project management styles.
Stewardship – Be a diligent, respectful, and caring steward
Team – Build a culture of accountability and respect
Stakeholders – Engage stakeholders to understand their interests and needs.
Value – Focus on value.
Holistic Thinking – Recognize and respond to systems’ interactions.
Leadership – Motivate, influence, coach, and learn.
Tailoring – Tailor the delivery approach based on context.
Quality – Build quality into processes and results.
Complexity – Address complexity using knowledge, experience, and learning.
Opportunities & Threats – Address opportunities and threats.
Adaptability & Resilience – Be adaptable and resilient.
Change Management – Enable change to achieve the envisioned future state.
Project performance domains
The second level comprises of the project performance domains;
Team
Stakeholders
Life cycle
Planning
Navigating uncertainty and ambiguity
Delivery
Performance
Project work
Models, methods & artifacts for enabling outcomes
This section at the third level more or less looks like the Inputs, Tools & Techniques and Outputs re-grouped as models, methods and artifacts. For each project outcome we have a set of models, methods and artifacts which help to achieve the project outcome.
At the fourth level is the PMIstandards+ digital platform which will guide on the application of Models, methods and artifacts based on project type, development approach and industry sector.
Courtesy – Project Management Institute (PMI), USA
New 10 Week PMdistilled PMP Plan / Program based on PMBOK7
Schedule and Cost forecasting explained in detail.
Are we progressing as planned?
Are we completing the work within budget?
When will we complete the project?
These are the key questions we hear most of the time in project review meetings. Well implemented earned value management systems, provide answers to these questions at the press of a button.
Earned Value Management (EVM) is based on the analysis of the earned value of the project and comparing it with the planned value of the project. Earned value management is used to monitor and control both the schedule and cost. Earned value management (EVM) comprises of;
Earned Value Analysis
Variance Analysis
Trend Analysis
Reserve Analysis
Corrective / Preventive actions
1. Earned Value Analysis :
The basic building blocks of earned value management are;
As on date, how much work we were supposed to complete? – Planned Value (PV) – Also known as Budgeted Cost of Work Scheduled (BCWS)
Out of that how much work did we complete? – Earned Value (EV) – Also known as Budgeted Cost of Work Performed (BCWP)
For the completed work how much did we spend? – Actual Cost (AC) – Actual Cost of Work Performed (ACWP)
2. Variance Analysis
Once we have the basic values of Planned Value (PV), which is also known as Budgeted Cost Of Work Scheduled (BCWS), Earned Value (EV), which is also known as the Budgeted Cost Of Work Performed (BCWP) and the Actual Cost (AC), which is also known as the Actual Cost Of Work Performed (ACWP), it is time to do the performance analysis.
Schedule Variance (SV) = EV – PV
Cost Variance (CV) = EV – AC
Schedule Performance Index (SPI) = EV/PV
Cost Performance Index (CPI) = EV/AC
As we can see in the diagram above, as on the review date, the Earned Value (EV) is lower than the Planned Value (PV). That means, the work has not progressed as planned. The actual cost (AC) is higher than the Earned Value (EV) and even the Planned Value (PV). That means, there is a big cost overrun. In an ideal situation, all the three lines should have intersected at the Planned Value (PV). In that scenario EV = PV = AC
Schedule Variance (SV) = EV – PV = 0
Cost Variance (CV) = EV – AC = 0
Schedule Performance Index (SPI) = EV / PV = 1
Cost Performance Index (CPI) = EV / AC = 1
If the SPI=1, then we can infer that the project is progressing as per the agreed upon schedule.
If the SPI >1, then the project is progressing at a rate which is more than planned.
If the SPI <1, then the project is lagging behind schedule wise.
Similarly. If the Cost Performance Index (CPI)=1, then we can infer that the work is getting completed as per the budget.
If the CPI <1, then the that indicates budget overrun.
If the CPI>1, then more work is getting accomplished than planned, with the same amount of money.
As a general rule of thumb, if the SPI and CPI is 1 or above 1, then the project is doing well schedule wise and cost wise.
As project managers, if we know the schedule variance (SV), Cost Variance (CV), almost real time, then we can monitor and control our projects effectively.
3. Trend Analysis
The variance analysis provides us with the current snapshot of the project. One can become more pro-active in managing and controlling the project, if the future trends of the project performance can be predicted with the present progress information. We use graphs and charts to do this.
At this stage, let me introduce these three additional terminologies;
1) Budget At Completion (BAC) – is the total approved budget of the project from the beginning of the project till the end of the project.
2) Estimate to Complete (ETC) – is the budget required to complete the balance work of the project. ETC = (BAC – EV).
In some cases, ETC is calculated as a bottom up re-estimate for the balance activities to be completed.
3) Estimate at Completion (EAC)
If all the future work can be expected to be completed as planned, then how much will it cost when we complete the project. EAC = AC + ETC = AC + (BAC-EV).
If the current trend is going to continue in the future as well, then EAC = AC+(BAC-EV) / CPI.
In some projects, where the schedule has an impact on the cost, for example, a delay in schedule incurs additional cost, then EAC = AC + (BAC-EV) / (CPI x SPI). In this case, CPI and SPI are given weightages like (80/20, 50/50 or some other based on the judgment of the project team).
4. Reserve analysis
While performing the cost control of the project, the reserve analysis of the contingency and management reserves monitored. This will help in utilising these reserves elsewhere is the project progress is satisfactory or in organizing additional reserves proactively.
5. Corrective and Preventive actions based on the to Complete Performance Index (TCPI)
What should be the target CPI, to be maintained for the balance work, in order to complete the project within budget.
TCPI = Work remaining / Funds remaining
(BAC-EV) / (BAC–AC) or it can be,
(BAC-EV) / (EAC-AC) if the EAC is approved by the management.
Earned Value Management brings in more visibility into the project, and helps us to be more pro-active.
So far our focus was on forecasting the Estimate At Completion (EAC). What about forecasting the Estimated Date Of Completion of the project?. The following seven minutes video explains schedule forecasting;
From project manager to project leader, may sound crazy for at least some of my fellow professionals from the I.T industry where a Project manager role is considered as hierarchically above the project leader role. One first become a project leader, before becoming a project manager. The paradox is that Leaders are always considered at a higher level than managers in management literature and till now there is no project leader role in any other domain except I.T. Even though I got confused about this conflict between I.T management and the mainstream management, I kept quiet because I thought the Industry must be right over an individual.
Fortunately, while performing research to understand the global trends in EPC project management to design a course for Wrench Academy, it became clearer of the emergence of the role ‘Project Leader’.
Top 7 emerging global project management trends
The project’s success criteria will be determined by ROI, ROCE than the traditional triple constraints of Time, Cost and scope.
Projects will be executed through distributed teams, collaborating with each other over cloud based platforms performing concurrent development.
Project planning will be decentralized and will rely on tailoring best practices from all streams of project management (traditional, agile) for the benefit of the project, than relying on any one method.
Project requirements will be evolving and flexible
Work breakdown structures will evolve bottom up
Assumptions and constraints will be re-validated and revised throughout the project
Activity workflows will become parallel
Out of these, the biggest paradigm shift is the shift in project’s success criteria from delivering on time to the return on investment (ROI) or the return on capital deployed (ROCE).
This change in project management canvas, called as Project Management 2.0 , and now followed by renowned industry bodies like Construction Industry Institute (CII) and Project Management Institute calls for enhancement of project manager’s skill set from tactical to strategic or it justifies the emergence of the ‘Project Leader’ role across all significant projects, whose primary role will be enhancing value to the owner by focusing on benefits management.
When the teams are no more collocated, motivational aspects of the team which drives them to accomplish the project goals are very important. While managing ROI, principle centered decision making is important to create an open and trustworthy environment to facilitate open communication and collaboration across all stakeholders. That is the reason why so much emphasis is given to principle driven project management over process driven project management. Without trust, there is no collaboration across distributed teams.
Carrying stones Vs Building the Cathedral
One day in 1671, Christopher Wren observed three bricklayers on a scaffold, one crouched, one half-standing and one standing tall, working very hard and fast. To the first bricklayer, Christopher Wren asked the question, “What are you doing?” to which the bricklayer replied, “I’m a bricklayer. I’m working hard laying bricks to feed my family.” The second bricklayer, responded, “I’m a builder. I’m building a wall.” But the third brick layer, the most productive of the three and the future leader of the group, when asked the question, “What are you doing?” replied with a gleam in his eye, “I’m a cathedral builder. I’m building a great cathedral to The Almighty.”
Delivering value by continuously portraying the larger picture of the project and it’s benefits to every stakeholder in a trustworthy manner consistently is the new emerging role of true Project Leaders. In other words, project Leaders are the new CEO of the projects.
Projects deliver unique product or services. How successful the product of the project after deployment determines the success and failure of the project from the owner’s perspective. Conducting a detailed market research will help to validate the assumptions made while justifying the investment into the product idea.
Market research is an organized effort to gather information about target markets or customers. It is a very important component of business strategy. The term is commonly interchanged with marketing research; however, expert practitioners may wish to draw a distinction, in that marketing research is concerned specifically about marketing processes, while market research is concerned specifically with markets.
Market research is one of the main factors used in maintaining competitiveness over competitors. Market research provides important information which helps to identify and analyze the needs of the market, the market size and the competition. Market-research techniques encompass both qualitative techniques such as focus groups, in-depth interviews, and ethnography, as well as quantitative techniques such as customer surveys, and analysis of secondary data.
Market research, which includes social and opinion research, is the systematic gathering and interpretation of information about individuals or organizations using statistical and analytical methods and techniques of the applied social sciences to gain insight or support decision making.
Examples of factors that can be analysed using market research are;
Market Information
Market segmentation
Market trends
SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats)
PEST analysis (Political, Economical, Social, Technology related external factors
