Unboxing PMBOK7 – Article 2

What is the point in completing a project on time, within budget and meeting the complete scope, if the product of the project does not provide value to the sponsor / owner?. The single biggest issue for project failure is lack of solid business case. Many projects have solid business cases while starting the project, and very often they become irrelevant due to environmental impacts. The unknown – unknown risk of the pandemic itself have made many travel and tourism related projects irrelevant. Projects are plagued by uncertainties like never before, and it is the responsibility of the project manager to navigate these complexities successfully and achieve the intended benefits from the product / service the project delivers.

The shift of the project success criteria from just meeting the time, cost and scope criteria to delivering value to the owner of the project is the biggest change in PMBOK7 when compared to the earlier versions of the PMBOK. As a true project manager, one has to ensure the value delivery. Projects are initiated to achieve certain business goals and it is the opportunity of the project manager to ensure the achievement of these goals by delivering the intended benefits for which the project is undertaken in the first place.

The PMBOK7 brings more clarity to the project manager’s role.

Project manager is ultimately responsible for the success and failure of the project. The project manager role demands active participation while deciding the project management approach which will help the project to eliminate all negative risks and maximize the benefits from the positive risks from the initiation till the closure of the project.

The project management team comprises of the Project controllers, Engineering managers, Architects, Team leaders, Project coordinators, Quality managers, Procurement managers, Risk managers . Resource managers, Communications managers etc.

The project teams comprises of the people who really execute the work

Till PMBOK7 shows the growth path for those who belong to the Project management teams at present to the true Project Manager who is at the helm of affairs and whose primary objective is to steer the project through all uncertainties and deliver the intended value to the project owner and end user.

Another key aspect of PMBOK7 is that it is general enough to be applied for any type of project with proper tailoring. It is a collection of Models, Methods & Artifacts that can be arranged / sequenced as per the project management approach of the project.

If we approach PMBOK7, with this as the context, then everything starts making sense.

Structure of PMBOK7

Values Principles Performance domains
ResponsibilityStewardshipStakeholders
Respect TeamTeam
Fairness StakeholdersDevelopment approach & Life cycle
Honesty ValuePlanning
Systems thinkingProject work
LeadershipDelivery
TailoringMeasurement
QualityUncertainty
Complexity
Risk
Adaptability & Resilience
Change Management

Most of the Inputs, Tools & Techniques from PMBOK6 with some new additions forms the section Mpdels, Methods & Tools in PMBOK7.

Models Methods Artifacts
Leadership models Data gathering & Analysis Strategy Artifacts
Communication models EstimatingLogs & Registers
Motivation models Meeting & Events Plans
Change models Other methods Hierarchy Charts
Complexity model Baselines
Project team development models Visual data and information
Other models Reports
Agreements & Contracts
Other artifacts

These models, methods and artifacts are linked to the performance domains. These linkages will be explained in the subsequent articles.

Unboxing PMBOK7 Article#1

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.

  1. Stewardship – Be a diligent, respectful, and caring steward
  2. Team – Build a culture of accountability and respect
  3. Stakeholders – Engage stakeholders to understand their interests and needs.
  4. Value – Focus on value.
  5. Holistic Thinking – Recognize and respond to systems’ interactions.
  6. Leadership – Motivate, influence, coach, and learn.
  7. Tailoring – Tailor the delivery approach based on context.
  8. Quality – Build quality into processes and results.
  9. Complexity – Address complexity using knowledge, experience, and learning.
  10. Opportunities & Threats – Address opportunities and threats.
  11. Adaptability & Resilience – Be adaptable and resilient.
  12. Change Management – Enable change to achieve the envisioned future state.

Project performance domains

The second level comprises of the project performance domains;

  1. Team
  2. Stakeholders
  3. Life cycle
  4. Planning
  5. Navigating uncertainty and ambiguity
  6. Delivery
  7. Performance
  8. 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.

changes-to-pmbok-guide-7th-edition PMBOK 7th Edition - Coming in August 2021 - What is changing?
Courtesy – Project Management Institute (PMI), USA

New 10 Week PMdistilled PMP Plan / Program based on PMBOK7