Project management is an ancient practice used by the romans, or Inca’s building temples. So in the last 2000 years what are the tools that project teams can utilise and reference for guidance in project delivery? 

Projects are time bound set of objectives to deliver organisational, environmental or community outcome that typically improves an aspect of society. They are unique in that they are not a routine operation, but rather a set of operations aimed at achieving a singular goal. All projects are managed to deliver on-time, on-budget and on-quality results.  Application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques are required to achieve this. The two most commonly used play books for this are the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) and PRINCE 2 (PRojects IN Controlled Environments). 

PMBOK is a framework which is very descriptive in how a project is to be managed. With 47 processes and 10 knowledge areas, it provides all the concepts relative to project management and allows the Project Manager is to pick and choose what works for the project and tailoring it to the specific project at hand and as well as the needs of the organisation. The difference between the standards is PMBOK represents the primary role of the Project Manager and is less focused on other roles in the project. PRINCE2 focuses on the roles and responsibilities of all involved members. 

Ideally, PRINCE2 would be used to complement PMBOK and the two models would be used together to combine advantages of both, extracting the most value aspects of each model. In reality, PRINCE2 is to be used alongside PMBOK, building on the model to make the most effective Project Management Plan. 

These techniques are widely accepted by stakeholders and can be applied by the Project Manager as they are not dependent on approval from higher authorities in the hierarchy. They can be used by sub-projects or project teams. Does your business' project management framework combine the best of both Prince2 and PMBOK?  

Author: Milica Dobrijevic