PMBOK 6: The 10 Knowledge Areas & 49 Processes (2024)

PMBOK 6: The 10 Knowledge Areas & 49 Processes (1)

A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK^® Guide) 6th Edition was released September 2017. The new PMBOK^® Guide 6th edition contains 978 pages, including the Agile Practice Guide (186 pages). When compared with PMBOK^® Guide 5th edition was only 616 pages, the 6th edition is one of the major content updates.

Year	Edition	Process Groups	Knowledge Areas	Processes	Pages
1996	1996	5	9	37	~180
2000	2000	5	9	39	~210
2004	Third	5	9	44	~400
2008	Fourth	5	9	42	~460
2013	Fifth	5	10	47	~620
2017	Sixth + Agile	5	10	49	~980

PMBOK 6 Process Groups

Process Group - The 5 process groups will remain the same: initiating, planning, executing, monitoring & controlling and control.

Knowledge Areas	Project Management Process Groups
Knowledge Areas	Initiating	Planning	Executing	Monitoring and Controlling	Closing
[4] Project Integration Management	4.1 Develop Project Charter	4.2 Develop Project Management Plan	4.3 Direct and Manage Project Work 4.4 Manage Project Knowledge	4.5 Monitor and Control Project Work 4.6 Perform Integrated Change Control	4.7 Close Project or Phase	7
[5] Project Scope Management		5.1 Plan Scope Management 5.2 Collect Requirements 5.3 Define Scope 5.4 Create WBS		5.5 Validate Scope 5.6 Control Scope		6
[6] Project Schedule Management		6.1 Plan Schedule Management 6.2 Define Activities 6.3 Sequence Activities 6.4 Estimate Activity Durations 6.5 Develop Schedule		6.6 Control Schedule		6
[7] Project Cost Management		7.1 Plan Cost Management 7.2 Estimate Costs 7.3 Determine Budget		7.4 Control Costs		4
[8] Project Quality Management		8.1 Plan Quality Management	8.2 Manage Quality	8.3 Control Quality		3
[9] Project Resource Management		9.1 Plan Resource Management 9.2 Estimate Activity Resources	9.3 Acquired Resources 9.4 Develop Team 9.5 Manage Team	9.6 Control Resources		6
[10] Project Communications Management		10.1 Plan Communications Management	10.2 Manage Communications	10.3 Monitor Communications		3
[11] Project Risk Management		11.1 Plan Risk Management 11.2 Identify Risks 11.3 Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis 11.4 Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis 11.5 Plan Risk Responses	11.6 Implement Risk Responses	11.7 Monitor Risks		7
[12] Project Procurement Management		12.1 Plan Procurement Management	12.2 Conduct Procurements	12.3 Control Procurements		3
[13] Project Stakeholder Management	13.1 Identify Stakeholders	13.2 Plan Stakeholder Engagement	13.3 Manage Stakeholder Engagement	13.4 Monitor Stakeholder Engagement		4
	2	24	10	12	1	49

PMBOK 6 Knowledge Areas

2 of the knowledge areas are renamed:

Time management will be renamed to Schedule Management - this change will place an emphasis the importance of scheduling in project management.
Human Resource management will be renaming to Resource Management - this change will also place a boarder perspective on all resources that a project will need; for example: materials, equipment, licenses etc.

PMBOK 6 Processes

In the 6th edition of PMBOK, three new processes will be added and one will be removed:

Manage Project Knowledge (new process) - added under the executing process group
Implement Risk Response (new process) - added under the executing process group
Control Resources (new process) - added under monitoring and controlling process group
Close Procurements (removed from 6th edition) - removed from close project phase

So there are 49 processes in PMBOK 6 (47 PMBOK 5 processes + 3 new processes - 1 process).

PMBOK guide 6th edition will gear towards more suggestive wording instead of mandatory wording. Thus, 9 processes have been renamed as follows:

PMBOK 5 Process Name	PMBOK 6 Process Name
Perform Quality Assurance	Manage Quality
Plan Human Resource Management	Plan Resource Management
Control Communications	Monitor Communications
Plan Stakeholder Management	Plan Stakeholder Engagement
Control Stakeholder Engagement	Monitor Stakeholder Engagement
Acquire Project Plan	Acquire Resource
Develop Project Team	Develop Team
Manage Project Team	Manage Team
Control Risk	Monitor Risks

New sections for Agile Development

The Agile concept is incorporated in all 10 knowledge areas. Each knowledge area will contain a section entitled Approaches for Agile, Iterative and Adaptive Environments, describing how these practices integrate in project settings.

PMBOK 6: The 10 Knowledge Areas & 49 Processes (2)

New chapter about project manager role

PMBOK 6 will contain a new chapter on the role of the project manager which discusses the PMI Talent Triangle and the skill sets organizations demand that make project managers more competitive and relevant-technical project management, leadership, and strategic and business management.