Establishing some basic project-management body-of-knowledge concepts

Abstract

The US Project Management Institute began the development of its project-management body of knowledge almost 15 years ago, with the objective of defining the scope and structure of project management as a prerequisite for the development of a distinct project-management profession. The PMI is now moving its pmbok initiative in a quite different direction, and its pmbok document is now representing itself as the authority in such areas as (a) defining ‘generally accepted practices of project management’, (b) defining the basis of certification testing for project-management professionals, and (c) defining the basis for the accreditation of degree-granting education programs in project management. pmbok development activities over the past three years have shifted from the creation of an ‘information-structure reference’ to a ‘professionalism-authority reference’. It is now necessary to define and agree upon basic pmbok concepts and how these concepts can best be developed and implemented around the world. The pmbok concepts outlined in the paper are (a) the definition of basic pmbok development objectives that address both practitioner and professional needs, as well as the international realities of the project-management community, (b) the definition of the major elements of an overall pmbok document structure, (c) the definition of a universal project-management classification structure to be used to organize and codify the dramatically increasing qualtity of pmbok material, and (d) the definition of the management and administrative infrastructure needed to properly develop, implement and maintain a comprehensive, international pmbok system. Finally, the paper recommends that a joint internet/PMI project should be set up to further develop the paper's concepts and to implement them in a coordinated manner.