Project Management Disciplines

Along with a phased approach, the other important aspect of managing projects well is the various project management disciplines. Consider a racing car driver about to enter a race. They may do things in the right order. They may get in the car only after they have checked the tyres, the engine, and so on. This is good, however, if they cannot apply the right amount of pressure to the brake on entering a corner or the turn the wheel too early, the race is lost. The racing car driver, to be successful, needs to be well versed in the various driving disciplines – cornering, passing, gearing, and so on.

For Project Managers, the associated project management disciplines are:

Stakeholder Management

Identifying project stakeholders and their requirements and managing their communication needs and issues.

Risk Management

Identifying project risks and creating and implementing mitigation strategies in order to minimize the impact on the project.

Issues Management

Identifying issues that impact the project and managing them through to resolution.

Resource Management

Controlling and prioritising project expenditures on products, services and labor in order to achieve the objectives of the project within the agreed budget.

Task Management

Assigning, prioritizing and monitoring project tasks and workflows in order to complete the project on schedule.

Quality Management

Ensuring that project deliverables meet the agreed standards and satisfy stakeholder requirements at each stage of the project.

Project Change Control

Setting a project baseline and identifying, reviewing, approving and monitoring proposed changes to the project scope.

Project Team Management

Selecting project team members, clarifying roles, providing feedback and motivating for high performance.

These project management disciplines are applied to varying degrees throughout the project phases. A well-skilled Project Manager knows when and to what extent to apply each discipline.

Learn more about how to apply the eight project management disciplines. Download our eBook, A Guide to Project Management << Click here.

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