The Impact of Project Management on Other Forms of Management

Many of the processes, tools, and methodologies are common in other forms of general management involved with ongoing business operations and enterprises. The PMBOK views general management in terms of its application areas, such as functional departments, technical elements, management specializations, and industry groups. It places much emphasis on the overlap of attributes between the three knowledge areas of project management, general management, and the application areas.

Numerous other types of endeavors are related to project management, including program management. The PMBOK defines a program as "a group of projects managed in a coordinated way to obtain benefits not available from managing them individually." Consequently, many organizations have program managers to fulfill the needs of individual projects and groups of projects. Many projects are divided into subprojects to allow them to be more manageable. This frequently occurs with large, multimillion-dollar projects that take several years to complete.

Another area related to project management is project portfolio management, which is concerned with the choosing and managing of projects or program investments. These are closely tied with strategic plans and resources that can have an impact on the financial conditions and constraints within a company.

This concludes the first chapter of the PMBOK, which introduces you to some of the initial concepts and definitions used throughout this book. Although you need to read and comprehend a large volume of material, this Exam Cram 2 book will help make the process shorter and the material easier to understand.