Enrique Franco Scherer

A01371829
ITESM CEM
CAPM
Chapter 1
The purpose of the PMBOK is to give guideless of what are Good Practices and how
to apply them to most projects, even thou they will not always be applied uniformly. It
also provides the common vocabulary within the project management profession and
the code of ethics and professional policies that should be followed.
The definition of a project is: a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique
product, service, or result. A project reaches its end when its objectives have been
reached, or when its objectives cannot be met, or when it is no longer necessary.
A project can create:
- A product that can be a component or an enhancement of another item, or
another item itself
- A service of capability to perform a service
- An improvement in the existing product or service lines
- A result, such as an outcome or document
A portfolio is a collection of subportfolios, projects and programs. Programs consist of
subprograms and projects. Individual projects are still considered part of a portfolio.
Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to
project activities to meet the project requirements. There are five main process groups
that group 47 management processes, which are:
- Initiating
- Planning
- Executing
- Monitoring and Controlling
- Closing
Project management are a set of techniques and practices done by professional
managers, executives, workers, etc. in order to reach organizations goals, they can be
applied in almost any case and working sector, such as government jobs, small
businesses and multinational corporations.
By following these set of techniques and guidelines, and modifying them if needed, a
project manager can finish successfully any goal of an organization, these goals can be
grouped in portfolios, programs or projects depending on the scope of them.
 Chapter 2
An organizations culture, style and structure influence how its projects are performed,
many ventures of the project may need collaboration and partners that are external to
the organization so the project will be influenced by more than one organization.
Cultural norms include established approaches to initiating and planning projects,
organizational culture is shaped by the common experiences of members of the
organization, such as: Shared visions and values, regulations and policies, reward
systems, view of leadership hierarchies, code of conduct and work ethics, working
environments. A project manager should understand the different organizational styles
and cultures that may affect a project, this is specially noted now that we live in a
globalized interconnected world.
Organizational structure is an enterprise environmental factor which can affect the
availability of resources and influences how projects are conducted. They range from
functional to projectized, with a variety of matrix structures in between. Functional
structures do not give resources or authority to the project manager, as opposed to
projectized structures where a project manager has all the resources needed.
A stakeholder is an individual, group or organization who is affected by the outcome of a
project. Different stakeholders may have competing expectations that might create
conflicts between the projects. Project governance is the alignment of the project with
stakeholders needs or objective, it provides a framework in which the project manager
can make decisions that satisfy both stakeholders needs, and organizational strategic
objectives.
A project life cycle is all the phases a project has to go through from its initiation to its
closure, the phases are generally sequential and can be broken down by functional or
partial objectives. Phases are time bounded with a definite start and a definite end.
In this chapter, we saw how culture can influence a project and how a project manager
has to be up to date with communication technologies and with cultural standards, we
also saw the organizational structures and the matrix phases. The team of the project is
also mentioned and is a very important part of the project. Lastly, we saw the project life
cycle and how it can be applied to any project in order to have a more controlled
process and know the estimated time for completion.
Sources:
(2013) Project Management Institute. A Guide to the Project Management Body of
Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) Fifth Edition