The Project Management Professional (PMP) certification exam is based on the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) Guide published by the Project Management Institute (PMI). The PMBOK Guide currently identifies 49 processes that fall into five basic process groups needed to manage a project successfully. Let’s take a quick look at what these project management processes are.

List of 49 Processes of PMP in 5 Group

5 main groups with 49 processes of PMP — img source: PMI

The 5 Process Groups with 49 Processes of PMP:

1. Initiating

The initiating process group consists of the processes performed to define a new project or a new phase of an existing project. There are 2 processes of PMP in this group:

– Develop Project Charter: Develop and publish the formal project charter.

– Identify Stakeholders: Identify all people or organizations impacted by or having an impact on the project.

2. Planning

The planning process group consists of the processes required to establish the scope of the project, refine project objectives, and define the course of action required to attain the objectives. There are 24 processes of PMP in this group:

– Develop Project Management Plan: Document the actions necessary to define, prepare, integrate, and coordinate all subsidiary plans into a project management plan.

– Plan Scope Management: Create the scope management plan that documents how the scope will be defined, validated, and controlled.

– Collect Requirements: Define and document stakeholder’s needs to meet project objectives.

– Define Scope: Develop a detailed project scope statement as the basis for future project decisions.

– Create WBS: Subdivide project deliverables and project work into smaller, more manageable components.

– Plan Schedule Management: Establish the policies, procedures, and documentation for planning, developing, managing, executing, and controlling the project schedule.

– Define Activities: Identify and document the specific actions to be performed to produce project deliverables.

– Sequence Activities: Identify and document the relationships among activities.

– Estimate Activity Resources: Estimate the type and quantity of resources required to perform project activities.

– Estimate Activity Durations: Estimate the number of work periods needed to complete activities.

– Develop Schedule: Analyze activity sequences, activity resource estimates, and activity duration estimates to create the project schedule.

– Plan Cost Management: Establish policies, procedures, and documentation for planning, managing, expending, and controlling project costs.

– Estimate Costs: Develop an approximation of the costs of the resources needed to complete the project.

– Determine Budget: Aggregate the estimated costs to establish an authorized cost baseline.

– Plan Quality Management: Identify quality requirements and standards for the project and product.

– Plan Human Resource Management: Identify and document project roles and responsibilities, reporting relationships, and create the staffing management plan.

– Plan Communications Management: Document the approach to communicate most effectively and efficiently with stakeholders.

– Plan Risk Management: Define how to conduct risk management activities for the project.

– Identify Risks: Determine risks that may affect the project.

– Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis: Prioritize risks by assessing and combining their probability of occurrence and impact.

– Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis: Analyze numerically the effect of risks on project objectives.

– Plan Risk Responses: Document options and actions to enhance opportunities and reduce threats to meeting project objectives.

– Plan Procurement Management: Document project purchasing decisions.

– Plan Stakeholder Management: Develop an approach to increase support and minimize resistance from stakeholders.

3. Executing

The executing process group consists of the processes performed to complete the work defined in the project management plan. There are 8 processes of PMP in this group:

– Direct and Manage Project Work: Execute the work defined in the project management plan.

– Manage Project Knowledge: Share and distribute information and lessons learned on the project.

– Manage Project Teams: Track team member performance, provide feedback, resolve issues, and manage changes.

– Develop Project Teams: Improve competencies, team member interaction, and overall team environment.

– Manage Project Communications: Create, collect, distribute, store and dispose of project information.

– Conduct Procurements: Obtain responses from sellers, select a seller, and award a contract.

– Manage Stakeholder Engagement: Communicate and work with stakeholders to meet their needs and expectations, address issues, and foster appropriate stakeholder involvement.

– Manage Quality: Audit the quality requirements and evaluate the results.

4. Monitoring and Controlling

The monitoring and controlling process group consists of the processes required to track, review, and regulate the progress and performance of the project. There are 12 processes of PMP in this group:

– Monitor and Control Project Work: Track, review, and report project progress against the performance objectives and take corrective action as needed.

– Perform Integrated Change Control: Review all change requests and manage approved changes.

– Validate Scope: Formally accept completed project deliverables.

– Control Scope: Monitor the status of the project and product scope, and manage changes to the scope baseline.

– Control Schedule: Monitor and report on the status of the project schedule, influence factors that cause schedule changes, and determine if the schedule has changed.

– Control Costs: Monitor and report on the status of the project budget, manage changes, and ensure all costs are within acceptable limits.

– Control Quality: Monitor and record results of executing quality activities to assess performance, recommend changes, and improve process assets.

– Control Resources: Ensure optimal resource availability and allocation for ongoing project activities.

– Monitor Communications: Ensure the information needs of project stakeholders are met.

– Monitor Risks: Track identified risks, monitor residual risks, identify new risks, carry out risk response plans, and evaluate their effectiveness.

– Control Procurements: Manage procurement relationships, monitor contracts, and make changes and corrections as needed.

– Monitor Stakeholder Engagement: Continue to manage stakeholders’ expectations and engage them as needed to facilitate their continued support.

5. Closing

The closing process group consists of the processes performed to conclude all activities across all Process Groups to formally complete the project. There are 2 processes of PMP in this group:

– Close Project or Phase: Finalize all project activities to formally close the project or phase.

– Close Procurements: Complete each procurement and settle all contracts.

That summarizes the 49 project management processes across the 5 process groups defined in the PMBOK Guide. Understanding these processes and how they fit together is key to successfully managing projects and passing the PMP exam.

Hope you now understand the complete list of the 49 processes of PMP. If you have any questions, do post them in the comments & I will reply.

Related Certification: PMP Certification
Also, check: What is a Matrix Diagram in PMP?