Introduction to process management in projects - Importance of technical project management skills

Learning Outcomes

After studying this article, you will understand the structure of process management in projects, including the five process groups, why technical project management skills are required for successful delivery, and how process management ensures project coordination and control. You will be able to identify relevant process activities, recognize their influence on project outcomes, and answer PMP-style questions on process management fundamentals.

PMP Syllabus

For PMP, you are required to understand how process management provides the backbone for project delivery. You must be able to:

• Explain the five key process groups of project management (initiating, planning, executing, monitoring & controlling, closing).
• Describe how technical project management skills support the application of processes, tools, and techniques.
• Identify the connection between process management and consistent project outcomes.
• Recognize the need to tailor processes for specific projects or environments.
• Integrate technical processes such as work planning, scheduling, budgeting, quality, resource management, and risk control.
• Monitor, control, and update project artifacts effectively through process management.
• Define 'project coordination management' and the role of the project manager.
• Distinguish between predictive, adaptive, and hybrid process management.

Review and memorise these syllabus points for your revision.

Test Your Knowledge

Attempt these questions before reading this article. If you find some difficult or cannot remember the answers, remember to look more closely at that area during your revision.

1. Which of the following best describes the main purpose of process management in projects?
   1. Only to approve financial budgets
   2. To deliver the project solely through stakeholder communication
   3. To coordinate, control, and integrate project work through structured processes
   4. To focus exclusively on team leadership
2. In the PMP context, which skill area chiefly enables the use of scheduling tools, cost control techniques, and quality management methods?
   1. Emotional intelligence
   2. Stakeholder negotiation
   3. Technical project management skills
   4. Personal leadership ability
3. Which of the following is NOT a process group as defined by PMI?
   1. Planning
   2. Executing
   3. Monitoring & Controlling
   4. Marketing
4. What is the key outcome of effective process management on a project?
   1. Personal development of staff
   2. Consistent and predictable project delivery
   3. Regular social events
   4. Absence of documentation

Introduction

Every project relies on clear process management to deliver consistent results. A project is not just a sequence of random activities; it is delivered through defined stages, each governed by specific processes. The PMP exam expects you to know these stages, called process groups, and understand how technical project management skills are used to apply tools, techniques, and controls at each stage. These technical skills allow you to manage scope, time, cost, quality, risk, and resources through methodical processes. Without a process-driven approach—and the skills to use it—project outcomes are usually unpredictable and poorly controlled.

The Project Management Process Groups

PMI groups project work into five process groups: Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring & Controlling, and Closing. Each process group contains activities and tasks that ensure each part of the project is properly defined, planned, built, controlled, delivered, and closed.

Key Term: Process Group A logical grouping of project management tasks and processes aligned to a specific phase of the project life cycle (e.g., planning, execution).

The Role of Technical Project Management Skills

The PMP emphasizes three domains of project manager competence: people, process, and business environment. Technical project management skills fall within the 'process' domain. They are the 'how to' abilities that enable you to use scheduling tools, estimate costs, manage quality, perform risk analysis, and utilize control techniques.

Key Term: Technical Project Management Skills The application of knowledge, tools, and techniques related to process management, including scheduling, estimating, budgeting, quality, and risk management, to meet project objectives.

Technical skills help the project manager select and apply the right processes for the project's context (predictive, agile, or hybrid), size, and complexity. They also ensure you can use organizational process assets (templates, schedules, reports), tailor methods, and coordinate activities across all process groups.

The Importance of Coordination

Process management centres on coordination—ensuring all elements of the project come together to form a single, coordinated approach. This prevents confusion, scope creep, conflicting priorities, and lack of accountability.

Key Term: Project Coordination Management The set of processes and activities needed to identify, define, combine, merge, and coordinate the various processes and project management activities within the project management process groups.

The project manager is responsible for process alignment. On large or complex projects, this requires advanced technical skills—not just intuitive leadership—to bring together teams, align activities, resolve process conflicts, and control changes.

Process Management Across Project Types

The application of process management differs depending on the project approach:

• In predictive projects (traditional or waterfall), processes and plans are defined in detail upfront and followed strictly, with changes controlled through formal procedures.
• In adaptive (agile) projects, processes are lighter but regular: work is planned in short cycles, feedback drives continual process improvement, and technical skills remain central to tracking work and adapting to rapid change.
• Hybrid projects combine detailed planning for known deliverables with agile cycles for rapidly changing elements; process management and technical skills are required to manage both planning and flexibility.

Technical Skills That Enable Process Management

Common technical project management skills applied across process groups include:

• Defining scope, detailed work breakdown structures (WBS), and work packages
• Scheduling methods: developing project schedules and milestones, identifying critical path, monitoring progress
• Resource allocation, tracking, and conflict resolution
• Budgeting, estimating, and tracking actual vs. planned cost
• Quality planning, assurance, and control
• Risk identification, analysis, response planning, and management
• Change control, version control, and process auditing
• Using organizational process assets and tailoring processes to fit the project

Key Term: Tailoring The process of selecting and adjusting project management processes, tools, and techniques to fit the needs of a specific project.

Worked Example 1.1

A project manager is assigned to deliver a new product. The project must be delivered on a short schedule and within a strict budget, but the requirements may change as the project progresses. What process management approach and technical skills are essential for this project?

Answer: The project manager should apply a hybrid process management approach—using predictive processes for elements with stable requirements and agile processes for areas expecting change. Technical skills needed include schedule compression techniques, variance analysis, risk management, and the ability to perform rapid re-planning and change control.

Selecting and Tailoring Processes

Not every process is required for every project. Technical project management skill includes knowing which processes to use, when, and to what extent—this is tailoring. The project manager must review scope, context, size, risk, organizational constraints, and select tools and methods accordingly.

Monitoring, Controlling, and Reporting

Technical skills allow the project manager to apply monitoring and controlling processes. These include collecting, analysing, and reporting progress using earned value management, schedule and cost variance analysis, trend analysis, and using project management information systems (PMIS) to keep data up to date. This gives project stakeholders confidence that the project is being controlled, and provides early warning of any problems or deviations from plan.

Worked Example 1.2

A new team member asks why the project manager insists on using a formal process for change requests, rather than simply discussing changes with the team as they arise. How does this relate to technical project management?

Answer: Formal change control processes, supported by technical project management skills, reduce the risk of uncontrolled changes (scope creep), ensure all changes are recorded and assessed for impact, and help maintain the integrity of project baselines. Technical knowledge allows the project manager to analyse change impacts on scope, budget, and schedule, and to explain these to stakeholders.

Exam Warning

Many PMP candidates confuse 'process group' with 'project phase' or believe processes are only relevant in waterfall projects. The PMP exam frequently tests knowledge of process application across both predictive and adaptive (agile) environments. Always read the scenario carefully and apply the correct process group and technical skills for the context.

Revision Tip

Memorize the five process groups and be able to define at least two core technical project management skills used in each group. Link these to the project manager's role in integrating all process activities.

Summary

Process management is the structure behind every successful project. The project manager uses technical project management skills to select, tailor, and coordinate the right processes for the project's type, size, and risk. Coordination across all five process groups and application of technical tools ensures that project activities are coordinated, controlled, and meet business objectives.

Key Point Checklist

This article has covered the following key knowledge points:

• Process management applies standardized, structured processes to deliver project outcomes.
• PMI defines five key process groups: initiating, planning, executing, monitoring & controlling, and closing.
• Technical project management skills are required to apply scheduling, estimating, tracking, quality, risk, and control methods.
• Process management depends on coordination—all processes must work together toward project objectives.
• The project manager is responsible for process alignment and tailoring.
• Technical skills enable selection, tailoring, and monitoring of the right processes for each project.
• Both predictive and adaptive (agile) projects require process management, but methods are tailored to suit the context.
• Monitoring and controlling depend on technical skills for analysis, reporting, and corrective action.

Key Terms and Concepts

• Process Group
• Technical Project Management Skills
• Project Coordination Management
• Tailoring