When providing feedback to your peers, comment on what they posted as the most important element of PMBOK. Demonstrate more depth and thought than saying things like "I agree" or "You are wrong." Guidance is provided for you in the discussion prompt.

Use the information above to respond to the statements below separately.

First statement:

PMBOK project management includes numerous aspects and complexities that make it a vital tool for PMs but a very hard system to completely comprehend and apply. This PMBOK includes things like identifying the PM, finding the scopes, estimating budgets, and creating the work breakdown structures. While some say that identifying the project manager is the most important step, I believe in the collective effort of all the steps. Identifying the PM is only as useful as finding the scopes, and the scope is only useful if it has been assessed with the WBS. This is a dependency system, which means all the parts work together, not in an either-or situation.

There are five process groups identified in the PMBOK: initiating, Planning, Executing, monitoring and controlling, and Closing (Project Management Institute, 2017). For me, the most important one is the controlling step. While planning and researching are important, we all have limited insights about the situation; hence, our plan is never 100% on track. To subsidize, the controlling step acts as the compass for our ship, guiding us to shore. Controlling gives us feedback on what is right and wrong, so from there we can iterate to make a more relevant plan. In the metacognition world, this is called deliberate practice or intentional practice. Both of these terms have been studied and are well defined in the space.

Second statement:

When we are looking at the key elements of project management defined in the PMBOK I think Risk Management is very important. I feel sometimes that this is something that is overlooked especially in my line of work. Being able to identify any risk before a project starts and be able to mitigate it can help big time on a project. It is also important to keep updating the risk register as the project progresses because new risk can arise. Having a plan before something comes up can save you time and money and both of those are very key to the success of a project. I truly believe that all elements of the PMBOK are important but I feel as Risk Management is most important to the overall project success.