1300 70 13 14
PM Partners
  • Services

    Training and Capability uplift
    Advisory
    Agile
    Scaled Agile (SAFe®)
    Delivery
    Resourcing
    PM-Digital
    Hire an expert

    Recent case studies

    View all case studies

    world map with silhouettes of people in the background

    Shifting from a programme to a solution model through SAFe® to drive CX ecosystem stability

    businessman in suit looking at futuristic tech dashboard against cityscape

    From data to insights: A Power BI dashboard for FOSS component management

    • Training and Capability uplift
    • Advisory
    • Agile
    • Scaled Agile (SAFe®)
    • Delivery
    • Resourcing
    • PM-Digital
    • Hire an expert
  • Industries

    Government
    Higher education
    Construction
    Financial services
    Energy and utilities
    Healthcare and pharma

    Featured case study

    View all case studies

    Two workers in a warehouse holding digital tablet with hardhat and safety vest

    PM-Partners helps Downer set new industry standards for project management workforce development with award-winning ‘Project Plus’ initiative.

    LEARN MORE

    • Government
    • Higher education
    • Construction
    • Financial services
    • Energy and utilities
    • Healthcare and pharma
    • Case studies
  • Resources

    Insights
    Case studies
    Complexity assessment
    Capability hub
    Knowledge hub
    eBooks and white papers
    Checklists and infographics

    Featured insight

    View all insights

    Benefits of implementing SAFe in 2025 - post

    Benefits of implementing SAFe in 2025

    LEARN MORE

    • Insights
    • Case studies
    • Complexity assessment
    • Capability hub
    • Knowledge Hub
    • eBooks & white papers
    • Checklists and infographics
  • About

    What we do
    Who we are
    Leadership team
    Join the team
    Our beliefs
    Our partners

    Upcoming events

    View all events

    tig-events-01

    12 Aug 2025

    Tech in Gov

    • Events
    • What we do
    • Who we are
    • Leadership team
    • Join the team
    • Our beliefs
    • Our partners
  • Contact us
  • Training Courses
    • Promotions & special offers
    • Course list
    • Course Calendar
    • Group bookings
    • In-house training
    • Capability uplift
    • Training catalogue

    Popular pages

    Hybrid classroom
    Learning pathways
    Room hire
    Meet our trainers
    eLearning courses
    Power skills courses

    Popular courses

    View all courses

    Scrum Master Certified (SMC®)
    Agile Project Management
    PRINCE2®
    Project Management Fundamentals
    Business Analysis Fundamentals
    Running an effective Hybrid PMO

    • Promotions and special offers
    • Course list
    • Course calendar
    • Group bookings
    • In house training
    • Capability uplift
    • Training catalogue
    • POPULAR PAGES
    • Hybrid classroom
    • Learning pathways
    • Room hire
    • Meet our trainers
    • eLearning courses
    • Power skills Courses
    • POPULAR COURSES
    • Scrum Master Certified (SMC®)
    • Agile Project Management
    • PRINCE2®
    • Project Management Fundamentals
    • Business Analysis Fundamentals
    • Running an Effective Hybrid PMO
  • No products in cart.
  • Home
  • Other
  • Debunking 5 Misconstrued Project Management Myths
June 12, 2025

Debunking 5 Misconstrued Project Management Myths

Debunking 5 Misconstrued Project Management Myths

Wednesday, 01 January 2020 / Published in Other

The first attempt to codify the Project Management Body of Knowledge dates back to 1983. Since then, the Project Management Institute’s (PMI)®, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) has become a globally recognised standard for project management.

The PMBOK® Guide is seen as a foundational reference for project management that has evolved with the profession and provides a common glossary for project management across different sectors and industries.

With the advent of agile frameworks and their somewhat profligate uptake, the PMBOK® Guide is coming under scrutiny and sometimes dismissed as ‘old school’ or ‘invalid’ in the fast-paced world of change.   Let’s expose the truth by looking at the somewhat unfortunate myths about the PMBOK® Guide out there.

5 myths about the PMBOK® Guide

Myth 1. The PMBOK® Guide process groups namely, Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling and Closing, are phases in a project life cycle.
Fact. Unfortunately this is one of the long-standing misconceptions about the PMBOK® Guide. As is very clearly stated in the Guide: The Process Groups are not project life cycle phases.

“In fact, it is possible that all Process Groups could be conducted within a phase…all of the Process Groups would normally be repeated for each phase or subcomponent….”  

PMBOK® Guide

Myth 2. The PMBOK® Guide is a project management methodology.
Fact. Again, another long-standing misinterpretation of the Guide! The PMBOK® Guide does not even pretend to be a methodology. Instead it identifies a “subset of the project management body of knowledge that is generally recognised as good practice”. I like to see it as an overarching framework providing guidance including a ‘toolkit’ of project management tools and techniques.

Myth 3. Following on from myth 2, it is often assumed that the PMBOK® Guide is only for so-called ‘traditional’ waterfall projects.
Fact. As it is a guide, rather than a specific methodology, the PMBOK® Guide is applicable in all project environments:

“One can use different methodologies and tools (e.g., agile, waterfall, PRINCE2®) to implement the project management framework”.

Myth 4. The PMBOK® Guide and PRINCE2 are competing methodologies
Fact. By exposing myths 2 and 3, we can start to see the PMBOK® Guide for what it is and isn’t. The PMBOK® Guide is not a methodology competing against PRINCE2. PRINCE2 is a structured project management method that can be used to implement the Guide’s framework. PRINCE2 even clearly states that it should not be confused with a Body of Knowledge, but that the differences between the two make them highly complementary.

Myth 5. The PMBOK® Guide is too onerous and bureaucratic. We don’t have time for 47 processes!
Fact. Each process in the PMBOK® Guide is not meant to be applied robotically in every project; knowledge, skills and processes cannot be applied uniformly to all projects.

 “For any given project, the project manager, in collaboration with the project team, is always responsible for determining which processes are appropriate, and the appropriate degree of rigor…”

PMBOK® Guide

So take a moment or two to re-assess the PMBOK® Guide and its place as a versatile reference and resource for the project management profession.

PMI and PMBOK are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

PRINCE2 is a registered trade mark of AXELOS Limited

What you can read next

Colleagues brainstorming their way to better business
What is the role of an Agile Coach?
Young vietnamese female scrum master organising project working process
Scrum: The Product Owner
Two business colleagues comparing notes
2021 Jan Project Management Professional (PMP)®

GENERAL ENQUIRY
1300 70 13 14

CONTACT US
Send a message

FOLLOW US

  • LinkedIn logo
  • X logo
  • Facebook logo
  • Instagram logo
Partner logos

PM-Partners group is a Project Management Institute (PMI)® – Premier Authorised Training Partner (ATP) (ID: 1394), an APMG-International Accredited Training Organisation (ATO), a Gold partner of PeopleCert (Partner ID: 3800), an Endorsed Education Provider™ (EEP™) of International Institute for Business Analysis™ (IIBA®), a Scaled Agile Gold Partner, an ICAgile Member Organisation, a GPM Accredited Training Partner, and a Microsoft® EPM Solution Partner. PMI, CAPM, Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM), PMP, Project Management Professional (PMP), PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) and PMBOK are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc. Provider is a member of the PMI ATP Program. PMI does not specifically endorse, approve, or warrant ATP’s products, courses, publications, or services. The PMI ATP seal is a registered mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc. PRINCE2®, AgileSHIFT®, MSP®, P3O®, MoP®, ITIL® , PRINCE2 Agile®, DEVOPS INSTITUTE® and DEVOPS FOUNDATION® are registered trademarks of the PeopleCert group. Used under licence from PeopleCert. All rights reserved. AgilePM®, AgilePgM®, AgileBA® and DSDM® are registered trademarks of Agile Business Consortium Limited. All rights reserved. APMG International Change Management, APMG International Lean Six Sigma are trademarks of The APM Group Limited. All rights reserved. The APMG-International, APMG-International AgilePM, AgilePgM, AgileBA, Change Management, Managing Benefits, Lean Six Sigma and Swirl Device logos are trademarks of The APM Group Limited, used under permission of The APM Group Limited. All rights reserved. SMC® and SPOC® are trademarks of SCRUMstudy. Scaled Agile Framework® and SAFe® are registered trade marks of Scaled Agile, Inc.

IIBA®, the IIBA® logo, BABOK® Guide, Business Analysis Body of Knowledge®, Business Analysis Core Concept Model™, BACCM™, Endorsed Education Provider™, EEP™ and the EEP™ logo are (registered) trademarks owned by International Institute of Business Analysis. Entry Certificate in Business Analysis™, ECBA™, Certified Business Analysis Professional™, CBAP®, Certification of Capability in Business Analysis™ and CCBA® are (registered) certification marks owned by International Institute of Business Analysis. These trademarks, logos and certification marks are used with the express permission of International Institute of Business Analysis.

House of PMO Essentials for PMO Administrators™ and House of PMO Essentials for PMO Analysts™ are trademarks of House of PMO Limited. All rights reserved. Praxis Framework™ is a trademark of Praxis Framework Limited. ICAgile is a registered trade mark of the International Consortium for Agile. GPM® and Green Project Management® are Registered Trademarks of GPM Global ©Copyright GPM Global 2022. www.greenprojectmanagement.org. ©PRiSM™ is used with consent.

Privacy Policy | Sitemap | Timesheets | Terms & Conditions | Capability Hub
Copyright © 1996-2025 PM-Partners Group. Delivery Advisory Capability. All Rights Reserved.

TOP

EOFY Training Offers: Save 30% on a great range of classroom and virtual training courses! T&Cs apply.

BOOK NOW
X