The 5 Project Management Process Groups

By Syed Mujeeb Ur Rehman, PMP · Updated October 2026

What are the 5 process groups at a glance?

Are process groups the same as project phases?

No, and this is one of the most tested ideas on the PMP exam. Phases describe the life cycle of a specific project, such as design, build and test. Process groups describe the kinds of management work that happen within every phase. A design phase still needs initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing activities of its own.

Process groups also overlap in time. Monitoring and controlling runs throughout the project, planning is revisited as you learn more, and executing often starts on early work packages while later ones are still being planned. That is why PMI calls them groups of processes rather than steps in a sequence.

How do the process groups work together?

The groups follow the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle popularised in quality management. Planning is Plan, Executing is Do, and Monitoring and Controlling covers Check and Act, feeding corrective actions and change requests back into planning. Initiating starts the cycle, and Closing ends it for each phase or the whole project.

A useful way to remember the numbers is that Planning has by far the most processes, 24 of the 49, because every knowledge area needs planning. Closing has only 1 process: Close Project or Phase.

What does this look like on a real project?

Take a 6-month office relocation for 120 staff. Initiating: the sponsor issues a charter naming the project manager and setting the move date and budget, and the team identifies stakeholders such as facilities, IT, HR and landlords. Planning: the team builds a work breakdown structure, schedule, budget, risk register and communications plan. Executing: contractors fit out the new floor, IT installs the network and HR briefs staff. Monitoring and Controlling: weekly reviews track progress against the schedule and budget, and a change request is raised when 15 extra desks are needed. Closing: the team hands over to facilities, signs off with the sponsor and records lessons learned.

How do process groups relate to PMBOK 7 and the 2026 exam?

The PMBOK Guide 7th edition, published in 2021, moved away from processes towards 12 principles and 8 performance domains, and the PMP exam has followed a newer content outline since 9 July 2026. Even so, the process groups remain useful: many organisations still structure their methods around them, and exam scenarios regularly test whether you know what should happen first, such as getting a charter approved before detailed planning.

Process groups: common questions

How many process groups are there?

5: Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing.

How many processes are in each group?

In the PMBOK Guide 6th edition: Initiating 2, Planning 24, Executing 10, Monitoring and Controlling 12, and Closing 1.

Which process group has the most processes?

Planning, with 24 of the 49 processes.

Are process groups still on the PMP exam?

The exam follows a newer content outline, but process group concepts still appear in scenario questions about what to do first or next.

Which processes belong to each group?

Initiating (2): Develop Project Charter and Identify Stakeholders.

Planning (24): Develop Project Management Plan; Plan Scope Management; Collect Requirements; Define Scope; Create WBS; Plan Schedule Management; Define Activities; Sequence Activities; Estimate Activity Durations; Develop Schedule; Plan Cost Management; Estimate Costs; Determine Budget; Plan Quality Management; Plan Resource Management; Estimate Activity Resources; Plan Communications Management; Plan Risk Management; Identify Risks; Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis; Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis; Plan Risk Responses; Plan Procurement Management; and Plan Stakeholder Engagement.

Executing (10): Direct and Manage Project Work; Manage Project Knowledge; Manage Quality; Acquire Resources; Develop Team; Manage Team; Manage Communications; Implement Risk Responses; Conduct Procurements; and Manage Stakeholder Engagement.

Monitoring and Controlling (12): Monitor and Control Project Work; Perform Integrated Change Control; Validate Scope; Control Scope; Control Schedule; Control Costs; Control Quality; Control Resources; Monitor Communications; Monitor Risks; Control Procurements; and Monitor Stakeholder Engagement.

Closing (1): Close Project or Phase.

How do you remember the process groups for the exam?

Many candidates use the order I-P-E-M-C and the numbers 2-24-10-12-1. A helpful pattern is that every knowledge area has at least 1 planning process, almost every knowledge area has a monitoring and controlling process, and only integration management has processes in all 5 groups, including the single closing process.

Watch for verbs. Processes starting with Plan, Define, Estimate, Develop or Identify are usually planning; Manage, Direct, Acquire, Implement and Conduct are usually executing; and Control, Monitor and Validate are monitoring and controlling. This shortcut answers a surprising number of exam questions about which process comes next.

Common mistakes with process groups

• Treating them as phases that happen once in sequence, rather than activities repeated in every phase
• Skipping initiating on small projects; even a 1-page charter prevents scope arguments later
• Thinking monitoring and controlling only happens at the end, when it should run throughout
• Confusing Validate Scope, which gets formal acceptance from the customer, with Control Quality, which checks deliverables are correct

Practise these concepts with our 200 free PMP practice questions, and read the project charter guide to see initiating in action.

How should you use process groups on your own projects?

You do not need to run all 49 processes on every project. Tailor them. A 6-week internal project might need a 1-page charter, a simple schedule, a short risk list, weekly status updates and a brief closure note. A 2-year infrastructure programme will use almost every process in depth, with formal change control and detailed baselines.

A practical approach is to ask 5 questions at the start of each phase. Is the work authorised and are the right stakeholders involved? Do we have a plan that people agree with? Is the work being done as planned? How are we checking progress and handling changes? How will we formally close this phase and capture lessons? If you can answer all 5 clearly, you are applying the process groups well, whatever method your organisation uses.

Download our free project management templates to support each group, from the charter in Initiating to the closure report in Closing.

Key takeaway

The 5 process groups describe the management work that every project and every phase needs: authorise it, plan it, do it, check it and close it. Learn the purpose of each group, the 2-24-10-12-1 distribution of the 49 processes, and the difference between process groups and life cycle phases. Those 3 ideas cover most of what the PMP exam asks about process groups, and they give you a simple checklist for running real projects in any industry, whether you use a predictive, agile or hybrid approach.

Review this page again a week before your exam as a quick refresher.