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The BSI copyright notice displayed in this document indicates when the document was last issued.

The following BSI references relate to the work on this document:
Committee reference MS/2
Draft for comment 18/30364031 DC

Foreword

Publishing information

This British Standard is published by BSI Standards Limited, under licence from The British Standards Institution, and came into effect on 30 April 2019. It was prepared by Technical Committee MS/2, Project management. A list of organizations represented on this committee can be obtained on request to its secretary.

Supersession

This British Standard supersedes BS 6079‑1:2010, BS 6079‑2:2000, BS 6079‑3:2000 and PD 6079‑4:2006, which are withdrawn.

Relationship with other publications

The principles and guidance in BS 6079 can be embodied in structured methods such as PRINCE2 [1], [2], other standards and in bodies of knowledge such as the APM body of knowledge [3].

Information about this document

This is a full revision of the standard, and introduces the following principal changes:

formally recognizing the organizational context of projects through the introduction of the "higher level management" role and its associated activities; and
the addition of activities relating to the requirements definition, design, development, verification and validation of a project’s primary outputs.

This revision focuses on the importance of projects being driven by organizational needs, drawing on cross-functional teams of specialists in pursuit of the stated business objectives. To this effect, the current text includes a fully revised set of accountabilities and process models which explicitly differentiate the directing of a project, with a view to achieving the benefits, from managing a project, with a view to delivering the outputs.

Use of this document

As a guide, this British Standard takes the form of guidance and recommendations. It should not be quoted as if it were a specification or a code of practice and claims of compliance cannot be made to it.

Presentational conventions

The guidance in this standard is presented in roman (i.e. upright) type. Any recommendations are expressed in sentences in which the principal auxiliary verb is “should”.

Commentary, explanation and general informative material is presented in smaller italic type, and does not constitute a normative element.

Where words have alternative spellings, the preferred spelling of the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary is used (e.g. “organization” rather than “organisation”).

Contractual and legal considerations

This publication does not purport to include all the necessary provisions of a contract. Users are responsible for its correct application.

Compliance with a British Standard cannot confer immunity from legal obligations.

Introduction

This British Standard aims to help people achieve the desired outcome of a project efficiently and effectively and to support the improvement of organizational project management capability. The principles provided in this standard are relevant to projects of all sizes, complexity and duration, and their application is proportional to the circumstances and needs of the organization delivering them.

This British Standard draws attention to the management challenges and opportunities encountered in different project environments and presents possible approaches to these. The approaches presented are intended to be treated as guidance only; they might need to be tailored to suit the particular circumstances in which they are being used.

Without a focus on the required objectives, the full support of senior management for the project manager and team, and the appropriate choice and use of planning and control techniques, a project would usually fail to achieve the desired outcomes. Figure 1 illustrates the structure of this British Standard, showing how each clause contributes to a full understanding and application of project management as a whole.

1 Scope

This British Standard sets out principles and guidance for the commissioning, sponsoring, directing and managing of projects. It is relevant to all industry sectors in the public, private and voluntary domains, regardless of the size or type of the organization or project. It is intended that the application of this standard is proportional to the circumstances and needs of the particular organization.

This British Standard provides guidance to senior managers, project practitioners and those who interact with project teams, regardless of project management experience. This includes:

managers in organizations that undertake projects;
project sponsors;
project managers;
team managers and members;
project support staff, including members of project management offices;
business and technical specialists;
educators and trainers; and
those involved in business change and benefits management.

2 Normative references

3 Terms and definitions

4 Concepts and context

4.1 Projects

4.2 Project management

4.3 Project context

4.4 Project organization

4.5 Project delivery approaches

4.6 Project management activities

5 Principles of project management

5.1 Be driven by needs and benefits

5.2 Engage stakeholders throughout the project

5.3 Having a single point of accountability is critical throughout the project

5.4 Promote collaborative working

5.5 Governance and management should be appropriate and proportionate

5.6 Experience and lessons should be captured, shared and applied

5.7 Define working methods for specialist deliverables and outputs

5.8 Take a gated approach to projects

6 Project governance

6.1 What is project governance?

6.2 Aspects of project governance

6.3 Factors influencing governance arrangements

7 Roles and responsibilities

7.1 Typical roles in a project organization

7.2 Higher level management

7.3 Project sponsor

7.4 Project board

7.5 Project assurance

7.6 Project manager

7.7 Project support

7.8 Team managers

7.9 Project team members

8 Project life cycle

8.1 What is a project life cycle?

8.2 The components of a project life cycle

8.3 The extended project life cycle

8.4 Recognizing different project life cycles associated with the same work

9 Commissioning a project

9.1 Preparing for a project

9.2 Overseeing a project

9.3 Approving a project or phase within a project

9.4 Reviewing project outcome and benefits

10 Directing a project

11 Initiating, managing and closing a project

11.1 Initiating a project

11.2 Managing a project

11.3 Closing a project

12 Managing delivery

13 Project support activities

13.1 Planning

13.2 Control

13.3 Quality

13.4 Commercial

14 Skills and competencies for project management

14.1 General

14.2 Relationships between roles and competencies

14.3 Typical competency areas

Bibliography

BS 6079:2019

Project management. Principles and guidance for the management of projects

Current

Published:

31 May 2019