The PMBOK (Project Management Body of Knowledge) serves as a standard guideline for project management, emphasizing practices generally recognized as beneficial for success across most projects. It outlines a process-based approach, detailing five process groups—initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing—and ten knowledge areas such as integration, scope, time, and cost management. The guide highlights the importance of a consensus on the application of knowledge and techniques, setting it apart from newer trends promoted by consultants.