A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)–Fifth Edition

As a project management instructor and course developer at a state university, a project management keynote speaker, and someone who has been training project managers for nearly two decades, I highly recommend this book. I have also helped hundreds to pass their PMP exams (including training PMI employees) and although some folks claim they passed without this, I firmly believe that the PMBOK is a must-have. I have owned every edition of the PMBOK and I can tell you that it's gotten better with age. Let's face it, the material isn't the most exciting but at least it's much more readable than ever. Processes are more refined (some may remember core vs. facilitating processes in older versions) and are titled more consistently (used to have some start with verbs and others with nouns), descriptions of inputs/tools & techniques/outputs are clearer, and illustrations are less confusing. That said, the book still only covers the "whats". If you actually want to know "how" to execute some of these processes, you will need another resource like Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling . For those who have seen some of the PMBOK's poor ratings in reviews of previous versions, you have to understand that this is a high-level guide, not an elaborate text or a mystery novel. As a result, do not expect to be a project management guru at the end or be entertained with creative irony. Anyway, since many of you are looking at this because you want to take the PMP exam, here is some advice: - Although you may be able to obtain a soft copy of this book by being a PMI member, I recommend having a physical copy. In all my years of schooling, I've never even used a highlighter but I did for the PMBOK when I was studying for this exam over a decade ago. It turns out that almost everything was worth highlighting but it forced me to read each line thoroughly. - You will need another book since many exam concepts aren't even covered in the PMBOK. I personally like PMP Exam Prep, Seventh Edition: Rita's Course in a Book for Passing the PMP Exam or CAPM/PMP Project Management Certification All-in-One Exam Guide with CD-ROM, Second Edition . You do not even need the latest editions. Trust me, the general concepts will be the same. For instance, earned value lessons in Rita's 1st edition from yesteryear will be the same as those in 7th or 8th editions. SPI will always be EV/PV. - When submitting project experience on the application, you can submit work even if your title was not Project Manager. If you worked on projects and have played a lead role, it may count so submit it. The key point is that you should be submitting project leadership activities. You still need 4500 hours of project experience if you have a bachelors or 7500 hours without a bachelors. Also, always submit more than those thresholds since some activities may be not be accepted. - Do not buy flash cards; instead, make your own. Get a stack of index cards and start writing terms/concepts on one side with definitions/formulas/descriptions on the back side. Hope this helps. Best of luck to everyone! ***Update (Sep 2013)*** New editions of the books I linked to above were released: - PMP Exam Prep, Eighth Edition: Rita's Course in a Book for Passing the PMP Exam - CAPM/PMP Project Management Certification All-In-One Exam Guide, Third Edition

It is a document laden with heavy terms and worded in such a way that the mind would fade but the information inside is exactly what you need to know for the exam and to understand Project Management as per the PMI Group. I do recommend getting a study guide to fill in some aspects of being a PM that are not developed in this book. After all it is a guide not a be all and end all. For CAPM qualifications, this is all you need really as it will give you the Inputs and Outputs along with the Tools and Techniques of each process. I bought some other books to help break it down but I probably could have just focused on this book and got the same results.

Overall, the PMBOK® Guide, 5th Edition is a well, thought-out improvement from the previous editions. Although much of the content is not new, what has changed and improved is its organization of the content and its readability. There is a new knowledge area for stakeholder management, which illustrates the importance project stakeholders are to the project. This content is similar to what was in the PMBOK® Guide, 4th Edition under communication management. In this edition, stakeholder management has its own knowledge area and subsequent component processes. There is an explanation on establishing business value for undertaking a project. This section helps justify why an organization should adopt project management practices. Expanding on what constitutes the project team, which includes the project manager, the project management team, and the project team. The PMBOK® Guide distinguishes between dedicated and part-time project teams, which reflects the “real world” environment in which project operate in. This edition continues to expand the role of interpersonal skills as the “soft skills” are becoming a critical aspect for successfully leading and managing projects. A few of key improvements that I found beneficial: • Comparative overview between project, program, and portfolio management, • Illustrating the technique for calculating the critical path, • Identifying and listing the earned value management formulas; • Listing of what documents should be included in the project management plan and what documents should be considered as ancillary project documents, • Distinguishing between phase-to-phase relationships (sequential and overlapping) compared to different project life cycles (predictive, iterative, and adaptive), • Better alignment with other PMI® standards. The PMBOK® Guide is written to describe the processes, tools, and techniques to lead and manage a project. It does not and should not explain how to conduct which processes, tools, and techniques should be used for leading and managing a project. The PMBOK® Guide, 5th Edition is no exception to this rule. As organizations are emerging to bounce back from uncertainties in our global economy, those with the right the project management skills will be in high demand in the largest economic recovery we’ve seen. The PMBOK® Guide, 5th Edition is worthy of being a significant achievement in its contribution to the profession of project management. My compliments go out to the many volunteers who dedicated their time and energy in developing the PMBOK® Guide, 5th Edition. Dr. Stephen C. Burgan, PMP

I gave this book 5 stars NOT because I loved it, but because in my opinion you must read this book, at least 3 times through (I read it 3 times through) before taking the exam. Please realize, you will be tested ONLY on the content of THIS BOOK. So, go ahead and buy another book on studying for the PMP exam, but if that book covers any topic(s) that are NOT in THIS BOOK, you are learning content that is irrelevant for this exam. That's what I discovered anyway. I bought Joseph Phillips study guide, and although it was helpful, there were many terms and content items NOT in the PMBOK guide, and therefore I did not get any questions on the real exam related to those terms/topics. For example, Joe Phillips covers organization theories like Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, and there were no questions like this on the real exam (and it's NOT in PMBOK Guide). Also, I took 5 practice exams from 3 different sources (one was from the Joseph Phillips CD) which turned out to give me false confidence because the real exam was a LOT harder. I passed the exam yesterday after studying for over a year (not continuous). I think you'd have to study for 3-4 months straight if this material is new to you. So what do you need to study? First, you must MEMORIZE all the terms and concepts. That is hard if your memory is not great like mine. Second, you must MEMORIZE the PROCESSES and general FLOW of events. Understand the 47 processes and what events occur in each process--and what the major ITTOs are in each process. I recommend memorizing the 47 processes and being able to write them down in the chart before you take the exam. Memorize all the formulas. Know your contract types--I was surprised by how many Procurement questions there were. I cannot over emphasize that the exam was one of the hardest I've taken. According to the staff at the Sylvan Testing Center near me, where I took the exam, at least half the people who take it there fail. Good luck.

For all of you project management professionals and enthusiasts this book is a must have. This is the bible of project management and is the foundation for your PMI credentials. Do not waste money buying other products promising you that you will pass the tests. If you are taking the CAPM this is all you need, I read the whole book 2 weeks before the test and I passed, You have to read this book if you are considering the PMP as well. Though the 6th edition will be coming out soon, the PMI stated that the exams will still be based off of the 5th edition for the next 2 or 3 years.

Must have for passing the PMP. Also great as kindling or for falling asleep at night. Very dry, very generic,very wordy, very much a "left brain" book, and overall not an easy read. It provides a high level overview of project management, how individual processes work, and how each process connect to other processes. A lot of the book is the same formula over and over: [inputs>tools>outputs]. Inputs and outputs are linked to dozens of other process and while each one makes senses you can quickly get lost in the dozens of links going every which way if you don't give it your full attention. Reading this to learn project management is like reading the dictionary to learn a foreign language. You'll get a high level overview and probably learn something, but it will be a brute force approach rather than a well oiled learning tool. I linked a couple books I think are much better introductory books to the topic. This book is probably best for someone with authority and specific goals such as setting up a project management system where none exists, or looking for ideas on how to add/modify a process (i.e. change control) and integrate that process more robustly. If you're a student/entry level working looking to learn more about project management.... I would avoid this one. Right-Brain Project Management: A Complementary Approach The Art and Science of Project Management

This is the backbone for the PMP test. If you are a member of PMI, you can download a PDF version for free. But it is always good to have a hard copy. This shouldn't be your only resource if you plan to take the PMP exam. It doesn't give you all the knowledge you need to pass the exam, which is odd. Rita Mulcahy's prep book is a must read. So is the Head First PMP book, which explains everything in plain English. I found it best to read the books in this order: Rita -> PMBOK -> Head First In preparation for the exam, know the Project Management Process Groups & Knowledge Areas inside and out. Learn the inputs & outputs. Also know the formulas and network diagrams. Do a lot of practice exams. Note: This version (fifth edition) is for those planning to take the test after August 2013. If you want to take the test before mid-July, you need the 4th edition of PMBOK. One more note: I signed up for the PMP Boot Camp by my local PMI chapter. It was terrible - a complete waste of time!!!! If you want to do a boot camp, spend the extra money and sign up with a company that specializes in training. Good Luck!

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Exactement ce que j'attendais. Bien structure et complet. Toutes les base sont clairement expliques puis approfondies. Indispensable pour quiconque veut gerer des projets, ou participer dans un projet.

E' la versione vecchia (adesso c'è la sesta) del classico PMBOK, comunque ottimo per una introduzione all'argomento del Project Management. La fattura della carta è buona, così come la rilegatura. Le pagine grigie (anti-contraffazione) non sono fastidiose.

高いですがPMP受ける方に本書はは必須ですね。 頑張りましょう。 仕事には直接は使えないかもしれませんが、

Great book delivered on time

Es un marco de referencia, no una metodología. Su lectura es compleja pq es un manual ingenieril. Si embargo, es brillante. En un sólo libro se concentran las mejores prácticas de gestión de proyectos del mundo. Tengo más de 15 años dando clases y consultoría en gestión de proyectos, estoy muy cercana al PMI y creo que si alguien considera que no sirve o que es burocrático es porque no lo comprende bien. Es fundamental para estar en la tendencia mundial en el tema.