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

I am enjoying reading and studying this book. I plan to take the PMP or CAPM certification soon. However I am doing my own self paced study on this text and find it describes projects in great detail. I have spent 18 years on active duty in military logistics as well as financial management and wish I had this text put in front of me about 15 years ago, it would have been a tremendous asset.The paragraphs are a bit wordy, but I suppose this text tries to not leave any stone unturned. It covers many aspects for example: project schedule planning, communication planning, resource planning, stakeholder management, project team organization and work break down structure. Anyone who is in a leadership or management role would benefit from the concepts in this book.

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.

As a starter in the discipline of Project Management, this is a great book! It points out the complete structure of how things can be organised in several area's, professions and tasks. Now reading through Chap 5, all is overviewed well and still very detailed.I would recommend this book to everyone who is interested in managing/organising projects, company's organisation structure and the different tasks of every aspect to a project.I have been advised to read this book before dealing with the Prince2 theory and I'm happy to have made this choice!Regards!

The PMBOK is the backbone for the PMP exam, so you have to get it for the test. I actually read the fifth edition, but took the fourth edition of the test. My understanding is that the main difference is how parts of communications were broken out into the stakeholders section - so, it's pretty close to the fourth edition. You may even be able to buy the fourth edition and take the fifth edition test as long as you are familiar with the differences.The PMBOK covers all different aspects of project management, but doesn't go far in depth into any particular aspects unless it is a formula or calculation you will need for the exam. Otherwise, it provides a framework for knowing the types of tools and techniques to use while planning and executing a project, but further reading on project management would be needed if you're actually looking to apply a lot of these things in your workplace.

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 FirstIn 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!

I mean - it's a boring text book, so what is there to love? But the price for the used version was outstanding, and the condition I received it in was spectacular and saved a decent amount of money. Renting it would be find it you didn't want to mark in it or be able to reference it in the future it. It reads fine, like a typical boring textbook!

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.