Locked lesson.
About this lesson
The PMBOK® Guide is the reference document upon which much of the PMP® exam is based. The PMBOK® Guide contains a description of project management domains, models, methods, tools, checklists, and templates.
Quick reference
PMBOK Guide
The PMBOK® Guide is the reference document upon which much of the PMP® exam is based. The PMBOK® Guide contains a description of project management processes, tools, checklists, and templates.
When to use
The PMBOK® Guide should be used as one of the primary sources for study when preparing for the PMP® exam. In addition, the PMBOK® Guide is an excellent reference for project managers and project teams. The PMBOK® Guide should be consulted when establishing a new project management methodology or updating an existing methodology. It is also a good source when preparing project management training material.
Instructions
The PMBOK® Guide serves as both a body of knowledge of processes and best practices and as a standard of common definitions and principles of project management. It is organized into two sections. The first section is the Standard for Project Management. The second is the guide and it is organized into four chapters, five appendices, a glossary, and an index section. This lesson is focused on the guide portion of the documents which is the second section of the book.
Chapters
Chapter 1 provides background on the PMBOK® Guide and its relationship to the standard.
Chapter 2 addresses the eight domains of project management. Each domain is described and several models, methods, or tools are highlighted. In addition, each domain has a section that discusses the relationship between that domain and the other domains. Finally, the domain section lists typical outcomes from that domain that can be used to check the results of the activities conducted within that domain.
Chapter 3 provides guidance for tailoring the project management approach used for individual organizations and projects. The principles of this chapter are discussed in more detail in another lesson.
Chapter 4 introduces models, methods, and artifacts that aid the project manager when planning and executing a project. The material in this section is covered in more detail in another lesson.
Appendices
There are five Appendices. Three of these provide useful information for project managers.
- Appendix X2 Sponsor
- Appendix X3 The Project Management Office.
- Appendix X4 Product
- The other appendices give credit for contributors and explain the process used for developing the standard
Reference Sections
There are two reference sections in the PMBOK® Guide. The one of most significance to a project manager is the Glossary. The Glossary is an outstanding reference. If you do not know the meaning of project management, it will explain it for you. In addition, many companies may use the same term found in the Glossary with a different internal definition. The glossary will give you the context for its use in the PMBOK® Guide. The other reference is an Index.
Hints & tips
- If planning to take the PMP exam, study the PMBOK® Guide.
- Remember it is a guide, you do not need to follow every process precisely as written, use tailoring to adapt for your project.
- The models, methods, artifacts, and tools are those commonly used. Your organization may have others. Feel free to use them, but be certain they help you achieve the results of the project management process.
- 00:04 Hi, this is Ray Sheen.
- 00:06 I would like to talk with you just a minute about an excellent reference in
- 00:09 project management and that is the guide to Project Management Body of Knowledge.
- 00:13 Or is it's commonly referred to the PMBOK guide.
- 00:18 Since its inception as the Project Management Body of Knowledge, or
- 00:21 PMBOK in 1987.
- 00:22 A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, or PMBOK guide has evolved
- 00:27 while recognizing that fundamental elements of project management endure.
- 00:31 Some of you may be seeking the PMP credential.
- 00:34 The PMBOK Guide is one of the documents upon which the PMP exam is based.
- 00:39 Knowing this guide thoroughly will prepare you for the exam.
- 00:42 Many of the questions in the exam are based upon the processes, the tools and
- 00:46 the techniques described in the guide.
- 00:49 The PMBOK Guide includes the ANSI standard for
- 00:52 project management in part one of the guide.
- 00:55 This standard is the foundation for the rest of the guide.
- 00:58 The standard sets the basic processes, and
- 01:01 the rest of the guide amplify these and shares the best practices.
- 01:05 One point to remember is that the PMBOK guide focuses on project management
- 01:10 practices to support individual projects not programs or portfolios.
- 01:14 It does not include the tools or techniques for that type of complexity.
- 01:19 So, what is the purpose of PMBOK Guide?
- 01:21 Why was it written?
- 01:22 To answer that you need to understand a little about
- 01:25 the Project Management Institute.
- 01:27 It was established in order to promote project management as
- 01:30 a recognized management discipline.
- 01:32 And they've been successful,
- 01:34 many business schools now have a MBA in project management.
- 01:37 To accompany their MBAs in accounting, marketing, or operations management.
- 01:42 The PMBOK guide assists with this purpose to establish project management as
- 01:47 a discipline in two ways.
- 01:48 The first is to document a recognized body of knowledge that would apply to most
- 01:53 projects most of the time.
- 01:54 Second, it describes the best practices that all project managers can point to,
- 01:59 and say, that's how you do it when you do it the correct way.
- 02:03 The PMBOK Guide has worked hard to be generic enough, so
- 02:06 that it applies to multiple industries,
- 02:09 multiple project management methodologies in multiple countries and cultures.
- 02:13 It's intended to be a broad standard and
- 02:16 a broad guide that can be used with any project at any time anywhere in the world.
- 02:21 In fact, one of the sections of the PMBOK Guide describes how to tailor it for
- 02:26 specific projects.
- 02:28 Let's take a minute and look at the structure of the PMBOK Guide.
- 02:31 If you're going to use this as a reference or a study guide in preparing for
- 02:35 a certification test, it's helpful to know how it is organized.
- 02:38 The PMBOK Guide could realistically be your primary Project Management reference.
- 02:43 So first, let's talk about chapter one.
- 02:46 This provides context and background for much of the rest of the guide.
- 02:49 It describes how the guide is structured and the relationship between domains.
- 02:53 Next is chapter two.
- 02:55 This contains the project management performance domains, and
- 02:58 identifies many of the best practices.
- 03:00 Each of these domains discusses processes within the domains and
- 03:04 describes expected outcomes from applying that domain within a project.
- 03:08 Chapter three has been expanded and revised seven of the PMBOK guide.
- 03:12 This chapter discusses tailoring of the guide to the unique circumstances of
- 03:16 each organization and project.
- 03:18 This includes both the tailoring of the methodology, and
- 03:21 the selection of tools and techniques to be used.
- 03:24 We've discussed this in detail in an earlier lesson.
- 03:28 Chapter four describes models methods and artifacts used with project managers.
- 03:33 This section includes details supporting many of the tools and
- 03:36 best practices introduced in other sections of the PMBOK Guide.
- 03:40 This is the how to section of the guide.
- 03:43 Finally, there are several appendices, including topics like project management
- 03:48 office, and special cases of projects, such as new product introduction projects.
- 03:53 The section though here that I find most helpful is the extensive glossary
- 03:56 associated with the PMBOK guide.
- 03:58 This glossary is a tremendous reference.
- 04:00 Virtually every term and
- 04:02 acronym used in project management is listed there and defined.
- 04:06 Every project manager should have a PMBOK guide for reference.
- 04:09 If you don't have a PMBOK Guide, get one, make sure you get the current edition.
- 04:14 You can download it from the PMI website, or
- 04:17 you can purchase a hardcopy from almost any bookstore, online or physical.
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