A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide)
Reviews courtesy of Amazon.Globally Recognized Guide to the Body of Knowledge in the PM Profession, November 28, 2009
By J Bucknoff, PMP (Fort Lee, NJ USA)
This review is from: A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge: (Pmbok Guide) (Paperback) The PMBOK Guide is a standard for the project management profession. Its intention is to serve as a guide to the body of knowledge within the project management community and as practiced by members of the profession. There is no single document that contains the project management body of knowledge. Indeed, some of it is not published at all but, rather, is simply recognized as good practices and norms within the profession. This body of knowledge is growing every day.
It's particularly important to understand that it is not a standard or specification for the examination portion of the PMP certification. For one thing, at least 30% of the material on the examination is not covered by the PMBOK Guide. (There IS an exam on the PMBOK Guide. It's the CAPM exam, which only covers knowledge of the PMBOK Guide.)
A reviewer here, on Amazon, observed that there is a widely held notion that PMBOK = Project Management. I disagree with that observation. The false notion he observed is only held by those people who do not know what the PMBOK is. Also "PMBOK" is not the same as "PMBOK Guide." PMBOK is an acronym for the Project Management Body of Knowledge. As I said, above, there is no single document that contains the project management body of knowledge. It's simply the body of knowledge that is collectively known among practitioners. academics and organizations who practice or research project management. The document known as the PMBOK Guide is simply a guide to that massive body of knowledge; an entry-point to further information and a standard for developing protocols, methodologies, techniques and practices within your own organizations and project management practices.
Because of the "cert" fever within the I.T. community and among I.T. workers, many non-PMs in the I.T. sector are pressured to add the "PMP" letters to their names. Recruiters are among those who create this pressure. Because they are not experienced project managers, these I.T. people are pressured into lying about their background and skills during the PMP qualification process -- and getting friends to lie during the audit and vetting process. This may account for the number of (dishonestly earned) PMPs out there who may have the letters after their name (though they got those letters under false pretenses) but who are not really project managers at all. This is why people see a lot of "PMPs" who have no idea about what they are doing.
Finally, as to the question "what would be the best alternative book": there is no alternative. The PMBOK Guide is the accepted global standard and the recognized guide to the project management body of knowledge. That's all it's intended to be and it serves that purpose well. It's not the end to all ends. The members of the project management profession who contributed to the document did not aspire to cover all there is to know about project management. It's not perfect and it's constantly changing (every 4 years) as the profession continues to grow and mature.
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge - More Reviews
Good book for Project Management students, October 16, 2010By Toast "Toast" (USA)
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This review is from: A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge: (Pmbok Guide) (Paperback)
I found this to be a good reference book for my Project Management class and studying for the PMP
A must for PMP exam unless you are a PMI member, September 15, 2010
By Brad
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This review is from: A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge: (Pmbok Guide) (Paperback)
For taking PMP test, you MUST have this book.
However, you probably don't need this book if you are going to take PMP test and here is why:
1. Taking PMP exam costs you $555.
2. Membership of PMI is $105, student membership is $40. Almost anyone can join PMI.
3. If you are PMI member and then taking PMP exam is $405.
4. It is cheaper to join the PMI and then take PMP exam.
5. After you join PMI, you will be allowed to downloaded a digital copy of PMBOK, as many languages as you want, such as English, French, Chinese (2 of them), Spanish, ....
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge - ISBN 9781933890517
A PMP "must read.", September 6, 2010By Paul W. Richardson (Spring Branch, Texas United States)
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This review is from: A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge: (Pmbok Guide) (Paperback)
The PMBOK Guide is a must read for anyone seeking the PMP certification. If you've not had any prior PM experience, you may find your mind wandering in the myriad processes. Just remember - it's not rocket science. Focus on learning the inputs, tools & techniques and outputs. I often find myself going back to this standard to keep myself (and my project) on track.
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