FAQ 10 What Is the PMBOK

THE STANDARD FOR OUR PROFESSION

Each profession should have published standards. For the project management profession, that standard is the PMBOK, the Project Management Body of Knowledge. It is published by the Project Management Institute.

PMBOK UPDATES

The Fifth Edition of the PMBOK arrived in 2013. The Sixth Edition was released in September of 2017. Its primary improvements include a few more project processes, a reorganization of some existing processes, and the introduction of more Agile practices into what has been traditionally waterfall (top-down) project management.

THE PMBOK'S RELATIONSHIP TO THE PMP EXAM

The PMBOK contains the "best practices" for the project management profession. It is the primary source of questions on the PMP exam, but it is not the only source.

PMI has no recommended reading list. Instead, PMI urges exam candidates to research current publications on project management.

THE NEW PMP EXAM

A new version of the PMP exam will be released on March 26, 2018, based on the Sixth Edition of the PMBOK

(Note: PMI and PMP are trademarks of the Project Management Institute.)