A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge [Paperback]

Pmi Standards Committee (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Project Management Inst (September 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880410125
• ISBN-13: 978-1880410127
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,456,846 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars very dry and academic, April 13, 2000

By 

Travis Cottreau (Wellington, New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (Hardcover)

I got this book for a course I took on Project Management. It definitely covers all of the technical aspects of project management, although in a very dry and uninteresting manner.

There is no coverage for specific types of projects, only the principles of project management that cover most projects most of the time and the PMI says as much in the book.

The book also doesn't cover anything about handling difficult people or manageing different personality types on a project, that's too much of a soft area for this book.

I would recomment this only as a text book for a course on PM. In that roll, it fits very nicely and makes sure that nothing gets missed, while the teacher can fill in the softer material that is absolutely necessary.

If you're looking for a book that will tell you interesting anecdotes and statistics on projects done well versus those done poorly and general pertinent guidlines for people on a software/construction/human resources project, this isn't what you want.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still valid even with the 2000 edition available, June 27, 2001

By 

Mike Tarrani "www.tarrani.com" (Deltona, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (Hardcover)

Why purchase the 1996 edition when the 2000 edition is out? Two reasons: (1) according to the Project Management Institute the PMP examinations conducted in 2001 will use the 1996 edition as one of the principal references, and (2) the 1996 edition is an Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) standard, designated as Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge IEEE 1490-1998.

This book is nearly identical to the 2000 edition with the following exceptions:

Chapter 2 (2000 edition) adds a brief piece on the role of project offices. Chapter 3 (2000 edition) appears to have taken a few ideas from the British PM standard, PRINCE 2 (PRojects IN a Controlled Environment) because more attention appears to be given to phases and interactions among phases. The 2000 edition also briefly addresses iterative development. Chapters 4 and 11 (2000 edition) more fully address earned value with a lot more material on this topic. Chapter 6 (2000 edition) briefly covers theory of constraints.

I have compared the 1996 and 2000 editions and cannot find any substantial differences between the two other than what I've cited above. However, since the PMI has stated that the 1996 edition is a resource for the 2001 examinations you need to go over this book carefully if you are a PMP candidate in 2001.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A must for future PMPs..., October 10, 2001

By 

Rochelle (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (Hardcover)

If you are studying for the PMP exam, this book is a must read. Although some feel that if they have several years of project management experience they shouldn't have to read the book - I disagree. PMI has the goal to provide consistency in project management methodology and terminology. It is very important to read the book and understand PMI's philosophy and terminology for project management.

This book provide a good overview of the PMI project management methodology - for each knowledge area the book provides the various steps along with the inputs, tools and outputs. For people studying for the PMP...this is only one source for studying. The exam requires you to interpret the PMBOK and have a broader knowledge of various PM philosophies.