What is PMBOK?

The primary purpose of the PMBOK Guide is to identify that subset of the Project Management Body of Knowledge that is generally recognized as good practice. “Identify” means to provide a general overview as opposed to an exhaustive description. “Generally recognized” means that the knowledge and practices described are applicable to most projects most of the time, and that there is widespread consensus about their value and usefulness. “Good practice” means that there is general agreement that the correct application of these skills, tools, and techniques can enhance the chances of success over a wide range of different projects. Good practice does not mean that the knowledge described should always be applied uniformly on all projects; the project management team is responsible for determining what is appropriate for any given project. – excerpted from the PMBOK Guide

History of PMBOK

The first credential for PMI® was the Project Management Professional (PMP)®, and the first certifications were awarded in 1984.

1969 – Birth of PMI® – First Meeting is held in Atlanta, GA.

1984 – First PMP® Exams are administered

1987 – March – “Project Management Body of Knowledge” is released – not hardcopy – sections A through H, 5-6 pages in each section.

1994 – August – New exposure draft of the “PMBOK® Guide” is released – 64 pages. There are eight Knowledge Areas. (Integration Management is not included until the 1996 First edition.) Test is a six hour exam of 320 questions! (There are 40 questions for each of the eight Knowledge Areas. Each question has five multiple-choice answers.)

1996 – PMBOK® Guide, First Edition is released – 176 Pages. Nine Knowledge Areas and 37 processes.

2000 –PMBOK® Guide, 2000 Edition is released. (Second Edition) – 211 Pages, Nine Knowledge Areas and 39 processes.

December 2004, – PMBOK® Guide, Third Edition is released. 390 pages; 44 Processes; 592 ITTO. August 2005 – Test changes to be based on Third Edition, and test becomes much more difficult! (PMI lowers the passing score to 61% to accommodate the increased difficulty of the exam.)

2007 – PMBOK® Guide earns the ANSI/ISO/IEC

December 2008, – PMBOK® Guide, Fourth Edition is released. 467 pages; 42 Processes; 517 ITTO. August 2009 – Test changes to be based on Fourth Edition.

August 31, 2011 – 30% of the questions are changed to conform to the latest 2011 RDS (Role Delineation Study)

December 2012, – PMBOK® Guide, Fifth Edition is released. 589 pages; 47 Processes; 619 ITTO! August 2013 – Test changes to be based on Fifth Edition.

January 11, 2016 – Test changes to conform to the latest 2015 RDS (Role Delineation Study)