PMBOK® Guide 6th Edition – FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions about PMBOK® Guide 6th Edition
PMBOK® Guide 6th Edition
Recently PMI released PMBOK® 6th Edition. It is obvious that some questions start bubbling in the mind of PMP® Certification aspirant. Here is a FAQ about PMBOK® Guide 6th Edition:
When was PMBOK® Guide 6th Edition released?
PMI® released PMBOK® Guide 6th Edition on 6th Sep, 2017 along with translation in 11 language including Hindi.
How will it impact me?
If you are PMP® Certification aspirant then the question how it will impact me is natural. Though knowledge of project management does not changes but many aspects which were not considered earlier are considered now, some areas have received more focus, some areas are found not in practice so removed and many areas are presented differently.
If you are targeting PMP® Exam in 2017 i.e. before 31st Dec, 2017, you need not to bother about new 6th edition as it will be applicable only in 1st quarter of 2018.
If you are targeting PMP® Exam in 2018 or later, it is important for you to understand the changes in PMBOK® Guide 6th Edition.
What are key changes?
The key changes in PMBOK® Guide 6th Edition are as below…
- In PMBOK® Guide 6th Edition, number of processes will increase from 47 to 49. Names of some processes are changed. Some processes are added and one process is dropped.
Key changes – Name change
Key Changes in PMBOK® Guide 6th Edition
Key changes – Addition and deletion
Key Changes in PMBOK® Guide 6th Edition
Key changes – Movement
1. Estimate Activity Resources (Section 6.4)—Moved to Project Resource Management
2. Chapter 2 and 3 of PMBOK® Guide 5th Edition are merged into Chapter 2 in PMBOK® Guide 6th Edition
3. A chapter on Role of Project Manager is added as chapter 3 focusing on PMI Talent Tringle®.
4. Every chapter has four new section in 6th Edition
4.1 Key concepts:
It summarizes the chapter’s main idea. It will make it easy to understand the chapter. People used to say that PMBOK® Guide is boring. I hope key concept section will make it interesting.
4.2 Trends and Emerging Practices:
Normally PMBOK® Guide describes what is considered good practice on most projects most of the time. This subsection identifies the trends or emerging practices that may not be practiced on most projects as of now.
4.3 Tailoring Considerations:
It is important that the processes defined in PMBOK® Guide are tailored to meet the need of project, organization or stakeholders. This subsection identifies areas the project managers can consider when tailoring processes for their project.
4.4 Considerations for Agile/Adaptive Environments:
Some agile-specific tools and techniques have been introduced such as sprint and iteration planning. It identifies the area where the approach in agile/adaptive environment is different.
5. Appendix: Appendix X3, X4, X5 & X6 consolidate Agile/Adaptive environment, Kay Concepts, Tailoring Considerations and Tools and techniques for complete book. So to understand PMBOK® Guide 6th Edition, Appendix X3, X4, X5 and X6 could be important. One can read these appendixes and get a good degree of understanding of main theme and concepts of PMBOK® Guide 6th
When will the PMP® Exam change to PMBOK® Guide 6th Edition?
PMI® has announced that PMP® Exam will change to PMBOK® 6th Edition in the first quarter of 2018. No specific date is announced. It can be as early as 1st Jan, 2018 or can be as late as 31st March, 2018. As soon as, a date is announced, we will update this section. To be on safer side, consider that PMP® Exam will change in January, 2018 itself.
Should I study PMBOK® Guide 5th Edition or 6th Edition?
It all depends upon when you target to attempt PMP® Exam. If you are targeting to attempt PMP® Exam before it switches to PMBOK® Guide 6th edition (Consider 1st Jan, 2018 until PMI® announces a firm date), you should study PMBOK® Guide 5th Edition. If you are planning to attempt PMP® Exam after the switch, you should study PMBOK® Guide 6th Edition.
Where can I get PMBOK® Guide 6th Edition?
You can get PMBOK® Guide 6th Edition on book stores near to you or can buy from PMI® online store on PMI® website.
If you are a PMI® Member (or become PMI® Member), you can download a free copy of PMBOK® Guide 6th Edition in PDF format.
When can I get training on PMBOK® Guide 6th Edition?
It may take a while as currently most of the PMP® aspirants would be targeting Exam on PMBOK® Guide 5th Edition itself. It also depends upon individual training providers when they are ready to offer training on PMBOK® Guide 6th Edition. We and I believe most of the training providers will start offering PMP® Prep training only before PMP® Exam switches to 6th Edition.
I hope above information will be of your use. If any of your question is not addressed above, please ask you questions in the comments section below. I will reply promptly.
To learn more or buy a copy of PMBOK® Guide, please go to pmi.org – PMBOK® Guide – 6th Edition
PMI, PMBOK and PMP are registered mark of Project Management Institute Inc.