A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)–Sixth Edition

Needed for class and it is what it is.

I bought the Kindle version of the book and pages are not water-marked as in the physical book. I generally prefer to have eBooks, so this works very well for me as I don't have to find physical shelf-space. It's available on all my devices from my laptop to my iPad and iPhone. Sections can be highlighted and annotated as you desire. You can also see commonly highlighted sections from others who have bought the kindle version. The kindle app also provides you with the ability to create your own groups of flash-cards by section for self-study, which I use.The only problem I found with the kindle version is that embedded pictures / diagrams are not of a good high resolution and thus not very clear. But you can still make out the words.Overall, I think this is just a small issue considering the other benefits of an eBook. BTW, I'm not in any way affiliated with Amazon and this is my personal opinion in case you are wondering about the kindle version. I did not take up PMI membership yet as I wanted to do my own self-study and apply for the exams before taking up any membership. Hence I bought the book for my own reference. The kindle version probably won't work for those of us who need to have a physical copy of the book. I hope this review helps those contemplating on the kindle version. Good luck for your exams and cheers!

I just received this book in the mail yesterday and I can 100% validate that this copy is easily readable and the concept is straightforward. I can't speak for those who had terrible copies and copyright printed papers, but I can definitely vouch for the copy I received to be almost perfect in condition and pages were almost purely white, not the grayscale tint some mentioned. As for the knowledge, I can't speak on the general guidance just yet as I have just started getting into it and will take some time diving deeper into it as I progress my studies, but as many have mentioned, it's not a novel. It's a guide and therefore there are some areas where concepts are mentioned a little early in one section and then revisited later on in the book, causing you to go back and re-administer your learning. I recommend you use this "guide" along with training material from a solid source online like Joseph Phillips. This will help eliminate trying to read it all the way through and only focus on certain sections that are being covered at the moment to get full utilization from the book. As for now, I will give it 5 stars as I see absolutely nothing wrong with the content, condition, clarity, visibility, and knowledge of the book. I'll update if I notice anything not worthy.

Informative book covering the fundamentals of project management. This Book explains the processes and how they are implemented to effectively manage any project.

Prior to purchasing the downloadable Kindle version of the PMBOK 6th edition ebook I saw numerous negative reviews and it made me pause and do more research before ordering. I downloaded the free sample and did all my research. The sample was fully functional and so I was able to test all the Kindle features. I tested taking notes, highlighting, bookmarking, searching, zooming in on charts and graphs, and general readability. I did all this on my iPad. I had zero issues and recommend the downloadable version to anyone considering a digital copy of the book.

This book review will begin with an executive summary and for those who desire more information or the specifics of details mentioned; a very detailed analysis of this book follows the executive summary.EXECUTIVE SUMMARYThis book was read from cover to cover and detailed notes kept throughout. Buy this book only to prepare to take the PMP exam, besides this advice there is no sane or justifiable reason to buy this book. If you have this book and have successfully obtained the PMP, then consider its use as a door stop or place in the trash. Do not be a party to spreading the ineffective and deficient content of this book to some poor unsuspecting and aspiring project manager.This book is written similar to a technical manual which makes it nearly impossible to read with the hopes of gleaning useful information. I found it difficult to believe that it was not created with the express intent of inhibiting the clear and easy flow information and knowledge. That this book has essentially spawned an industry of other books, test banks, exam preparation seminars, etc. to assist you in passing the PMP. The PMP exam prep industry is a testimony to the inane structure and content of this book.The areas which stood out as this book’s principal failures include change management advice, defining a project, Agile, scope and charter advice, reserves, scheduling, project plans, risks, project status and the Project standard. The largest area of project management failure in this book concerns project scope. This book fails to communicate a clear message as to how scope is developed and once developed what is necessary for the project manager to execute the project based on defined scope. You will read in this book that the project charter authorizes the project manager to apply resources to projects (p. 75), but on page 154 you will read that the project scope statement is the detailed description of project scope and the project charter is not because the project charter only contains high level detail.The PMBOK is confused. A project must never start execution until all scope is identified and the PMBOK gives contradictory guidance. The PMBOK gives project managers permission to apply resources to projects based on a charter, but the charter is described as a “high level” document on page 154. The PMBOK never officially and clearly defines the point at which project scope is defined. A project with undefined scope is not a project. This book is full of similar confusing and bad advice. Do not buy this book to learn project management, it will give you confusing direction and bad advice. End of executive summary.Now the details:Continuing with the scope issues in this book is the development of scope. Page 161 mentions the “100 percent rule” and states: “The total work at the lowest levels should roll up to the higher levels so that nothing is left out and no extra work is performed. This is sometimes called the 100 percent rule.” This PMBOK sentence is utter non-sense. Look at it again closely. The sentence suggests that the work you planned at its lowest levels will roll up to higher levels. Tell me, how does this process ensure, as the sentence states, that no work is “left out?” Simply examining project work that is detailed to its lower levels will not inform a project manager that work is missing. I’ll not explain how this process should occur and leave it to the project management geniuses’ listed in this book to figure it out (appendix X12-Contributors and Reviewers-p. 651). That they miss this obvious check every project must perform is your first indication of a highly defective book. I would be embarrassed and ashamed to have my name associated with this book.On page 316 is the guidance “to ensure that each work package has an unambiguous owner and that all team members have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities.” Really? Who does this? You, the project manager? The PMBOK does not describe who makes these suggested assignments or how this should occur. The PMBOK defines “Mega Projects” as those $1 Billion or more (p. 11). OK let’s try to apply the advice of the PMBOK. You are the project manager of a Mega Project which has a budget of $3 Billion. A project of this size during peak execution will have many hundreds of work packages open and executing each month. Do you the project manager have enough time in the day to assign work package owners ensuring they have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities for the many hundreds of work packages each month? (p. 316). This PMBOK advice is absurd and the PMBOK has no concept of work authorization, command or project control. Again, I will not explain how this process actually functions on large to very large projects. Again, we have in the PMBOK a failure to offer useable advice and guidance to project managers.This is enough for scope, charter and project organization issues and my notes of remaining deficiencies in this section could go on for many more pages.The suggestions and guidance given for project changes are abysmal. A consistent theme throughout this book is that changes must be accompanied with appropriate approvals and changes (p. 120). This advice may sound good, but beware. This vague and cavalier approach to project changes and in particular “baseline changes” is again bad advice. The PMBOK gives the incorrect impression that project baselines (cost and schedule) can be changed at will so long as it is accompanied with approvals. NO! Baseline cost and schedule do not routinely change and the existence of an approved change form does not make routine Baseline changes acceptable. What is clear is the PMBOK has no clue regarding the types and levels of changes and the geniuses’ (appendix X12-Contributors and Reviewers-p. 651) likewise have no idea what types of changes are routine and what changes are rare.One last example of the absurdities of project change in the PMBOK: “Approved change requests can require new or revised cost estimates, activity sequence, schedule dates, resource requirements, and/or analysis of risk response alternatives.” (p. 115). Let’s focus on the part of the sentence “schedule dates.” What are schedule dates? Does this include: Actual Start, Actual Finish, Forecast Start, Forecast Finish, Baseline Start or Baseline Finish? In true PMBOK vagueness they do not specify. But, it is absolutely ridiculous to consider processing an approved change form to change schedule: Actual Start, Actual Finish, Forecast Start and Forecast Finish days. Let’s do this again, you are the project manager of a $ 3 Billion project with hundreds and hundreds of work packages open each month and in the project schedule. A properly statused project will review and revise as necessary all uncompleted work package actual and forecast dates. This ensures an accurate and up-to-date critical path. It is the height of stupidity to consider creating, processing and signing untold hundreds of change forms each month to change project actual and forecast dates. This is just one example of many, many others that could also be exposed.It is astounding that the PMBOK’s definition of a project (p. 4) fails to mention that a project must have a budget. This deficient definition continues on page 13 (Table 1-2) where projects are not required to have defined scope and schedule requirements (Period of Performance). Making it worse, on page 13, scope is defined as being “progressively elaborated.” Scope described as progressively elaborated is scope which is undefined and this means the project has no clear definition of what constitutes the project. This poor advice is likely related to definitions used for Agile “projects” which do not have defined scope. Page 131 describes Agile or “adaptative” projects as an effort whose “scope is defined and approved for each iteration.” (p. 131). Any project effort in which scope is not defined at the beginning and when the baseline is set, is not a project. Hence, Agile is not a project. A project must have a defined scope, period of performance and budget all of which must be defined prior to execution. Because the PMBOK has chosen to adopt Agile efforts, it has compromised the definition of a project. But selling Agile books and Agile certifications is good business.If you have read this far, congratulations. I grow weary of documenting this highly deficient book. There could be additional pages documents its deficiencies in its focus on internal projects to the exclusion of external projects, scheduling inaccuracies, incorrect Earned Value information, some of the worst project risk advice and equally poor advice on how to status a project.One last topic. Let’s examine “The Standard for Project Management - ANSI/PMI 99-001-2017 which starts on page 539. The introduction states this standard “serves as the foundation and framework for A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide).” Well as the foundation, this standard ought to be quite solid and clear, however it is just as poorly written as the PMBOK. What I noticed is this “Standard for Project Management” has a complete absence of “must” and “shall” statements. I call this “Standard” which is not a “Standard.” Because it is absent “must” and/or “shall” statements, this standard essentially requires nothing, which then means the PMBOK is built on a “toothless” and empty standard.To make matters worse the PMBOK conflicts with the Standard upon which it is supposed to serve as its foundation (p. 539). The PMBOK describes Risk Management in section 11 beginning on page 395. On page 397 the reader is introduced to the concept of “positive risks”, an absurd phraseology when “opportunities” is the industry standard. However, the PMI Standard on page 586 does not introduce or define “positive risks.” The PMBOK is by definition not compliant to its own standard for creating terms and concepts that do not exist in the Standard. But then again, the PMI Standard is toothless and a “Standard” which sets no “Standards.”

Conteúdo bastante completo.

Excellent

Quick shipping, accurate description but needs to be combined with previous edition for best results

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I am not a project manager, but a course I’m taking made the PMBOK required reading. I was hesitant in buying it because of the negative reviews but it was on sale, so I took a chance. Yes, the paper is thin but the writing on the back of pages is only noticeable if you are looking for it (in other words, the paper is a bit see-through). Yes, the paper is gray (not white or cream), but I find this choice easier to read than the stark contrast of black text on white. There is no smudging of text happening in my copy (I tried rubbing it), and the text so far is of crisp quality (no haziness, doubling of text, smearing, shading etc). I am recommending this book. I took 1 star off because of the thin paper; although I bought this book on sale, and I don’t have an issue with reading it, I would expect top quality paper if I had paid the non-sale book price