A User's Manual to the PMBOK Guide

Cynthia Snyder Stackpole

• Publisher: Wiley
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN: 9781118431078
• eBook ISBN: 9781118546604
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Industrial Engineering
• Index: Technology & Engineering

The must-have manual to understand and use the latest edition of the Fifth Edition

The professional standard in the field of project management, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide—Fifth Edition) published by the Project Management Institute (PMI®) serves as the ultimate resource for professionals and as a valuable studying and training device for students taking the PMP® Exam. A User's Manual to the PMBOK® Guide takes the next logical step to act as a true user's manual. With an accessible format and easy-to-understand language, it helps to not only distill essential information contained in the PMBOK® Guide—Fifth Edition, but also fills an educational gap by offering instruction on how to apply its various tools and techniques. This edition of the User's Manual:

• Defines each project management process in the PMBOK® Guide—Fifth Edition, describes the intent, and discusses the individual ITTOs (inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs)
• Features examples, handy tips, and sample forms to supplement learning
• Contains a data flow diagram of each process in the PMBOK® Guide—Fifth Edition to show how information is distributed
• Is updated to provide deeper coverage of stakeholder management and to include new processes for scope, schedule, cost, and stakeholder management

The User's Manual enables you to put the PMBOK Guide—Fifth Edition to work on your projects. It will help you implement the processes described in the PMBOK Guide—Fifth Edition and apply the tools and techniques to help make your projects successful. Thorough in coverage and rich in content, it is a worthy companion to augment the important strategies laid out in the PMBOK® Guide—Fifth Edition, and the one book that aspiring or professional project managers should never be without.

• Fully updated to align with A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)–Fifth Edition
• Describes how to apply tools and techniques for projects and how to create process outputs
• Presents information by process group
• Expands upon the PMBOK® Guide with information on the sponsor's role and planning loops
• Integrates and describes interpersonal skills into the process where they are identified

(PMBOK, PMI, PMP and Project Management Professional are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.)

Chapter 1
Introduction

TOPICS COVERED

• About This Book
• Project Management Process Groups
• Project Management Knowledge Areas

About This Book

This book is designed to help make the A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK^® Guide)—Fifth Edition more accessible to project managers. The PMBOK^® Guide is a standard, therefore it defines what is considered to be a good practice on most projects most of the time. Notice it does not define best practices, it defines good practices. Best practices tend to be industry and organization specific. Because the PMBOK^® Guide is a standard, it is not descriptive. In other words, it doesn’t tell you how to implement those practices, it merely identifies them.

The PMBOK^® Guide also promotes a common vocabulary for project management, thereby enabling effective communication about project management between project managers, their sponsors, and their team members.

Many project managers, PMOs, and organizations mistake the PMBOK^® Guide as a project management methodology. It is not. A project management methodology is a set of practices, policies, procedures, guidelines, tools, techniques, and so forth that are used to manage projects. This book is not a methodology. This book takes the information in the PMBOK^® Guide and describes it in easily understandable language and explains how to apply the various tools and techniques. In short, it makes the PMBOK^® Guide easier to understand and helps you implement the practices described therein.

The information in this book is based solely on information from the PMBOK^® Guide—Fifth Edition. Therefore you will find identical definitions and some of the same tables and figures.

To help make this book easier to read we are using various features such as definitions, examples, tips, and data flow diagrams. At the beginning of each process we describe the process, show inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs and then show a data flow diagram from the PMBOK^® Guide so you can see how information flows through the process, where it comes from, and where it goes next. In some instances, we provide a list of elements typically found in a particular document. Sometimes we include references of forms that show how you can record the information in the document. These forms can be found in the Appendix and are available in print and electronic form in The Project Manager’s Book of Forms, published by PMI and John Wiley & Sons.

Project Management Process Groups

The project management standard is presented as 47 discrete processes. A process is a set of interrelated actions and activities performed to achieve a pre-specified product, result, or service. Processes are comprised of inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs. Therefore, this book will follow that structure of presenting a process and then discussing the individual inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs that comprise the process.

---

Input. Any item, whether internal or external to the project, that is required by a process before that process proceeds. May be an output from a predecessor process.

Tool. Something tangible, such as a template or software program, used in performing an activity to produce a product or result.

Technique. A defined systematic procedure employed by a human resource to perform an activity to produce a product or result or deliver a service, and that may employ one or more tools.

Output. A product, result, or service generated by a process. May be an input to a successor process.

---

To facilitate understanding of the processes, PMI has identified five Process Groups. These groups are: Initiating Process Group, Planning Process Group, Executing Process Group, Monitoring and Controlling Process Group, and the Closing Process Group.

---

Initiating Process Group. Those processes performed to define a new project or new phase of an existing project by obtaining authorization to start the project or phase.

Planning Process Group. Those processes required to establish the scope of the project, refine the objectives, and define the course of action required to attain the objectives that the project was undertaken to achieve.

Executing Process Group. Those processes performed to complete the work defined in the project management plan to satisfy the project specifications.

---

---

Monitoring and Controlling Process Group. Those processes required to track, review, and regulate the progress and performance of the project; identify any areas in which changes to the plan are required; and initiate the corresponding cha...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Table of Contents
• Title
• Copyright
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Key Concepts
• Chapter 3: Initiating a Project
• Chapter 4: Planning Integration
• Chapter 5: Planning Scope
• Chapter 6: Planning the Schedule
• Chapter 7: Planning Cost
• Chapter 8: Planning Quality
• Chapter 9: Planning Human Resources
• Chapter 10: Planning Communications
• Chapter 11: Planning Risk
• Chapter 12: Planning Procurement
• Chapter 13: Planning Stakeholder Management
• Chapter 14: Executing the Project
• Chapter 15: Executing Quality Management
• Chapter 16: Executing Human Resource Management
• Chapter 17: Executing Communications Management
• Chapter 18: Executing Procurement Management
• Chapter 19: Executing Stakeholder Management
• Chapter 20: Monitoring and Controlling the Project
• Chapter 21: Monitoring and Controlling Scope
• Chapter 22: Monitoring and Controlling the Schedule
• Chapter 23: Monitoring and Controlling Cost
• Chapter 24: Monitoring and Controlling Quality
• Chapter 25: Monitoring and Controlling Communications
• Chapter 26: Monitoring and Controlling Risks
• Chapter 27: Monitoring and Controlling Procurements
• Chapter 28: Monitoring and Controlling Stakeholder Engagement
• Chapter 29: Closing the Project
• Appendix
• Index
• End User License Agreement