The PMBOK® Guide Fifth Edition was published earlier this year (January 2013). What does this mean for you?
CAPM® and PMP® Credential Examinations
First of all if you are considering doing your Project Management Professional (PMP®) or Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM®) certification, cutover dates apply:
| Exam | Planned Exam date | What version do I study? |
| CAPM® | Prior to 1 July 2013 | PMBOK® Guide Fourth Edition |
| CAPM® | After 1 July 2013 | PMBOK® Guide Fifth Edition |
| PMP® | Prior to 31 July 2013 | PMBOK® Guide Fourth Edition |
| PMP® | After 31 July 2013 | PMBOK® Guide Fifth Edition |
If you are already a PMP® of good standing (that is you have already passed the exam and have been maintaining your professional development units) you do not need to re-do the PMP® exam.
For those holding the CAPM® credential this is valid for 5 years from date of successful completion of your exam.
Major Updates to the PMBOK® Guide
According to the Project Management Institute (PMI®), the Fifth Edition PMBOK® Guide reflects the evolving knowledge within the profession of project management and represents generally recognized good practice in the profession.
Major updates include:
- A new Knowledge Area, Project Stakeholder Management, has been added, focusing on identifying and engaging stakeholders. This increases the number of Knowledge Areas from nine to ten.
- Four new planning processes have been included to reinforce the concept that each Knowledge Area requires a planning focus in terms of how that area will be planned and executed. The processes are:
- Plan Scope Management
- Plan Schedule Management
- Plan Cost Management
- Plan Stakeholder Management
- The Standard for Project Management of a Project has now been moved to an Annex of the PMBOK® Guide. This positions the Standard for Project Management away from the main body of the Guide, allowing for the evolution of the PMBOK® guide separate from the actual Standard.
As a result of the update, the PMBOK Fifth Edition now has 47 project management processes (Fourth Edition has a total of 42 processes). The following table reflects the mapping of the project management processes within the 5 Project Management Process Groups and 10 Knowledge Areas.
Click here to download the 10 Knowledge Areas
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©Project Management Institute. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Fifth Edition