A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge 2000 (Cases in Project and Program Management Series) [Paperback]

PMI has put a lot of work into this version. Compared to the 1996 version this one reads better, shows clearer relationships between knowledge areas, and has been greatly expanded in some of the knowledge areas - most notably risk management and earned value project management. The CD ROM version that I am reviewing has additional refinements that make this media easier to work with. The 1996 version in electronic format was a collection of standalone Adobe Acrobat files, this version is a single Acrobat file that makes good use of Acrobat's navigation features.

If your reason for buying the PMBOK 2000 is to prepare for the Project Management Professional certification you have two choices: CD ROM or book, because this is the primary source of test questions. Heed the previous reviewer's comments that the 2001 examinations will also use the 1996 version as a basis for test questions. If you are buying this book to implement project management processes that conform to the PMBOK and work in the computer industry I recommend that you also look at Information Technology Project Management by Kathy Schwalbe. That book presents a project management approach for IT projects that is closely aligned to the PMBOK.

For the longest time, almost everyone who has taken the PMP exam felt that this was a badly written book. There are two reasons for this.

The first one is that typically nobody likes to read a table of contents. So, why did PMI do this? Because of the vastness of the project management knowledge out there and the difficulty of covering it all in one book, PMI has chosen to only outline what is out there.

The second and more important reason is that the authors/editors did a poor job of connecting these various topics and outline the ideas in a fashion that does not make sense!

Books are written so that you have to read the chapters serially from the beginning to the end of the book. Or in some unique cases, the chapters can be read independently without losing the author's train of thought. This is the only book I have ever read that follows neither principle! I believe this is the reason almost every single reader is confused when trying to read the book.

I have talked to several people who have passed the PMP exam and it is clear that everyone struggles through this book a few times before finding the correct order to read the chapters in the book for the material to stick.

I think it is best to use this as a reference on your bookshelf while you are reading other books on project management. Once you have sufficient experience in the project management field and feel comfortable with the various knowledge areas, it is time to read this book cover to cover and come up with your own order in which to read the different chapters.

My suggestion for the order in which to read the chapters? Read the first three chapters as they are an overview to project management and it is not that confusing. The rest of the chapters are supposed to address the different knowledge areas in an independent fashion. But this isn't true! The different knowledge areas are not independent. They are connected through the five different project management process groups! If you want to make sense of this book, it is better to follow the order of the process groups. It may mean flipping back and forth between different chapters but it works.

This is the only way that I have been able to retain the material long after taking the PMP exam. I hope this particular order works for you but if it doesn't, I suggest trying different ordering of the chapters to find whatever works for you. Do not assume that you have poor project management skills if the material doesn't make sense. It is not you, but the book that is the problem in understanding project management. I wish you the best of luck in overcoming this hurdle. Bottom line, you have to read this book in order to pass the PMP.

By the way, if you are a PMI member, you can download an electronic copy of this book free...The print functionality on this free Adobe Acrobat file is disabled though. Personally, I have always preferred the print version for reference books like this one. Good luck!