- CD-ROM
- Publisher: Project Management Institute; Cdr edition (Dec 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1880410257
- ISBN-13: 978-1880410257
- Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 9.9 x 0.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 3,734,728 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
81 of 84 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is produced by the Project Management Institute and provides a basic reference document for anyone interested in the profession of project management.
The only real major change from the 1996 edition is the re-organising of the Risk Body of Knowledge. Here Risk Quantification is reorganised into seperate Quantitative and Qualitative processes. This may have the drawback of causing individuals to think that both are required to complete Risk Assessment process, however qualitative methods of risk assessment normally suffice for smaller projects.
The book itself is structured around the 10 "Bodies of Knowledge", each chapter dealing with specific project management areas, such as Integration, Risk, Quality, Communication, Close-out, Implementation, Scheduling, Cost, Procurement, Scope and Human Resource Management.
Chapters such as Project Framework, Project Management Context and Project Management Processes provide excellent guides to the interactions between each Body of Knowledge and an overview of the entire PM process.
The main benefit of the book is its ease of reference. Each chapter details the relevant process for each body of knowledge and breaks them down into defined inputs, outputs, tools and techniques.
However the book does suffer from a number of minor disadvantages.
1) There are only limited descriptions of the inputs and outputs etc. these may not be sufficient for individuals who have not got a good background in project management.
The only real major change from the 1996 edition is the re-organising of the Risk Body of Knowledge. Here Risk Quantification is reorganised into seperate Quantitative and Qualitative processes. This may have the drawback of causing individuals to think that both are required to complete Risk Assessment process, however qualitative methods of risk assessment normally suffice for smaller projects.
The book itself is structured around the 10 "Bodies of Knowledge", each chapter dealing with specific project management areas, such as Integration, Risk, Quality, Communication, Close-out, Implementation, Scheduling, Cost, Procurement, Scope and Human Resource Management.
Chapters such as Project Framework, Project Management Context and Project Management Processes provide excellent guides to the interactions between each Body of Knowledge and an overview of the entire PM process.
The main benefit of the book is its ease of reference. Each chapter details the relevant process for each body of knowledge and breaks them down into defined inputs, outputs, tools and techniques.
However the book does suffer from a number of minor disadvantages.
1) There are only limited descriptions of the inputs and outputs etc. these may not be sufficient for individuals who have not got a good background in project management.
2) Where items have been previously mentioned, the book simply refers back to the relevant section. This makes it a slightly cumbersome read.
3) The book provides no practical examples or guidance to the implementation of various bodies of knowledge.
However its advantages far outweigh any disadvantage as it provides an excellent reference document that is an internationally recognised set of procedures for project management. It is also useful as a practical checklist to ensure that all relevant inputs, tools and techniques are in place for any project.
In summary, this book is a must have for any project manager as it provides a high level reference to all project management processes.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
28 reviews
85 of 88 people found the following review helpful
Necessary for PMP exam - CD ROM version is convenient
6 July 2001
Format:Paperback
I found having the PMBOK in Adobe Acrobat format to be a real convenience and prefer it to the paper version. Note: while you can download a copy of this document from PMI's web site, it's a preview version that is missing chapters 2, 4-12 and appendices A through F. Therefore, if you need a copy of the PMBOK 2000 version your options are to purchase either the CD ROM or the book.
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.
59 of 62 people found the following review helpful
A necessary [thing] to pass the PMP.
4 April 2003
Format:Paperback
If you are planning on taking the PMP exam, you absolutely NEED to purchase this book. PMI uses this book as a syllabus for the PMP exam. Hence, this book is literally a table of contents of everything that can be tested on the PMP. In addition to being a table of contents, it does have a brief description of each topic.
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!
36 of 36 people found the following review helpful
A Requirement for PMP exam, but not everything.
12 Jan 2003
Format:Paperback
I'm a a certified PMP and purchased this book because PMI says it is the basis for the exam. The problem is that it's incredibly boring and does not include all the information on the test! Although all the project management processes are detailed and the terms are defined, it does not really teach you on how to apply and understand project management. There are also no practice questions included in the PMBOK and this is an absolute requirement before you sit for the test. You must also purchase an independant study guide book. I recommend PMP Exam Prep by Rita Mulcahy. It is well written, an enjoyable read, and includes many topics that appear on the exam that are not included in the PMBOK (i.e. Professional Responsibility etc.).
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
