A pleasant surprise. Came to know about this only today. Super delighted. Congratulations Fathima Latheef.
Category: PMBOK7
Who should read this?
- Those who prepared for PMP exam using PMBOK6 and writing the exam now
- Those who know PMBOK6 and want to update their knowledge of PMBOK7 without going through all the pages of PMBOK7
If you fall into anyone of the above categories, please read further….
PMBOK7 is structured into;
- Principles
- Project Performance Domains
- Models
- Methods
- Artifacts
If you want to know more about the structure and principles of PMBOK7, I request you to read the two earlier articles, before reading this one;
12 governing principles
- Stewardship – Be a diligent, respectful, and caring steward
- Team – Build a culture of accountability and respect
- Stakeholders – Engage stakeholders to understand their interests and needs.
- Value – Focus on value.
- Holistic Thinking – Recognize and respond to systems’ interactions.
- Leadership – Motivate, influence, coach, and learn.
- Tailoring – Tailor the delivery approach based on context.
- Quality – Build quality into processes and results.
- Complexity – Address complexity using knowledge, experience, and learning.
- Opportunities & Threats – Address opportunities and threats.
- Adaptability & Resilience – Be adaptable and resilient.
- Change Management – Enable change to achieve the envisioned future state.
8 Performance domains
- Stakeholders
- Team
- Development approach and life cycle
- Planning
- Project work
- Delivery
- Measurement
- Uncertainty
The governing principles and the performance domains are supported by the Models, Methods and Artifacts. If you know PMBOK6, you have already covered all the Methods & Artifacts of PMBOK7. Hence, our primary focus is on the Models, followed by some of the methods and artifacts.
True to the spirit of Agile, we want to reduce the amount of unwanted work not done. Hence we are not repeating the topics again, instead we are providing you with the page numbers of PMBOK7, which will help you to get familiarized with the new terms of PMBOK7.
Here are the list of topics with page numbers of PMBOK7, for your quick reference.
Now open PMBOK7, and skim through these topics, instead of reading the entire PMBOK7.
- Emotional intelligence – Page 25
- Conflict management – Page 29
- Delivery cadence – Page 33
- Hybrid approach – Page 36
- Explicit and tacit knowledge – Page 77
- Done drift – Page 85 last paragraph
- Leading indicators, Lagging indicators – Page 96
- Cycle time – Page 99
- Que size – Page 99
- Batch size – Page 99
- Process efficiency – Page 99
- Net promoter score – Page 103
- Mood chart – Page 103
- Regression analysis – Page 105
- Throughput analysis – Page 105
- Information radiators, Big visible charts – Page 108
- Hawthorne effect – Page 112
- Vanity metric – Page 112
- Decoupling – Page 120
- Tailoring – Page 137
- Situational leadership II Page – 156
- OSCAR model – Page 156
- Rich communication – Page 157
- Gulf of Execution and Evaluation – Page 158
- Hygiene and motivational factors – Page 158
- Intrinsic Vs Extrinsic motivation – Page 159
- Theory of needs – Page 159
- Theory X, Theory Y and Theory Z – Page 160
- Managing change in organizations – Page 161
- ADKAR Model – Page 161
- 8 step process for leading change – Page 162
- Virginia Satir Change Model – Page 163
- Transition model – Page 163
- Cynefin framework – Page 164
- Stacy matrix – Page 165
- Tuckman ladder – Page 166
- Drexler/Sibbet team performance model – Page 167
- Conflict model – Page 168
- Think Win-Win – Stephen covey – Page 169
- Planning – Page 170
- Process groups – Page 170
- Salience model – Page 171
- Story map – Page 190
- Infinite delivery infinite quantity (IDIQ) – Page 191
At the end of this exercise, you can be almost sure that there is no gap between your knowledge and PMBOK7 provided your knowledge about PMBOK6 is good.
Point to note
Do not delete PMBOK6. It is still a valuable reference document along with PMBOK7.
Best wishes
PMRI team
What is the point in completing a project on time, within budget and meeting the complete scope, if the product of the project does not provide value to the sponsor / owner?. The single biggest issue for project failure is lack of solid business case. Many projects have solid business cases while starting the project, and very often they become irrelevant due to environmental impacts. The unknown – unknown risk of the pandemic itself have made many travel and tourism related projects irrelevant. Projects are plagued by uncertainties like never before, and it is the responsibility of the project manager to navigate these complexities successfully and achieve the intended benefits from the product / service the project delivers.
The shift of the project success criteria from just meeting the time, cost and scope criteria to delivering value to the owner of the project is the biggest change in PMBOK7 when compared to the earlier versions of the PMBOK. As a true project manager, one has to ensure the value delivery. Projects are initiated to achieve certain business goals and it is the opportunity of the project manager to ensure the achievement of these goals by delivering the intended benefits for which the project is undertaken in the first place.
The PMBOK7 brings more clarity to the project manager’s role.
Project manager is ultimately responsible for the success and failure of the project. The project manager role demands active participation while deciding the project management approach which will help the project to eliminate all negative risks and maximize the benefits from the positive risks from the initiation till the closure of the project.
The project management team comprises of the Project controllers, Engineering managers, Architects, Team leaders, Project coordinators, Quality managers, Procurement managers, Risk managers . Resource managers, Communications managers etc.
The project teams comprises of the people who really execute the work
Till PMBOK7 shows the growth path for those who belong to the Project management teams at present to the true Project Manager who is at the helm of affairs and whose primary objective is to steer the project through all uncertainties and deliver the intended value to the project owner and end user.
Another key aspect of PMBOK7 is that it is general enough to be applied for any type of project with proper tailoring. It is a collection of Models, Methods & Artifacts that can be arranged / sequenced as per the project management approach of the project.
If we approach PMBOK7, with this as the context, then everything starts making sense.
Structure of PMBOK7
| Values | Principles | Performance domains |
| Responsibility | Stewardship | Stakeholders |
| Respect | Team | Team |
| Fairness | Stakeholders | Development approach & Life cycle |
| Honesty | Value | Planning |
| Systems thinking | Project work | |
| Leadership | Delivery | |
| Tailoring | Measurement | |
| Quality | Uncertainty | |
| Complexity | ||
| Risk | ||
| Adaptability & Resilience | ||
| Change Management |
Most of the Inputs, Tools & Techniques from PMBOK6 with some new additions forms the section Mpdels, Methods & Tools in PMBOK7.
| Models | Methods | Artifacts |
| Leadership models | Data gathering & Analysis | Strategy Artifacts |
| Communication models | Estimating | Logs & Registers |
| Motivation models | Meeting & Events | Plans |
| Change models | Other methods | Hierarchy Charts |
| Complexity model | Baselines | |
| Project team development models | Visual data and information | |
| Other models | Reports | |
| Agreements & Contracts | ||
| Other artifacts |
These models, methods and artifacts are linked to the performance domains. These linkages will be explained in the subsequent articles.
Till yesterday, when people anxiously asked me about the changes in PMBOK7, my reply was in the form of another question – ‘Can you execute a project without any one of the knowledge areas (listed below)?’. The answer is a unanimous ‘No’. So they are inevitable. They have to be there in the new version hidden somewhere. If you can master the 10 knowledge areas and their application in both predictive and agile project management, you are pretty much done with project management. That is my view.
I am glad that my views hold good after going through all the 370 pages of the new PMBOK7.
The Ten Knowledge Areas evolved from Version 1 to Version 6 of the Project Management Body of Knowledge;
- Project Integration Management
- Project Scope Management
- Project Schedule Management
- Project Cost Management
- Project Quality Management
- Project Risk Management
- Project Resource management
- Project Procurement management
- Project communications management
- Project stakeholder management
These are immortal. Projects cannot succeed without them. The sequences may vary.
The PMBOK7 looks like an apex manual explaining the;
- 12 principles of professional project management (new)
- 8 project performance domains (new)
- Tailoring guidelines
- Models, methods and artifacts (Not part of the PMBOK7 document, but accessible from the digital library, Old, taken from PMBOK6)
High level mind map of PMBOK7
PMBOK7 comprises of 12 principles, 8 performance domains, tailoring guidelines and the models, methods and artifacts contained in a digital library ‘PM Standards Plus’ maintained by PMI. The immediate thought can be, about the 10 knowledge areas, 5 process groups, 49 processes and the inputs, tools & techniques and the outputs of the PMBOK6. Where is the place for them in the PMBOK7. All of that is under the digital library ‘PM Standards Plus’. In essence, nothing is lost during the transition from PMBOK6 to PMBOK7, and at the same time 12 principles, Eight project performance domains and the tailoring guidelines sits on top of the digital library PMStandards Plus which is nothing but the PMBOK6 contents, that makes up the 10 knowledge areas evolved from version 1.0 till 6.
How will this impact the different stakeholders who comprise the project management community?
- Impact on Practitioners – the organizations who have shaped their project management policies and procedures around the structure of PMBOK versions 1 to 6 will have the added opportunity to embrace value driven delivery which can accommodate the whole gamut of project management ranging from large infrastructure projects to research and development projects. Even if they do not change anything, nothing will be in contradiction to PMBOK7.
- Impact on 12,0000 PMPs World Wide – Change will always push us outside our comfort zones. Initially there can be expectation mismatch and the frustration stemming out of it. Once one dig deeper, like me, they also will realize that the changes are more to the value system and structure, than to the content.
- Impact on PMP trainers – PMP trainers who are good at both predictive and agile project management will not find it difficult. The ones, who have not yet understood the true spirit of agile may need to gain hands on experience on agile to really understand and explain value driven project management.
- Impact on the new PMP aspirants – PMI, keeps on repeating the fact that the PMP aspirants can still use the PMBOK6 as the reference material. Going by the earlier revisions, even if one use PMBOK Version 5, it should not make much of a difference because the fundamentals of project management cannot be changed as it revolves around the famous Plan, Do, Check, Act cycle and around the 10 knowledge areas. If you have already completed your PMP preparatory training, then do not disrupt your preparation. Proceed with PMBOK6 as the basis. It will be good if you can go through the new PMBOK7 quickly to understand those new jargon (not many any way).
- Impact on other Agile frameworks and certifications – If the PMBOK7 gets wider acceptance, and if the new PMPs are equally adept in both predictive and agile project management frameworks then other agile frameworks and certifications will face a strong contender in PMBOK7 and PMP2021. PMI themselves will be forced to stop the PMI-ACP, as it will become redundant within PMI’s portfolio.
Abrachan Pudussery (Aby)
Project Management Domain Expert, Wrench Academy