A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge

Rating:
Summary: very dry and academic
Review: I got this book for a course I took on Project Management. It definitely covers all of the technical aspects of project management, although in a very dry and uninteresting manner.

There is no coverage for specific types of projects, only the principles of project management that cover most projects most of the time and the PMI says as much in the book.

The book also doesn't cover anything about handling difficult people or manageing different personality types on a project, that's too much of a soft area for this book.

I would recomment this only as a text book for a course on PM. In that roll, it fits very nicely and makes sure that nothing gets missed, while the teacher can fill in the softer material that is absolutely necessary.

If you're looking for a book that will tell you interesting anecdotes and statistics on projects done well versus those done poorly and general pertinent guidlines for people on a software/construction/human resources project, this isn't what you want.

Rating:
Summary: A must for future PMPs...
Review: If you are studying for the PMP exam, this book is a must read. Although some feel that if they have several years of project management experience they shouldn't have to read the book - I disagree. PMI has the goal to provide consistency in project management methodology and terminology. It is very important to read the book and understand PMI's philosophy and terminology for project management.

This book provide a good overview of the PMI project management methodology - for each knowledge area the book provides the various steps along with the inputs, tools and outputs. For people studying for the PMP...this is only one source for studying. The exam requires you to interpret the PMBOK and have a broader knowledge of various PM philosophies.

Rating:
Summary: A must for future PMPs...
Review: If you are studying for the PMP exam, this book is a must read. Although some feel that if they have several years of project management experience they shouldn't have to read the book - I disagree. PMI has the goal to provide consistency in project management methodology and terminology. It is very important to read the book and understand PMI's philosophy and terminology for project management.

This book provide a good overview of the PMI project management methodology - for each knowledge area the book provides the various steps along with the inputs, tools and outputs. For people studying for the PMP...this is only one source for studying. The exam requires you to interpret the PMBOK and have a broader knowledge of various PM philosophies.

Rating:
Summary: This is really a guide, almost an index.
Review: Project Management is not easy stuff, even though many people think all they need is to get a computer package and start using it in order to be project managers. This book is almost an index of the topics you should cover when managing a project, as well as a guide to the Project Management Institute Certification (PMP).

The book does not try to be fun, it is very technical. If you want to get serious about project management, or show off somebody who thinks he/she knows it all about project management, this is a good start point. As I said before, this is almost an index: covers a lot of topics, does not get into the details of almost anything. I would have liked it to includean example of how to put all the techniques together. Nevertheless, I would not say this books is not useful at all, I think it is really meant to be exclusively a guide.

Like the other reviewer, I read this book for a Project Management Course.

If you want to learn how to manage people on projects, and you think they should love their jobs, you should get "Peopleware", by Tom de Marco and Timothy Lister.

For a quick, basic introduction, I think "Fundamentals of Project Management", by Lewis, is almost a "Quick Guide", but you can give this one to busy people, since it is very thin and fun.

For a book that covers human and technical abilities on project management, try "A Survival Guide for Project Managers", by James Taylor.

Rating:
Summary: A beginner's view of the PMBoK
Review: This book is a useful textbook; it certainly is not light reading and I would not recommend it to anyone wanting a quick overview of Project Management in order to impress their boss.

It does provide a foundation for further study and when read thoroughly and methodically, as a textbook should be, it gives a reasonable understanding of the process of Project Management.

It is not really suitable for anyone who does not have a reasonable grounding in the the principles and practices of general management, particularly people-related issues.

Rating:
Summary: Still valid even with the 2000 edition available
Review: Why purchase the 1996 edition when the 2000 edition is out? Two reasons: (1) according to the Project Management Institute the PMP examinations conducted in 2001 will use the 1996 edition as one of the principal references, and (2) the 1996 edition is an Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) standard, designated as Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge IEEE 1490-1998.

This book is nearly identical to the 2000 edition with the following exceptions:

Chapter 2 (2000 edition) adds a brief piece on the role of project offices. Chapter 3 (2000 edition) appears to have taken a few ideas from the British PM standard, PRINCE 2 (PRojects IN a Controlled Environment) because more attention appears to be given to phases and interactions among phases. The 2000 edition also briefly addresses iterative development. Chapters 4 and 11 (2000 edition) more fully address earned value with a lot more material on this topic. Chapter 6 (2000 edition) briefly covers theory of constraints.

I have compared the 1996 and 2000 editions and cannot find any substantial differences between the two other than what I've cited above. However, since the PMI has stated that the 1996 edition is a resource for the 2001 examinations you need to go over this book carefully if you are a PMP candidate in 2001.

Rating:
Summary: Still valid even with the 2000 edition available
Review: Why purchase the 1996 edition when the 2000 edition is out? Two reasons: (1) according to the Project Management Institute the PMP examinations conducted in 2001 will use the 1996 edition as one of the principal references, and (2) the 1996 edition is an Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) standard, designated as Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge IEEE 1490-1998.

This book is nearly identical to the 2000 edition with the following exceptions:

Chapter 2 (2000 edition) adds a brief piece on the role of project offices. Chapter 3 (2000 edition) appears to have taken a few ideas from the British PM standard, PRINCE 2 (PRojects IN a Controlled Environment) because more attention appears to be given to phases and interactions among phases. The 2000 edition also briefly addresses iterative development. Chapters 4 and 11 (2000 edition) more fully address earned value with a lot more material on this topic. Chapter 6 (2000 edition) briefly covers theory of constraints.

I have compared the 1996 and 2000 editions and cannot find any substantial differences between the two other than what I've cited above. However, since the PMI has stated that the 1996 edition is a resource for the 2001 examinations you need to go over this book carefully if you are a PMP candidate in 2001.