PMBOK® - The Project Management Body of Knowledge from PMI
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The Project Management Body of Knowledge Guide (PMBOK® Guide) – Third Edition
This is the internationally recognised project management standard text. It provides the fundamentals of project management that are applicable to a wide range of projects, including construction, software, engineering, automotive, etc.
The Project Management Institute (PMI) published the first Project Management Body of Knowledge Guide in 1987 as an attempt to document and standardize generally accepted project management information and practices. The current edition of A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) – Third Edition, was released in 2004 and it provides a basic reference for Project Management.
View and purchase PMBOK Guides.
The Guide recognizes 5 basic process groups and 9 knowledge areas typical of almost all projects. The basic concepts are applicable to projects, programs and operations. The five basic process groups are:
- Initiating,
- Planning,
- Executing,
- Controlling and Monitoring, and
- Closing.
Organizational Maturity
OPM3® ('Organizational Project Management Maturity Model') was published by the PMI in 2003. It splits the broad concept of organizational project management into three areas for systematic management: projects, programs, and portfolios. It recognizes that organizations implement their business strategies through projects and that, therefore, project management should be a core business capability.
OPM3 is a body of knowledge about project management best practices, and this body of knowledge enables organizations to improve their current organizational project management maturity. The three interlocking elements of OPM3 (knowledge, assessment and improvement) enable organizations to assess their current state of project management maturity and then to map an improvement path to a higher level of maturity. Model components include best practices, capabilities, outcomes and key performance indicators.
Organizational maturity can provide strategic benefits and a potential competitive advantage.
Organizational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3®)
PMI’s OPM3® allows enterprises to examine their project management process capabilities from the project to the portfolio level. OPM3 helps organizations measure their maturity against best practices and plan for improvement.
The PMI
The PMI was founded in North America in 1969 and has grown to become a global advocate for the project management profession with more than 240,000 members in over 160 countries. It also has nearly 242,000 credential holders worldwide. PMI’s Project Management Professional (PMP®) certification is the most widely recognized in the profession and was awarded ISO17024 accreditation in 2007.
PMI Qualifications
There are four levels of PMI credentials available:
- Project Management Professional (PMP®), initiated in 1984 to demonstrate to employers, clients and colleagues that project managers possess project management knowledge, experience and skills to bring projects to successful completion.
- View and purchase PMP Exam Guides
- Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM®) for project team members, entry-level project managers, and qualified undergraduate and graduate students to recognize their value to project team performance;
- View and purchase CAPM Exam Guides
- Program Management Professional (PgMPSM) for the professional who leads the management of multiple projects and ensures the ultimate success of a program;
- Organizational Project Management Maturity Model (OPM3®) ProductSuite provides training, tools, and certification for those who help organizations achieve even greater value from OPM3®.
