Understanding the PMBOK^® Guide 7th Edition for Your PMP Exam

The earlier versions of PMBOK® Guide, including the 6th Edition, as well as Prince2, Scrum and Agile emphasize the process or the “hows” of managing a project.

In the latest edition of the PMBOK® Guide, the focus shifts to the principles - the “whats” of successful project management. Rather than emphasizing the details, the new edition is a high-level executive overview of the discipline.

While they’re not included in the PMBOK® Guide 7th Edition, the sets of processes, such as how to create a work breakdown structure, what's included in a project charter, and related matters, are placed in the management institute’s Standards plus (more on this below).

Let’s go back to the principles. The newest guide edition refers to the 12 project management principles, namely:

The PMBOK® Guide 6th Edition features Knowledge Areas, which, as the term suggests, are the things you need to know when managing a project. The PM Knowledge Areas include:

• Project Integration Management
• Project Scope Management
• Project Schedule Management
• Project Cost Management
• Project Quality Management
• Project Resource Management
• Project Communications Management
• Project Risk Management
• Project Procurement Management
• Project Stakeholder Management

Under these categories, you’ll find critical processes, from project charter development to schedule management planning to resource acquisition, and many more.

In the PMBOK® Guide 7th edition, the focus shifts to the Performance Domains. The PMI defines this as “a group of related activities that are critical for the effective delivery of project outcomes.” These are the specific performance domains:

1. Stakeholder
2. Team
3. Development approach and life cycle performance
4. Planning
5. Project Work
6. Delivery
7. Measurement
8. Uncertainty

As you can see, some of them overlap with the mentioned project management principles, emphasizing the fact that values should translate into activities to drive project success.

As you explore this section of the PMBOK® Guide, you will find an overview of the performance domain at the beginning of the discussion of each concept. The graphics will have a brief description of the performance domain, as well as an enumeration of the desired outcomes for each.

Screenshot from The PMBOK® Guide 7th Edition - First Impressions via CorneliusFichtner Youtube Channel

Prior to the revision, the standard for project management involved five process groups:

• Initiating, which involves defining the project's vision and goals, as well as getting approvals from stakeholders;
• Planning, which involves building a roadmap for success, setting up structures and plans, such as the project scope, work breakdown structure, and project management plan;
• Executing, which involves putting the plan into action, allocating the budget, and producing deliverables;
• Monitoring and controlling, which involves tracking the progress of the project as mapped out in the plan, and adjusting strategies where necessary;
• Closing, which involves delivering the project and getting a sign-off or approval from the stakeholders.

The revised standard for project management still values these five process groups, but it's largely focused on the system for value delivery and the basic project management principles.

The most important thing you need to remember is that the certification exam isn’t all about the PMBOK® Guide. For one, the guide is only one of the PMP books recommended for the PMP exam.

To better understand how the PMP exam works, it’s important to know how the PMP exam questions are developed. Here’s an overview of that:

• Topics. The ECO dictates what’s included in the exam. These topics covered in the outline are then turned into questions.
• Questions. Typically, the queries will have four answer-choices. The correct answer among the options is determined by the references.
• References. The 10 books, which include the PMBOK® Guide, will provide the explanation for the answers in the questions.

Given this structure, an update in the PMBOK® Guide doesn’t necessarily mean there will be an overhaul happening in the actual exam. It’s a different story, however, when the ECO changes. Expect a modification to the test when that happens.

The training materials we provide here in the PM PrepCast, including the PMP exam simulator, are based on the ECO and have a reference to the PMBOK® Guide 6th Edition (the latest reference the PMI promotes in preparation for the 2021 exam). Once the institute changes its reference, perhaps in 2022, we will update our materials to reflect these. But for now, there’s no need for that yet.

In summary, then, we recommend these study materials:

• 2021 Exam: use the ECO, PMBOK® Guide 6th Edition, and other reference books
• 2022 Exam: use the ECO, PMBOK® Guide 7th Edition, PMIstandards+™, and other reference books, (also perhaps the PMBOK® Guide 6th Edition, depending on the management institute’s move)

To make sure that you’re thoroughly prepared for the exam, cover all your bases by considering the following:

• PMP Exam Prep Course
• ECO
• PMBOK® Guide and the Agile Practice Guide (APG)
• Agile Manifesto and Scrum Guide
• 2021 Exam Simulator (when selecting your PMP simulator, make sure that it's based on the most recent ECO)

The PMBOK® Guide 7th edition gives a high-level executive overview of the ideal project management practice - one that is hinged on principles. Although the guide isn’t included yet in the 2021 exam, it’s an excellent reference for the values you should embrace in real-world projects. Thus, it’s useful for your practice.

As for your preparation for the upcoming exam, feel free to use our free pmp exam questions and other resources available on this site. Watch the full video of Cornelius Fichtner’s first impressions on PMBOK® Guide 7th below: