PMBOK Guide 7th Disaster Waiting to Happen?

Dear Kiron
Was the community interested in this "revolution"?

Isn't the DA and Flex package enough?

Given the growing obesity of the previous editions of the Guide and the perception that it was prescriptive rather than a framework with choices, I think a "do over" was a reasonable option for PMI to consider.

How they went about it, and whether the quality of the final product will be accepted by the broader community is to be seen.

While it would have been ideal to involve the broader PMI community in the creation of the Guide, they did engage 200 volunteers in the review of it so one hopes that would at least ensure that any blatant issues are avoided.

Kiron

Hi Luis: I just read Kiron's message and think 200 reviewers shows due diligence for sure! We all have an opportunity to share our thoughts like George and others have reminded us. It's like voting in America - we all have a responsibility and a voice. Our project management industry continues to evolve and grow, so streamlining the information and adding new concepts is a good thing.

Luis,

If PMBOK rev7 is too light, people will look at other options for a standard. PRINCE2 is the second most recognized standard in project management.

I have just now begun PMP Exam training in January 2020, and I feel overwhelmed by trying to get all three attempts on the Exam before June 30th, as we are being told, because of this new version coming out July 1st. It seems unfair and too high an expectation to accomplish. So, can you elaborate somewhere about exactly what types of challenges we'll be facing if we don't get the exam done by June 30th? Thank you, Vicki, the newbie on the Course, but not in managing large projects in Healthcare!

Luis,
You havent answered any of Phil's comments before asking for ours ! PMBOK7 has been kept out of public realm for review, because its need for speed. Only the Standard has been put out for review. Need for speed is the avowed objective stated by PMI. Isn't itransparency, inspection and adaption tequally dear values of agile.

Very interesting discussion around the changes with the new update to PMBOK7. Sorry in advance for my rather long post.

It is quite right that what PMI has publicly exposed is only The Standard for Project Management. The actual PMBOK® Guide itself will not be fully exposed for public comment. Though The Standard for Project Management is the first three chapters of the Guide.

This is what makes the Standard a deficient standard – it is NOT written as a standard but more as a summary textbook. This is also bringing back one of the big deficiencies the PMBOK® Guide struggled with since the Third Edition was adopted as an approved ANSI standard. The Standard was chapter 3 of the Guide, not the entire PMBOK® Guide. PMI struggled through each of the updates to get the message across that the Guide was NOT the Standard. Finally, with the Sixth Edition update, The Standard for Project Management was packaged as a standalone document (the cover of the PMBOK® Guide no longer carried the ANSI standard logo, it was on the cover for the Standard). With the Seventh Edition update, I fear we will be back to people believing the entire PMBOK® Guide is the Standard.

As a standard, what PMI exposed for public comment with the Seventh Edition falls way short.
• It is just general discussion.
• It introduces a value delivery model but leaves anything around how one could assess whether your project is in alignment with this model.
• It introduces 12 so called Project Management Principles that are more like general management value statements and takes over half of the document to discuss these principles. If these are truly the fundamental principles of project management, why does it take 17 pages to list them? If you need to have 17 pages of text to understand and recognize these principles, are they really principles?
• Again, there is no discussion around how one could assess whether your project is in alignment with these principles.
• There is no real discussion on other key project management concerns, e.g., life cycles, constraints, etc.

As for the PMBOK® Guide itself, the changes are just as dramatic. As pointed out in the video posted by Phil and referenced by Luis, the entire structure of the Guide will change. As already stated, the first three chapters will be what is exposed as the Standard. While these first three chapters do not make a good standard, they could serve as introductory chapters to the Guide. The rest of the Guide is to be broken down into three additional chapters:
• Performance Domains – listing 8 broad areas of focus for project delivery, which include complementary areas of activities and functions. These are not directly tied to the previous Knowledge Areas but rather focus on these complementary areas of activities
• Tailoring – an entire chapter discussing importance of and general approach for tailoring specific approaches and methods for managing a project
• Models, Methods, and Artifacts – a final chapter discussing various management thinking models as well as discussion on various methods and artifacts that can contribute to effective project management

Thus, as Phil points out in his YouTube video, the entire structure of the PMBOK® Guide is radically changing. Only time will tell whether these changes will be accepted by the project management community.

What can be said right now, as evidenced by discussion threads such as this one, PMI’s change management efforts for this level of change is falling way short. The project management community, especially the PMI member community, should be much better informed about the changes coming, the justification for the changes including the vetting and validation for these changes, and how they can be more engaged in reviewing and responding to the changes.

As a minimum, I encourage PMI to rethink their decision to not send the entire PMBOK® Guide through a full public exposure draft process so they can get direct feedback from the broader project management community. This is the only way to obtain direct feedback from the broader community prior to publishing the Guide.