The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) is a set of standard terminology and guidelines (a body of knowledge) for project management. The body of knowledge evolves over time and is presented in A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide), a book which eighth edition was released in 2025. This document results from work overseen by the Project Management Institute (PMI), which offers certifications for Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) and Project Management Professional (PMP). Much of the PMBOK Guide is unique to project management such as critical path method and work breakdown structure (WBS). The PMBOK Guide also overlaps with general management regarding planning, organising, staffing, executing and controlling the operations of an organisation. Other management disciplines which overlap with the PMBOK Guide include financial forecasting, organisational behaviour, management science, budgeting and other planning methods.
History Earlier versions of the PMBOK Guide were recognized as standards by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) which assigns standards in the United States (ANSI/PMI 99-001-2008) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE 1490–2011). The evolution of the PMBOK Guide is reflected in editions of the Guide.
The PMBOK Guide, Eighth Edition signals a change in direction by emphasizing the crucial importance of a project's value delivery, with a new definition of a project as a "temporary initiative in a unique context undertaken to create value." It also states, three times, that "all projects are investments" and incorporates in its Glossary three new investment-related techniques: the value breakdown structure (VBS) (p. 172), critical path drag (p. 160) and critical path drag cost (p. 160).
Purpose The PMBOK Guide is intended to be a "subset of the project management body of knowledge" that is generally recognized as a good practice. 'Generally recognized' means the knowledge and practices described are applicable to most projects most of the time and there is a consensus about their value and usefulness. 'Good practice' means there is a general agreement that the application of the knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques can enhance the chance of success over many projects." This means that sometimes the "latest" project management trends, often promoted by consultants, may not be part of the latest version of The PMBOK Guide. However, the 6th Edition of the PMBOK Guide now includes an "Agile Practice Guide".
Contents The PMBOK Guide is process-based, meaning it describes work as being accomplished by processes. This approach is consistent with other management standards such as ISO 9000 and the Software Engineering Institute's CMMI. Processes overlap and interact throughout a project or its various phases.
Inputs (documents, plans, designs, etc.) Tools and Techniques (mechanisms applied to inputs) Outputs (documents, plans, designs, etc.) A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge — Sixth Edition provides guidelines for managing individual projects and defines project management related concepts. It also describes the project management life cycle and its related processes, as well as the project life cycle. For the first time, "Agile Practice Guide" is included. The PMBOK as described in the Guide recognizes 49 processes that fall into five basic process groups and ten knowledge areas that are typical of most projects, most of the time.
Process groups The five process groups are:
Initiating: processes performed to define a new project or a new phase of an existing project by obtaining authorization to start the project or phase. Planning: Those processes required to establish the scope of the project, refine the objectives, and define the course of action required to attain the objectives that the project was undertaken to achieve. Executing: Those processes performed to complete the work defined in the project management plan to satisfy the project specifications Monitoring and Controlling: Those processes required to track, review, and regulate the progress and performance of the project; identify any areas in which changes to the plan are required; and initiate the corresponding changes. Closing: Those processes performed to finalize all activities across all Process Groups to formally close the project or phase.
Knowledge areas The ten knowledge areas, each of which contains some or all of the project management processes, are:
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