A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, Third Edition, is copyright by the Project Management Institute, PA, USA, 2004.
It has been distributed on a CD free of charge to members of the Institute.

Published here May, 2005.

PART 2 | Recap
Section III - The Project Management Knowledge Areas
What We Liked | Downside -1 -2 -3 | Summary

Section III - The Project Management Knowledge Areas

Summary

This latest Guide is a valiant attempt to improve the previous version. However, it would have been valuable to circulate it as an open Exposure Draft as was done in 1994, and 2000. It is true that members were notified in November 2003 of the availability of an Exposure Draft of this 2004 version but we think that three obstacles have militated against its success.

  1. Unlike the Exposure Draft of 2000, it was not made available in hard copy and the proposed changes at the text level were not expressly marked. It is difficult to review a large document on screen and few busy people, those that should be reviewing the document, have the time or inclination to print out such a large document.
  2. Nevertheless, it appears that a large number of suggestions were received, perhaps too many to handle in a marked up document. That in it self should have sounded the alarm and a second draft iteration instituted.
  3. Those who wished to comment first had to sign PMI's restrictive copyright agreement. We believe that this has probably inhibited a broader and more open exchange of ideas and practical experience for fear of losing ownership of valuable content.

We feel that what is now urgently needed is an amending document that corrects as many deficiencies as possible. This would be a very worthwhile endeavor.

Meantime, I should like to take this opportunity to thank those who have reviewed this analysis and provided most helpful comments.

R. Max Wideman
Fellow, PMI

Section III - Downside - continued  Section III - Downside continued, 3/3

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