2016 brings what new for PMBOK® 5

One of the highly recognised designations in the workspace is that of the Project Manager. This person has to supervise a large number of projects that are brought to the company every year. The job is further enhanced with the help of PMP® (Project Management Professional) certification.

PMI is the recognised institute which conducts the exam and gives away this certification. However, from January 11,2016, major changes will be incorporated into PMBOK Guide Version 5. For those PMs who are giving the exam after the due date, it is most important to know these new changes.

Reason for changes in PMBOK

A Role Delineation Study (RDS, recently published by PMI®, gives exact description of the new PMP®. It has been compiled from research done on active PMP® holders, who have explained the problems faced by them in the real-time scenarios. The new version also has updates in every domain, making it a valuable guide for PMPs. RDS is usually done after every 3-5 years, so that the exam is in sync with latest industry needs.

Major changes to be seen in the PMP exam

There are changes in every domain of the PMP® exam. These are as follows:

1. Initiating a project– New tasks have been added. They are:
2. Identification of key variables as per business requirements to handle customer expectations and direct project goal achievements.
3. Benefit analysis with stakeholders to check project alignment with organisational growth strategy and estimated business value.
4. Informing stakeholders about the approved project charter to achieve uniform understanding of milestones, key deliverables and responsibilities.

2. Planning projects– One new task has been included here- developing the stakeholder management plan through analysis of needs, interests and impact, which help manage stakeholder expectations.

3. Execution of project- Two new tasks are provided here:

 

1. Managing information flow by following a specific communication plan to engage the stakeholders.
2. Handling stakeholder relationships by following the stakeholder management plan, which helps in receiving continuous support.

4. Monitoring and controlling of project- Here are two new tasks:
5. Capturing, analysing and managing points from new lessons, and usage of lessons learned management technique for continuous improvement
6. Monitoring the procurement activities as per procurement plan. These can be verified with project objectives.

5. Closing projects– No changes

Clearly the above mentioned changes are in sync with project objectives of today’s companies. They will certainly help managers become better Project Managers.