PMI Announces Release Date for the New PMBOK and PMP Examination, Clarifies Changes to PMBOK Guide

Whenever possible IPDI attempts to keep its customers abreast of the latest changes, developments and announcements regarding the PMP® certification. The following information pertains specifically to the next release of The Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide®) and the new PMP® exam-the one that will be rolled out by PMI on June 30th of 2009.

This announcement covers five (5) specific areas:

• The New PMBOK® Guide Release Date
• The New PMP® Exam Release Date
• Differences Between the 3rd and 4th Edition PMBOK® Guides
• Changes in Eligibility Criteria and Passing Score
• Recommendations for Study

If you have additional questions regarding the information outlined below, please contact IPDI at 734.207.5470 or via email: ipdi@processdevelopers.com 

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The New PMBOK Release Date

The Project Management Institute® (PMI®) is currently scheduled to publish the PMBOK® Guide-Fourth Edition on 31 December 2008.  

The updates to the PMBOK® Guide-Fourth Edition will have an affect the PMP examination.

When an update to a standard, such as the PMBOK® Guide-Fourth Edition, is released, the PMP credential exam is updated to reflect changes in the professional reference.

The PMBOK® Guide-Fourth Edition reflects a focus on improved consistency and clarity. The PMBOK team removed redundant information and added clarifying statements where needed. Terminology was also updated for clarity. (See below for a summary of the changes)

The New PMP Exam Release Date

As announced at PMI Global Congress North America in mid-October, a new version of the PMP® exam will be placed into worldwide use on June 30, 2009.

This exam will be based on information contained in the new PMBOK® Guide-Fourth Edition, scheduled to be released in December of 2008.  

If you plan to sit for the PMP exam prior to June 30, 2009, then use the PMBOK Guide – Third Edition as the basis for your exam preparation.

Differences Between 3rd and 4th Edition PMBOK Guides

Per The Project Management Institute, the upcoming Fourth Edition of the PMBOK® Guide will reflect a focus on improved consistency and clarity. Great consideration was given to remove redundant information and add clarifying statements where needed. Significant improvements were made to improve readability, and terminology was updated only to present them consistently in a verb-noun format.

As posted on the PMI website, PMI® outlines the major differences between the Third Edition and the Fourth Edition are summarized as follows:

• All process names are now in a verb-noun format
• Efforts were made to distinguish between Enterprise Environmental Factors and Organizational Process Assets.
• A standard approach for discussing requested changes, preventive actions, corrective actions and defect repairs was employed.
• The processes decreased from 44 to 42. Two processes were deleted, two processes were added and 6 processes were reconfigured into 4 processes in the Procurement knowledge area.
• To provide clarity, a distinction was made between the Project Management Plan and project documents used to manage the project.
• The distinction between the information in the Project Charter and the Project Scope Statement was clarified.
• The process flow diagrams at the beginning of chapters 4-12 have been deleted and replaced with data flow diagrams.
• A data flow diagram for each process has been created to show where information comes from as an input and where it goes to as an output.
• A new appendix was added that addresses key interpersonal skills that a project manager utilizes when managing a project.

PMI® also noted that a complete list of changes will be found in Appendix A of the new PMBOK® Guide-Fourth Edition.

Changes to the Eligibility Criteria and Passing Score

Unlike the previous exam change cycle, it appears there will be no changes to the eligibility criteria, the application process or the passing score for the PMP® examination. If you have heard differently or have documentation that this is not the case, please contact IPDI immediately at 734.207.5470 or email us at: ipdi@processdevelopers.com

Recommendations for Study

Given that the PMP® examination is not changing until June 30th of 2009, there is still plenty of time to prepare for the existing exam using ANY of IPDI three modes of study-onsite classroom training, e-Learning or public classroom training.

• Classroom Training Onsite – IPDI can perform its very successful 5 day / 40 hour PMP Preparation for Certification course at your company’s location.
• e-Learning – IPDI has a very dynamic PMP Online Preparation course.  You can prepare for the PMP exam from anywhere in the world at convenience.
• Public Classroom Training  - From time to time, IPDI will offer its very successful 5 day / 40 hour PMP Preparation for Certification course to the public.  Currently, IPDI has teamed up with Oakland University to offer this course starting in January, 2009.

IPDI can help you to obtain your PMP certification.  We offer both onsite as well as online courses.  Click the links to learn more or call us at 734-207-5470 to discuss your training needs.

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