OVERVIEW AND PURPOSE OF THIS GUIDE
Project management is not new. It has been in use for hundreds of years. Examples of project outcomes include:
uu Pyramids of Giza,
uu Olympic games,
uu Great Wall of China,
uu Taj Mahal,
uu Publication of a children’s book,
uu Panama Canal,
uu Development of commercial jet airplanes,
uu Polio vaccine,
uu Human beings landing on the moon,
uu Commercial software applications,
uu Portable devices to use the global positioning system (GPS), and
uu Placement of the International Space Station into Earth’s orbit.
The outcomes of these projects were the result of leaders and managers applying project management practices,
principles, processes, tools, and techniques to their work. The managers of these projects used a set of key skills and
applied knowledge to satisfy their customers and other people involved in and affected by the project. By the mid-20th
century, project managers began the work of seeking recognition for project management as a profession. One aspect
of this work involved obtaining agreement on the content of the body of knowledge (BOK) called project management.
This BOK became known as the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). The Project Management Institute
(PMI) produced a baseline of charts and glossaries for the PMBOK. Project managers soon realized that no single book
could contain the entire PMBOK. Therefore, PMI developed and published A Guide to the Project Management Body of
Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide).
PMI defines the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK) as a term that describes the knowledge within the
profession of project management. The project management body of knowledge includes proven traditional practices
that are widely applied as well as innovative practices that are emerging in the profession.