Q & A with author Cynthia Stackpole Snyder
Cynthia Stackpole SnyderWhat led you to write this book?A few years ago I was looking through the PMBOK Guide trying to figure out how to create a form for one of the processes, and I realized that it wasn’t that easy. I thought that it would be really helpful if there were forms that went with the PMBOK Guide so it would be easy to implement the processes described in the guide. You can get a lot of different forms for managing projects, but I knew it would be most helpful if there was a set of forms that was specifically aligned with the acknowledged standard for project management.
Why is there a new edition of the Book of Forms?The Book of Forms updates in conjunction with the PMBOK Guide. Because the PMBOK Guide is now in the Fifth Edition, and there are substantial changes from the Fourth Edition, the Book of Forms needed to be updated to align with the latest edition to keep the content fresh.
Why do professionals need a book like this?I think this book makes it easy for project managers who are operating in an organization without a lot of existing templates to organize and document information necessary to effectively manage their projects. I think these forms can be especially helpful for new project managers who don’t have a good grasp on how to organize their thoughts and the work of the project team. More experienced project managers will want to tailor the forms to meet their specific needs. The forms are very easy to tailor; I tailor them frequently when I manage projects.
Why is the new Project Manager’s Book of Forms a must-have book?There is a form in here for every plan and key output in the PMBOK Guide. Why spend the time and effort creating your own version of forms when there is a one-stop book that has over a hundred pages of forms to help manage projects? This book can save time and effort, and help people do their jobs more efficiently and effectively.