A User's Manual to the PMBOK Guide

Q & A with author Cynthia Stackpole Snyder

I wrote the User's Manual because the PMBOK Guide is a standard, and as such it describes what a good practice is. It doesn't tell you how to implement the practice, though. The PMBOK Guide doesn't show people how to apply the practices and techniques it identifies, and it doesn't help them understand how to integrate the inputs, tools and techniques to create outputs. I thought it would be useful if someone could take the information in the standard and put it in plain English, give examples and explain how to apply the processes in the standard.

The User's Manual updates happen in conjunction with the PMBOK Guide. Because the PMBOK Guide is now in its fifth edition, and there are substantial changes from the fourth edition, the User's Manual needed to be updated to align with the latest edition to keep the content fresh.

I was the project manager for the PMBOK Guide Fourth Edition, so I was very familiar with the standard when I wrote the first User's Manual. I have kept up with the changes to the fifth edition and continued writing other project management books such as A Project Manager's Book of Forms. I think these experiences have helped me write the User's Manual and make it applicable to practicing project managers.

I think project managers who want to understand how use the PMBOK Guide as a practical tool in their day-to-day job of managing projects will find that this book makes it easier to apply the processes described in the PMBOK Guide. I also think that people studying for the PMP Exam will find this a valuable resource because it takes much the material you need to know for the exam and presents in a way that is easy to understand, absorb, remember and apply.