I recently attended a working session on PMI standards at the recent PMI Global Congress - North America, in Orlando. It was led by PMI's Standards MAG (Member Advisory Group). The purpose of the meeting was to lay the groundwork for the development of the next edition of the PMBOK Guide (5th Ed., 2012). The 3-year project cycle for the next PMBOK Guide begins in a few months.

The ability to answer questions about the sources of the information found in the document and the research supporting it was one of the topics we discussed. Although the appendices (B and C) in the PMBOK Guide list the names of the contributors, we, at the meeting, were aware that this doesn't fully answer the questions "who wrote this document?" and "what was the basis for the things they wrote?"

We discussed whether or not to add appendices to the next edition of the PMBOK Guide. The appendices might include citations to research, articles, case studies, etc. The information provided in the appendices would clarify the basis for the material chosen to be included in the PMBOK Guide. We also discussed the possibility of publishing this information as a separate document.

This was only a brainstorming session. The idea of a supporting appendix was just one of many ideas that were shared at the meeting. I've been to Standards Working Sessions with MAG members before. Some of the ideas become reality, others do not.

One interesting fact about the PMBOK Guide and other PMI standards is that they are developed independently of any certification exams and vice versa.

While the PMBOK Guide only changes once every 4 years, the exam component of the PMP credential is constantly changing. Much of the material that showed up in the 4th (2008) edition of the PMBOK Guide has ALREADY been showing up on the PMP exam for several years - e.g., PTA, TCPI, etc. PMBOK Guide 4th edition came out in December, 2008, but these topics have been showing up on the PMP exam as early as 2006. The group at PMI that develops the standards (such the PMBOK Guide, the Standard for Risk Management, etc.) and the group at PMI that develops the the certifications and their corresponding exams (such as PMP, CAPM, PMI-SP, etc.) are two independent groups that DO NOT interface with each other. They are two separate groups. If anything, the standards group looks at the work that the credential group (PMP, CAPM) does and uses it as one of the many inputs for what they put into the standards such as the PMBOK Guide.

On final note. The PMBOK Guide is NOT the body of project management knowledge nor is it a methodology. It's a standard whose purpose is to serve as a GUIDE to the body of knowledge. The large cohort of members from the global project management community that contribute to the document (along with the many PMI members who review and comment on each release) ensures that the standards and practices discussed in the PMBOK Guide (and other PMI standards and frameworks) have been reviewed and vetted by a large, representative, group of practitioners and academics from the project management community.