APM Body of Knowledge 8th edition

The Association for Project Management (APM) has unveiled the 8th edition of its flagship publication, the APM Body of Knowledge.

Available to pre-order now, ahead of its official launch in April 2025, the 8th edition reflects the challenging backdrop for project delivery through expanded topics including leadership, systems thinking and sustainability to support leaders and project professionals working in today’s demanding environment.

For the first time, the 8th edition will feature a new chapter on the emerging opportunities of project data and artificial intelligence (AI), noting their impact across the profession.

Commenting on the launch, APM’s Head of Knowledge, Scott Walkinshaw, said: “Thousands of project professionals keep a copy of our Body of Knowledge as their go-to resource for delivering a wide range of projects. It plays an important role in providing a common, shared language across the profession.

“The 8th edition reflects the changing environment in which projects are being delivered, but it also recognises that many of the tools, processes and techniques at the core of project delivery remain consistent. This is very much an evolution of the highly regarded 7th edition, but it keeps pace with what we’ve learned about project delivery over the last five years about what brings project success.”

The foundation of the publication has been built on feedback from across the project profession, which has been submitted through two wide ranging consultations. In addition, leading experts and advisory groups have supported Editor, Professor Michael Bourne of Cranfield University, ensuring that the 8th edition remains at the cutting edge of project thinking.

Qualifications aligned to the APM Body of Knowledge  

The APM Project Fundamentals Qualification will continue to align with the 7th edition of the APM Body of Knowledge. As part of a wider review of the qualification, we’ll be updating it in late 2025 into 2026.

The assessment for the APM Project Management Qualification and APM Project Professional Qualification will continue to be aligned to the APM Competence Framework and will not change.

We’re creating new resources with updated references to the 8th edition for both qualifications and will communicate a timeline for the transition to these shortly.   

Pre-order your copy