What Is the Work Management Body of Knowledge (WMBOK™)?
- Brandon Hatton
- Jan 1
- 2 min read
As organizations grow more complex, the challenge is no longer just managing projects — it’s managing work itself.
That challenge is what led to the creation of the Work Management Body of Knowledge (WMBOK™).
The WMBOK™ is a structured, discipline-level body of knowledge that defines the principles, practices, terminology, and concepts required to manage work effectively across teams, functions, and organizations.
Why a Body of Knowledge for Work Management?
Most organizations already practice work management every day — even if they don’t call it that.
They:
Clarify priorities
Coordinate work across people and systems
Track progress
Manage capacity, dependencies, and outcomes
Yet historically, these practices have been fragmented:
Project management standards focus on temporary initiatives
Tool vendors focus on software usage
Operational models focus on specific functions
The WMBOK™ exists to provide a unifying foundation for managing all types of work — not just projects.
What the WMBOK™ Defines
The Work Management Body of Knowledge establishes a shared understanding of:
Core principles of effective work management
Common language and terminology
Key domains involved in managing work
Conceptual models for how work flows through organizations
Practices that support clarity, coordination, and completion
Rather than prescribing a single methodology or tool, the WMBOK™ provides a conceptual backbone that can be applied across industries, roles, and technologies.
How WMBOK™ Differs from PMBOK®
A common question is how the WMBOK™ relates to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®).
The distinction is scope.
PMBOK® focuses on managing projects — temporary efforts with defined start and end points.
WMBOK™ focuses on managing work — including projects, ongoing operations, cross-functional initiatives, and day-to-day execution.
Work management encompasses project management, but extends beyond it to address the continuous, interconnected nature of modern work.
Who Maintains the WMBOK™?
The Work Management Body of Knowledge is developed and maintained by the Work Management Institute (WMI), the professional body dedicated to defining and advancing the discipline of Work Management.
WMI uses the WMBOK™ as the foundational reference for:
Defining competency domains
Establishing professional standards
Supporting work management certifications, including the Certified Associate in Work Management (CAWM™)
Why WMBOK™ Matters Now
As work becomes more collaborative, distributed, and supported by intelligent tools, organizations need more than ad-hoc practices or tool-specific training.
They need a shared, discipline-level understanding of how work should be clarified, coordinated, and completed.
The WMBOK™ provides that foundation.
Looking Ahead
The Work Management Body of Knowledge will continue to evolve as the discipline matures, incorporating new research, practices, and insights from across the work management ecosystem.
Its purpose remains constant:
To provide a stable, authoritative foundation for managing work in a complex world.
