Exam content outline, July 2026 · 3 domains
PMP® study guide
This PMP study guide is PMI®'s 2026 Examination Content Outline (ECO) laid out as a work breakdown: three domains, 26 tasks, filed here as 14 study topics with concept pages beneath them. The domain weights are PMI's, as of October 2026. The share shown for each topic is our own estimate, and it is labeled that way.
- Exam
- PMP
- Updated
- Oct 13, 2026
01The blueprint: three domains on one baseline
People 33%, Process 41%, Business Environment 26%, laid end to end. PMI says every exam covers all tasks in a domain and holds to these percentages at the domain level.
| Domain | Exam share | Study pages |
|---|---|---|
| People | 33% | 7 |
| Process | 41% | 14 |
| Business Environment | 26% | 8 |
02From 26 tasks to 14 topics
PMI publishes weights for domains only. To give each topic a share, we split every domain's weight evenly across its tasks (People 33% over 8 tasks, Process 41% over 10, Business Environment 26% over 8) and added up the tasks in each topic. Read the last column as a planning aid, never as a figure from PMI.
| Study topic | Domain | ECO tasks it covers | Share, our estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leading the team and managing conflict | People | Develop a common vision; manage conflicts; lead the project team | 12.4% |
| Stakeholder engagement and expectations | People | Engage stakeholders; align stakeholder expectations; manage stakeholder expectations | 12.4% |
| Communication and knowledge transfer | People | Help ensure knowledge transfer; plan and manage communication | 8.3% |
| Integrated planning, delivery approach and scope | Process | Develop an integrated plan and plan delivery; develop and manage scope | 8.2% |
| Value-based and incremental delivery | Process | Help ensure value-based delivery | 4.1% |
| Resources, procurement and contracts | Process | Plan and manage resources; plan and manage procurement | 8.2% |
| Budget, reserves and earned value | Process | Plan and manage finance | 4.1% |
| Schedule management | Process | Plan and manage schedule | 4.1% |
| Quality management | Process | Plan and optimize quality of products and deliverables | 4.1% |
| Project status, artifacts and closure | Process | Evaluate project status; manage project closure | 8.2% |
| Governance and compliance | Business Env. | Define and establish project governance; plan and manage project compliance | 6.5% |
| Managing and controlling changes | Business Env. | Manage and control changes | 3.3% |
| Risks, issues and impediments | Business Env. | Remove impediments and manage issues; plan and manage risk | 6.5% |
| Continuous improvement and organizational change | Business Env. | Continuous improvement; support organizational change; evaluate external business environment changes | 9.8% |
Task names abridged from PMI's PMP Examination Content Outline, revised August 11, 2026. Shares are approximate and ours, derived from PMI's domain weights.
03What the 2026 outline emphasizes
The outline went live on July 9, 2026. Business Environment is now a full quarter of the exam and holds governance, compliance, change control, issues and risk. Value delivery, finance and closure each have a task of their own in this outline, and sustainability is named in planning, quality, compliance and risk.
Delivery approach cuts across all three domains rather than sitting in one: about 40% of items are predictive and 60% agile or hybrid (PMI ECO, as of October 2026). The full list of changes is on PMP exam changes in 2026.
04Working through a topic
- Read the topic page and the concept pages under it in one sitting.
- Work that page's own packages while the rules are fresh; mixed review lives in the PMP practice test.
- Turn the formulas and look-alike terms into recall on the flashcards.
- Follow the order in the 4, 8 or 12-week study plan and check it against the timed mock at the end.
05Every topic and concept
2.1People 33%
- 2.1.1Leading the team and managing conflictVision, conflict, leadership style
- 2.1.2Stakeholder engagement and expectationsEngage, align, manage expectations
- 2.1.3Communication and knowledge transferTailored messages, knowledge that stays
2.2Process 41%
- 2.2.1Integrated planning, delivery approach and scopeIntegrated plan, approach, scope
- 2.2.2Value-based and incremental deliveryValue, increments, benefits
- 2.2.3Resources, procurement and contractsStaffing, contracts, vendors
- 2.2.4Budget, reserves and earned valueReserves, tracking, forecasts
- 2.2.5Schedule managementEstimate, sequence, forecast
- 2.2.6Quality managementPrevention, CoQ, control charts
- 2.2.7Project status, artifacts and closureStatus, sign-off, handover
2.3Business Environment 26%
- 2.3.1Governance and complianceThresholds, decision rights, compliance
- 2.3.2Managing and controlling changesLog, analyze, decide, update
- 2.3.3Risks, issues and impedimentsRisk register, issue log, impediments
- 2.3.4Continuous improvement and organizational changeLessons, adoption, outside shifts