Essentials of Project Management (v. 1.1 – August 22, 2023)

Abstract

This textbook is an adaptation of other open educational resources (OER), but specifically designed for students at an introductory level of project management (PM). The purpose of this textbook is to provide a free resource that is dedicated to college students and as a gateway to understanding PM principals. The text body is structured into fourteen chapters to be delivered over a fourteen-week semester, where each chapter discusses the concept of one topic related to PM. The chapters cover the definition of PM and its types, as well as differentiating PM from common activities. They describe PM from an organizational perspective including the effect of culture and structure on PM. The five steps of the PM process are then discussed individually in different chapters, in the addition to sub-processes such as budgeting, scheduling, procurement and communication. Both project manager and project team are introduced separately so that their characteristics and relationship are appreciated. In the last chapter, Agile PM is presented as a contrast to conventional PM.