How to Use This Book

As I noted earlier in this introduction, EPM6e simultaneously accommodates the education, training, and professional reference markets.

Introductory (Chapters 1–8)

A good introductory 3-credit undergraduate course or 3-day training course would consist of Chapters 1–8. Chapters 1–8 introduce the tools, templates, and processes used by the contemporary project manager. These chapters are structured around the five process groups defined by the PMBOK.

Intermediate (Chapters 1–12)

A good upper division undergraduate or introductory graduate course or 3-day intermediate training course would consist of Chapters 1–12. The prerequisite would be an introductory course in project management. However, my experience with training programs is not to have a prerequisite. I would recommend a 5-day training course that covers Chapters 1–12.

Chapter 9 defines the project management landscape in terms of Traditional Project Management (Linear and Incremental), Agile Project Management (Iterative and Adaptive), and Extreme Project Management (Extreme). Chapters 10–12 provide a detailed discussion of each of these project situations.

Advanced (Chapters 9–18)

A good graduate level course would consist of Chapters 9–17. For scheduling or topic interests, some subset from Chapters 9–17 could be chosen. This would open the opportunity for more in-depth coverage with supplemental readings and for course projects drawn from those chapters.

Chapter 18 can be included in almost any application of EPM6e. It is a chapter that helps novices through experts understand the opportunities that they can take advantage of through personal planning of their own career development.