Project Management for Instructional Designers

Reviewed by Rob Gibson, Adjunct Professor, Emporia State University on 9/30/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

The book is getting a little dated. I've used this previously for a course and it's a good resource, but it is tailored to the waterfall PM methodology. The currently utilized methodology is Agile and Hyper Agile. Waterfall is great for infrastructure projects and such, but not well suited to IT and learning design applications that are less linear. I would like to see the book be redrafted to include SCRUM. Moreover, many of the example videos - while good when they were developed - are getting really dated. Again, new personal experience videos would be welcome.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

It's accurate for the context (waterfall). But again, few learning designers use waterfall. More use agile.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

It's a very relevant topic. PM consistently ranks in the top ten required skills among instructional and learning designers. While I wouldn't say it is obsolete by any means (there is still great information in the text), it does need to be updated to contemporary methodologies.

Clarity rating: 5

I think the text softens and distills the PMBOK language (which is quite technical and filled with jargon) down to laymen terms. It's easy to ready and grasp the primary concepts. The authors do a good job of relating an abstract concept to the field of instructional design.

Consistency rating: 5

I found no issues regarding consistency.

Modularity rating: 5

The text is well organized and presented using the PM framework as chapter sections. The introduction provides an entree to the field of PM, along with the certifications that are possible.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

Content is well organized and structured. The PM framework provides a natural information progression, s the authors simply tailored the book to fit that construct.

Interface rating: 5

It's a pleasant book to use and read. Blocks of text is broken up with images, graphs, videos, visuals to make for a more enjoyable read. Again, I've used this book with beginning instructional designers (no PM background whatsoever) and they did just fine with this text.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I didn't find any glaring grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

I didn't find any content that would be deemed culturally insensitive.

Comments

Probably the best OER resource available for this topic. Has been for quite some time. I did have a problem using it once when the OER host servers crashed and the class wasn't able to access it. That was before it was available as a downloadable format.
As I indicated earlier, it's about 10 years out of date. An update is really necessary.

Reviewed by Samantha Blevins, Instructional Designer & Learning Architect, Radford University on 1/29/20

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This text is comprehensive in that it takes into account the many moving parts of project management and presents them in a way that are logical and easy to understand. It is written in a relate-able way, especially to those within the field of instructional design (ID). Project management, which is critical to success within the ID field is often a piece that is overlooked, as it is often assumed that those in the field already know how to manage large projects.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

I did not find any glaring inaccuracies in the text. On the contrary, the information presented is relevant and helpful for those in the ID field.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

This text is extremely relevant to the field of ID. While things might change in terms of project management software, the underlying techniques will not, and it is important that those in the ID field acquire project management skills in order to be successful in the field.

Clarity rating: 5

The text is easy to read and understand. While some terminology could be seen as advanced, most instructional design students are at the graduate level and so it is safe to assume they are familiar with these terms.

Consistency rating: 5

This book is consistent throughout, with a nice flow. It is easy to assume that it was written by just one author.

Modularity rating: 5

It would be easy to pick and choose from this text, as some chapters/sections may be more relevant that others.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

There is a heavy emphasis on the Project Management Institute at the beginning. However, this could easily be skipped or omitted by the user.

Interface rating: 5

I navigated through this text using a PDF reader and did not have any issues.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not find any grammatical errors in this text.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

I found that this text is culturally relevant, as diversity is presented both in the images of the text and in the viewpoints presented within the text.

Reviewed by Scott Mehall, Assistant Professor, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania on 1/18/20

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This text is very detailed and includes many of the different considerations necessary for managing instructional design projects. This text is almost too comprehensive as I think a condensed version may be better received.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Having experience as an instructional designer, I can echo that many of the topics in the text are highly important to the success of any ID project. The project management aspect of ID is the most overlooked, yet most important part of the design and development of any learning activity.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

Most of the concepts in this text are highly relevant to instructional designers. There are some sections (i.e. Project Scheduling Software) that will change as time goes on, but the core functions remain the same. The text does a good job of focusing on the underlying concepts (i.e. how scheduling software is used) instead of using the interfaces (i.e. how to navigate the software).

Clarity rating: 5

The text is very clear and easy-to-read. With that said, you do need at least a base of general business/organizational terminology in order to understand some parts.

Consistency rating: 5

The text is very consistent The layout and structure remained unchanged from section to section. If it wasn't for the section author being listed, I wouldn't have noticed each was written by a different author.

Modularity rating: 5

The text is easily divisible into smaller chunks. Some readers may want to choose only some sections of the book - particular if they are not as focused on the Project Management Institute sections of the text.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

My only complaint about this text is that it jumps heavily into the Project Management Institute and PM certification at the beginning of the text. A short section that describes why good project management is so useful and critical to ID projects would be a welcomed addition.

Interface rating: 5

I had no problems navigating through the PDF of the text. I enjoyed that I could click images at different points that led to YouTube videos as well.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not find any grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

I did not find anything that could be offensive or insensitive to various backgrounds. I noticed other reviews cited a lack of diversity in the pictures. This must have been addressed, because I found the pictures to show diversity.

Comments

I think this is a book that is highly relevant for anyone who is an instructional designer at the corporate or university level. It is somewhat less relevant to educators or others who are creating learning experiences on their own and without the help of multiple other stakeholders. In general, the book is highly detailed and some of these details will be more relevant to some settings than to others. I learned a lot from this text and felt it reflected many of my own experiences as an instructional designer.

Reviewed by Rebecca Frazee, Lecturer, San Diego State University on 3/28/19

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This book is extremely thorough and detailed.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

I would like to see a discussion of the differences, considerations, and success strategies for managing projects as an external PM as compared to an internal PM.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

I think the updates should be straightforward unless the external links to youtube videos and audio files are broken.

Clarity rating: 4

Yes clearly written, but I may like to see a bit of a lighter tone. Seems very formal.

Consistency rating: 5

yes very consistently organized.

Modularity rating: 4

The content is nicely chunked. However, in some cases it seemed overly modular. For instance, reading about the various project profiles, I felt like it sort of cut short, and perhaps I needed to jump to another area of the book which disrupted the flow.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

If reading as a PDF as I was doing, it might be nice to have the subsections of each chapter listed at the beginning the the chapter (not just in the initial TOC), and make those clickable, so if I'm down in chapter 8 and I can easily see the overview of the entire chapter at a glance and jump forward as needed, without having to go back to the TOC.

Interface rating: 5

Nice use of clickable TOC, and clickable embedded videos pointing out to YouTube videos and audio files.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

Fine as is.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

I didn't examine this area in depth to give an opinion.

Reviewed by Simon Ringsmuth, Faculty Member, Teaching Support Specialist, and Instructional Designer, Oklahoma State University on 5/21/18

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The book is quite thorough in how it addresses the various aspects of Project Management, and I appreciated how each chapter mentioned specifically how it applied to the PMBOK (the standard text for Project Managers) and related to the types of questions one is likely to find on the Project Management Professional exam. The chapters are comprehensive and organized into sub-sections that further address different aspects of Project Management, and the glossary at the end is quite thorough. There is no index to help readers find specific subjects and topics in the book, though the Table of Contents is quite thorough.

Overall I would say that yes, this book does cover all the relevant areas of Project Management appropriately.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The content of this book is, as of my reading, quite accurate as well as free of errors and certainly unbiased. I detected no instances of inherent bias in the book other than that the three case study examples provided at the beginning of each chapter were all associated with Brigham Young University. However the content of their contributions to the book was not biased in any way as far as I could tell, and their examples served to augment the text fairly well. The information throughout the textbook was accurate to the best of my knowledge, and this is a subject I have been teaching at Oklahoma State University for the past four years so I tried to keep a keen eye open for any inaccuracies or misstatements. I would feel confident in the validity of this text for an instructor looking to offer students an inexpensive yet authoritative textbook for a Project Management class.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 3

Most of the information in the book is informative and up-to-date with one glaring exception which I describe in the following paragraph. Aside from this one instance, the information was as current as I would expect from any Project Management textbook and many of the principles such as planning, scheduling, budgeting, and dealing with quality would apply in most situations regardless of when the instructor would be teaching. I could easily see this textbook being used for many years without significant updates in this regard.

However...

Chapter 6 is called "Communication Technologies" and some of the information contained therein is already out of date. It's a bit strange to me that the chapter isn't called "Communication" and focuses on general principles and best practices of communicating, but rather chooses to focus specifically on technologies that facilitate project communication. Slack, currently one of the most widely-used software tools for project communication, is not mentioned once but space is given to discussing things like RSS Feeds and SMS Text-Messages as viable communication tools. In the opening video of Chapter 6 one of the individuals interviewed specifically discusses her team's use of Flash for presenting video, but Flash has been deprecated by Adobe and abandoned by almost all modern video platforms in favor of HTML5. Other information in the chapter is somewhat useful, but even the widely-used Microsoft Project software is only given a cursory mention.

Clarity rating: 4

As the subject of the book is Project Management, the text is quite appropriate for any student or instructor of that discipline. The writing style is clear and straightforward, and information is presented in a context that helps make sense of what is being said. Aside from the three ongoing BYU case studies that open each chapter, many Case Study examples are sprinkled throughout the book that help illustrate or reinforce the concepts being explored. One example of this is on page 116 with the training organization in South Carolina, and while it's possible that these Case Study examples are fictional they nonetheless do help provide adequate context for the rest of each chapter in which they are used.

I should note that it would be nice to have some sort of visual indicator for these small Case Study examples that are used throughout the book. Perhaps enclosing them in a text box or using indentations to visually separate them from the rest of the chapter would provide additional clarity.

Consistency rating: 4

The book is highly consistent throughout each chapter and when viewed as a whole. Each chapter follows a similar format, and each chapter opens and closes with information and summaries that neatly bookend the text contained therein. Each chapter is unique but feels like an indelible part of a cohesive whole, in terms of terminology and structure. Terms and theories overlap from one chapter to the next, which provides a sense of consistency to the reader.

The placement of some chapters feels a bit off, such as Chapter 7 which covers "Starting a Project." This chapter seems as though it should be placed much earlier in the book, but nonetheless the information and structure of the chapter are highly consistent with how the rest of the book is written.

Modularity rating: 5

I would say that the modularity of this textbook, along with the quality of the information provided (except for Chapter 6) would be one of its biggest strengths. Each chapter could easily function on its own but yet fits in quite nicely with the text as a whole, and I would feel quite comfortable using individual sections or chapters to supplement the Project Management course I currently teach. Each chapter is further subdivided into useful chunks of information, which are in turn organized by clear easy-to-understand subheadings. There are very few enormous blocks of unbroken text and even sub-sections of each chapter could be slotted into existing curricula without missing much from the larger textbook.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

I'm not quite sure what to say about this particular question. On one hand the information does flow logically from one section to the next, but on the other hand some chapters feel like they are poorly placed. (i.e. Chapter 7 which I mentioned earlier.) On the other hand it seems odd that the authors did not more closely follow the Ten Knowledge Areas of Project Management that are clearly delineated in the PMBOK. While topics such as Integration Management and Stakeholder Management are woven throughout several chapters, it seems logical that they would each have their own chapter as that is how they are presented in the PMBOK. Meanwhile, other Knowledge Areas such as Procurement, Risk, and Quality are given their own chapters which is what one would expect in a textbook such as this.

This leaves me with the conclusion that, while the material is quite logical in its own right, it is perhaps not organized in the most helpful fashion for someone who would be closely following the same topics in the PMBOK.

Interface rating: 4

Textbook interface is fine, and I had no issues with navigation problems, distortion of text, etc. Some of the photos (all of which appeared to be from publicly-available Flickr albums) were not the highest quality and the design and coloring of charts and graphs was not consistent across the book, but I don't believe either of these presents a significant barrier for someone interested in using this textbook in a course of study.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not notice any outstanding grammar or spelling issues.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The information was, as far as I could tell, not culturally insensitive or offensive. In fact, the mini case study examples used throughout each chapter were taken from various locations around the world such as South Africa and Peru.

Comments

While I do think this is a high quality textbook that would be a fine instrument to supplement (or even serve as the main text of) a Project Management course, the elephant in the room here is that despite being titled "Project Management for Instructional Designers" the book as a whole has very little to do with instructional design. The three ongoing BYU Case Studies that open each chapter are all clearly aimed at instructional designers, but the text of each chapter focuses on Project Management principles in general and makes little mention of how the concepts relate to instructional design. There are unique issues and challenges that instructional designers face, particularly with regard to communication, stakeholder management, and integration management, but these are almost entirely unaddressed in the text of the book.

This textbook, then, is somewhat of a double-edged sword. On one hand it does a good job of providing a solid overview of Project Management principles and would be applicable in a variety of academic and professional contexts. But on the other hand, an instructional designer would likely find the text to be somewhat lacking in terms of how it specifically addresses in clear, concrete ways, the unique challenges and obstacles of his or her profession.

Reviewed by Norb Thomes, Learning Systems and Services Coordinator, Winona State University on 5/21/18

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

The book covers the subject very well. Sections cover all aspects of project management from the initiation of the project through closure. Overall, I would say it presents a good general-purpose definition. I wish it had further integrated instructional design into the text. There were some examples of what happened at schools, but maybe something like a step-by-step creation of the pieces would have made the experience better.This version felt a bit like they took a generic project management text, added a couple cases, and changed the title.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

The book was error free and told the story in an accurate way. There was a problem with images, however. I viewed the book through iBooks on an iPad and didn't see the images. There were placeholders with captions, just no pictures.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The book could use some updates. While stories about paste-up artists were nostalgic for me, I don't know that school-aged readers would understand.

Clarity rating: 5

You would never guess there were multiple authors. The book flowed well.

Consistency rating: 5

Chapter to chapter, the layout was the same. The use of outcomes and key takeaways was excellent.

Modularity rating: 5

The sections would easily stand alone and could be used with other materials.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

No problems here.

Interface rating: 4

The images were missing, otherwise all was good.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The grammar was fine.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

I didn't see any issues, but read the other reviews. There were comments about the images not showing diversity, but since the images did not show up in my copy, I cannot comment.

Comments

Overall, a good overview of project management. I would have liked to have seen instructional design more fully integrated into the prose.

Reviewed by Megan Kohler, Lecturer/Learning Designer, The Pennsylvania State University on 2/1/18

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

Overall this textbook a great introduction to project management. It’s light, easy to follow, and provides valuable information to the readers. I personally felt it was a little light on connecting project management to instructional design, but it is ‘open’ enough that a reader/learner would be able to apply the information to their chosen field. I also felt that there were several scenarios or case studies that were introduced but never fully explained. A few sentences to relay the outcomes of the situation and to connect it more closely with the context would have made for smoother transitions.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

The text is very detailed with regard to the numerous references and project management terminology provided to the reader. It’s clear the team working on this put in the work to ensure the information was accurate. There are a few instances which seem to relay or summarize the research without a deeper discussion of the information. It would be nice to see the contributing authors expand upon those ideas or to apply them to a case study.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

It’s good, the stories at the beginning of the chapters are a nice way to connect with the content. I believe these could have been more effective if they were turned into case studies in order to see how the concept described could be applied to different scenarios resulting in different outcomes. Perhaps introduce the situations as a challenge at the beginning of the chapter, provide the relevant information and then revisit the situation to discuss the choices made and the outcomes of each. But overall the content provided a nice introduction to project management.

Clarity rating: 4

Each chapter starts with learning objectives to clearly communicate to readers the main concepts of the chapter in addition to a brief introduction paragraph. This is a nice way of beginning each section with very clear expectations. The audio recordings are more like an automated recording, which is fine, but unimpressive.

Consistency rating: 4

The text does have a consistent approach in place. Each chapter starts with learning objectives, has key terms that are bold and italicized, and has a clear convention in place for handling section headers.

Modularity rating: 4

The chapters are well selected with nice subsections. It would be easy for an educator to assign specific chapters from this text. The length of the chapters is also a nice attribute. It feels like you are learning a great deal of information while progressing very quickly through the text.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The organization of the text was nice and it flowed from one topic to the next.

Interface rating: 4

The interface is clean and very simple. Images are not distorted. Some have different justifications, but that is a small issue. I am concerned about the accessibility of this resource as it appears to be lacking the appropriate accommodations for non-sighted users.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

Overall the text is well written, especially given the fact there were multiple authors. There were a few small spacing issues that I noticed, but they are a small consideration and a reader would be able to successfully progress through the information despite them.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

This textbook could benefit from a greater variety of examples relating to other cultures.

Comments

I think this will serve as a nice resource for instructional design students who wish to learn more about project management. I would like to see the authors review and update the text based on the feedback provided. It’s a good resource, but it has the potential to be a great one. I also think adding some visuals to help readers understand the phases of project management would be helpful.

Reviewed by Ghizzi Dunlop, Learning technologist, University of the West of England on 8/15/17

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This text is more than comprehensive enough as an introduction to project management for the needs of Instructional designers in the Higher Education sector here in the UK. I cannot speak to the private sector or workplace educational systems. I particularly liked the relation of Project Management approaches to pedagogical drivers and the instructional designers purpose and focus. The flow and structure to the text is logical and well paced, the structured Learning outcomes and Key takeaways familiar and easy to follow for learners. I accessed the pdf version and found the glossary complete, but would have liked it to be more accessible i.e. hyper linked with first use of term in text.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

I did not encounter any inaccuracies. Bias is more difficult as it is a question of perspective. As a teacher and instructional designer who uses project management as an aspect of their daily workflows, I want to use the processes of PM but am focussed on the educational. I find it useful but am not always as engaged as I should be in the reading here, generally my fault not the texts.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

I cannot see that the relevance will change much over the next few years, good practice is good practice. As instructional design teams will benefit from the project managers experiences for a long time to come.

Clarity rating: 3

It is clearly written despite being multi author. Well laid out, straightforward language, clear glossary of new terminology (though I would prefer the first use to be directly linked to the term or to ToolTip/Alt text it for Screenreader/Keyboard navigators and better use for all learners).

Consistency rating: 4

The internal text is consistent in structure, delivery and use of terminology

Modularity rating: 4

It would be simple to re organise content to fit with a preferred modular organisation, chapters and content are clearly defined.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

Progression through the content is logical and develops learners thinking in a clear, structured and relatable manner.

Interface rating: 2

I accessed the pdf and the audio recording alternatives for chapters.
I do have an accessibility issue with the images/graphical content, charts, diagrams, as no ALT Text/Tooltips are provided. The audio recordings alternative for the chapters is simply a recording of a screenreader/voiceover with a basic level of speed control (but only if you can see to adjust a slider), it is not searchable nor clear how the audio user accesses the Glossary mid stream etc. Making the Pdf accessible to users own preferred technology for access directly would be better accessibility practice.
Accessing the Glossary look up whilst reading was similarly annoying for users to back and forth on a digital pdf and inaccessible for many using supporting technologies. Please add in terminology Tooltips/ALT Text and/or hyper link to glossary terms.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

I accept authors American English ;)

Cultural Relevance rating: 1

Personally I think some more inclusive and diverse image sourcing is needed here. Only 3 images with non-white participants, all depicted in lesser roles, noticeable gender imbalance too and no differently abled represented either. Unfortunately another WMM dominated area clearly represented, need to give a better lead in diversity, inclusivity and accessibility in 'Open' generally and education essentially!

Comments

I am grateful it is openly available and think the content is pertinent and useful. However, I think it unfortunate that it has the issues I have highlighted above, as it would then be an excellent resource I would not hesitate to recommend to colleagues.

Reviewed by Laura Pasquini, Lecturer, University of North Texas on 4/11/17

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This book is designed to frame learning design principle in a project management format. Although there are foundational items shared around project management Professional (PMP) certification that is not the intention of this textbook. The Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) offers a solid framework for project management planning within the domain of instructional design. In thinking about the learning design process, PMBOK allows for readers to understand how consulting principles of project management can support the workflow of learning development and planning.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Instructional designers often wear the same hat as a project manager, so it is great to see this textbook weave in the managing and delivering of learning design with the teaching/learning models. There are a number of references (via footnotes) and resources shared to allow for learners to gain further understanding about these concepts.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

I believe instructors, faculty, and instructional designers will find this textbook offers a foundation to project management for learning design that will be relevant over time. In looking at the structure and length of the text, some sections are repetitive or seem to identify points in a longer format. If an update to this textbook was completed, I would encourage the contributors to consider pairing down the next iteration.

Clarity rating: 5

Authors offered learning objectives to provide an overview and a set of key takeaways to ensure the main ideas were identified in each section of the book. With a complex topic and a number of ideas, this organization is helpful for learners to focus on central concepts and frameworks in the textbook. Any jargon, technical communication, or information is explained, referenced in the glossary, or identified further reading in the footnotes.

Consistency rating: 5

For an edited book with various contributors, there seemed to be a consistent flow of ideas, information, and tone. This textbook breaks the central ideas of planning, management, and execution of the instructional design process for learners by pairing applied examples with theories and frameworks.

Modularity rating: 5

The textbook chapters and sections could be itemized into single modules if selected for teaching and learning in a course/training workshop. The learning objectives can be cross-mapped to your learning outcomes/objectives to determine for textbook inclusion or relevance for your own curriculum.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The chapters and sections of each chapter are clearly presented in the chronological order an instructional designer would approach a learning design project.

Interface rating: 4

The multi-media pieces to the textbook were interesting; however, I would have preferred to keep these with the appendices at the end of the textbook. I liked the glossary of terms at the end of the book. The only item missing is an index for quick search or reference for a topic. I much prefer to read this version of the textbook, housed on PressBooks: https://pm4id.pressbooks.com/

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not have any particular concerns about grammatical errors for this textbook. There were only a couple of minor formatting issues with text layout of the book found in Chapter 2.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

This textbook identifies a wide array of examples, subjects, and challenges you might encounter when managing an instructional design project; however, examples and videos included in this resource may want to be added to help other practitioners/educators identify better. Perhaps videos and narratives beyond the BYU institution could be shared and also perspectives from a broader cultural background as well.

Comments

With the wealth of knowledge being shared in learning sciences and instructional design, I think the concept of a curated and remixed textbook is an excellent contribution the field. Written content, videos, and external references for this textbook iteration provide learners and early career practitioners a strategic guide for managing learning design effectively.

Reviewed by Rose Baker, Assistant Professor, University of North Texas on 4/11/17

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The book is well-designed for the intended audience of instructional designers. Presentation of topics such as systems theory, Darnall-Preston Complexity Index, and the real-world examples give a foundation to instructional designers to improve their understanding of how the project management concepts and projects are part of the organization system.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

The content of the book that is referenced for The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) Guide is accurate for the year of citation. Since the citation, PMBOK has been updated to have a greater emphasis on stakeholder management; a topic that would be relevant to instructional designers as they work with their audience for the instructional materials. Further updates of PMBOK shift the emphasis from human resource management to resource management to encourage consideration of work, materials, and cost resources that are important to projects. The first chapter reinforces the importance of meeting or exceeding a client's expectations. This would be supported by the addition of the stakeholder management aspects from PMBOK. The subsequent chapters provide concepts from the body of knowledge about project management in a manner that is very supportive of instructional designers learning about managing instructional design projects.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The content is accurate and long-standing. Although the PMBOK guide has been updated, the core concepts have remained and are reflected within the text. Presentation of topics such as emotional intelligence, leadership styles, and personality indicators are timeless. The inclusion of software for managing the project could be expanded. The examples are likely limited to those at the time of the latest revision of the text.

Clarity rating: 3

The presentation of the terms and their definitions in context are helpful to the novice reader to understand the sometimes complex topics within project management. Basing the concepts within the real world examples gives situational reference and would likely improve understanding and knowledge retention. At times there are examples that could make the reader pause to think about why or what it means or why it was included. Most of the examples are relevant and have opportunities for an instructional designer to think about an educational context. Common-experience examples (I.e., packing and moving) have the potential to reduce the cognitive load of the material and allow for improved transfer to other contexts. More instructional design examples within the text would most likely be advantageous for the target audience. The three examples at the start of each chapter are helpful to explain circumstances and conditions that an instructional designer would likely experience.

Consistency rating: 5

The use of learning objectives and key takeaways within each chapter section give excellent direction to the novice reader and reinforce the concepts for the more advanced project manager or instructional designer. The numerous examples give context to allow the reader to relate the new information to prior knowledge.

Modularity rating: 5

The text does not need to be read from front to back. There is not a requirement to read one chapter before another to understand the concepts presented. Project management does have some build of concepts; however, the text is presented in a manner that does not necessitate linear access.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The chapters are presented in an order that is relevant to an instructional designer who would be managing a design project. The importance of the audience for the project, who the client is and the organization's complexity, are presented early in the text to reinforce to the designer that the product is centered on the audience and the organization.

Interface rating: 5

The book's interface is very clear. Both the PDF and ePub were easy to navigate and access the information with the charts, images, and references. The ePub allows for the reader to take notes.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The text appears clear of grammatical errors. 

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The book provides definition and examples or cultural understanding that is necessary in project management. The text of the book could be used globally. Even though many of the examples are based in the United States, the authors have included international cases and stories.

Comments

Inclusion of systems theory and self-organization is helpful for instructional designers to understand that the project is part of the larger system and as the project evolves, so does the organization. A project is part of the larger complex system. Presentation of the Darnall-Preston Complexity Index supports the instructional design project manager's thinking about how the project is part of the system and how to manage the change.

Reviewed by Will Monroe, Interim Co-Director for the Library and Information Technology, LSU Law Center on 2/8/17

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

Text is designed to provide an overview of project management principles in instructional design. Although it is distinguished from project management certification preparation, it opens each chapter with references to foundational texts used for preparation for project management certification. The book provides an excellent glossary but no index.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Extensive footnotes are provided throughout the text allowing the reader to check the accuracy of the content. Also, the authors emphasize the importance of source materials used for certification exams and authored by professional organizations (i.e., Project Management Institute [PMI]).

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The content is up-to-date and is aligned with project management certification exams as well as the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). Although the text is organized to fit a chronological sequence, the well-organized text will be more straightforward to update as the content area changes. Also, the authors emphasize that the text is the product of numerous contributors, invite further contributions from readers, and direct them to the first author (David Wiley).

Clarity rating: 5

Although the topic is abstract, the prose is clearly written and edited consistently throughout the book. New terminology is introduced throughout the book but is always immediately defined. Also helpful is the inclusion of a glossary in each chapter.

Consistency rating: 5

The authors organize each chapter in a consistent fashion by identifying learning objectives, glossary words, example scenarios, and "key takeaways". The content itself is also similarly consistent. The framework for the text draws heavily from source materials produced by the professional certification organizations.

Modularity rating: 5

The text is divided into chapters of approximately equal length. The chapters contain all all of the topics covered in the Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK), a foundational text from the Project Management Institute (PMI). The chapters are further divided into sections for learning objectives, glossary words, example scenarios, and key takeaways.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The chapters are organized in a chronological pattern, corresponding to the order in which an instructional designer would be called on to use the principles as a practitioner. For example, an instructional designer would be required to develop a "project profile" (Chapter 2) before considering "project phases and organization" (Chapter 3).

Interface rating: 4

The authors included several features that make browsing, reading, and careful study easier. First, the format of the book is explained in the Introduction. Also, the text provides an informative table of contents that follows a chronological sequence, the order in which a project manager for an instructional design project could expect to encounter them. Each individual chapter is further subdivided sections that facilitate careful study such as learning objectives, glossary words, example scenarios, and "key takeaways". The inclusion of images, charts, and diagrams might have enhanced the book.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The text is free of grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

The text does a fine job of explaining the subject matter and providing examples from real-file practitioners about their experiences with project management on instructional design projects. However, in future revisions of the book, it would be desirable to have examples of practitioners from a wider variety of backgrounds.

Comments

Project Management for Instructional Designers is a unique text made all the more valuable by the author's constant updates. I found it reassuring to know that the author is also an instructor who uses the text in his classes along with his co-authors, current and former students.

Reviewed by Peggy Quesenberry, Trainer/Instructor II, Virginia Tech on 2/8/17

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This text is quite complete in covering project management tasks from initially identifying problems with the client through completion and final report. There is a section related to working with the client when suggestions are made and perhaps the client doesn't quite understand. I haven't seen a text that actually names this potential problem, and this type problem does arise at times.
The DARNALL-PRESTON COMPLEXITY INDEX is strongly mentioned and is used as a guide. Others may not find this to be their choice of tool, but in general it works for a wide variety of projects.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

Video recordings are a great lead in to the second chapter. Here the reader, and listener, receives a variety of experiences for a number of different viewpoints. Projects vary, it is the nature of the world that no two will be the same and it is extremely important this is acknowledged.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

Who likes to read long books? This one covers a wealth of information, and really does not use filler phrases and useless sentences or duplicated material. This text could not be much shorter and be as informative.

Clarity rating: 4

If I had to select one sentence to cover my impression of this text it would be this one: "The foundation of a sound project execution plan is an assessment of the project environment." While it seems a simple sentence, when broken down for project management, planning, execution, and completion, it sums it up simply and completely.

This test is an good read, terms are explained as they are encountered so the reader sees immediately how, when, and where they are relevant which makes them easier to remember.

Consistency rating: 5

Well done.

Modularity rating: 4

This text is well arranged so that topics are contained within chapters, and readily assigned at different points with a course. However, for full understanding, reading in order of presentation will be more beneficial.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

Defining the Project Manager's responsibilities and duties is right at the beginning of the text and sets the tone for the balance of the test with accurate, detailed (but not boring) information.

Interface rating: 5

Readers should have no problem moving through the text and videos. There are no hidden unpleasant surprises.
I read several chapters out of sequence to see if I had issues with understanding the material. A couple of times I did find myself looking back for a definition of a phrase or term used. However, in general this is a good reference text, as well as a teaching text.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I found no huge issues with grammar.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

I found no instances of cultural or insensitive information or in the examples. Of course, each reader views with a different lens, but I do not think this text will be offensive to readers. Material contained is appropriate for most all project management programs or classes, and the information could be applied to a wide variety of clients, projects, and problem solving cases.

Comments

I was surprised to find The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) included within the text. Personality traits are often key in a successful project, and this is an area that should be addressed, though many textbooks do not do so.