Q: Content is accurate, error-free and unbiased

Numerous topics are incorrectly introduced and contain inadequate formalism as well as inaccurate information.

For example chapter 1 suggests that typical operational activities are projects, although the concept of project and its definition have not yet been introduced. Moreover, most of the “project” examples in this chapter are incorrect and irrelevant – which is confirmed once project management is defined in chapter 5.

In the two (yes 2) page of Chapter 2 a very weak overview of project management history, with simplistic and inadequate examples from “history” – like the pyramids (?!) – is “covered.”

Chapter 3 (What is a project) has all of ONE page! [proposing a formal definition which is not one]

Chapter 4 (Project Characteristics) is also a one-page chapter with mostly inadequate content –in point form. [and so on]

This form of content weakness is present even in chapters of more than one page.

Content Accuracy Rating: 1 out of 5

Q: Content is up-to-date, but not in a way that will quickly make the text obsolete within a short period of time. The text is written and/or arranged in such a way that necessary updates will be relatively easy and straightforward to implement

The text is poorly structured, with topics jumping from one to another without proper transition or idea flow. Relevance is inadequate, presenting some outdated topics in name only.

Maintaining content up to date will require a complete rewriting of the textbook.

Relevance Rating: 1 out of 5

Q: The text is written in lucid, accessible prose, and provides adequate context for any jargon/technical terminology used

The writing style is colloquial and patronizing. The students are addressed in a non-professional manner throughout the text in the form of “you” – second person.

One needs to consider that in an online environment, mature students could form the majority of the reading audience.

Clarity Rating: 2 out of 5

Q: The text is internally consistent in terms of terminology and framework

Some inconsistencies appear in various chapters. The terminology is adequate but lacks formality – an essential element in business courses.

Consistency Rating: 2 out of 5

Q: The text is easily and readily divisible into smaller reading sections that can be assigned at different points within the course (i.e., enormous blocks of text without subheadings should be avoided). The text should not be overly self-referential, and should be easily reorganized and realigned with various subunits of a course without presenting much disruption to the reader.

The text consists mostly of short chapters with no exercises. Of course, this results in a reference book inadequate for teaching in a higher education environment.

Few (2-3) examples are “solved” in a summary way, with no explanation

Lack of formal rigour is present throughout the book

Modularity Rating: 2 out of 5

Q: The topics in the text are presented in a logical, clear fashion

The theory is presented in short segments without proper substance – mostly referring the reader to three main outside sources namely another university, PMBOK, and Wikipedia.

Again, lack of formality is a major weakness – this book is supposed to cover math material were rigour is essential .

Organization Rating: 1 out of 5

Q: The text is free of significant interface issues, including navigation problems, distortion of images/charts, and any other display features that may distract or confuse the reader

Because the vast majority of the text consists in short chapters, these are easily identifiable.
However, the relation between the table of content and the text is misleading because chapter content is minimal (one to three pages on average).

The format of the pdf file is inconsistent – with pages containing oversized pictures or tables, making navigation awkward.

Interface Rating: 1 out of 5

Q: The text contains no grammatical errors

Using the online Grammarly to analyze the grammar and writing style resulted in an average of more than 50 issues per page covering:

Use of conjunctions
Incorrect use of prepositions
Comparing two or more things
Confusing modifiers
Wordiness
Spelling
Vocabulary use
Use of articles
Subject and verb agreement
Punctuation within a sentence
Formal punctuation
Sentence structure
Passive voice use
Capitalization
Writing style
Vocabulary use

Based on the above, the text contains numerous grammar and style errors, including punctuations weaknesses not acceptable in an academic textbook.

Grammar Rating: 1 out of 5

Q: The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive in any way. It should make use of examples that are inclusive of a variety of races, ethnicities, and backgrounds

I found the text offensive because of the condescending nature of some comments, and treatment of the reader in a non-professional way.

One needs to consider that some readers (students) could be mature students, therefore not open to the patronizing nature of the written material.

Cultural Relevance Rating: 2 out of 5

Q: Are there any other comments you would like to make about this book, for example, its appropriateness in a Canadian context or specific updates you think need to be made?

This textbook is obviously (to me) a work in progress requiring substantial reviews to be considered for a Project Management course in a higher institution.

Finally, running this eBook through Turnitin (a plagiarism checker) indicates that numerous references to existing sources are missing or inadequately presented – potentially resulting in copyright issues. [Similarity index of 43%, which I can send to appropriate Open Textbook administrators if requested]

List of internet sources:

http://archive.org
http://cnx.org
http://downloads.pm4id.org
http://en.dwhwiki.info
http://en.wikibooks.org
http://en.wikipedia.org
http://materjalid.tmk.edu.ee
http://pm4id.org
http://rakeshkansara.blogspot.com
http://rfptemplates.technologyevaluation.com
http://source.smepro.eu
http://www.becomacademy.com
http://www.definitions.net
http://www.enotes.com
http://www.eugad.eu
http://www.exinfm.com
http://www.flatworldknowledge.com
http://www.fwpmi.org
http://www.open.edu
http://www.pmhut.com
http://www.show-orz.com
http://www.taody.com
http://www.wikieducator.org