Project Management: Achieving Competitive Advantage, 6th edition

Published by Pearson (April 16, 2026) © 2027
Jeffrey K Pinto

Title overview

For project management courses.

PM fundamentals, from a business angle

Project Management: Achieving Competitive Advantage combines general PM principles with examples spanning applications and industries. Integrated with the latest edition of the PMBoK Guide (the 8th Edition), the text explores holistic solutions to the technical, managerial and interpersonal challenges that are familiar to nearly any project manager.

The 6th Edition examines the critical role of AI for managing projects in the modern era and supports hands-on practice with Gen AI tools. An all-new MyLab for this title is now available, offering a breadth of assignable, auto-graded activities, plus a video lecture suite featuring author Jeffrey Pinto.

Hallmark features of this title

Hands-on project planning

  • Integrated project exercises at the end of chapters help students develop a detailed project plan, including scope, scheduling, risk assessment, budgeting and cost estimation.
  • Project Profiles in each chapter highlight examples of PM successes and failures, from IT and construction projects to product development.
  • Integration with the latest edition of the PMBoK Guide (the 8th Edition) means that chapters include cross-references to terminology and content areas.

Applications and research

  • End-of-chapter case studies with discussion questions take examples from the chapter and apply them in a case format.
  • UPDATED: End-of-chapter problems and exercises give students practice analyzing and responding to PM scenarios.
  • Project Managers in Practice boxes showcase the functions and challenges of real project managers.

New and updated features of this title

New AI focus

  • NEW: A new section on AI and its PM applications is integrated into Chapter 11.
  • NEW: A new “AI Connections” section of each chapter links the chapter’s themes to AI applications; for example, Chapter 8 looks at uses of AI to avoid bias in cost estimation.
  • NEW: AI Engagement Exercises at the end of each chapter challenge students to productively engage Gen AI tools in PM challenges.

Interactive engagement

  • NEW: Microsoft® Project 2024 step-by-step tutorials replace the 2016 versions. All MS examples and screen captures have also been updated to Microsoft Project 2024.
  • EXPANDED: Sample questions from the PMP certification exam at the end of most chapters mimic exam questions and gauge students’ knowledge of the PMBoK Guide.

Key features

All-new MyLab! Features of MyLab Operations Management for the 6th Edition

  • Interactive Reading Assignments engage students through an integrated blend of narrative, media and assessment, while holding them accountable for coming to class prepared.
  • Dynamic Study Modules pose a handful of questions and then respond to each student’s progress in real time. Learners deepen their grasp of concepts as they go.
  • Mini Sims and OM Sims give students practical exposure to the real business challenges of various professional roles focused on project management.
  • Text and video case studies are assignable, auto-gradable and title-specific. You can swap out cases with any from the Case Study Library in MyLab.
  • Using AI projects are ready-to-assign activities building the essential skills needed to use AI effectively in school and at work. The projects come with grading guidance and rubrics.
  • Excel Projects use proven, field-tested technology to help students build key skills in Microsoft® Excel®. These auto-graded projects make it possible to seamlessly integrate Excel content into your course.

Features of Pearson+ eTextbook for the 6th Edition

  • AI-powered study tool gives students access to an expert chatbot for personalized support, simplified explanations and guided practice.
  • NEW: New chapter-by-chapter interactives in all chapters prompt active engagement with figures.
  • Embedded questions let students check their understanding as they progress through the chapter, giving them a boost of confidence before moving on.
  • “In the News” boxes at the end of each chapter focus on current event applications of PM principles. Twice-annual updates will flow to the eTextbook, keeping the content as current as possible.
  • Certification Updates boxes at the end of each chapter provide any relevant updates to certification standards found in the chapter. Regular updates will flow to the eTextbook, keeping the content as current as possible.

Table of contents

  1. Introduction: Why Project Management?
  2. The Organizational Context: Strategy, Structure, and Culture
  3. Project Selection and Portfolio Management
  4. Leadership and the Project Manager
  5. Scope Management
  6. Project Team Building, Conflict, and Negotiation
  7. Risk Management
  8. Cost Estimation and Budgeting
  9. Project Scheduling: Networks, Duration Estimation, and Critical Path
  10. Project Scheduling: Lagging, Crashing, and Activity Networks
  11. Advanced Topics in Organizing, Planning, and Scheduling: Artificial Intelligence, Agile, and Critical Chain
  12. Resource Management
  13. Project Evaluation and Control
  14. Project Closeout and Termination

Author bios

About our author

Dr. Jeffrey K. Pinto is the Andrew Morrow and Elizabeth Lee Black Chair in the Management of Technology in the Sam and Irene Black School of Business at Penn State, Behrend College. Dr. Pinto held previous academic appointments at the University of Cincinnati and the University of Maine. He is also an Honorary Professor at Apsley Business School (London) and was a Visiting Professor at the Kemmy Business School, University of Limerick and Cranfield School of Management (UK). He is the Program Chair for Penn State’s Master of Project Management program.

Dr. Pinto is the author or editor of 28 books and more than 200 scientific papers that have appeared in a variety of academic and practitioner journals, books, conference proceedings, video lessons and technical reports. His work has been translated into nine languages. He served as editor of the Project Management Journal, is past department editor for R&D and engineering projects with IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management and serves on several other journal editorial boards.

With over 35 years’ experience in the field of project management, Dr. Pinto is a two-time recipient of the Distinguished Contribution Award from the Project Management Institute for outstanding service to the project management profession. He received PMI’s Research Achievement Award in 2009 for outstanding contributions to project management research. In 2017, he received the Research Achievement Award from the International Project Management Association in recognition of his career research contributions to the field of project management.

Dr. Pinto has taught and consulted widely in North America, South America and Europe on a variety of topics, including project management, new product development, supply chain management, information systems implementation, organization development, leadership and conflict resolution.

Loading...Loading...Loading...