My goal was to reduce the PMBA list to no more than 40 titles. Here are my editing criteria:
- Valuable Content – each book has to contain a lot of useful, practical information on how business works, how you can add value, and must explain why the material in the book is important to know. As a whole, the list must cover as much ground as possible, while providing a mix of both complimentary and conflicting viewpoints.
- Acceptable Time Commitment – no 1,000 page books here, although there are a few (good) textbooks in the mix for the more technical topics (accounting, finance, real estate). You should be able to get the key points of each book in a few hours, or by reading the chapter introductions and summaries of the textbooks.
- Reference Value – is the book going to be one you pick back up when you need information? How does the book re-read? Is this a book that is worth keeping for many years?