Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling

Book Description

This Ninth Edition of the industry-leading project management “bible” applies its streamlined approach to new, authoritative coverage aligned with the Project Management Institute’s Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMI’s PMBOK), the new mandatory source of training for the Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification Exam. Written by one of the best-known authorities on the subject, this extraordinary edition gives a profound understanding of project management.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Book.......2007-10-07

This is an excellent reference book on Project Management. If you want to read a book on PM in addition to PMBOK Guide, this is the book. There is lots of good stuff in it.

The most comprehensive PM textbook and excellent study gude for the PMP.......2007-10-03

I will have to respectfully disagree with the reviewer who stated this book was not good for preparing for the PMP. Though I will have to admit that this depends on how extensive you want your PMP preparation to be as well as if throughly learning the subject of project management is more important than just passing the PMP. If this is the case, then this book will exceed these expectation on all counts.

On the structure and contents of the text, it has 23 chapters whereupon the first 10 chapters delve into the basic structure and organizational behaviors that create a need for project management. In a sense, these chapter deal with the "soft" issues in project management, since the success of projects depends on the people who work on them and the stakeholders and customers who support and drive the project initiative. As Kerzner states, "these first ten chapters are needed to understand the cultural environment for all projects and systems". For those preparing for the PMP, chapter 3 titled "Organizational Structures" gives an in depth exposition of the types of organizational structures such as functional, matrix, and projectized that you will need to know for the PMP exam. You can see where much of what is in the chapter no doubt influenced the PMBOK.

Chapters 11-20 go into the heart of project management such as planning, scheduling, cost control, estimating, procurement and quality. These chapter are indeed "hard-core" project management tools and techniques that are systematically discussed in depth. But this is where much of the meat of project management is discussed and where all the major PMP exam subjects are covered. Particularly relevant are these chapters:

11 - Planning
12 - Network Scheduling Techniques
14 - Pricing and Estimating
15 - Cost Control
17 - Risk Management
19 - Contracts and Procurement
20 - Quality Management

I would recommend reading these chapter once through, then answering the questions at the end of the chapters, and going back to sections you were not clear about. Unlike the previous editions, this one has answers for the end of chapter questions and I found them relevant to the study of the PMP exam.

The last 3 chapters are an advanced overview of topics such as developing your own project management methodology, critical chain (which you may get a question or two on), and the Project Management Office (PMO). These chapters can be glanced over or skipped for another time.

I can recall when I took a PMP exam prep class with the PMI LA chapter, that many instructors acknowledged the greatness of this book and the likelihood of learning everything you need to know for the PMP exam if studied exhaustively, but also kept saying what an enormous tome it is at 1000+ pages and the exhaustive technical details of project management laid out, that most recommended not to use the resource unless you had a lot of time and stamina.

Hearing this, I was both intrigued and intimidated when I saw this book at Borders, but after picking it up and skimming it over and reading some sections, I found it quite readable, if a bit text bookish and academic. I will say this though, it is definitely more readable then the PMBOK. I promise!

Consider though that if you read the PMBOK (which many recommend you read several times) and a couple prep books, you have in fact read thousands of pages preparing for the PMP exam.

In all seriousness though, if it is your desire to simply pass the PMP exam and/or your pressed for time, then perhaps it is better to just purchase the PMBOK and Rita's text (which I did not like at all) and just cram and memorize. There's nothing wrong with that, as people taking the PMP exam are busy professionals without a lot of time.

But if you are planning to take your time and want to throughly learn the science and art of project management as well as pass the PMP exam with flying colors, then I wholeheartedly recommend this book. One way or another you will be referencing this book if you are a true project management professional.

I utilized this book in my studies for the PMP exam, and was able to pass in the upper 80th percentile and did not need to resort to any form of memorization or cramming, nor did I resort to doing a "brain dump" sheet on the day of the exam.

Happy studies and good luck to all you aspiring PMP project managers!

-Don Kim, PMP

Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling.......2007-05-14

This book is well thoughtout and easy to read. The layout including the PMI PMP reference is excellent.

Good Book: If You Use It For What It Is.......2007-01-28

I'm a book worm. I have studied the PMBOK Guide, the three standard PMP Study Guides (Rita, Sanghera, and Crowe), this book, and many others. This book is a good reference book for project management. It has lots of useful stuff in it. However, following is my opinion:
1. This book is NOT compatible with the PMBOK Guide. Simple: this book (as the name suggests) adopts a system approach to project management while PMBOK Guide takes the process approach. A fundamental difference. This book was originally written long time ago (this is the 9th edition). The PMBOK guide and this book started from different roots.
2. Do not use this book to prepare for the PMI exams (CAPM and PMP). Due to the difference in approaches, you will end up getting confused and lost in 1000 pages of this book.
3. Don't be fooled by the reference to the PMBOK Guide at various places in the book. Just stamping a material with the PMBOK Guide reference does not make it compatible with the PMBOK Guide.
4. Now, the fact that this book takes a different approach from the PMBOK Guide is not necessarily a bad thing. You can use it if you are looking for approaches to PM other than the PMBOK Guide approach. You can also use this book for academic exploration after you have mastered the PMBOK Guide approach and passed your PMP exam (if that's what you are up to).
Bottom line: Good PM reference but not the right book for the PMP exam preparation.

I hate textbooks..........2007-01-04

...but I enjoyed this one. Kerzner is a good writer. He is also remarkably funny considering the subject matter.

Information Systems Management in Practice (7th Edition)

Average customer rating:

Review by Grad Student
IS Myths Revealed
From a network administrator's perspective
Great paperweight, good consolidation of other people's work
Ideal for learning about IS management

Information Systems Management in Practice (7th Edition)
Barbara C. McNurlin , and Ralph H. Sprague
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0131854712

Book Description

Dealing with the management of information technology (IT) as it is being practiced in organizations today, the emphasis of this book is on the current material that information systems executives find important; its organization is around a framework that readers new to the information can understand. In this 7 ^th edition, discussions include the rising societal risks of IT, new sections on digital convergence, messaging, and instant messaging, and a revised discussion on wireless technology. The topics of outsourcing and and information security have been updated and enhanced. Information Systems Management in Practice continues to merge theory with practice through real-world case examples. Topics include leadership issues, the CIO’s responsibilities, uses of IT, information systems planning, essential technologies, managing operations, systems development, decision-making, collaboration, and knowledge work. An excellent reference resource for anyone employed in the information technology sector of business, especially managers of and executives in those departments.

Customer Reviews:

Review by Grad Student.......2007-07-19

This was my textbook for a graduate class in Information Systems and I enjoyed the book very much. The first chapter is a great introduction to show where the world of IT is and how we got there. Also the case studies are worth the price alone since they take real world corporations and offer insight into the improvements/mistakes they have made. Up to date also b/c it covers modern topics such as SOA and ESB.

IS Myths Revealed.......2007-01-05

Until I studied this book as part my BEng(Hons) curriculam, I was considering that the Innformation Systems as a dumb subject and often relating MIS to the IS. After reading this book there is shift in my paradigm. Barbara starts this with brief history on IS and its strategic importance and goes on explaining the concept of group support and decision support systems. Its a valuable asset for any IS practitioner or a studying professional. I felt certain chapters like networking and database should not part of this book as the IS is more of a concept rather than implementation. However I rate this as highest since this is the best book I have ever seen in the IS engineering.

From a network administrator's perspective.......2004-05-18

I read this book as part of my first course in a Ph.D.-MIS program. I thought it was a great overview and history of MIS, and provided insight into alternative IS management styles and strategies. The case studies were relevent, current, well written and interesting. I recommend this book for all network and systems administrators. It gives insight into what thought processes should be occurring at the CIO and IS manager levels.

Great paperweight, good consolidation of other people's work.......2002-10-20

This book provides various sources of information but no analysis by the book's authors. It is a patch work of case studies, excerpts, and paraphrasing of other texts to which I hope the original authors are getting paid royalties for.

Some of the diagrams are simplistic, others are useless. More than half of them are from other sources.

The book seems to formulate points of interest (e.g. traditional, evolving, and present-day IT roles) without providing analysis of why and how this affects future trends in IS management.

I had to write a review after reading nebulous fluff like, "Being a manufacturer, LifeScan has instituted quality processes." (which successful company doesn't) or "Way back in 1964,..." (not just back, but WAY back). When you do read something of slight interest it is almost always followed by something like, "so says Mr. so-and-so, in this-paper-that-he-wrote." (e.g. pp. 126-127 whenever "Rayport and Sviokla" is mentioned - 4 times in about 1 page of text and in every paragraph - the authors are paraphrasing a point Rayport and Sviokla made)

I'm truly amazed this book is this bad after five revisions. The authors seem to have the right information, but they really need to provide their own insights and analysis. And also have my high school english teacher review it to cut the fluff out.

Ideal for learning about IS management.......2002-08-18

I bought this book for my MSc in Analysis, Design and Management of Information Systems and I consider that it was extremely helpful. The chapter about the perspectives of IS and the role of the CIO are very interesting. In the chapter about Information Systems Planning, they included lots of concepts related to strategy, linking IS Planning with six different approaches/techniques: Stages of Growth, Critical Success Factors, Competitive Forces Model, Value Chain Analysis, Internet Value Matrix and Linkage Analysis Planning. The chapters about managing systems development are really instructive also. I strongly recommend the book for those IT practitioners whom are seeking a managerial position. It is very useful to managers and strategists as well.

The PDMA Handbook of New Product Development, Second Edition

Average customer rating:

Second Edition
PDMA - Handbook for new product development
Product Marketing Professionals - BUY THIS BOOK!
This book should have been read when it was published!
Wonderful!

The PDMA Handbook of New Product Development, Second Edition

Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0471485241

Book Description

The completely revised and updated "bible"of new product development: The PDMA Handbook of New Product Development, Second Edition.

The PDMA Handbook of New Product Development, Second Edition provides a comprehensive, updated picture of what you as a manager need to know for effective new product development. The book's concise, map-like detail acts as a compass, offering practical information pertaining to every stage of the product development process -- from idea generation to launch to the end of the life cycle.

Whether you're a novice or an expert, this edition is ideal as it provides both fundamentals and reliable information on advanced and emerging concepts such as accelerated product development, new product development globalization and benchmarking, and Web-based concept development.

Customer Reviews:

Second Edition.......2007-04-11

This is the "Bible" for NPD professionals. An excellent addition to the guides by Cooper and Crawford.

PDMA - Handbook for new product development.......2007-01-12

Haven't read from cover to cover, but proving to be an excellent reference. Good examples from industry reinforce key messages. Haven't learnt anything groundbreakingly new, but it has been a good confirmation or fine-tuning reference when needed.

Product Marketing Professionals - BUY THIS BOOK!.......2002-03-14

The PDMA Handbook is one of those rare and valuable books that characterizes a "body of knowledge" for a professional discipline. It was produced by the preeminent industry organization for New Product Development (NPD) professionals, the PDMA .... This text describes current, best practices in NPD and includes contributions from knowledge leaders in academia, consulting, and industry practice. If you are a CEO, COO, CTO, Marketing Manager, Product Manager, Product Planner, Engineering Manager, Project Manager, Program Manager, or any other professional involved in new product development (especially for technically complex products like hardware and software) you really need this book.

Product Managers (should) perform the nitty, gritty, roll-your-sleeves-up: opportunity analysis, business case formulation, and requirements management for new products. Research shows that judicious performance of this critical pre-work is a key determinant in the ultimate market success of new products and is usually performed inadequately. Unfortunately, most professionals in such roles have had no formal training beyond an MBA (sometimes). The PDMA Handbook provides a comprehensive treatment of virtually all the subject areas new product development (business) managers need to understand to drive the success of their endeavors. Want to know the key success factors for new products, understand value proposition, differentiation, features vs. benefits, uniqueness, sustainable competitive advantage, the fuzzy front end, pipeline management, how to plan a new product launch, manage a product portfolio, and more? This is the book you need. The PDMA Handbook is the Gray's Anatomy of product management. Buy it and READ it at least twice.

This book should have been read when it was published!.......2001-08-19

This book seem to be written by persons who really know what NPD (or NPI) really is. All those described mistakes possible to be done is made by me during last five years...this is a good book.

The area of NPD is large. Luckily people in PDMA have come to the right conclution: it is not possible for one person to handle the whole area throughly. Every chapter in this book is written by expert on his/her own area. Unfortunately the maximum size of one book restricts the possible space per one writer to include only the most vital parts into this book.

To whom I can recommend this book? --- To anyone who will to increase his/her own scope of NPD and especially to a person who already have gained some experience on this field and is able to compare his/her own experiece to this book.

Wonderful!.......2000-02-02

I purchased the PDMA Handbook on the strength of a review and have been very glad I did so. After quoting a few passage to my staff they began to borrow it, and now the Handbook has made the rounds of the office. It is worn and dog-eared, and quoted from on a daily basis.

The message of "treating each other with respect and dignity" by author Holahan et al has really struck a chord around here. Many of us believe she must be staunch Christian, one who lives her faith on a daily basis.

Book Description

The second edition of Communication Networks is designed for junior level engineering and computer science students with no prior knowledge of communication theory and computer networks. It is self-contained and fuses together descriptions of concrete networks with a conceptual understanding of the subject to further student understanding.

Customer Reviews:

Get ready to slash your wrists!.......2004-04-20

This is one of the worst texts I've ever read! The author writes as though the reader totally understands every complex example presented. This is amazing because some parts are very simple and easy to understand. The calculations and formulas are almost to impossible to comprehend. Don't waste your time with this book! There are better, more comprehesive communication networks books out there. This text is by NO means "A First Course"!

Informative, good pace and valuable to network beginners.......2003-06-01

Excellent read. The explanations were clear with lots of examples. Teaches network basics as well as intermediate topics. Includes historical facts and future projections.
Highly recommended for beginners and refreshers.

as bignners we need mercy !!.......2002-10-31

as bignners in the field we need something to understand not to suffer with .. we need something that can build our base not to destroy our encourage and our interest to go deep in the field of networking .. SO I ADD MY OPINION TO THE OTHERS AS WELL :(

DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK!!.......2002-09-30

this book is absolutely worthless. i actually took a communication class with the author of this book at UC Berkeley, and it is hard for me to decide who's worse: the book or prof. walrand. the entire class hated the book, even the TA's were not able to help us understand it because they didn't understand the book either. this is absolutely the worst book i've ever read. the prof knew the whole class hated him, so he didn't even dare to show up during the finals.
any other book in networking would be better.

Bent over a table.......2002-05-02

This book was the absolute worst textbook I have ever encountered. Unfortunately, I needed it for my first Master's degree class in Communications. Absolutely unclear in its explainations and problems and questions that seem to come out of the blue. The appendices were useless is describing queuing theory and statistics. The entire class hated this book, but had to buy it new. I'm embarrassed to say that the professor for the course reviewed it.

Amazon.com

Peopleware asserts that most software development projects fail because of failures within the team running them. This strikingly clear, direct book is written for software development-team leaders and managers, but it's filled with enough commonsense wisdom to appeal to anyone working in technology. Authors Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister include plenty of illustrative, often amusing anecdotes; their writing is light, conversational, and filled with equal portions of humor and wisdom, and there is a refreshing absence of "new age" terms and multistep programs. The advice is presented straightforwardly and ranges from simple issues of prioritization to complex ways of engendering harmony and productivity in your team. Peopleware is a short read that delivers more than many books on the subject twice its size.

Customer Reviews:

A timeless software classic, a must read for every manager, and a source of inspiration for practitioners (software developers).......2007-07-08

Peopleware: Productivity Projects and Teams [Tom DeMarco, Timothy Lister] was first published in 1987 - three decades later it is a revered classic. DeMarco and Lister focus on the human factor of software development (managing people). Through their 30 years of project management experience and consulting they share what went right, and more importantly, what went wrong - so we can learn from their mistakes.

This series of essays cover a wide variety of topics ranging from: office environments that encourage work, the importance of the closed door (read: "cubicles are BAD"), the significance of "flow" and creativity, the dangers and hidden cost of turnover, the importance of hiring and keeping the right people, how to retain employees, how to encourage productivity, the importance of a "jelled team", the dangers of teamicide, how not to manage people, and many other equally interesting topics.

Some quotes I found interesting:

"No one can really work much more than forty hours, at least not continually and with the level of intensity required for creative work." Chapter 3

"the process of improving productivity risks worsening turnover" (Chapter 3)

"People under time pressure don't work better; they just work faster." (Chapter 3)

"People who had ten years of experience did not outperform those with two years of experience." (Chapter 8)

"people who perform better tend to gravitate towards organizations that provide a better workplace." (Chapter 8)

"the total cost of replacing each person is the equivalent of four-and-a-half to five months of employee cost or about twenty percent of the cost of keeping that employee for two years on the job." (Chapter 16)

This book continues to change the way I view my job, organization, and career. Practitioners and authors like: Steve McConnell, Robert L. Glass, and Joel Spolsky heavily cite the industry-shattering truths originally exposed by Marco and Lister. This book should be on every professional's shelf along side other classics like: The Mythical Man-Month, and Code Complete.

So good, a must have.......2007-04-17

I think this book opens your mind in how to manage people as a book about SOA opens it in how to architecture an application. It gives no answers, but you will see how you would like to work after reading it.

Very impressive.

Highly Recommended - Software is about people.......2007-04-11

A must-read for managers especially, but useful for developers as well, who may be wondering why they don't enjoy their job as much as they would like. Clearly spells out the oft-hidden costs of development and why some teams work well and are enjoyable to be part of and why some are demotivating.

This book is relevant not just for software development, but for any team environment where the work entails thinking for a living.

I found this book a breathe of fresh air amongst the talk of productivity enhancements, out-sourcing and the latest must-use technologies.

everyone should read, not just the manager.......2007-03-14

I would recommend anyone to read this book for project (task, mission) that is going to be carried out by a team or an organization. It is a humanistic (and not lazy) way of carrying out things. We all know that when the profession of management digress itself from keeping a close eye on human psychology, troubles are looming on the horizon.

Wonderful collection of thoughts and many gems. Hey.. does Amazon come with a six starts? :)

A facinating insight into the workplace.......2007-01-23

A very good book. You realize a lot of what has to change in your office after reading it. Most of the suggestions apply to office work in general, not just software development. Unfortunately most of the suggestions only apply to the ideal employees, who do actually take advantage of the improvements to increase productivity, which is not the case in most workplaces. Appart from that it is a must read for all who work in an office environment

Principles of Financial Engineering (Academic Press Advanced Finance)

Average customer rating:

great book
Simply a must own for anyone with any use for Quant Finance
I can't praise this book too highly!
This is one of the top books on quantitative finance
Great!

Principles of Financial Engineering (Academic Press Advanced Finance)
Salih N. Neftci
Manufacturer: Academic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0125153945

Book Description

Bestselling author Salih Neftci presents a fresh, original, informative, and up-to-date introduction to financial engineering. The book offers clear links between intuition and underlying mathematics and an outstanding mixture of market insights and mathematical materials. Also included are end-of-chapter exercises and case studies.

In a market characterized by the existence of large pools of liquid funds willing to go anywhere, anytime in search of a few points of advantage, there are new risks. Lacking experience with these new risks, firms, governmental entities, and other investors have been surprised by unexpected and often disastrous financial losses. Managers and analysts seeking to employ these new instruments and strategies to make pricing, hedging, trading, and portfolio management decisions require a mature understanding of theoretical finance and sophisticated mathematical and computer modeling skills.

Important and useful because it analyzes financial assets and derivatives from the financial engineering perspective, this book offers a different approach than the existing finance literature in financial asset and derivative analysis. Seeking not to introduce financial instruments but instead to describe the methods of synthetically creating assets in static and in dynamic environments and to show how to use them, his book complements all currently available textbooks. It emphasizes developing methods that can be used in order to solve risk management, taxation, regulation, and above all, pricing problems.

This perspective forms the basis of practical risk management. It will be useful for anyone learning about practical elements of financial engineering.

* Exercises and case studies at end of each chapter and on-line Solutions Manual provided
* Explains issues involved in day-to-day life of traders, using language other than mathematics
* Careful and concise analysis of the LIBOR market model and of volatility engineering problems

Customer Reviews:

great book.......2007-05-07

Prof. Neftci gave one of our mandatory course - Financial Engineering, in HEC Lausanne. This book is the reference book for this course. His lecture is great, a lot of jokes and funny stories as well as insights about financial engineering. However, I find out that the book is even better than his lecture.

Simply a must own for anyone with any use for Quant Finance.......2006-08-26

Neftci is one of those rare authors who can begin at the begining, explain his major point and logic without excessive jargon or short-cuts, and do so without sacrificing depth and substance.

In a field were the readable texts are for MBAs or elementary practioneers or for the initiated members of the priesthood, here is one of a few handful of authors (Wilmott and Joshi as well) that are both clear and serious, rigorous and accessible, insightful and a plerasure to read.

I can't praise this book too highly!.......2005-12-09

As someone who teaches derivatives to practitioners and in a Masters program, I can't praise this book too highly. It is clear, comprehensive and, most importantly, concentrates on practical applications. I was particularly pleased with the chapter on repo, which is usually underestimated in importance, without requiring a whole, specialist book.

For someone with a fundamental, but non-quantitative background in financial markets (MBA or CFA level), this is the ideal place to go next before more specialised and quantitative books. The advantage of having studied this book first will be to have a clear picture of the forest for the trees.

My only (small) criticism is that the book would have been even better if it had included a chapter (or two) on the multi-tranche asset backed security structure followed by cash and then synthetic CDOs. I do hope that might be rectified in the next edition.

Bravo!

This is one of the top books on quantitative finance.......2005-11-22

I am a student of Prof Neftci in the Applied Math for Finance MS program at Baruch College. He is a great teacher and has written this wonderful book. This is the text book for the Calibration course he teaches at baruch.

The best thing about it is in the practical approach it is written with. It tries to explain the finance as interpreted by practioners like traders...the engineering of finance rather than the science of it. Knowledge of basic parobability thoery, martingales, PDE and some stochastic calculus is assumed. The book itself has less emphasis on mathematical rigour but there are plenty of other references for that.

The strength of this book is in its practical utility in understanding the market and the rational behind the products that exist in it and the priciples of pricing and hedging those.
Chapter 11 on the Fundamental Asset prcing theory is a gem and is the workhorse for pricing many of the products like swaps or swaptions.

Great!.......2005-11-20

A wonderful book with a great didactic approach! Very clear but never mundane. The best introduction to the field so far. It's only drawback is the sometimes slightly unintuitive notation.

The Art of Project Management (Theory in Practice (O'Reilly))

Average customer rating:

real world pm
project management with your feet on the ground and your heart on it
highly practical and thorough coverage
Great book
Best book I've found on Project Management

The Art of Project Management (Theory in Practice (O'Reilly))
Scott Berkun
Manufacturer: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0596007868

Book Description

The Art of Project Management covers it all--from practical methods for making sure work gets done right and on time, to the mindset that can make you a great leader motivating your team to do their best. Reading this was like reading the blueprint for how the best projects are managed at Microsoft... I wish we always put these lessons into action!" --Joe Belfiore, General Manager, E-home Division, Microsoft Corporation

"Berkun has written a fast paced, jargon-free and witty guide to what he wisely refers to as the 'art' of project management. It's a great introduction to the discipline. Seasoned and new managers will benefit from Berkun's perspectives." --Joe Mirza, Director, CNET Networks (Cnet.com)

"Most books with the words 'project management' in the title are dry tomes. If that's what you are expecting to hear from Berkun's book, you will be pleasantly surprised. Sure, it's about project management. But it's also about creativity, situational problem-solving, and leadership. If you're a team member, project manager, or even a non-technical stakeholder, Scott offers dozens of practical tools and techniques you can use, and questions you can ask, to ensure your projects succeed." --Bill Bliss, Senior VP of product and customer experience, expedia.com

In The Art of Project Management, you'll learn from a veteran manager of software and web development how to plan, manage, and lead projects. This personal account of hard lessons learned over a decade of work in the industry distills complex concepts and challenges into practical nuggets of useful advice. Inspiring, funny, honest, and compelling, this is the book you and your team need to have within arms reach. It will serve you well with your current work, and on future projects to come.

Topics include:

How to make things happen
Making good decisions
Specifications and requirements
Ideas and what to do with them
How not to annoy people
Leadership and trust
The truth about making dates
What to do when things go wrong

Customer Reviews:

real world pm.......2007-06-29

An easy and fun to read book, based on real life examples and experiences. While reading it, I got many tips from the book and apply them in my onw work.

project management with your feet on the ground and your heart on it.......2007-05-24

I really love this book!! I've read many books about how to run projects, to keep teams motivated, to be an effective leader, and I think this book compiles all of the above, plus it gives you a grounded point of view. There are no promises, only hard work and ways to improve your performance.
I've used some of the recommendations included in chapter 13: How to make things happen and, although is not a guarantee of success, I have accomplished some of my most difficult projects with it and the ones I didn't, at least I know why.
[...].

highly practical and thorough coverage.......2007-05-12

Reading this book is almost as good as having a highly experienced mentor help you manage a project. The book provides very thorough coverage with sound, practical advice. There is a good list of reference material as well. I have been a software developer for more than 25 years and have managed several projects and still found I learned a lot from this book. I wish it had been available years ago. The book also provided confirmation for many of my beliefs about which I disagree with my current project manager. I hope to use this book to help convince him to change. I will be managing my own project again soon and plan to use use this book to help me succeed. Every software developer should read this book even if they are not a project manager. My only very slight criticism is that the book is most helpful to software product projects, but I think even internal development projects should be run as this book explains.

Great book.......2007-05-09

This is a great book.
Filled with real-world wisdom, it prepares you for what to expect in the world of project management as a career option.
Especially usefull for people from software development background.

Best book I've found on Project Management.......2007-03-14

This is an O'Reilly publication, although it lacks their characteristic animal on the cover. It is a fabulous book. While most Project Management books focus on helping you pass the PMI test, this book is focused on real life and has extensive chapters on dealing with difficult situations and so-called "difficult people".

Average customer rating:

Great Book
Methods, standards and work design
11th edition
1955 Concepts in 1999 Edition
1955 Concepts in 1999 Edition

Methods, Standards, & Work Design
Benjamin Niebel , and Andris Freivalds
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

Manufacturing Processes for Technology, Second Edition
Facilities Planning
Industrial Safety and Health Management, Fifth Edition
Supervision: Key Link to Productivity
Cost Analysis and Estimating for Engineering and Management

ASIN: 0072468246

Book Description

Faced with increasing global competition, every industry, business, and service organization is restructuring itself to operate more effectively. Cost-effectiveness and product reliability without excess capacity are the keys to successful activity in business, industry, and government, and these keys are the end results of methods engineering.

The 11th edition of Methods, Standards, and Work Design provides practical, up-to-date descriptions of engineering methods to measure, analyze, and design manual work. The text emphasizes both the manual components and the cognitive aspects of work, recognizing the gradual decline of the manufacturing sector and the growth of the service sector. The importance of ergonomics and work design as part of methods engineering is emphasized not only to increase productivity, but also to improve worker health and safety, and thus, company bottom-line costs.

Customer Reviews:

Great Book.......2007-09-11

Learn alot from the book about Project management. It does not only apply to management but apply to daily life. It teaches you more than there is. Definitely recommended.

Methods, standards and work design.......2005-09-26

I got the book on the first day that it was expexted to arrive and its in great shape.

11th edition.......2002-08-30

I am one of the professors Dr. Seifert is talking about in his review. I continue to use this textbook in both graduate and undergraduate classes on job design. Every semester I search for a better alternative, but am unable to find it. I find this book to be helpful and a good reference that incorporates ergonomics, work design, and methods engineering. (I also use old versions of the lab book that contain very well-made forms.) This text contains the best discussion of time standards I have seen. The 11th edition contains a new chapter on cognitive work. This is a topic I have always discussed and am glad to see formal treatment of it in the new edition. As with any textbook, I do not use it as the sole source of information taught in the classroom and would not recommend it as a sole source. I use the topics in the text to launch discussions and research papers on systems theory, lean, cycle time, environmental, process improvement methodologies, ethics, and other issues for manufacturing and non-shopfloor applications. I find the book especially useful in the area of work design and time standards.

Students have found these skills useful in the workplace. Many of our students work in process improvement and lean implementations. They use these skills to reduce cycle time and balance the lines to meet the demands of customers. Good implementation of lean requires knowledge of how to balance a line to meet customer demand, identify constraints, reduce cycle time, eliminate waste, understanding and dealing with change, cost/benefit analysis, and a direct understanding the relationship between the customer demand and production rate. This text touches on or covers in detail these topics.

I find that the book appears to focus on machine and operator efficiency and utilization, has a primarily decompositional view of work, and concentrates mostly on shopfloor operations. Even with these drawbacks, the text gives the reader solid information on improving workplace design and reducing cycle time while improving worker safety and productivity. I use the discussion on machine and worker utilization to compare and contrast with other manufacturing philosophies, and to relate what the text is covering to more 'big picture' aspects. Other topics not included are a good discussion of maintenance operations and quality. I suggest using other sources to incorporate those topics. All in all, the book is not perfect. It is a very good reference book and text book.

1955 Concepts in 1999 Edition.......2000-10-07

This antiquated textbook is still used at colleges and universities throughout the United States. The first edition of this book was published in 1955 and, after nine more editions, appears largely unchanged in its mentality. Specifically, the textbook is written for a time when corporations had legions of industrial engineers who did nothing but detailed and tedious time and motion studies. Unfortunately, today's dynamic manufacturing environment renders many of the authors' techniques impractical or even financially hazardous. For example, it emphasizes the need to maximize machine utilization (even if the machine is not considered a bottleneck operation). Practices like these lead to excessive inventory and sub-optimization of the collective manufacturing process. In summary, I believe this textbook does a great disservice to those manufacturing firms that have achieved dramatic productivity gains through the application of lean manufacturing techniques.

1955 Concepts in 1999 Edition.......2000-10-07

Implementing Six Sigma: Smarter Solutions Using Statistical Methods, Second Edition

Average customer rating:

Very useful book - faulty cover!
Book " Implementing 6 sigma: Smarter solutions using statistical methods"
The must-have on every six sigma shelf
Implementing Six Sigma Review
This is the only Six Sigma book you will need

Implementing Six Sigma: Smarter Solutions Using Statistical Methods, Second Edition
Forrest W. Breyfogle III
Manufacturer: Productivity Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

The Six Sigma Handbook: The Complete Guide for Greenbelts, Blackbelts, and Managers at All Levels, Revised and Expanded Edition
Statistics for Six Sigma Made Easy
The Lean Six Sigma Pocket Toolbook: A Quick Reference Guide to 100 Tools for Improving Quality and Speed
The Black Belt Memory Jogger: A Pocket Guide for Six Sigma Success
Six Sigma and Minitab: A complete toolbox guide for all Six Sigma practitioners (2nd edition)

ASIN: 0471265721

Book Description

Includes new and expanded coverage of Six Sigma infrastructure building and benchmarking.
Provides plans, checklists, metrics, and pitfalls.

Download Description

This new and significantly revised edition of Implementing Six Sigma goes well beyond traditional Six Sigma methodologies, introducing an enhanced roadmap- S4/IEE (Smarter Six Sigma Solutionssm/Integrated Enterprise Excellence). This cutting-edge approach offers a solution to the common problem of sustaining Six Sigma activities and downplays the traditional policy stating that Six Sigma projects must have a defined defect. A variety of plans, checklists, metrics, and warnings of potential pitfalls provide thorough preparation for anyone implementing Six Sigma strategies. With new coverage of Six Sigma infrastructure building, benchmarking, and real-world" lessons learned, " this Second Edition is the best available tool for implementing these powerful, profit-building strategies.

Customer Reviews:

Very useful book - faulty cover!.......2007-09-01

The book is a comprehensive review of 6Sigma tools and 6Sigma Project management life cycle. Hard reading. Recommended if there is no fault with the book! This suppose to be a new book from amazon.com I can not send it back as this is very heavy and I need it!!

Book " Implementing 6 sigma: Smarter solutions using statistical methods".......2007-05-26

Excellent condition of the book, as they mentioned, it arrived on time according to what the deal was, this is an excellent vendor

The must-have on every six sigma shelf.......2006-11-12

I have been using this book for the past few years and it continues to be the most valuable Six Sigma resource on my bookshelf. It is the most complete and practical Six Sigma book you will find, and worth every dollar. Every six sigma black belt I have worked with owns a copy of this book

This book is absolutely packed with useful examples - providing you with both the formulas to solve the Six Sigma tests, and also the solutions.

This is a manufacturing-centric six sigma book. If you are dedicated to service application of six sigma, I would recommend reading "Six Sigma for Transactions and Service."

If you are interested in learning about six sigma, or are a green-belt or a process improvement or enterprise modeler, this probably isn't the book for you. However if you are a black belt and apply six sigma methods on a consistent basis, this is a must-read ...

Implementing Six Sigma Review.......2006-02-28

I have read multiple books on Six Sigma, but "Implementing Six Sigma", is by far the most practical with a perfect balance of statistical concepts and everyday examples. Finally, there is a book that can show Executives, there is a better way, a true management system that links strategic objectives to bottom-line results. This book is a must for all Six Sigma practioners.

This is the only Six Sigma book you will need.......2006-02-26

This is the only Six Sigma book that covers all aspects of the methodology. You will not find another book that analyses every aspect of Six Sigma so deeply and yet, in a way that makes it so easy to understand.
As a professional of Six Sigma, I have been through every book about the subject that deserves attention but none of them comes anywhere close to Breygogle's "Implementing Six Sigma". Not only does the second edition cover the Lean methodology, but it also delves into the Theory OF Constraints and very clearly shows how it can be used for Six Sigma project selections.
No wonder why this book is the only one recommended by ASQ for their Six Sigma Black Belt preperation and no wonder why Breyfogle won the Crosby Medal.
Great book! I give it a 5 plus.
Issa Bass

Design for Six Sigma : A Roadmap for Product Development

Average customer rating:

Worth the buy!
A book serves all your needs
Full of information and errors
A matchless guide
Application Oriented

Design for Six Sigma : A Roadmap for Product Development
Kai Yang , and Basem S. EI-Haik
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Professional
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Design for Six Sigma in Technology and Product Development
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Design for Six Sigma Statistics

ASIN: 0071412085

Book Description

Here's the book that clearly and logically answers the complex question quality managers and product developers face almost every day: WHICH PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT TOOLS SHOULD I USE AND WHEN?

This much-needed, well-written roadmap for robust, efficient product development features:
* All the coverage needed to implement six sigma in any manufacturing concern
* A complete review of both traditional and contemporary design methods
* Systems discussed include: DOE (Design Of Experiment), Taguchi Method, QFD (Quality Function Deployment), Axiomatic Design, and TRIZ (Theory for Inventive Problem-Solving)
* Practical examples to highlight important elements of each system
* A unique multi-systems approach to designing products, incorporating the traditional and contemporary methods discussed, detailing how and when to use them
* Valuable assistance when preparing for certification exams

Customer Reviews:

Worth the buy!.......2004-04-02

I have not found such a comprehensive book for design of six sigma. I started using this book for advanced experimental design and taguchi methods, but ended understanding the complete roadmap for design of six sigma. The systems approach allows an enthusiast reader to start anywhere, without having to spend time refering back to earlier chapters. The relatively newer trends as TRIZ and axiomatic design have also been nicely dealt with.
Overall, this is a very nice and easy read book, with excellent and well defined examples. A must for everyone who wants a quick refresher on the design principles of six sigma.

A book serves all your needs.......2004-04-02

This is an outstanding DFSS book for production development. It contains integrated information and some of which you could hardly find anywhere else, thus with one book in hand, you have all the tools to get to your destination. This is also a easy to read book providing the reader with a solid understanding- Concepts are clearly defined, real world examples/ case studies are fully described and the chapters are well organized. It can serve as a textbook for students/beginners and also can serve as a handbook for experienced engineers.
The title says it all- this is a roadmap for you to find the way correctly and easily. I am reading the book right now, and the book is really beneficial to me.

Full of information and errors.......2004-03-30

This is a book with a lot of information. Each chapter can be used as a starting point for a specific six sigma technique. However, this is the worst edited book I have ever read. You can hardly find one page without errors/typos.

A matchless guide.......2003-08-03

While the concept of six-sigma is a very popular one, it is not often that one can find such a comprehensive yet clearly-written volume devoted to the most important topics of six-sigma. A book that contains so much information and not just hot air is especially hard to find. Yang and El-Haik have successfully written one of the most impressive and useful reads I have ever encountered within this field. Especially intriguing and novel concept of TRIZ. A very worthwhile book, in any case.

Application Oriented.......2003-07-01

In recent times, there has been a lot of talk and hype about DFSS with very little substance thus far--until this one! I found the book an easy read, application oriented and a relatively prescritive approach to apply DFSS for products, processes and/or services. The sections on TRIZ and Axiomatic Design expose the opportunities largely untapped in the design world today. A must read book for organizations serious about Six Sigma--whether they are focused on delivering worldclass products and services to their customers or designing processes to run world class business operations--a thumbs up all the way!!

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