Book Description
Seeing a project through to completion involves not just technical knowledge--of tools like Work Breakdown Schedule, Gantt Charts, and Network Analysis--but also human skills, such as the ability to communicate, negotiate, listen, and lead. After all, it's people who do most of the work on projects, and "people problems" can derail even the most meticulously planned project. Practical and user-friendly, A Survival Guide for Project Managers covers both the technical side and the human side.
Now in an affordable paperback edition, the book has been revised to reflect the latest version of the PMBOK(r) Guide, and includes new material on topics including Project Risk and the Project Management Office. The book shows readers how to:
* develop the interpersonal and business skills required of a project manager * resolve conflicts and improve negotiation capabilities * understand and apply the technical tools of project management * establish project teams, and more
Packed with forms and other tools, this is the ultimate resource for project managers.
Download Description
More and more companies (even those that aren't project driven) are turning to project management to take advantage of the highly disciplined process that focuses on achieving results on time, on schedule, and on target. "A Survival Guide For Project Managers" is a practical, hands-on guide that gives project managers all the skills they need to move a project through its complete life cycle, including how to: -- develop the behavioral and business skills required of a project manager -- resolve conflicts and improve negotiation capabilities -- understand and apply the various technical tools of project management -- improve speaking and writing skills -- establish project teams, and more
Customer Reviews:
Very pleased........2006-07-27
I've only just started using this book, but so far I've found it a great resource. It doesn't go into a huge amount of detail about the technical tools to use when managing a project, but it does tell you what to use and when. However the sections on managing resources, communications and negotiating are a great addition and just as important as knowing what technical tools to use.
Takes PMs to the next step in their professional development.......2001-04-05
When I am asked to recommend a good book on project management I always recommend Visualizing Project Management by Forsberg, Cotterman and Mooz. That book teaches project management the right way, in my opinion, by laying a solid foundation. However, at some point you will master the material through application and experience, and you'll want to go to the next level. That is where this excellent book will take you.
As you mature as a project manager you eventually discover that the technical aspects are a great foundation, but the 'soft skills' are essential to success. The book starts with these. The author provides some excellent material on how to make effective oral and written presentations, negotiation skills and leadership.
Don't get the impression that this book does not cover technical material. It does, and it goes pretty deep into some advanced techniques. For example, the author provides a very comprehensive discussion of work breakdown structures (WBS) and how to develop them. In my opinion the biggest failure of projects is the fact that a WBS is never developed before the estimating and scheduling is performed. I really liked the network analysis chapter. It presented in clear prose how to risk-adjust a critical path, which is something I learned over a decade ago, but am met with blank stares when I mention this to most project manager. Indeed, most project managers don't know what a critical path is (they use the term often enough, they just don't know what it means), much less how to perform a critical path analysis. This book will provide this information and a few easy-to-learn techniques as well. I thought that the chapter on earned value was adequate. I was glad to see it included in the book and give the author credit for his comprehensive treatment, but I almost fell asleep here. I recommend that serious project managers augment the earned value knowledge in this book with Earned Value Project Management, 2nd Edition by Quentin Fleming and Joel Koppleman. That book was written by authors who developed the 32 earned value criteria for the Project Management Body of Knowledge (2000 version).
The part of the book that covers managing a project is filled with great advice. I thought the chapter on project selection was particularly valuable because it is objective and based on financial formulae that should be applied to these kinds of decisions. The sample reports are also good templates that should be in every project manager's tool kit.
Overall, this book will give a seasoned project manager much sound advice and provide him or her with an array of advanced techniques. It is truly a project manager's survival guide earning it a solid five stars and a place on the list of the handful of books that I always recommend.
Good introduction to project management........2000-02-14
This book is exactly what I was looking for. I took a Project Management Course back in College, but did not remember much of it. I needed a book that would give the basics of this subject, without being too involved in particular software.
This book does exactly that, and also lists some of the most frequent pitfalls for projects, with half the book emphasizing the human side of Project Management.
Read it and SURVIVE!.......1999-04-12
An excellent "survey" book on project management. It will be especially useful to new-comers to project management, both individuals and companies. Unlike other books, it shows how to adapt to the realities around you, rather than jumping a rigid "analytical" approach. His emphasis on the human element is refreshing.
Great for beginners and seasoned project managers.......1998-10-03
Excellent book that provides real life examples along with project management theory. Lots of practical application ideas. Written in a manner that is easily understood by the non-technical reader. Very informative and provides lots of good references for additional reading on project management. Brings the theory into reality. I highly recommend this book for managers looking for answers.
Book Description
Troubleshooting tips and techniques for keeping projects and management careers on track
Bestselling author James P. Lewis has become today's number one authority on the rules of project management in virtually any industry or environment. Now, in The Project Manager's Pocket Survival Guide, Dr. Lewis focuses on areas that are often the largest stumbling blocks to project managers both new and experienced, and provides the practical skills and hidden keys necessary for completing projects on time and within budget.
Providing numerous case studies of project management successes and failures in the field, this no-nonsense book explains how to maintain project consistency and success in today's environment of fast change and even faster innovation. Managers will obtain new tools and insights for:
- Understanding the politics of projects
- Running a successful, results-driven meeting
- Managing effectively in the project environment
Average customer rating:
- Concise and Useful
- In the jungle of project management, you need this book!
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The Project Manager's Survival Guide: The Handbook for Real-World Project Management
Donald Penner
Manufacturer: Battelle Press
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ASIN: 1574771264 |
Customer Reviews:
Concise and Useful .......2006-01-15
I have been managing projects and teaching project management for more than thirteen years; in that time I have run across two resources I reference often in my training, this is one of them. I suggest this resource for two reasons: first, because it is concise and to the point, secondarily it is a fresh presentation of useful PM knowledge. Too many PM books are full of "fluff" and impractical information. If this book offered new or original dynamics it would easily be a five; as such any new project manager will find it a jewel. When I wrote my own book, I used Penner's presentation style as a model, keeping it concise and practical for everyday use.
The founder of charlesspeaks.com and author of five books I highly recommend Penner's work.
In the jungle of project management, you need this book!.......2002-03-12
This little book, just over 100 pages, will help you understand how to manage projects, from building Web sites to building the space shuttle. The chapters quickly walk you from the planning stages through to the final reports and closeout. In addition, this book helps you evaluate your management skills. It includes a quick list at the beginning to see if you have what it takes, to intensive tools at the back to determine your strengths and weaknesses. The author writes in a simple, friendly style, telling it like it is (e.g., "tell the truth ALWAYS"). No matter if you are a college student or an experienced project manager, you could probably benefit from this handy text.
Product Description
This book provides specific, practical advice for engineers who are advancing beyond their technical specialty and find themselves working with other specialties necessary to the development of a complex system or product. They continually face a variety of issues that were invariably never addressed in their schooling: dealing with specifications, project plans, and budgets; improving quality by working with "downstream" functions such as production and service; resolving incompatibilities and bugs under a variety of test conditions; providing technical direction and reviews; and more. Based on "lessons learned" by the author over a forty-year career developing complex systems products, the book presents basic principles that are applicable whether you are in a bureaucratic, multi-national corporation or one with the founder still in control. Regardless of an organization's size or the particular products, the engineering management issues are eerily the same. Systems are systems, and the engineering process basics, derived largely from aerospace, remain the key to success anywhere. Chapter titles typically end in "101" because the basics are usually where the problems lie, as well as their solutions. This book is concise, but the content is dense. As such, it will also provide a succinct refresher for more experienced professionals and their management when facing challenges.
Customer Reviews:
Read This Book If You Are Doing Product Development.......2007-04-09
If you are an expert on product development and systems design, read this book. You will certainly come away with additional tools for your toolbox.
If you are a novice or a leader of a product development function, read this book. You will gain valuable insight into the product development process that will enable you to learn, lead, and prosper.
The book is practical and hands-on -- no pie in the sky theory stuff produced by some consulting company. I would imagine that using just one tip in the book will save your team $1000 and probably much more. Just learning how to run a project or team meeting productively will do wonders for your process.
My only criticism is the book tends to make recommendations of proprietary and/or monopolistic software at the expense of other software.
Average customer rating:
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The Project Manager's Cadd Survival Guide
Stephen M. Benz
Manufacturer: American Society of Civil Engineers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0784402477 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Industrial Engineer, published by Thomson Gale on December 1, 2006. The length of the article is 2542 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Buy the book: our year-end selection of titles for engineers.(5S for the Office)(Framed!)(Hard Facts, Dangerous Half-Truths and Total Nonsense)(Global Project Management Handbook)(The Hitchhiker's Guide to Lean)(Human Error)(Improving the Extended Value Stream)(Improving Production with Lean Thinking)(Inside the Mind of Toyota)(Kanban for the Supply Chain)(Lean Kaizen)(Lean Six Sigma That Works)(Managing Maintenance Resources)(Occupational Biomechanics)(The PDMA Toolbook 2 for New Product Development)(Performance Management)(The Portal to Lean Production)(Rebirth of American Industry)(Reliability and Warranties)(The Resilient Enterprise)(Results Without Authority)(RFID: Strategic Implementation and ROI)(Statistics for Six Sigma Green Belts)(Strategic Six Sigma for Champions)(A Survival Guide for Project Managers)(World Class Master Scheduling)(Book review)
Author: Jane Gaboury
Publication:
Industrial Engineer (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 38
Issue: 12
Page: 40(5)
Article Type: Book review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
For every business, the choice is stark: "Change--or die." At any moment, fully two-thirds of America's companies claim to be in the midst of some type of organizational revamping. We don't need research from the Harvard Business School (even though it has been conducted) to tell us that most of these initiatives will fail. The business landscape is littered with the carcasses of giants who were unable to adapt to change--Digital, Prime, Wang, and Polaroid, to name a few. What many companies fail to recognize is that organizational change needs to come from within, no matter how profound the external forces. Positive change requires "change agents" throughout the organization--those individuals who can translate the strategic vision of leaders into pragmatic behavior. They will be the early adopters of the new values, actions, and skills required by the company. This book identifies the qualities of great change agents and how these skills can be mastered to serve as a catalyst for change throughout the organization. Illustrating these principles through examples from world-class organizations, Dealy and Thomas demonstrate the techniques for acquiring and executing those skills-and how corporate leaders can encourage and reward this behavior, creating a culture of risk-taking, innovation, and a focus on the future. From seasoned executives to entry-level employees, readers will learn that great change agents: * challenge the status quo; * stoke the fire of creativity; * embrace the necessity of conflict; * manage risk rather than avoid it; and * develop new change agents. Bringing the process of change out of the realm of the analysts and consultants and to the front lines, the authors show you how to thrive in a world that demands nothing less than continuous change.
Customer Reviews:
Very concise. Elementary. Lecture notes like and little fun to read.......2006-10-26
As there's no table of content of it on Amazon, I would like to take the privilege to type one for you:-
Ch1. The Inevitablility of Change
Ch2. The Great Change Mistakes
Ch3. The Change Agent Solution
Ch4. Great Change Agents Challenge the Status Quo
Ch5. Great Change Agents Embrace the Necessity of Conflict
Ch6. Great Change Agents Manage Risk, Not Avoid It
Ch7. Great Change Agents Stoke the Fire of Creativity
Ch8. Great Change Agents Develop New Ones
Ch9. Change Expectations and the New MBA
Despite of its 93 content page, key points/advice to any business executive committing to organizational change are there. Nevertheless, the shortage of real stories do make it boring and lecture notes like. For green aspiring/ssigned change agents/facilitators who want to learn some priniciples fast, this is not a bad choice. Otherwise,..........
p.s. IMHO, the book title "Change or Die" is the best thing one can find in it.
Book Description
This volume is an updated and internationalised English language version of the successful Dutch text. Land Observation by Remote Sensing: Theory and Applications focuses on earth-surface objects and describes both the theory of remote sensing and the applications of irrigation, nature conservation and environmental pollution control. Its purpose is to provide a systematically structured survey of the theory behind the applications described, and also covers the fundamentals of electromagnetic waves and sensor instrumentation formulated at university level. The textbook is divided into nine topics with special consideration given to the ''object'' approach, leaving the ''sensor'' approach in the background, though the historical gap that exists between these concepts in the respective fields of the optical and microwave wavelength regions is bridged.
Henk J. Buiten and Jan G.P.W. Clevers, Wageningen Agricultrual University, The Netherlands.
Book Description
The vitality and accessibility of Fritjof Capra's ideas have made him perhaps the most eloquent spokesperson of the latest findings emerging at the frontiers of scientific, social, and philosophical thought. In his international bestsellers The Tao of Physics and The Turning Point, he juxtaposed physics and mysticism to define a new vision of reality. In The Web of Life, Capra takes yet another giant step, setting forth a new scientific language to describe interrelationships and interdependence of psychological, biological, physical, social, and cultural phenomena--the "web of life."
During the past twenty-five years, scientists have challenged conventional views of evolution and the organization of living systems and have developed new theories with revolutionary philosophical and social implications. Fritjof Capra has been at the forefront of this revolution. In The Web of Life, Capra offers a brilliant synthesis of such recent scientific breakthroughs as the theory of complexity, Gaia theory, chaos theory, and other explanations of the properties of organisms, social systems, and ecosystems. Capra's surprising findings stand in stark contrast to accepted paradigms of mechanism and Darwinism and provide an extraordinary new foundation for ecological policies that will allow us to build and sustain communities without diminishing the opportunities for future generations.
Now available in paperback for the first time, The Web of Life is cutting-edge science writing in the tradition of James Gleick's Chaos, Gregory Bateson's Mind and Matter, and Ilya Prigogine's Order Out of Chaos.
Customer Reviews:
Good introduction to systems theory and its implications to other spheres.......2007-03-30
While this book isn't perfect, it is certainly a very nice introduction for the average person to systems theory and its implications to other areas.
I basically agree with some of the criticisms in the spotlight reviews about the flatland or a web of life vs. a heirarchy (or even better holarchy) both in nature and in other spheres of life. For example, in a holarchy is a heirachy of wholes that are part of larger wholes in the way that atoms make up molecules, molecules make up cells, collections of cells make up a tissue, etc. This is concept is underplayed in this book, but it seems to be true inside and outside of nature. Ken Wilber offers a more complete explanation of this concept in A BRIEF HISTORY OF EVERYTHING and many other writings.
I also think it's important to keep in mind that a systems view is an outside look of a collective. Empiricism represents an outside look of some single topic. I think it is also necessary to look at the interiority of both individuals and collectives to get a complete understanding of something as complicated as life, politics, religion, etc. I don't think system theory alone is the magic bullet.
This book is relatively short, easy to follow and provides a nice introduction to systems theories and some other important topics. It has some shortcomings, but it is basically solid although there is a bias toward a "flatland" view of nature and reality. If you supplement reading it with some other material such as the book I mentioned above, it may open up some new horizons for you.
Happy reading... I hope you found my interview helpful. Feel free to leave comments if you wish.
New Ager's View of Life.......2007-02-23
This is a superficial and flawed book. It contains some truths but it usually draws the wrong conclusions from them. "New Agers" may love discussion of such topics as "Ecofeminism" and the book will probably make them feel good but I would not recommend it for anyone else. A person with background in the physical or life sciences could probably separate the wheat from the chaff in the book but such a person may already know most of the material. Others are likely to be misled.
Several earlier reviewers (such as "radtrad", J. Floyd, "doomsdayer520", and others) have made specific criticisms that I find valid, so I do not want to repeat them here. If anything, they have been too kind to the book.
Excellent book!!!.......2007-02-05
I can't attest to the science, so this review is about "The Web of Life" as literature. The Web of Life is a highly articulate and worthy piece of literature. Even at it's most scientific, it reads like the friendly voice of a wise Indian Chief. It begins with a quote inspired by Chief Seattle, and proceeds to frame the cultural context of various theories. The science gives a foundation to a conscientious way for institutions to view the world, which I honestly believe is the only solution to the greed driven decline of values in modern institutions. Conscience in institutions begins with what people believe to be true...and modern culture has some fixed ideas with probably no basis in fact except as dictated by greed. Conscience in institutions is a topic that sprouts in various forms in books related to Systems Thinking, etc.
It takes a highly articulate book to step over the communication "land mines" inherant in old ways of thinking and justifications. Systems Thinking by itself in an institutional setting would have a difficult time bringing about one drop of conscience. "Systems Thinking" will rarely work well in institutions simply because as a language, it is too closely related to the type of "business thinking" that has evolved for years (Old thinking = get as much for as little as possible, grow financially at the expense of everything else, etc.)
And I think the science in The Web of Life is sound. My quantum physisist friend seemed to like it...
I just watched another popular video called "What the Bleep"....about how thoughts effect your reality..which after watching it made me pause to think about how what we're thinking is important...but that's kind of similar to the Web of Life in the sense that it's entertaining AND it's educational and raises some questions about ethical considerations.
Of course, scientists DO sometimes perceive things in overly codified ways....and the average person may not think that conscience and science should be mixed. But the world DOES have issues, and those issues are real...and unfortunately, science has both fixed things AND at times made things worse. So we have pennisiln AND we have atom bombs, both from science. So, religion is important, BUT science...or at least GOOD science is a necessary investment...and this book details a direction for Science that gives a foundation to new ways of seeing matters of genuine concerns for humanity and life on the planet in this crazy era we're living now.
Great book! Great service!.......2006-11-10
No complaints! Everything timely, in good condition and exactly as I expected.
A wealth of understanding.......2006-08-28
having read Capra's book hidden connections I really appreciated going back and reading the web of life (as i should have). the book is an all around treatise of the shift of paradigm in science, examples of how this new scientific understanding is found in every discipline and where does all this take us (or should). anyone with an interest in networks, systems thinking, ecology should at least look briefly through the book.
Book Description
The vitality and accessibility of Fritjof Capra's ideas have made him one of the most eloquent spokespersons for the latest findings emerging at the frontiers of scientific, social and philosophical thought. In his previous bestsellers, he juxtaposed physics and mysticism to define a new vision of reality. Now Dr. Capra takes another giant step, setting forth an emerging theory of living systems, one that offers a unified view of mind, matter and life.During the past twenty-five years, scientists have challenged conventional views of evolution and the organization of living systems, and have developed revolutionary new theories that have profound implications not only for science and philosophy -- but also for business, politics, health care, education and everyday life. Fritjof Capra has been at the forefront of this revolution and now, in The Web of Life, he offers a brilliant synthesis of these exciting breakthroughs.The survival of humanity depends on our developing a new understanding of the principles of organization of ecosystems, and using those principles to create sustainable human communities in which we can satisfy our needs and aspirations without diminishing the chances of future generations. This remarkable program points the way to that understanding.
Customer Reviews:
Truly Amazing!.......2007-09-22
Dr. Capra has created here a masterpiece! I have read this book cover-to-cover at least three times and am still absorbing new things with each reading. Taking from fields as varied as physics and biology ( in each of which Dr. Capra holds a Ph.D. ), he has created a pardigm shift in the minds of his readers.
This book is not easy going for those of us schooled in the humanities, but is well worth the cost. I give it my highest recommendation!
Remarkable........2007-06-01
This is a wonderful book. In his recent books Capra has marvelously introduced us to thought, and work, that are generally disparate in the public mind. His narrative, while addressing complex material, is exceedingly easy to read and to grasp. All of us "bring forth" broader personal horizons from engaging his books. Thanks Professor Capra.
In his own book Leon Lederman---who won a Nobel Prize in physics---rebuked Capra for having the temerity to suggest a connection between physics and eastern mysticism-----an amazing arrogance in view of Lederman's book title: "The God Particle". Anyone who has read both authors will recall Lederman's flashing egotism, as against the virtual absence of ego in Capra's writing. Clearly Capra's mind has ventured into realms that Lederman has yet to even imagine.
If you are curious about the nature, mechanisms, and "reach" of life, and about those who endeavor in this search, THE WEB OF LIFE (and THE TAO OF PHYSICS) will fascinate you.
The Web of Life.......2007-01-15
I bought this book for my husband. He loves this book. He has loaned it to several people to read.
A Disorganized Jumble Of Disconnected Thoughts........2003-07-25
Please, please, do yourself a favor and don't buy this book. I was so excited to read it, then after 50 pages, I was so excited to throw it away. I just threw it in the trash.
The book is just a bunch of disconnected thoughts with no organization, no style, no interesting revelations, no coherent,readable paragraphs. The fact that this book's editor let it get published means the editor needs to be replaced. - You want to read a good book you can't put down, read 'Complexity'.
It is obne of the best ones.......1999-07-04
I need to find this book of Capra in spanish. Would you please help me? Thanks,
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