A Survival Guide for Project Managers

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.