Making Things Happen: Mastering Project Management
Select Format
Select Condition 
Book Overview
Based on his nine years of experience as a program manager for Internet Explorer, and lead program manager for Windows and MSN, Berkun explains to technical and non-technical readers alike what it takes to get through a large software or web development project. Making Things Happen doesn't cite specific methods, but focuses on philosophy and strategy. Unlike other project management books, Berkun offers personal essays in a comfortable style and easy tone that emulate the relationship of a wise project manager who gives good, entertaining and passionate advice to those who ask.
Topics in this new edition 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 Complete with a new forward from the author and a discussion guide for forming reading groups/teams, Making Things Happen offers in-depth exercises to help you apply lessons from the book to your job. It is inspiring, funny, honest, and compelling, and definitely the one book that you and your team need to have within arm's reach throughout the life of your project.
Coming from the rare perspective of someone who fought difficult battles on Microsoft's biggest projects and taught project design and management for MSTE, Microsoft's internal best practices group, this is valuable advice indeed. It will serve you well with your current work, and on future projects to come.
You Might Also Enjoy
Customer Reviews
Rated 5 starsMore than a T-Shirt
"Been there, done that, and here's the proof". Not merely anecdotal information, this book leaves you wishing that Scott Berkun worked down the hall from you. Straight to the point, he defines what works, what doesn't, and why. He lays out the real world examples that create the framework to support his teaching. For a book on project management, this is an easy read. Better yet, the information is easily applied to...
1Report
Rated 5 starsEssential Buy For Project Managers
In the field of project management, 'Making Things Happen: Mastering Project Management' is one of the finest books I have ever had the chance to peruse. From gathering ideas to managing teams and schedules, everything and anything is in this book that is a MUST BUY for all project managers or group leaders that want to update or learn new techniques for creating widgets in the real world and doing so efficiently and successfully...
1Report
Rated 5 starsAdd My Voice to the Chorus
§ Perhaps only a little off-key since I am not a project manager -- altho my professional life is made much easier by working with some dedicated ones. I did not read the previous edition as the other reviewers did. In fact, I was not really intending to read this edition straight through. I was going to give it a good skim for those aspects of project management that intersect my own world as a Web application interface...
1Report
Rated 5 starsAn amazing book
I'm a big fan of Scott Berkun's first book, "The Art of Project Management". But he's really outdone himself with "Making Things Happen". I think it's simply one of the best books you can buy on project management. If you've never read any of Scott's books before, you're in for a treat. On the other hand, if, like me, you loved "The Art of Project Management", you definitely want this book. It's not just a simple update; it's...
0Report
Rated 5 starsUpdated version of a key resource.
Okay, let's get the one downer about the book out of the way; it's a second edition of Scott's The Art of Project Management (Theory in Practice (O'Reilly)). Not sure why the name was changed but it might confuse some folks. Okay, it confused me, not sure about anyone else. If you've recently read the first edition then you may want to borrow someone's copy to go over the exercises/discussion at the end of each chapter. ...
0Report
Based on Your Recent Browsing
ThriftBooks ® and the ThriftBooks ® logo are registered trademarks of Thrift Books Global, LLC
