Visualizing Project Management: A Model for Business and Technical Success (with CD-ROM) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I received this book as a gift from a colleague/mentor who insisted that I read it.Since I had never been a project manager I glanced through it and stuck it on a shelf where it collected dust. One fateful day I was tasked with producing a project plan and, in a panic, called my mentor who reminded me that the answers to my frantic questions were in the book.Although I was under pressure and in no mood to read a book I gave it a shot.
This is where the value of Visualizing Project Management became apparent.I was able to follow the step-by-step procedures outlined in the book to produce a work breakdown structure (something I didn't know existed), determine dependencies and perform supportable estimations for time and resources.By the time I was ready to plug the tasks into Microsoft Project I had a clear idea of what needed to be done, and a realistic estimate of time and people required.In essence I was using this book as a guide for planning my first project. Each step of the way I was gaining self-confidence while methodically laying out a project that accounted for all necessary tasks and their deliverables, and could be supported from a traceability and cost-estimating relationship viewpoint.
Along the way I learned how to control the project once it was initiated, which was something I had not considered when I was first tasked with planning it.Bear in mind I was simultaneously reading this book and planning my first project, so I am probably not a typical reader.Taking this into account what I liked most about this book is the step-by-step approach to project management. The approach is logical and highly visual (hence the title).Each step, from initial planning to scheduling to controlling the project was put into context and clearly explained.There are no long-winded explanations or theory, making this book a great tool for learning project management (in my case learning while doing).
In addition to using a lot of illustrations to show how project management should be done this book also shows how to use visual tools to manage projects.One visual technique that I really thought was clever is the "cards on the wall" approach. This method allowed me to put the tasks from the work breakdown structure on cards, tacked to the wall, then examine dependencies by connecting them with yarn.In essence, I could play "what if" and optimize dependencies using some very low tech tools.However, this is a highly visual and highly effective way to sequence tasks.
I also learned a powerful technique for controlling projects: earned value.This technique compares your project's planned cost and schedule baseline to actuals. It is a proactive way to manage projects because it is an early warning indicator of slippages and overruns.
Before reading this book I was in awe of project managers.After reading this book I discovered that many project managers really depend on luck instead of methods to get through projects.I am appalled by the number of PMs who do not start with a work breakdown structure, or analyze and develop task dependencies before scheduling a project.I have also noticed that far too many do not use earned value to control their projects.It is no small wonder that IT projects historically overrun or fail.
In that respect a book that I almost did not read not only got me through my first project plan, but showed me that there is a way to do projects right. It has certainly made an impression on me and has improved my professional skills. This is the book and I hope that practicing and aspiring project managers read. It certainly will improve the chances of your next project if you follow its straightforward steps and apply them.

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Product Description:
"The authors technical skill and work-environment experience are abundantly apparent in the real-world methodology they bring to the study and understanding of the importance of project management to the success of any organization."-From the Foreword by Norman R. Augustine. Chairman of the Executive Committee, Lockheed-Martin Corporation
Effective project management is an essential skill in virtually every professional and technical setting and, like any skill, it is best mastered through the right combination of in-depth, expert training and hands-on experience.
Visualizing Project Management, Second Edition is todays best resource for both. Delivered by a trio of authors whose combined project management experience is unequaled in the field-a team that has been an integral part of the development of project management from the 1950s to the present-the processes and techniques in this landmark book have been confirmed through the experiences of over 30,000 working project managers and over 100 corporations.
Profound in its simplicity yet unique in its completeness, the integrated approach presented in Visualizing Project Management focuses on the four essential elements of project management:
1. Common Vocabulary: Terms and jargon are defined as they are introduced, minimizing the vocabulary problems that can lead to conflict and undermine otherwise successful teamwork.
2. Teamwork: Each of the fundamentals of real teamwork-from common conduct to shared rewards-is discussed, along with strategies to strengthen this vital component.
3. The Sequential Project Cycle: Valuable lessons are provided to enable you to develop a template for project-unique tactics as well as achieve project-to-project continuity.
4. Management Elements: The authors provide all the techniques and tools you need to guide a project to its successful conclusion-the achievement of stated objectives, within budget and time constraints.
Visualizing Project Management shows you how to breathe life into each of these inanimate project elements. The result is a working guidebook for total project management success-and a tangible model for moving your organization and career forward into the exciting new millennium.
An Integrated Approach to Results-Oriented Project Management
Better . . . Faster . . . Cheaper . . .
Todays take-no-prisoners competitive environment has made this the project management mantra for 2000 and beyond. Enlightened project managers know: Unless you can identify accurately the correct benchmark and correctly isolate how to surpass it, your organization will succeed only in producing a better, faster, cheaper failure.
The bestselling Visualizing Project Management first set the standard for effective project management in 1996, and introduced models that have been adopted by over 100 leading government and private organizations. In this Second Edition, the authors have revised the tools and techniques that changed the foundations of project management in order to help you better understand, compete, and win in todays lightning-fast global business arena.
A few short years ago, the insights and ideas in Visualizing Project Management invented the wheel. Now, its pioneering authors refine your understanding of the project management wheel, as they simplify and clarify the complexities of project management and system engineering.
Also includes a dynamic CD-ROM-Visual Project Management (Visual PM)-providing an interactive software version of the books revolutionary process model, a guided tour of a commercial project cycle, vocabulary definitions, sample document templates, and more.

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