Average customer rating:
- Not a Project Management Guide
- real world pm
- project management with your feet on the ground and your heart on it
- highly practical and thorough coverage
- Great book
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The Art of Project Management (Theory in Practice (O'Reilly))
Scott Berkun
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Fundamentals of Technology Project Management
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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:
Not a Project Management Guide.......2007-10-14
I guess I expected more after reading some of the reviews, but was disappointed to find out that it is a high level project management supplemental book. If you are a beginning PMer looking for a good book about the fundamentals of PM, this is not the book. The level of the content is for those who simply want a book that is more a novel than a help book.
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.
Book Description
The ability to bring new and innovative products to market rapidly is the prime critical competence for any successful consumer-driven company. All industries, especially automotive, are slashing product development lead times in the current hyper-competitive marketplace. This book is the first to thoroughly examine and analyze the truly effective product development methodology that has made Toyota the most forward-thinking company in the automotive industry.
In The Toyota Product Development System: Integrating People, Process, and Technology, James Morgan and Jeffrey Liker compare and contrast the world-class product development process of Toyota with that of a U.S. competitor. They use extensive examples from Toyota and the U.S. competitor to demonstrate value stream mapping as an extraordinarily powerful tool for continuous improvement.
Through examples and case studies, this book illustrates specific techniques and proven practices for dealing with challenges associated with product development, such as synchronizing multiple disciplines, multiple function workload leveling, compound process variation, effective technology integration, and knowledge management.
This valuable book:
Highlights the application of value stream mapping methodology to product development. Identifies and defines the categories of waste that are specific to the product development process. Presents countermeasures and proven practices, based on Lean principles, developed for the product development process used at Toyota. Illustrates and clarifies the methodology by presenting actual case examples at Toyota and a U.S. competitor.
Readers of this book can focus on optimizing the entire product development value stream rather than focus on a specific tool or technology for local improvements.
Customer Reviews:
Toyota system- A good book.......2007-10-07
I bought this book as a part of my classroom text material. It's an interesting book that talks about how Toyota uses its system to achieve lean manufacturing by integrating people, process and technology. This is coupled with the lean design guide book for our text. It is informative.
A must read for those who want to study the next product development frontier!.......2007-06-18
This book is based on lean product development in the automotive world and has some shortcomings when it comes to applying what Toyota does to other industries. However, with Toyota's success lately their are few arguments against not studying how Toyota approaches product development and applying it to our specific industries. I think the hardest thing for most American companies will be having the long-term discipline to implement what Toyota has done.
Academic Review of New Product Development.......2007-05-28
Although this book is very popular today, the authors offer no new approaches to new product development. Companies should strive to leapfrog Toyota. Similarly to Demmings' focus on quality, every aspect of Toyota's NPD process was first developed in the USA, which still ranks as the World's leading innovation source.
Best book about Toyota PD.......2007-05-08
This is the third book I've read about Toyota and by far the best one. I'm an engineering manager and found dozens of simple, new ideas in this book. This is a very thorough & practical guide to the inside workings of Toyota's PD system. There are many examples and sufficient details that you can easily understand them and also try to implement them in your own organization.
Excellent reading for OEM........2007-04-05
Very interesting topics covered. Strongly recommended for engineers in the automotive industry.
Book Description
Focusing on green building as it applies to larger commercial, institutional buildings,
Sustainable Construction provides a complete introduction to the design and construction of high-performance green buildings. By providing a thorough grounding on the subject, this insightful guide encourages you to realize the ecological and economic benefits of green building.
Author Charles Kibert uses the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) suite of standards to explain the best practices in building procurement and delivery systems. Providing a detailed overview of the entire process of green building, he covers the theory, history, state of the industry, and best practices in green building.
Whether you're an industry professional, building owner, or real estate developer, you'll gain the knowledge you need to test any of the myriad decisions that have to be made in design and construction -- from materials selection to considering the use of natural systems for wastewater processing.
Average customer rating:
- Is OK, but there are better options.
- Clearly Better Than Stage-Gate
- Good reference text
- Great product development handbook!
- great for teaching at any level, great methods
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Product Design and Development
Karl Ulrich , and
Steven Eppinger
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill/Irwin
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Materials and Design: The Art and Science of Material Selection in Product Design
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Design Secrets: Products (Design Secrets Series)
ASIN: 007229647X |
Book Description
This book presents a set of product development techniques aimed at bringing together the marketing, design, and manufacturing functions of the enterprise. It treats issues such as identifying customer needs, design for manufacturing, prototyping, and industrial design.
Customer Reviews:
Is OK, but there are better options........2006-11-10
I have the pleasure of taking a seminar with the author, but I was disappointed at his writing. The book is hard to follow, and lack structure.
Clearly Better Than Stage-Gate.......2006-08-21
Ulrich has created an understandable companion text for product development. What is refreshing about this text is that it guides the developer through the elements of product development that are essential to reducing the concept of the product to practice. It is a great instructional guide.
Good reference text.......2005-03-16
This is a good reference manual for understanding the various techniques that are available for the fuzzy front end of product design. It would be a good text for project managers in product development.
PROs
1) It is well written and easy to assimilate.
2) Seems complete for the traditional manufactured consumer product.
CONs
1) Not strong on a current pre-emptive DFSS techniques for robustness and quality (such as QFD and axiomatic design).
2) Does not address system complexity issues and tools (software vs hardware, interface issues, complexity, functional flows).
Great product development handbook!.......2004-01-04
This book provides a great hands-on approach to product development. Unlike other product development books that dwell too much on the philosophical aspects of product development, this book gives you practical advice on how to define meaningful product specifications to meet your customer needs and develop successful products. The book provides a very nice concept development process that I've found very useful.
This book is mainly focused on product development processes and does not provide much information on technology development. In addition, the book lacks depth in the strategic aspects of product development(such as market segmentation, strategic management of technology).
If you are looking for a very useful and powerful handbook for product development, this is the book you are looking for. However, if you are interested in the strategic aspects of product development, you may need other references.
great for teaching at any level, great methods.......2002-09-26
I have used this book extensively to teach undergraduate industrial design students, and graduate marketing, and engineering students who take small product development courses. It's focused, down to earth, practical, and students find they can grasp design issues better than in a more theoretical-philosophical way. I use it myself to guide my design consulting work, has helped me understand other product development (not design) issues that are relevant to me, and I have read it over and over.. great handbook. Production/design of the book is also very nice. It's a pitty McGraw Hill doesn't want to translate it to spanish (so the author told me once).
Book Description
This book focuses on the collaborative effort required to complete any public or private construction project, providing the construction professional with the skills needed to work with and alongside the owner representative, the designer, and within the public's eye. It explains in detail the project elements and environment, and the responsibilities of the varied project professionals, and follows in detail the chronology of a project. Estimating, scheduling, control and administrative functions of a project are covered, and separate chapters on Leadership and Management, Construction Law, and Safety and Health are included. For construction professionals, including project managers, architects, project owners and their representatives, civil engineers, and practitioners who are looking for an understanding of the changes in their industry and new tools and management methods available for dealing with those changes.
Customer Reviews:
Great book .......2006-11-05
Great book to learn Enviroment Systems. Gave me an A in the course. Easy to read, and follow. Filled with much needed charts, tables, and pictures. I recommend for this subject
Construction managment.......2001-08-12
This book was written by my old professor at wentworth institute of technology. Although he only gave me a B in the class i have to say the book was written very well ;). It is designed to give the reader important information of construction management in a very basic way. If you are a beginner in the construction business you can not go wrong with this book.
Average customer rating:
- Good book with good examples
- Great Book.... But minor editorial issue!
- Great reference guide for any web development PM.
- Very Helpful
- This book changed my life...
|
Real Web Project Management: Case Studies and Best Practices from the Trenches
Thomas J. Shelford , and
Gregory A. Remillard
Manufacturer: Addison-Wesley Professional
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Web Project Management: Delivering Successful Commercial Web Sites
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Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, 2nd Edition
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Developing Effective Websites: A Project Manager's Guide
ASIN: 0321112555 |
Customer Reviews:
Good book with good examples.......2007-04-24
Before I read this book I took more of a waterfall approach to my design projects. My clients weren't really involved much after the discovery meeting, proposal, and payment date requirements. Pay half now, pay half when we're done. That was the model we used. This book has taught me to take a more iterative approach, which really gets the clients involved. Our team can more effectively manage change and adjust our projects to meet the ever evolving needs of today's web clients.
The authors did a great job presenting "not so fun" information in a very digestable manner. They did so without being foolish "dummies". They also responded to a few of my email queries on subjects that I didn't immediately comprehend. Nice work guys.
Great Book.... But minor editorial issue!.......2007-02-10
This book is a great book about project management for the web. It is insightful and provides very useful information. I especially liked Chapter 5 - Managing Change - and how the authors addressed common problems by providing a bulleted list of the symptoms and solutions to each type of problem. The authors' use of bulleted lists throughout the book work well and assist the reader with identifying key issues and/or things to think about. They also make it easy for the reader to quickly refer back to things and skim.
However, with that said, there is a minor editoral issue with this book. Everytime a bulleted list is presented the text leading into the list ends in a period (.) rather than a colon (:).
To illustrate:
- on pg 66, "Here are some tips for conducting a needs assessment." And the bulleted list follows.
- on pg 186, "...and they will be testing for bugs or defects in some or all of the following areas." And the bulleted list follows.
- on pg 268, "Here are some examples of successful Open Source products that are in widespread commercial use." And the bulleted list follows.
Having served as an Editor for several professional academic journals, this drove me absolutely mad every time I saw it. If the authors/editors of this book are going to be wrong, at least they are consistently wrong 100% of the time... which I believe is actually less maddenning then if they had gotten it right only some of the time.
If you can get past this minor editorial glitch that appears rather frequently, then definitely buy the book!
Great reference guide for any web development PM........2006-12-13
Anyone working in Interactive Marketing, whether as a Project manager or Account Manager, should keep a copy of this book on their desk for everyday reference.
The authors provide a great information source for web projects, with chapters covering everything from the basic definition of the PM role within an interactive/web development project, to a detailed list of responsibilities for every team member. The chapters on team roles and Communication Cues are a must-read even for seasoned PMI certified PMs.
The rest of the chapters follow the standard PM process (Project definition, planning, managing the various stages of the project, QA etc), putting everything within the web development perspective. The real life case studies are a great learning tool, and anyone who has worked as a PM on a web/interactive project will undoubtedly must have already faced similar challenges.
Extensive chapters on Technical Build and QA are written without inundating the reader with tech acronyms and confusing jargon. On top of that, the book includes an appendix which addresses specific projects such as brochure ware, B2B portals, e-commerce web sites, intranets and e-marketing projects. Even better, a second appendix offers a great overview of what you really need to know regarding technology as it applies to the needs of a web development project manager.
Whether you are new to Project Management or a seasoned PM, this book is a must read and great reference for the next time you will find yourself managing a web project and a number of cross functional team members who all seem to have a different vision or agenda.
If nothing else, get this book for the CD. The content includes such useful sample forms like the creative brief, an issues log database, need assessment sample forms, and an excellent template for the dreaded technical specifications form among others. In fact, the CD content, along with the real life case studies, makes this a worthwhile purchase.
Very Helpful.......2005-08-02
I'm working with a design studio that is now offering web services to its clients. This book has been very helpful, giving us a look at web projects and procedures.
It is skewed to larger projects than we will likely be involved in.
The best parts of the book are the descriptions of real projects and real problems.
Humor helps the message get through: that these kinds of projects frequently change, new problems crop up, people don't always react the way you'd expect and that it's all part of the job.
This book changed my life..........2005-02-23
It is true.
I was wondering: Why, given clints and good "implementors"-developers and designers (we are a small team), things go ugly every time?
This book gave me the answer - Poor management!
P.S This is my first book review ever.
-----------
sorry for my English
Book Description
Get this practical, illustrated guide to the International Building Code.
With the publication of the new International Building Code, the building industry is moving toward a single universal set of construction codes, rather than the three regional codes previously in use. Now more than ever, architects need an interpretive guide to understand how the building code affects the early design of specific projects. This unique reference blends the graphic skills of bestselling author Francis Ching with the code expertise of Steven Winkel. They closely examine the portions of the building code most relevant to the architect and provide a simple and practical interpretation using both words and illustrations. All of the changes in the code are explained in simple, user-friendly language so you'll get up to speed quickly and easily. Order your copy today.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent resource for understanding the code.......2007-09-22
This text does a very good job of breaking the code down into understandable chunks. The addition of graphics helps to understand the verbiage. It is probably best suited to architectural students rather than construction workers, since it spends a lot of time on big picture issues: when do you need to sprinkle, where do you need fire dampers, how many square feet are allowed for Type III construction, etc. Still, it provides the reasoning behind why architects design as they do, so it's still very useful to the non-architect.
Don't go near the code without it.
A great book!.......2007-06-04
Ching did a great job again! The line drawings clarified the codes and made it easy to understand.
Gang Chen, author of Planting Design Illustrated
Evaluating Code Compliance in Design.......2007-01-10
This book is a great tool to use during the design of a building. It applies more to commercial, but is also useful to residential buildings. Using this book will sharpen your code skills and avoid some costly design errors. You will need to have a copy of the 2006 IBC at your disposal if you are going to use this book in any serious way. It is organized in a logical format, but you can easily skip around and cover critical sections. The only thing that I think should be added to this book is a checklist for each type of construction that could be used for plan review. All of my work is in residential so a checklist would help me focus on the pertinent sections of the book.
Excellent Code Understanding.......2006-11-05
Great visual graphics which aid in NC Building Codes along with clear explainations
Excellent Guide to the Codes........2006-03-11
Being an architecture student, this book, and others by Frank Ching, are more than helpful. It really clarifies the IBC and makes design for studio projects go a lot quicker. Definitely get this book if you're studying architecture.
Product Description
The Lean Product Development Guidebook describes over two dozen powerful and practical methods for slashing development waste and improving resource utilization, spanning the full spectrum from inception to successful product launch. An integrated methodology for slashing time to market is presented, based on best in class practices gathered from Toyota Motor Company and many other leading firms. This book includes over 150 figures and diagrams, and is rich with real-world examples and step-by-step instructions. A comprehensive and immediately deployable approach to maximizing speed and profitability.
Customer Reviews:
Very Practical Book.......2007-06-18
Ron has a very laid back writing style. You can tell that he has spent a considerable amount of time in the trenches and appreciates the amount of hard work and focus it takes for a successfull product development project. I would definately recomend this book for anyone serious about wanting to add tools to their product development toolbox.
Slashing Development Time.......2007-04-27
This is the author's second book on product development. The first one was focused primarily on cost reduction with some material about time-to-market. In this book his focus is primarily on reducing development time through focusing on the new development team processes. Ron offers some very practical advice, and a host of easy to use tools and aids that new product development teams can adapt very easily and quickly. Ron's writing style is that of a practitioner and therefore makes reading the material easy, and is made relevant to a real world environment.
His approach of adapting some traditional lean tools to the product development situation is novel. I found his version of Value Stream Mapping for example, for a basically creative process, very useful.
While this book stands on its own, if you have not read Ron's first book "The Lean Design Guidebook," doing so would give you holistic perspective on both the time and cost factors involved in the new product design process.
Enthusiastically recommended as an overview resource and guideline for design team managers everywhere........2007-03-04
Project management professional Ronald Mascitelli presents The Lean Product Development Guidebook: Everything Your Design Team Needs to Improve Efficiency and Slash Time-to-Market, a handbook written especially for design team managers in all business fields. The focus lies upon making the product development process "lean", thereby improving both its efficiency and its effectiveness. Chapters describe how to establish product design requirements, heighten the pace of project execution, and apply self-assessment tools to keep design paradigms operating at optimal levels. The Lean Product Development Guidebook is spiral-bound, able to lay flat or be folded over on itself for easy reference, and is written in plain terms, with numerous black-and-white charts and diagrams illustrating its principles. Enthusiastically recommended as an overview resource and guideline for design team managers everywhere.
Judy Martin, Lean Champion, Los Angeles.......2006-12-13
I just finished reading "The Lean Product Development Guidebook" and I am totally impressed with the practical tools and common sense tone of this book. The author makes the learning experience pleasant and even entertaining! Most of the two dozen "lean methods" described in the book can be used right away and will provide immediate benfits. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is serious about driving waste out of the product design process.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent book on the physical architecture of C++ applications.......2007-02-24
This book assumes you're already proficient in C++ and basic OOP design principles, and considers design at a level one higher than individual classes. You'll learn how to arrange your classes into modules and packages, and then how to organise communication within and between these higher-level constructs. Nonetheless, the book never forgets that the important thing is working C++ code, not diagrams and acronyms, so it's always practical.
There are two core advantages to the designs discussed in this book: maintaining the correct level of abstraction, and reducing recompilation times. Performance issues always run the risk of becoming outdated fairly quickly, and to a certain extent, some of the timing material is no longer relevant. In particular, Sutter and Alexandrescu, in C++ Coding Standards, explicitly disavow the advocated method of external header guards. Additionally, although namespaces are mentioned, they are not used much, and the older method of using prefixes is recommended instead.
The last part of the book drops down to more low level concerns, such as Schwartz counters, operators, and function arguments. This leans heavily on the likes of Effective C++, C++ Strategy And Tactics and C++ Programming Style, and to be honest, you'd be better off looking in more modern books for up to date best practices. For example, in this book assignment is implemented through the copy-and-destroy idiom, which is nowadays considered to be a mistake.
But this is a big book, and you won't be buying it for the lower-level stuff, but for the large amount of higher level material that makes up the bulk. The main practices and metrics remain extremely relevant, the text is clear and well written. And there just isn't many other places where you can go and read about this sort of stuff. It's a must-read.
The Best Computer Science Book I've Ever Read - Period.......2006-01-06
I read this book back in 1998. It is the foundation for my understanding of the design of object oriented software. Prior to reading this book I programmed in C++ for more than 8 years. It was apparent to me that there were gaps in my understanding of how to design medium and large scale object oriented systems. This is a huge and dense book, but as I read through it, many times a light went on in my head (those ah ha moments).
The book also gives specific details about consideration for the C++ language. C++ has changed over the years, and the examples do not use newer language features. I do not feel that this is important. The code clearly illustrates the ideas, which are not limited by the state of C++ at the time the code was written.
Regardless of the object oriented language you use to develop software this book will teach invaluable concepts that I have not found explained elsewhere.
Zzzzzzzzzzz... Wha? Huh? No, I wasn't asleep!.......2005-05-28
I'm sorry, this book is a snore. I read a lot of C and C++ books and this one is by far the most boring yet. That's my main complaint with this book. However, more relevant to what people would like to know, here is a list of items I didn't like:
- Duh. Most of this stuff is common sense to me. It might not be for others, but for me I found myself saying "But I've always done that!" more than I would of liked to from a book of this size and price.
- Size. I'm sorry, there is absolutely no reason for the size of this book. A lot of sections could have been trimmed EASILY such as Chapters 5 & 6 (Levelization and Insulation, respectively). These chapters span over 130 pages each. That's enormous for a chapter and easily kept me from reading in chunks. I personally like to at least read a chapter a day and learn something from that chapter when I'm done. I don't like to have to break a chapter up. There are books that are 130 pages long! My attention span just doesn't hold properly with large chapters like that. If you don't like long chapters, avoid this book. The chapters could of easily been broken up into 50 - 60 pages (Which I personally still find long, but make exceptions for).
- Out of date. This doesn't really affect the book overall, but it is quite out of date.
This book does teach a valid topic though. Which is why I gave it 3 stars. It does a pretty good job at it despite it being long winded and boring.
Dated book, not that great.......2003-07-24
This is a well written book, but not a well written book on C++. It is also not very good at being efficient with the amount of things you learn in the number of pages you read. A lot of subjects are repeated over and over again it seems just to make this book appear longer than it really is to match its title of "Large Scale C++ Software Design". Many of the examples and methods proposed in this book do not lead to efficient coding methods but more or less a way decrease the time required to compile programs which is a topic that does not deserve an entire book devoted to. In this whole book I learned maybe one technique that I would probably not use anyway. The code in this book isn't indicative of its title and if you thumb through the book quickly when you pick it up you might come under the impression that it is a book with a lot of code examples, but it doesn't have much at all. The code is all very similiar and there isn't much variety at all. If you learn well from reading text alone then I suppose you could benefit from some of the examples in this book, however I believe you can find other books on C++ that will lead you in the right direction when it comes to C++ software design.
A Must-Read, but Dated and Wordy.......2002-07-24
This book is a must-read for any serious C++ programmer. Why? Because it is the only decent treatment of physical C++ design available.
Physical design issues, if not addressed, will inexorably cripple any sufficiently complex, performance-sensitive C++ project. Moreover, there is never any time to worry about physical design quality in the heat of battle, so you really need to deal with it up front.
Having said that, the book is not without its flaws.
First, the age of the text is evident. It doesn't address the interchangeability of typedefs and classes for certain purposes, it doesn't fully appreciate the power of namespaces, and it is rife with "the World didn't go that way" conventions. Fortunately, this doesn't prevent the book from getting its point across, but you do need to take some of its "rules" with a grain of salt.
Second, it's longer than it needs to be. This isn't so much of a liability, because it reads faster as a result. Still, its redundancy and long-windedness is sometimes tedious.
But all in all, if you've bothered to read this review, then you probably ought to own a copy of this book.
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