Book Description
Project Management strikes a balance between the technical and human aspects of managing projects. It is suitable for a course in project management and for professionals who seek a project management handbook. This text addresses the major questions and issues the authors have encountered while teaching and consulting with practicing project managers in domestic and foreign countries. The text is very contemporary and up-to-date. This application-oriented text provides a road map for managing any type of project--for example, information technology, R & D, engineering design, construction, pharmaceutical, and manufacturing. The text helps the reader discover the strategic role of projects in contemporary organizations, how projects are prioritized, what tools and techniques can be used to plan and schedule projects, what organization and managerial styles will improve chances of project success, how project managers orchestrate the complex network of relationships, factors that contribute to the development of a high performing project team, the project system which will help gain some measure of control, how project managers prepare for a new international project in a foreign culture, and finally how senior management can develop a supportive organizational culture for implementing projects.
Customer Reviews:
Good textbook for a novice.......2007-07-01
It seems that many people didn't like this book, but I used it for a class on PM & found it to be pretty good. I had no prior knowledge of the field. I really liked the accompanying Student CD-ROM for study & review of the material. I used the Microsoft Project trial CD-ROM & found that extremely useful also. I would recommend it as introductory material.
Good to go........2007-04-02
Product was delivered on time and in the condition as described. Good deal.
This is the worst textbook I have ever seen.......2007-01-11
There are phrases and questions that worded very poorly. Many times I have to re-read a section 3-4 times to try to decipher. Many of the questions do not apply or correspond the text.
The exercises in the back of the book have not connection to the actual material. Quite often the reader is left to searching the Internet or consulting the teacher to fill in the gaps.
This is a very poorly written book, and will likely cause more confusion than it educates.
Excellent!.......2006-08-04
It seems like this textbook has gotten bad phrase and for no good reason. This book is a college level textbook and is perfect in conjuction with appropriate teaching. A person can not simply book pick up this book, skim through a few chapters and expect to understand the management process without being taught by a professor. My advice, go to college and learn the process properly.
virtually fraud.......2006-05-04
Be warned. The Office Project program advertised as included is a trial version. The ad does not say this. Now I have to turn around a buy a new program- Amazon customer service says it isn't their fault. I really needed the book and the program for a class due to start in four days. Now I'm really stuck. Amazon is even trying to get me to pay for the return shipping!
Book Description
If you want to make a big difference on projects, risk management is it.
This practical and easy-to-use Course in a Book by Rita Mulcahy, author of the best selling PMP Exam Prep book, is based on years of project experience and teaching risk management to IT, IS, construction, new product development, aerospace, manufacturing, e-business and utility professions.
It contains Tricks of the Trade from 141 world wide contributors and international risk research. It includes subjects and innovative tricks that no one else has written about. The methodology prevents many of the problems faced on projects and shows how to do it, not just what to do.
Over a thousand sample risks and risk categories are included to help you identify risks that you have not previously thought about. Use and modify the included templates to your projects. Risk Management, Tricks of the Trade for Project Managers includes exams, games and exercises that utilize adult and accelerated learning to increase your knowledge in fast and fun ways.
Information in this book will help you prepare for the PMP and CAPM exams. Access to RMC's new Risk Website will be included to all book purchasers.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent book.......2006-03-18
As with any other Rita book, this is also no expection. The best part is you can use the book practically. It is not just theory part, and figure out how to implement. And since it is aligned with PMBOK, there is no better book on risk management that I could have asked for.
Devasish
The practical Risk Management techniques.......2005-09-25
This book is really made to get a practical view of:
What the Risk Management is
How to collect risks
How to handle risks
How to make sure the risks are under control
As this book is based onto the PMI best practices (coming from the PMBOK), it is a best in class learning book for Project Managers: Real Project Managers.
Easy to Read and Understand.......2004-07-12
Good book for those new to Risk Management and a great refresher for those with more experience. It was nice to have so many "Tricks of the Trade" available in one book.
Finally an in-depth text on Risk Management.......2004-07-07
Rita Mulcahy, whose PMP Exam Prep book and material has helped many people pass the PMP exam, has come through again -- this time with an in-depth study on Risk Management.
As expected, the book observes PMI standards, but more than that, it shows how risk can be managed effectively in the real world, using specific examples.
Lack of effective risk management is one of the leading causes of project failure, and all too often, risk management is ignored altogether - perceived as an expensive burden. This book takes a realistic approach, examining both full scale risk management (including quantitative methods) and the minimum effective risk management needed for project success. In many industries, that's all that's needed.
Best of all, it offer dozens of examples of real life risks and risk responses across a variety of industries.
All in all, highly recommended for anyone needing to develop risk management processes or trying to improve their risk management skills.
Definite must-read for risk!.......2004-06-30
I have recently changed work venues from biopharmaceuticals to construction/engineering, and this book has proved invaluable to help me get my arms around the risk issues for my new workplace. I definitely recommend it for anyone studying risk, particularly as a supplement to the information available to those preparing for the PMP exam. It's easy to read, and will make a great addition to anyone's project management reference library!
Book Description
Any software project that's worth starting will be vulnerable to risk. Since greater risks bring greater rewards, a company that runs away from risk will soon find itself lagging behind its more adventurous competition.
By ignoring the threat of negative outcomes—in the name of positive thinking or a Can-Do attitude—software managers drive their organizations into the ground.
In Waltzing with Bears, Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister—the best-selling authors of Peopleware—show readers how to identify and embrace worthwhile risks. Developers are then set free to push the limits.
You'll find that risk management
* makes aggressive risk-taking possible
* protects management from getting blindsided
* provides minimum-cost downside protection
* reveals invisible transfers of responsibility
* isolates the failure of a subproject.
Readers are taught to identify the most common risks faced by software projects:
* schedule flaws
* requirements inflation
* turnover
* specification breakdown
* and under-performance.
Packed with provocative insights, real-world examples, and project-saving tips, Waltzing with Bears is your guide to mitigating the risks—before they turn into problems.
Customer Reviews:
Risk management is project management for adults.......2007-10-20
In less than 200 pages, Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister manage to put together a very well-written text on risk management that vastly outshines other books of the same genre that are many times its size. Much of the ground that the authors cover in this work can be categorized as how to integrate "evidence-based decision making" into project management, although DeMarco and Lister do not explicitly use this term. The Prologue and Appendix A of this book, consisting of only 10 pages, are worth the price of this book. These two small segments discuss what the authors term "the ethics of belief" - on what basis does one believe? Because technology projects are often sited as high-failure-rate endeavors, in order to increase the success rate of project completion estimates one needs to honestly assess risk in terms of the evidence available. The Prologue simply states that "the business of believing only what you have a right to believe is called risk management", and that this discipline needs to guide the efforts of project managers through periods of uncertainty. Appendix A furthers this principle by indicating that "it is wrong...to believe anything upon insufficient evidence". The pages between these two segments walk the reader through such topics as the cases for and against risk management, quantifying uncertainty, core risks of software projects, and the tie between value and risk. Throughout "Waltzing with Bears", the consistent, superb use of graphs and simple line diagrams to support the material is unparalleled. Just like "Death March" (see my review for that book), I highly recommend this work to everyone involved in technology projects.
Very usefull.......2007-01-15
The book comes in handy, at a time where we are facing quite some challenges in a large IT project.
Common Sense advice for Project management.......2006-10-23
At a certain fundamental level, projects are about how well one manages the risks in the process of achieving the project objectives. Projects by their very nature and scope of effort entails some level of risk (major or minor), but unfortunately the concept of recognizing and managing the risks is sorely absent in majority of IT projects. And for those of us who have been involved in IT projects, this book is a stark reminder of how poorly risks are managed.
I found this book very useful in understanding the thought process behind risk management and more importantly the challenges and difficulties in implementing them. I have seen projects where Risk management is nothing more than symbolic maintenance of a risk log, which is more "CYA", than anything practically useful. Ofcourse, many other projects don't even maintain this token log too.
There are some striking observations in this book, which is commonsense, but gets lost in the thicket of our daily project management duties.
One of them is about the project delays:
"When a project strays from schedule, it's seldom because the work planned just took longer than anyone had thought; a much more common explanation is that the project got bogged down doing work that wasn't planned at all.
Most software project managers do a reasonable job of predicting the tasks that have to be done and a poor job of predicting the tasks that might have to be done."
Another one is about schedule estimates:
"Software managers have tended to follow a standard rule: The Estimate and the goal are identical. The discipline of risk management though will counsel you to use goals as you always have to help people strive for best performance. At the same time, it will prompt you to use a very different planning estimate when making promises to your clients and management.
Schedule = Goal = N -> Really dumb equation
Schedule > Goal > N -> Sensible (N =Nano-estimate)"
THis is so true. It always happens that whatever is the earliest
articulated date of completion automatically is considered the deadline, which is most of the time unrealistic and working against this timeline makes risk management even more impossible.
I woulf recommend this book to anyone intrested in reading about some common sense advice related to IT project management in general and Risk management in particular.
A necessity for *developers*.......2006-10-01
Read this unsystematic and occasionally glib book (I concede this point to other reviewers) and you will suddenly realize that you, your colleagues in development, your technical leads, and your CEO have probably all been lying to yourselves and to each other about every single "milestone". Risk analysis is not merely done badly most of the time. It's usually not done at all. I learned enough from this book on a Sunday to return to work the next day and successfully persuade my colleagues that our project plan was worthless, and we needed to come up with a new one *now* that properly took account of the risks. No, I'm not a risk analyst, but merely the effort of thinking about risk in a different way had a payoff. Before this, we were just driving blind.
This is the resource you need in your toolkit to stop the glazed eye syndrome?.......2006-05-19
Hardly. I'm not sure what the definitive source on risk managment for software projects is, but this isn't it. Not even a good primer.
Book Description
Based on sound conceptual foundations yet developed to meet practical concerns, Project Risk Management has become recognized as a standard work on its subject. It sets out the key issues and concepts involved in effective risk and uncertainty management in a clear and accessible way, providing a comprehensive discussion of risk management processes set firmly in the context of the project management task as a whole and focused on improving performance. The Second Edition has been extensively revised and updated to meet the new challenges of the field, and offers methodologies and techniques that are applicable to all kinds and all sizes of project.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Literature on Risk Management.......2007-10-11
All projects involve risk and risk involves both threat and opportunity. In today's world of project management, perhaps the single most important skill that a project manager can possess is risk management. Organizations that better understand the nature of the risks can manage them more effectively.
This book provides a framework for integrating risk management into the management of projects. It explains how to do this through the definition of generic risk management processes and shows how these processes can be mapped onto the stages of the project life cycle.
Another feature is the risk management processes provided can be used for either project or product management because of the fine granularity of the project life cycle used - instead of the typical 6-stage Requirements, Design, Build, Test, Implement and Operate stages the authors use an 8-stage project life cycle that begins with conception and includes post-planning allocation and post-delivery review milestones. Moreover, the typical risk management cycle of Identify, Analyze and Quantify, Prioritize and Manage is expanded into a much more detailed cycle that includes focusing, clarifying ownership issues, and scenario analysis. In particular, the scenario analysis sub process is an excellent approach and allows going well beyond the typical expected monetary value and probability & impact types of analyses.
The authors have set main emphasis on processes rather than analytical techniques. This book provides the reader with a fundamental understanding of project risk management processes but avoids being over prescriptive in the description of the execution of these processes. Instead, there is positive encouragement to use these generic processes as a starting point for elaboration and adaptation to suit the circumstances of a particular application, to innovate and experiment, to simplify and streamline the practical implementation of the generic processes to achieve cost-effective and efficient risk management.
The Authors have made good comparisons between their work and both PRAM and RAMP, as well as with the Project Management Institute's PMBOK 2000. They have developed and named the generic framework SHAMPU (Shape, Harness, and Manage Project Uncertainty) process and compare it with PRAM, RAMP, and PMBOK 2000.
The notion of risk efficiency is central to the theme. All risk management processes consume valuable resources and can themselves constitute a risk to the project that must be effectively managed. The level of investment in risk management within project must be challenged and justified on the level of expected benefit to the overall project.
The Authors document numerous examples drawn from real project experience to substantiate the benefits of a formal process-oriented approach. Ultimately, project risk management is about people making decisions to try to optimize the outcome, being proactive in evaluating risk and the possible responses, using this information to best effect, demonstrating the need for changes in project plans, taking the necessary action and monitoring the effects. Balancing risk and expectation is one of the most challenging aspects of project management. It can also be exciting and offer great satisfaction, provided the project manager is able to operate in a climate of understanding and openness about project risk. The cultural change required in organizations to achieve this can be difficult and lengthy, but there is no doubt that it will be easier to accomplish if risk management processes are better understood and integrated into the practice of project management.
The interesting part of the book is the large number of insights imparted through cases and real-life situations and these are thought provoking. This book is largely about how to achieve effective and efficient risk management in the context of a project. This book is an excellent literature on risk management and will be of interest to all involved in project management.
Heavy on process and insight; light on technique.......2001-09-13
This is the most comprehensive treatment of project risk management processes I have read. The focus is on the process itself, using techniques to illustrate the advice and insights that are heavily interspersed throughout. Because techniques are used to reinforce the information on process and insights this book is better suited for readers who have a good understanding of risk management techniques.
Another feature is the risk management processes provided can be used for either project or product management because of the fine granularity of the project life cycle used - instead of the typical 6-stage Requirements, Design, Build, Test, Implement and Operate stages the authors use an 8-stage project life cycle that begins with conception and includes post-planning allocation and post-delivery review milestones. Moreover, the typical risk management cycle of Identify, Analyze and Quantify, Prioritize and Manage is expanded into a much more detailed cycle that includes focusing, clarifying ownership issues, and scenario analysis. In particular, the scenario analysis sub process is an excellent approach and allows you to go well beyond the typical expected monetary value and probability x impact types of analyses.
The authors assume that you have a good grounding in both probability and fundamental quantitative analysis techniques, and while both probability and a variety of techniques are used as examples they are only superficially explained. The best part of the book, though, is the large number of insights imparted through cases and real-life situations. These are thought-provoking, but require careful reading (especially for American readers who may not be used to the norms of the British vernacular).
If you are interested in a mature project or product risk management process and have some background in risk management this is a five-star book that absolutely should be in your library.
Book Description
There's a good reason project risk management is one of the most vital of the nine content areas of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (TM). Important projects tend to be time constrained, pose huge technical challenges, and suffer from a lack of adequate resources. It's no wonder that project managers are increasingly focusing their attention on risk identification.
Identifying and Managing Project Risk is a practical guide to minimizing the possibility of failure in critical projects. The book takes readers step by step through every phase of a project, showing them how to consider the possible risks involved at every point in the process. Relevant figures and diagrams support the text and illustrate key scenarios. At the end of each chapter is an analysis of how the principles just discussed applied to a supreme example of what many once considered a truly impossible project: the building of the Panama Canal.
Packed with real-world information, this book is essential reading for any project manager seeking to complete projects smoothly and successfully.
Customer Reviews:
A pretty good book.......2007-05-26
While I'm using this as required reading for a grad school class on Risk Management, I'd read this even if it wasn't required. Engaging for a not-so-easy subject to talk about, along with good and relevant examples. Talking about big and small projects, you get a feeling as you read that this book is for you, not just "big time companies" with mega projects.
Easy to Read.......2007-05-07
The book is very well-written and easy to read. I work in a high-tech start-up company and this book was quite applicable to some of the tasks we do.
Good overview, heavy in IT & scheduling.......2007-03-24
This risk management book provides a good overview of the risk management process from start to finish, and provides examples from technical projects. The text guides the reader through the three steps of risk identification, assessment, and management, and discusses the difference between macro-management of risk at a corporate or portfolio level, and micro-management of risk at the project level.
The book stresses the need for an understanding of each facet of the project in order to identify areas of risk. There is a very strong emphasis on scheduling, with many good suggestions regarding risk reduction, and the timing of risky activities during the course of the project. The information provided is largely qualitative, with some brief discussion about quantitative analysis, methods, and risk assessment tools. Some of the quantitative methods described are specifically for IT projects, with criteria such as technology, architecture, and system complexity. The material in the book relies heavily on the PMI Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, 2000 edition (PMBOK).
The bulk of the book focuses on good risk management techniques, decision-making, and project planning. Management tools, such as root cause analysis, diagnostic project metrics, and financial metrics, are described in detail. The author provides the reader with a broad scope of information regarding risk management, and the book is an excellent resource for those who seek an introduction or refreshment of good project management and risk management concepts.
Essential.......2006-07-28
Very readable. Great reference. Includes explanations of Why you do things, not just How to do them. This book also takes a broad view of Risk, and when it is about 'Risk' it relates the planning and controlling to the other PMBOK processes and knowledge areas. Risk management as a comprehensive concept. Wow, who'da thunk. Kendrick impresses; I own and use his PM Toolkit almost daily.
A "Must Have" for Your Library.......2006-05-11
As the other reviewers have indicated, this book is an excellent addition to your library.
It is well-written, well-organized, and supported by real-life data from his PERIL database (compiled from hundreds of projects, world-wide, over the past decade). The book makes good use of bullets and diagrams to emphasize and/or explain important points.
I particularly liked the way he correlated his material with the Project Management Institute (PMI)'s PMBOK.
Further, I appreciated his discussion of some of the most difficult issues that arise when implementing a formalized project management methodology (including some that are seldom addressed in books), e.g.:
o Tips for persuading senior level management of the necessity of a formalized project management methodology
o Recognizing the power shift that occurs within a company when formalized project management/portfolio management processes are implemented and followed
o Metrics, derived from the PERIL database, relating to things such as the impact of the permanent (or temporary) loss of a project team member. (I'm always looking for metrics to support some business case, or other request to senior management, for additional ... time ... resources ... budget, etc.)
o The Appendix, which listed some of the Schedule, Resource and Scope risks from the PERIL database
o The sample Risk Questionnaire, and the many other tools, tip and procedures included in the book
Overall, I give it five stars and expect that it will become "dog-eared" very quickly, from heavy use, as I refer to it often in my work.
Book Description
Promoters of multi-billion dollar land-use development megaprojects systematically misinform parliaments, the public and the media in order to get them approved and built. This book not only explores these issues, but suggests practical solutions drawing on theory and scientific evidence from the several hundred projects in twenty nations and five continents. It is of interest to students, scholars, planners, economists, auditors, politicians and concerned citizens.
Customer Reviews:
Packed with Knowledge!.......2004-03-02
Every once in a while a little book comes along that, while small in size, carries sufficient intellectual weight to strike the body politic between the eyes, thereby getting its collective attention. This may be one such book. It offers a realistic look at megaprojects - those major infrastructure endeavors that span vast bodies of water, dam natural resources to generate energy and extend rail lines to previously unreachable regions - and compares the promises of these projects to what they actually deliver. The report card isn't very good. Cost overruns are typically 25% to 100%, and sometimes 200% or more. Worse yet, studies show that the public tends to use megaprojects - be they airports or subway systems - only a fraction of the amount predicted. We strongly recommends this book to politicians, legislators and anyone who wants to know the truth behind these huge infrastructure projects, as well as to CEOs, CFOs, project managers and risk officers in the private sector - this applies to your projects, even if there is a difference of scale.
A fool, his money and the bridge that parted them..............2003-09-13
I am the first amazon.com reviewer of this short, but important book. It concerns me that this might reflect a diminished U.S. readership. That would be unfortunate. Professor Bent Flyvbjerg and his colleagues have written a book of significance to taxpayers everywhere. It's apparent that they have written this book largely for the policy-maker; yet, make no mistake about it: the ordinary taxpayer has a major stake in this book's message. The central characters in Megaprojects and Risk are three large-scale, European transportation projects: the Chunnel, the Great Belt and the Oresund. American readers unfamilar with these names (the chunnel connecting London and Paris is perhaps the most recognizable to American readers) will nonetheless recognize familiar features. Specifically, they will find project costs that exceed estimates, and revenue inflows that are below projections. The traits are not unique to these projects. In fact, cost over-runs and revenue disappointments are a familiar global refrain, according to these authors. In spite of this, the number and scale of infrastructure projects continues to grow, forming what they call the megaproject paradox. The book is stronger on documenting problems, including the lack of project post-audits, than on providing solutions. I think they have correctly identified the problem -- the lack of accountability throughout the project life-cycle -- but their solution, which largely involves ensuring a healthy segment of private capital not supported by state guarantees, together with more attention to genuine risk assessment, falls short of the mark. The risk assessment tools are firmly established and largely well-understood (Monte Carlo simulation packages are increasingly available). So is the "moral hazard" problem that rears its ugly head when projects (in this case) are "over-insured." The difficulty, which they acknowledge, is that the political interplay between state, private interests and NGOs are decisive in determining whether and to what extent the appropriate risk assessment and risk management tools are used.
This problem is inherent in the beast. Policy-makers would love for the private sector to shoulder the risk, but may not be willing to permit a commensurate return. Private players, just as understandably, are apt to seek insurance of one kind or another on the downside. The best medicine, and one that this book delivers admirably, is simply to raise our awareness of the track record from the start.
This short book has the look and feel of an academic work. It would, however, be unfortunate if it languished at the university bookstore. Global demographics dictate that larger-scale infrastructure investments are in our future. No one should pay for, promote or plan for such projects before they have digested the lessons in Megaprojects and Risk.
Average customer rating:
- Managing Risk
- This is "the book"!
- Necessary for CMM 4 & 5, excellent general approach
- A great resource on project risk management
- Impressive
|
Managing Risk: Methods for Software Systems Development
Elaine M. Hall Ph.D.
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Prepare for the PMP Exam
ASIN: 0201255928 |
Book Description
Risk is inherent in the development of any large software system. A common approach to risk in software development is to ignore it and hope that no serious problems occur. Leading software companies use quantitative risk management methods as a more useful approach to achieve success. Written for busy professionals charged with delivering high-quality products on time and within budget, Managing Risk is a comprehensive guide that describes a success formula for managing software risk. The book is divided into five parts that describe a risk management road map designed to take you from crisis to control of your software project.
Highlights include:
Six disciplines for managing product development. Steps to predictable risk-management process results. How to establish the infrastructure for a risk-aware culture. Methods for the implementation of a risk management plan. Case studies of people in crisis-and in control.
Customer Reviews:
Managing Risk.......2005-06-26
This book introduces three methods to promote understanding of software risk management: the 6-D Model, the P2I2 Success Formula, and the Risk Management Map. The 6-D Model extends the Deming Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle by adding the ability to reveal risk and opportunity. The P2I2 is a cause-effect diagram that relates the factors influencing risk management capability, by distributing the task of managing risk according to four major factors: people, process, infrastructure and implementation. Using this divide-and-conquer approach, parallel efforts can speed the adoption of risk management within an organization. The Risk Management Map synchronizes these efforts by proving direction through five evolutionary stages: problem, mitigation, prevention, anticipation, and opportunity.
This book assumes that you already have risk management experience. It shouldn't be your first reading on risk management.
This is "the book"!.......2005-04-02
Dr. Hall has done a superb work by fitting all the pieces that are needed for a successful software risk management. The way this book is explained is fairly comprehensive, going from a high level view, and later "drilling down" into important particular concepts.
You can not go wrong following the "Managing Risk" methodology when developing your next project, especially under the current international regulations and standards for corporate governance...
Necessary for CMM 4 & 5, excellent general approach.......2001-06-30
Shows how to establish and manage a comprehensive risk management program. The basis of Ms. Hall's approach is called "P2I2", which stands for Process, People, Infrastructure and Implementation. Within these processes are subprocesses and tasks that, as a whole, will result in a risk management posture that is seamlessly integrated into a development project. Although this book is about managing software development project risks, the approach can be applied to any type of project, and can also be tailored to work in an operational or production environment. For example, implementation plans and change control in the operational environment require a risk management strategy, and the methods provided in this book will fill the void with no modification of the basic P2I2 approach.
The process portion of P2I2 consists of 5-steps for managing risks: identify, analyze, plan, track and resolve. For those who manage projects in accordance with the Project Management Institute's Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) processes, the P2I2 on the surface appears different from the 6 steps set forth in the PMBOK. The key difference between the two is the PMBOK's risk management approach groups 5 processes into project planning and 1 into project control, while the P2I2 approach takes a more holistic view and incorporates risk management across the entire project life cycle. If you are striving for or working within the Capability Maturity Model at level 3 or above, then this book is essential and perfectly aligns. The book devotes a chapter to each of the processes, which clearly identifies the what's and how's of each. Note that the book does not cover advanced risk management techniques, such as probability curves - you will need to obtain this information elsewhere. It does give qualitative techniques, and gives quantitative methods to assess ROI for the risk management initiative itself, as well as other metrics to prove its effectiveness or lack thereof.
Implementing the risk management infrastructure is covered in great detail and is a roadmap for making risk management an integral part of your project. It starts with developing a policy, defining standard processes to be employed, training your team and compliance verification and continuous improvement methods. This material spans five chapters, which sets the foundation for the next five chapters that address implementation of the program itself. These chapters cover establishing the initiative, developing the plan, tailoring the process to your environment, and assessing and controlling risks. The last two are excellent primers on their topics.
The remaining five chapters are devoted to the people part of P2I2, and are broken down into stages, each discussed in its own chapter. The stages are: problem, mitigation, prevention, anticipation and opportunity. Each is thoroughly discussed and taken together these last chapters clearly show roles, issues and factors, and how human resources are integrated into a coherent and holistic risk management initiative.
This book is clearly written and well illustrated. The approach is not only practical, it's essential to ensuring the success of any specific project or extended to encompass a development organization. Moreover, it is also essential for any organization that wants to attain CMM level 4 or 5.
A great resource on project risk management.......1999-05-16
An excellent resource. It presents very practical methods for project manager who wants to mange project risk proactively.
Impressive.......1998-11-05
This book is impressive and contains a lot of useful detail and original thought. Anyone interested in risk will enjoy and learn from the book as I did. It does tackle "quantified objectives" much better than other texts.
Book Description
THE WILEY EVENT MANAGEMENT SERIES
The complete guide to event risk management, safety, and security
Practical strategies and resources for any size event!
With any event comes risk-from rowdy guests at a festival or convention to a life-threatening riot at a sports event. Event Risk Management and Safety provides a comprehensive resource for managing event risk and limiting liability for modest and grand events. Presenting theory and practical applications, this book covers topics such as measuring risk, alcoholism and drugs, crowd control, fire safety and emergency medical services, food and water safety, outdoor events, and much more.
Other features include:
- Case studies examining problems and solutions to real-world situations
- Key terms and risk-management exercises
- New techniques to forecast and manage the global challenges of the twenty-first century
- Comprehensive appendices containing additional resources, alcohol and beverage commission contact information, and practical forms
Customer Reviews:
Theorical and practical approach.......2007-03-16
The two first chapters have a theorical approach worthy of an academy writer. But the ongoing chapters, although have useful information and practical, lack of structure.
One of the Best Books in Risk Mangaement.......2007-02-28
This is a great book for anyone in the Sports and Entertainment Industry. The book is a great reference which I use daily for event security purposes.
Spectacular.......2002-08-03
The information in this book is priceless. It gives a good idea of some of the mishaps that might happen at events and it gives helpful tips on avoiding disasters. Very informative too.
Book Description
Is there anything more important to the success of a project than making good decisions? This skill is certainly at or near the top of the list. Yet, few of us have had formal training in decision making. Decision analysis is the discipline that helps people choose wisely under conditions of uncertainty. This book introduces risk and decision analysis applied to project management. Probability is the language of uncertainty. Fortunately, a few basic concepts in probability and statistics go a long way toward making better decisions. The evaluation calculations are straightforward, and many everyday problems can be solved with a handheld calculator. Schuyler also explains and demystifies key concepts and techniques, including expected value, optimal decision policy, decision trees, the value of information, Monte Carlo simulation, probabilistic techniques, modeling techniques, judgments and biases, utility and multi-criteria decisions, and stochastic variance.
Some of Schuyler's tried-and-true tips include:
-The single-point estimate is almost always wrong, so that it is always better to express judgments as ranges. A probability distribution completely expresses someone's judgment about the likelihood of values within the range.
-We often need a single-value cost or other assessment, and the expected value (mean) of the distribution is the only unbiased predictor. Expected value is the probability-weighted average, and this statistical idea is the cornerstone of decision analysis.
-Some decisions are easy, perhaps aided by quick decision tree calculations on the back of an envelope. Decision dilemmas typically involve risky outcomes, many factors, and the best alternatives having comparable value. We only need analysis sufficient to confidently identify the best alternative. As soon as you know what to do, stop the analysis!
-Be alert to ways to beneficially change project risks. We can often eliminate, avoid, transfer, or mitigate threats in some way. Get to know the people who make their living helping managers sidestep risk. They include insurance agents, partners, turnkey contractors, accountants, trainers, and safety personnel.
Customer Reviews:
For Educated & Experienced Readers.......2003-08-09
Comprehensive and well-written treatment of a difficult subject. The book is aimed at project managers but readers who have college-level math and/or project experience in business can learn from this book. As a project manager, I learned where my skills were weak and needed strengthening, amoung other things. More importantly, I picked up techniques and methods to use on the job.
One short-coming of the book is the dearth of references. One would expect many more references for such an multidimensional subject.
boring..........2002-05-23
It is a snooze feast. Even if you do risk management the book reads like quantum physics in that it looks good in print but how do you prove it in the real world.
A very good text book, a really bad business book.
Book Description
Managing the Unknown offers a new way of looking at the problem of managing projects in novel and unknown environments. From Europe's leading business school, this book shows how to manage two fundamental approaches that, in combination, offer the possibility of coping with unforeseen influences that inevitably arise in novel projects:
* Trial-and-Error Learning allows for redefining the plan and the project as the project unfolds
* Selectionism pursues multiple, independent trials in order to pick the best one at the end
Managing the Unknown offers expert guidelines to the specific project mindsets, infrastructures, and management methods required to use these project management approaches and achieve success in spite of unforeseen obstacles. This book equips readers with:
* Causal explanations of why unforeseeable factors in novel projects make traditional project planning and project risk management insufficient
* Directly applicable management tools that help managers to guide novel and high-uncertainty projects
* Real-world case studies of both successful and unsuccessful approaches to managing high uncertainty in novel projects
Books:
- Readings in Information Technology Project Management
- Realizing the Promise of Corporate Portals: Leveraging Knowledge for Business Success
- Realizing the Promise of Corporate Portals: Leveraging Knowledge for Business Success
- Reinventing Strategy: Using Strategic Learning to Create and Sustain Breakthrough Performance
- Root Cause Analysis Handbook: A Simplified Approach to Identifying, Correcting, and Reporting Workplace Errors
- Self-Modifying Systems in Biology and Cognitive Science (IFSR International Series on Systems Science and Engineering)
- SharePoint 2007 User's Guide: Learning Microsoft's Collaboration and Productivity Platform
- Silicon Alley: The Rise and Fall of a New Media District (Cultural Spaces)
- Spidering Hacks
- Spreadsheet Modeling and Decision Analysis (with CD-ROM and Microsoft Project 2003 120 day version)
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