Book Description
Studies show that U.S. companies lose approximately $75 billion annually on failed or mismanaged projects. Avoid the many pitfalls and deliver projects on time, within budget, and of the scope and quality desired by the client, with a highly successful tool called the Statement of Work (SOW).
In Delivering Project Excellence with the Statement of Work, author Michael Martin explains what an SOW is ... how it's developed and used on a project to establish a baseline, develop pricing, and measure changes and profitability ... and how to communicate and sell the importance of the SOW to the client and your own organization.
Included with this book is a bonus CD-ROM with sample SOWs, templates, and forms to help you manage change to the project throughout its life cycle. This is a must-have book for every project leader, manager, team member, or client.
Customer Reviews:
Solid Book !.......2004-11-17
Mr. Martin did a magnificent job explaining what an SOW is and when it should be created. He also explains in detail the creation of an SOW and how it applies to the government and private business sectors. If you are familiar with SOW's you can skip Chapters 1-3 and dive into Chapter 4. I strongly recommend Chapter 5-7.
Chapter 1: Defining the Statement of Work
Historical Perspective on the SOW
Industry Standard Definition of the SOW
Definition of the SOW in the New Economy
Chapter 2: The Importance of the SOW in Managing Projects
Reasons for Having a SOW
Benefits of the SOW
Chapter 3: When to Do an SOW
Consequences of Lack of Guidance for the Private Sector
When an SOW Should Be Done
Types of SOW's and When They Apply
Chapter 4: Who Should Develop the SOW
Building the TIGER Team
Building the Cone of Cohesion
Chapter 5: Building the SOW foundation
Performing Due Diligence
Building the WBS
Chapter 6: Framing the SOW
Developing the SOW Framework
Structure of the Baseline SOW framework
Chapter 7: Finalizing the SOW
Drafting a Quality SOW
Role of the SOW in Pricing the Project
Reviewing the SOW
Role of the SOW in the Contract
Chapter 8: Sample SOW's
(this chapter breaks down the examples included on the CD)
Chapter 9: Managing Change to the SOW
The importance of Managing Change
Identifying When a Change Occurs
Factors to Consider in Managing Changes to the Project
Tools for Managing Change to the Project
Chapter 10: Selling the Importance and Benefits of the SOW
I would have preferred a variety of SOWS on the included CD giving examples of different types of projects. The templates that are included on CD were helpful. I was able to immediately use the template for one of my projects. I was very satisfied with my purchase.
Book Description
This best-selling book captures the dynamics of business communication as no other on the market does. It presents the subject in a fascinating way, powerfully stimulating and motivating readers; this book gives the foundation for excellent, effective, and practical business communication. By offering âOn the Jobâ simulations that feature actual companies, readers apply business communication concepts to real situations and sharpen their problem-solving skills.
Incorporating a three-step approach to writing (planning, writing, and completing business messages), Excellence in Business Communication covers letters, memos, e-mail and other brief messages, reports and oral presentations, and employment messages (including resumes and application letters).
With its helpful appendices and a âHandbook of Grammar, Mechanics, and Usage,â this a must-have desk reference for anyone responsible for writing business letters, e-mail, memos, and reports.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book.......2007-10-01
Just what i needed for my college class, nothing is wrong with the book and seems to be well written.
An easy to read useful book and not only for Business.......2007-01-09
I always thought I was good at communication until I read this book (text book really). I was particularly impressed by the examples of emails that on the surface look fine until the writer points out the loop holes. Despite its title this book comes in hand for many situations well outside business. I have also used my newly acquired skills in academic, political and philanthropic forums and received very positive feedback from colleagues who noticed a change. Buy this book.
Wonderful reference book.......2003-12-14
I use this book for my primary text in a Business and Professional Communication class that I teach. The students like how the book is organized; I appreciate the examples that we can use in class for discussion.
Beyond that, the AIDA approach to business writing is clear and easy to use once students get the hang of it. My students' major project is to work with an organization in solving a communication problem, they are responsible for writing memos and reports to both the client and me.
However, I guess that the biggest endorsement is the number of students who do not resell this book at the end of the semester. I have had several tell me that this is one of the few books that they will take with them when they graduate because they view it as a good reference book.
Full of It.......2002-03-14
This book is choc-full of useful techniques for good, solid business communication. The samples are well thought-out and are very true to life. However, the questions, especially the ethics questions do not have any answers provided. Even the instructor copy doesn't have any of the answers, so effectively it boils down to your opinions and whether or not you can defend them. Yee Hah, just like real life.
it is a very good book for a beginning student of BBA OR MB.......1999-03-19
i am feeling difficulty to understand terminology(glossary required at the end of book) i think all the supported material like test bank or software must be attached with this book in form of CD(ROM)
Book Description
Written for the funeral service industry by a funeral service professional, this unique book teaches effective methods of interacting with people.
Book Description
Meeting Excellence is a comprehensive resource that provides a wide range of ready-to-use tools that have been developed and tested by a meeting initiative within Novartis Pharmaceuticals. It is based on years of research observing team meetings, examining existing meeting documents, and conducting a number of intensive individual interviews in the
U.S. and
Europe. This important book offers the information and tools needed to prepare, facilitate, and follow up on all your meetings. Step by step, Meeting Excellence shows how to
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Create an action-focused meeting agenda
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Ensure that everyone participates in discussion
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Deal with disruptive and inattentive people
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Develop a climate of trust among meeting participants
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Create and deliver effective meeting presentations
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Stay on track to achieve your meeting goals
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Achieve clear communication during a multicultural meeting
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Liven up a dreary and unproductive meeting
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Close your meeting on an upbeat and positive note
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Get action on team action items
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Improve meeting communications with line management
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Evaluate your meeting quickly and effectively
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Choose among various web-based meeting tools
Customer Reviews:
This belongs on your bookshelf!.......2006-12-08
Parker and Hoffman's newest book, Meeting Excellence is a first-class, practical guide to preparing and conducting meetings. It is a well-organized work that will have high utility for any meeting facilitator.
The book's chapters are heavily cross-referenced and loaded with well researched and proven tips, techniques and templates for setting up, running and evaluating meetings.
Of particular interest in today's complex world are chapters titled, Communicating in a Videoconference, Teleconference Tips, and Achieving Clear Communications in a Multicultural Meeting. They are short, clear and to the point.
Expert facilitators may be particularly interested in two of the entries in the Resources section: What Would You Do? Problem Scenarios for Meeting Facilitators, and Your Final Exam. The latter is a set of 25 multiple choice questions. Instead of the standard answer set you would expect to find at the end of such a quiz, the authors provide answer "clues" that cleverly loop the reader back to relevant chapters.
Even as an experienced facilitator, I found myself underlining and flagging page after page. I've copied check lists and reminders to take with me into important meetings. I keep it close at hand and refer to it often when prepping for my next meeting. Well worth the price and the time it takes to read this book.
Excellent Toolkit.......2006-12-06
Hoffman and Parker have produced a high quality piece of work by coming up with pragmatic, clear and practical book on effective meeting management. This easy to read and use book is among the best on the market on meeting design, facilitation and management.
After reading this book, the reader will realize that meetings need not be just a nuisance and total waste of time and resources, but can be a very effective tool for the success of an organization if it is effectively managed.
All in all, the authors have offered solid and timely advice to help managers ensure that meetings presentations are professional and effective, everyone participates in the discussion, conflicts are effectively resolved, the meeting is kept lively, there is focus on achieving meeting goals and managers can choose among several internet based meeting tools, among other benefits. A very useful book that is well worth reading.
A Necessary Book.......2006-12-04
Parker and Hoffman have a written a very needed book. It is a book that everyone who leads meetings or group discussions should keep on their desks. The book provides us with the needed tools to understand and lead effective group discussions. Parker and Hoffman not only tell us what to do but how to do it. Though only recently purcahsed i have already found myself thumbing through the book on several occassions looking for and finding the guidance i have needed. Of particular assistance has been their chapter three on How to Prepare an Action Agenda. Do not let anyone borrow this book it is not likely to be returned.
Deadly meetings no more.......2006-11-10
Meeting Excellence is an extremely useful book. As its sub title suggests, Parker &Hoffman have consciously chosen to give their readers a toolkit versus a tome. They're smart for going that route and have, in my view, done a terrific job. Few organizations make meeting facilitation a priority - hence we don't see many meeting leaders getting very good at it. But for those who have the self awareness and the self interest for improving their productivity, this book is a must read. What's useful is that the book is written in an extremely readable style and organized in a format that works well for the novice meeting leader as well as the pro. They cover the landscape from ice-breakers to ensuring post meeting effective action and include vital tips on handling the land mines associated with tele/video-conference meetings as well. They even have a fun, short piece on integrating food into the meeting leading strategy. And although committed to the micro- toolkit approach, Parker &Hoffman are smart in recognizing that there's also a big picture to this challenge and have included a brief but excellent Fast Company article called: The Seven Sins of Deadly Meetings. It helps the reader frame the challenge and puts the toolkit in a helpful context. All in all Parker and Hoffman have made an excellent contribution to the noble and worthy cause of making our meetings less deadly and less sinful.
A perfectly accurate title.......2006-08-08
Meeting excellence - The name says it all. I've been working in the field of Management consulting and education for over 30 years and have not come across another book as practical, clear, and frankly useful as Meeting Excellence when it comes to planning, facilitating or following up on meetings where it's important to have the entire group engaged and involved.
Parker and Hoffman have put together not only a framework for planning, executing and evaluating meetings, but have organized it in such a way to make the topics accessible to any one, whether experienced or novice at meeting management.
The subtitle "tools" is accurate. As a framework and comprehensive "toolkit" Meeting Excellence functions extremely well. As a reference for specific topics related to meeting planning and facilitation I know of no other resource as well organized and well written. Specifically, the 33 tools cover meeting issues such as how to prepare an action agenda, how to open a meeting, conduct a teleconference, facilitate a video conference, communicate in a multicultural meeting, make effective decisions, liven up a dreary meeting, close a meeting on a positive note, prepare meeting notes and follow-up on meeting outcomes. These areas are especially important today, when most of a manager's, executive's or individual contributor's time is engaged in meeting attendance or facilitation.
I can easily and assuredly recommend this book for anyone who leads any meetings where discussion, decision making, implementation, change or projects and initiatives need capable, clear and effective leadership. In other works, this book will be valuable to anyone involved in meetings at any level.
Book Description
This book is the initial volume coming out of the "excellence project"--a comprehensive research effort commissioned by the IABC (International Association of Business Communicators) Research Foundation. The purpose of this project was to answer two fundamental questions about public relations: What are the characteristics of an excellent communication department? How does excellent public relations make an organization more effective, and how much is that contribution worth economically? The research team began its work with a thorough review of the literature in public relations and related disciplines relevant to these questions. What started as a literature review, however, has ended in a general theory of public relations, one that integrates most of the wide range of ideas about, and practices of, communication management in organizations.
Customer Reviews:
Interesting Read--1st Phase in Larger Research Project.......2001-02-07
I got the skinny on this project from Grunig himself--he was my advisor in graduate school. This is the opening introduction publication of a large research project he and his colleagues were conducting for the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). Taking their inspiration from Peters and Waterman's "In Search of Excellence", this book provides a comprehensive look at public relations, giving readers an idea of where the field is and where it is heading. I'd consider this a must-have resource for anyone wanting to move up the ranks as a public relations professional.
Book Description
Human resource strategies for organization development include team-building methods to improve communication and reduce interpersonal conflict among university administrators. London describes the formation of a team of top administrators who focus on how to resolve conflict, develop employees, and involve them in decision making. The book considers performance problems such as marginal performance and abusive managers. It describes methods for enhancing attention to employee development through appraisal and feedback. New techniques such as the "ratingless" appraisal and 360 degree feedback are covered. Overall, it shows how to maintain and enhance organizational vitality in an environment of tight resources and external pressures.
Book Description
Expert advice on developing people management skills that lead to top performance professionally and personally and that motivate others to excel.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent book on principle-centered leadership..........2007-02-24
I am a fan of Zig Ziglar and I think he exemplifies a model of doing business founded on character and business ethics. He has been very successful himself applying these ideas and true to himself along the way.
This book is basically about how to be a good example and inspire others by living consistent to your values while applying timeless principles to leadership. Like sports, it is often doing the fundamentals really well that leads to tremendous success. For example, look at Tiger Woods. He always returns to improving and grooving the fundamentals.
What makes this book particularly worthwhile is the quality of the story telling, analogies and examples. This helps the principles to land. While this book is simple and straightforward, it's not necessarily simple to apply especially when you get in a difficult situation that tempts you to violate your own principles.
I have been fairly successful in business and worked for more than one Fortune 100 company in different careers. I also had the good fortune of working in Silicon Valley for such companies as Oracle, PeopleSoft and VMware in a variety of management roles. I have tested these ideas in practice and as a result built winning teams. Any of the books I have bought by Zig Ziglar have paid for themselves many times over. I hope you have the same experience.
Management Gems.......2003-09-24
By Jeffrey W. Bennett Author of Under the Lontar Palm and founder of LayMentor.
This book reminds me of my most important asset; the people on my team. In the middle of the book are Management Gems. The Gems include formula for Top Managers, Leadership Myths, as well as steps for performance oriented mangagement. These Gems are must reads daily. Thanks for making something so tough, easier to apply.
Book Description
This book reports findings of a three-nation study of public relations and communication management sponsored by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Research Foundation. The Excellence Study provides communication managers and public relations practitioners with information critical to their own professional growth, and supplies organizations with tools that help them communicate more effectively and build beneficial relations with key publics. Communication excellence is a powerful idea of sweeping scope that applies to all organizations -- large or small -- that need to communicate effectively with publics on whom the organization's survival and growth depend. The essential elements of excellent communication are the same for corporations, not-for-profit organizations, government agencies, and professional/trade associations. And they are applicable on a global basis.
The study identifies three spheres of communication excellence. These spheres consider the overall function and role of communication in organizations, and define the organization of this book. They are:
* the core or inner sphere of communication excellence -- the knowledge base of the communication department,
* the shared expectations of top communicators and senior managers about the function and role of communication, and
* the organization's culture -- the larger context that either nurtures or impedes communication excellence.
This text also examines communication excellence as demonstrated in specific programs developed for specific publics.
Book Description
'eMarketing eXcellence' offers an exciting new approach to help you build a customer-driven e-business. As the core text for the CIM's E-marketing award, the book offers a highly structured and accessible guide to a critical subject, providing a useful reference point for all students and managers involved in marketing strategy and implementation.
A practical guide to creating and executing e-marketing plans, this book combines established approaches to marketing planning with the creative use of new e-models and e-tools. It is designed to support both marketers who are integrating e-marketing into their existing marketing and communications strategies and experienced e-marketers looking to optimise their e-marketing.
The book shows how to:
· Draw up an outline e-marketing plan
· Evaluate and apply e-marketing principles & models
· Integrate online and offline communications
· Implement customer-driven e-marketing
· Reduce costly trial and error
· Measure and enhance your e-marketing
· Drive your e-business forward
As the core text for the CIM's new professional E-marketing Award, it provides comprehensive, critical coverage of the key areas of e-marketing planning for marketing professionals. Established marketing concepts such as customer relationship management, the marketing mix and the widely adopted SOSTAC® planning system, are re-examined in the new media context - and new approaches are defined, including business models, traffic building and web site design.
A highly practical user focused introduction
The most highly regarded author team in this new field
The core text for the CIM's E-marketing award
Customer Reviews:
Great Boook.......2006-11-03
Is a good book have a lot of information and is very professional and easy to read.
Book Description
This is the thoroughly revised and updated edition of the best-selling The Facilitator Excellence Handbook. Written for both new and experienced facilitators, the second edition of The Facilitator Excellence Handbook offers a comprehensive guide for understanding the full range of skills, processes, and knowledge needed to become an effective facilitator. The book addresses a variety of facilitation opportunities, challenges, and problems and also contains
- A variety of verbal and nonverbal facilitation techniques
- Step-by-step facilitation processes and tools
- Information on how to facilitate conflict resolution in groups and how to facilitate difficult situations
- Instructions for designing and leading group work
- Examples of how various levels of facilitator competency are called for in different types of groups
- Techniques for facilitating meetings, teams, virtual teams, and organization-wide projects
- Discussions on the art of facilitating and what makes a great facilitator
Download Description
"This is the thoroughly revised and updated edition of the best-selling The Facilitator Excellence Handbook. Written for both new and experienced facilitators, the second edition of The Facilitator Excellence Handbook offers a comprehensive guide for understanding the full range of skills, processes, and knowledge needed to become an effective facilitator. The book addresses a variety of facilitation opportunities, challenges, and problems and also contains
- A variety of verbal and nonverbal facilitation techniques
- Step-by-step facilitation processes and tools
- Information on how to facilitate conflict resolution in groups and how to facilitate difficult situations
- Instructions for designing and leading group work
- Examples of how various levels of facilitator competency are called for in different types of groups
- Techniques for facilitating meetings, teams, virtual teams, and organization-wide projects
- Discussions on the art of facilitating and what makes a great facilitator
"
Books:
- Educational Administration: Theory, Research, and Practice
- Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice (8th Edition)
- Effective Phrases for Performance Appraisals: A Guide to Successful Evaluations
- Elementary and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching Developmentally, Fifth Edition
- Employment Law for Business
- Engaging the Online Learner: Activities and Resources for Creative Instruction (Online Teaching and Learning Series (OTL))
- Essentials of Introductory and Intermediate Algebra for College Students (Blitzer Hardback Series)
- Evaluating Professional Development (1-Off)
- Everybody Is Different: A Book for Young People Who Have Brothers or Sisters With Autism
- Evidence-Based Reading Practices for Response to Intervention
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- The Pentium Chronicles: The People, Passion, and Politics Behind Intel's Landmark Chips
- Long Time Gone
- A Model Program for Schools of Professional Accountancy
- Cold Mountain: The Journey from Book to Film
- Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
- Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong
- History: Fiction or Science
- Using Ten-Key Electronic Desktop Calculators
- Development Policy in the Twenty First Century: Beyond the Post-Washington Consensus
- Betrock's Reference Guide to Florida Landscape Plants
Communications
| Skills
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Principles of Contracting for Project Management, 2nd edition
Project Procurement Management: Contracting, Subcontracting, Teaming
Law for Global Commerce: A Tour (NetEffect Series)
Request for Proposal: A Guide to Effective RFP Development
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, Third Edition (PMBOK Guides)
