Information Technology Project Management by Kathy
Schwalbe
Subject: A Basic to Intermediate Textbook
on IT Project Management.
Rating: 5/5 Excellent.
As one can guess from the price, this book is geared to be
used as a text book in a University setting. But almost anyone
will find this book extremely useful because the book occupies
a unique niche in the market on Project Management books.
There are several project management books out in the market
that mostly fall into the following categories - General Project
Management, Advanced Project Management, PMP Exam Preparation,
and PM Software books. The problem I have had with these books
is that there are very few that address IT Project Management
and even fewer that use Case Studies throughout. I am in IT
Project Management and absolutely require Case Studies to
learn any subject thoroughly. Especially a practical subject
like Project Management.
This book is perfect for an IT Project Manager because it
- covers basic project principles, incorporates the IT view
on every topic, has plenty of exercises to prepare for a PM
exam (like the PMP or CompTIA's ITProject+), has a very decent
section on using Microsoft Project 2000, a 120 day trial version
of MS Project 2000 software in case you don't have it, plenty
of mini case studies, a real-world running case study of the
Northwest Airlines' ResNet project, and an excellent reference
list at the end of each chapter. It is clear that the book
was aimed at being the perfect reference for any IT Project
Manager.
The only downside of this book is that it is very light on
all the topics and does not address any advanced topics. But
that would have doubled the number of pages in the book and
potential been a turn-off to anyone new to the subject. It
might not have appealed to an Intermediate level Project Manager
either. So I don't feel that this is such a big downside and
is actually a positive.
After obtaining my PMP, I came across this book when I was
given the opportunity to teach Project Management Part-Time
on a need basis at the Austin Community College. They use
this book as the required text book for their comprehensive
IT Project Management class aimed at those new to the field
or those looking to gain a deeper knowledge of IT Project
Management. I am glad I received a free copy of this book
as I would have normally passed it up as too basic a book
(since I already have my PMP). But I now realize that I will
benefit tremendously by doing all the exercises in the book
and strengthen/deepen my understanding of several Project
Management concepts. So my immediate future is going to involve
devouring this book.
I hope you too benefit from this book and enjoy using it
for any one of the many purposes!
Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning,
Scheduling, and Controling by Harold Kerzner
Subject: Comprehensive. One stop for Project
Management knowledge.
Rating: 5/5 Excellent.
Several people I have talked to seem to have mixed feelings
about this book. Most never get past the first few pages in
the book and many are afraid not to have this book prominently
displayed on their desks. The latter is to avoid someone mistaking
them for a junior project manager.
The best way to review this monumental book on project management
is to list the most common arguments for and against the book.
The book presents comprehensive knowledge of project management
that you can substitute only by purchasing several books on
the subject by other authors. Dr. Harold Kerzner is also one
of the most respected experts on Project Management. Dr. Kerzner
now has several companion books to supplement this main text
book. One area that the book was considered lacking in the
past was with regards to case studies. You can now buy his
latest book that is dedicated to covering just case studies.
The writing style is extremely easy to read and follow. Once
you read his explanation on any topic, you will find that
it is hard to disagree with him because his explanations are
very compelling.
The reasons many people have disliked the book - the book
is too boring to read, it is too long a book, it is a compilation
of bullet lists, there are not enough case studies (or problems/exercises),
etc. I can't say anything about the first complaint because
it is actually true but if you are in the middle of a project
and have a burning question, I can promise you that is isn't
so boring to pull up the relevant section in the book and
find a reasonable explanation to your question. The book is
very long because it is an exhaustive treatment of the Project
Management field. There is no reason to read it in one sitting.
Regarding being a compilation of bullet lists, it does seem
that way. But when you have been in project management for
a while and have an appreciation for the difficulty of the
field, the lists don't get in the way. The author has enough
explanations surrounding the bullet lists that I never found
them annoying. To address the complaints regarding case studies,
problems/exercises, there is now a book dedicated to case
studies and I believe there have always been workbooks that
he authored which contained more problems/exercises.
A good approach to follow regarding the usage of this book
is to buy it early on in your career but stop after reading
just the first few chapters. As you are gaining experience
and have been exposed to a majority of the project management
field, it is time to refer to this book more often. I have
followed the book through several editions over the years
and looked up various topics as questions popped up in my
mind while going through a project. I am yet to finish the
whole book (this is my 7th year reading the various editions
of his book) after all these years but I didn't expect to.
It is a great reference book and I have been using it as one.
There are better books to read on project management if you
looking for a quick overview. 'The Little Black Book of Project
Management' by Michael Thomsett comes to mind along with 'Project
Management - Planning and Control' by Rory Burke. If you are
looking for help with the PMP preparation, I highly recommend
'PMP Exam Prep' by Rita Mulcahy. Read my review on her book
for more detailed information on taking the exam.
IIL offers several Project Management classes that are taught
by excellent instructors if you like what you read in this
book and are looking for more of the same. A copy is given
out as part of the class materials (for some of their classes).
I hope you benefit from reading this book as much as I did
and thanks for your patience. This is indeed a difficult book
to review.
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge
(PMBOK Guide) - 2000 Edition by Project Management Institute
Subject: A necessary evil to pass the PMP
exam.
Rating: 4/5 Very Good.
If you are planning on taking the PMP exam, you absolutely
NEED to purchase this book. PMI uses this book as a syllabus
for the PMP exam. Hence, this book is literally a table of
contents of everything that can be tested on the PMP. In addition
to being a table of contents, it does have a brief description
of each topic.
For the longest time, almost everyone who has taken the PMP
exam felt that this was a badly written book. There are two
reasons for this.
The first one is that typically nobody likes to read a table
of contents. So, why did PMI do this? Because of the vastness
of the project management knowledge out there and the difficulty
of covering it all in one book, PMI has chosen to only outline
what is out there.
The second and more important reason is that the authors/editors
did a poor job of connecting these various topics and outline
the ideas in a fashion that does not make sense!
Books are written so that you have to read the chapters serially
from the beginning to the end of the book. Or in some unique
cases, the chapters can be read independently without losing
the author's train of thought. This is the only book I have
ever read that follows neither principle! I believe this is
the reason almost every single reader is confused when trying
to read the book.
I have talked to several people who have passed the PMP exam
and it is clear that everyone struggles through this book
a few times before finding the correct order to read the chapters
in the book for the material to stick.
I think it is best to use this as a reference on your bookshelf
while you are reading other books on project management. Once
you have sufficient experience in the project management field
and feel comfortable with the various knowledge areas, it
is time to read this book cover to cover and come up with
your own order in which to read the different chapters.
My suggestion for the order in which to read the chapters?
Read the first three chapters as they are an overview to project
management and it is not that confusing. The rest of the chapters
are supposed to address the different knowledge areas in an
independent fashion. But this isn't true! The different knowledge
areas are not independent. They are connected through the
five different project management process groups! If you want
to make sense of this book, it is better to follow the order
of the process groups. It may mean flipping back and forth
between different chapters but it works.
This is the only way that I have been able to retain the
material long after taking the PMP exam. I hope this particular
order works for you but if it doesn't, I suggest trying different
ordering of the chapters to find whatever works for you. Do
not assume that you have poor project management skills if
the material doesn't make sense. It is not you, but the book
that is the problem in understanding project management. I
wish you the best of luck in overcoming this hurdle. Bottom
line, you have to read this book in order to pass the PMP.
By the way, if you are a PMI member, you can download an
electronic copy of this book free...The print functionality
on this free Adobe Acrobat file is disabled though. Personally,
I have always preferred the print version for reference books
like this one. Good luck!
PMP Exam Prep (4th Edition) by Rita Mulcahy
Subject: Day Before Exam - PMP Exam Prep
Saved the Day!
Rating: 5/5 Excellent.
I had taken a very reputable classroom style course to help
me pass the test and it was definitely very useful in solidifying
the Project Management knowledge I had gained over the past
4-6 years. If I had to do things over again, I would still
have taken that class. But they had taken the approach of
drilling down into each of the 9 Knowledge Areas and neglected
to go across the Knowledge Areas by addressing the 5 Process
Groups. Even their software was focussed on testing your expertise
with the 9 Knowledge Areas.
Guess what? In order to pass the PMP, you need thorough expertise
with the 5 Process Groups! Sure, if you understood the 9 Knowledge
Areas 100%, you will indirectly have a grip on the 5 Process
Groups. The only problem is that it is almost impossible for
that information to stick in your head unless you go across
and not just drill down! Preparing for the PMP using the Knowledge
Area approach is like learning a language by reading a dictionary!
I was wondering why I was scoring so poorly on the practice
tests till I decided to check out the PMP Exam Prep and PM
FASTrack(the day before the test). When I started using Rita's
PM FASTrack which tests your expertise in both Process Groups
and Knowledge Areas, I realized what the missing component
was. I then spent the next 4-6 hours carefully studying the
more difficult chapters from Rita's PMP Exam Prep book and
took another practice test. I only spent about an hour per
chapter since I had already been exposed to a lot of the Project
Management techniques that are tested. Suddenly, my overall
score started improving!
I then kicked myself for not opening her CD-ROM and book
till the last minute. But I decided not to panic and just
study with high concentration. At this point, I reconciled
myself to not passing the test this first time and promised
myself that I would read her book cover to cover and take
100% of the practice questions in her CD-ROM the next time.
Fortunately, the next day when I took the test, I was able
to stay calm and felt a lot more comfortable when I noticed
that the questions on the test were VERY similar to the ones
in her book and CD-ROM! I could not believe it, but I was
glad :-) I was very happy that I used her material at least
for that one day. When I got the score at the end of the 4
hours, I had scored 86. Whew!
... If I were to do it again, I would just take her class
instead (much cheaper) where you get all this material free
on top of the class. More than anything, following the approach
in her book will relieve you of all the tension resulting
from the unpredictability and difficulty in taking the PMP
exam.
The PMP exam's main source of difficulty stems from the seemingly
subjective nature of the questions. Only by thoroughly understanding
the material in the official 'Guide to the PMBOK' will anyone
be able to see that the questions are actually quite objective
in nature. But to understand this really dense 'Guide to the
PMBOK', there is no substitute to the 'PMP Exam Prep'! Her
material also gave me a much better understanding of project
management than any of the other material/class. Among a couple
of other books, I still use her PMP Exam Prep book whenever
I am going through a project life cycle as a reference.
Good luck with the exam and I hope that the information above
helps you pass the exam with a lot more ease.
The Little Black Book of Project Management by Michael
C. Thomsett
Subject: The Project Management Primer with
the most ROI.
Rating: 5/5 Excellent.
If there is only one book you want to read and you don't
want to spend more than a few hours to get up to speed on
project management, this is that book.
We were introduced to this book in graduate school at Georgia
Tech while taking some Industrial Engineering classes that
had a lot of team oriented projects. The Industrial Engineering
graduate program at Georgia Tech has consistently ranked No.
1 in the nation for at least the last decade. So, when they
recommended that we buy, read and keep this book for a long
time to come, I didn't question their judgment.
I wasn't too thrilled with what the book had to say when
I first read it a few years back. My first impressions were
- why are they making such a big deal about these simple concepts?
The theory in the book seemed too simplistic at the time.
But over the last few years as I started gaining experience
as a project manager, I discovered the reasons why this book
is so popular.
The reason why this book is so valuable - most people when
first introduced to project management are not interested
in reading a lot of material on the subject and want to get
a Cliff's notes version of the subject. That's when you can
get the most benefit from this book. It is better to read
this book than not read anything at all on the subject. And
it is a very easy book to read.
Over the years, I have been able to convince several people
to read this book and gain project management skills because
it is not that much of a commitment to ask from people. I
have even led weekly project management learning sessions
using this book as the main tool. It worked and people learned
quite a bit more about project management than they knew before
reading the book.
After years of project management experience and passing
the PMP, I now realize what a gem this book is even for an
experienced project manager. It can act as a refresher if
you read it once a year. Sometimes, we all tend to forget
the simplest and most obvious things and this book helps us
remember the basic project management principles.
Don't be fooled by this 170 page lightweight, it packs quite
a powerful punch! A lot of professionals who are not project
managers have thanked me for recommending this book. It helped
them understand what I do as a project manager without having
to spend too much time. It may be an excellent idea to distribute
copies of this very inexpensive book to members of your team
so that it can enhance team communications.
If project management is your career, you should definitely
move on to other books after finishing this book. You can
keep the copy as an annual refresher though.
PMP: Project Management Professional Study Guide
by Kim Heldman
Subject: Can use as a companion to the PMBOK
Guide for the PMP.
Rating: 4/5 Very Good.
The PMBOK Guide (by PMI) is essential in preparing for the
PMP, but follows the 9 Knowledge Areas approach. The approach
necessary to pass the test is the 5 Process Groups (plus Professional
Responsibility) approach. This Study Guide takes the 5 Process
Groups approach and hence clears the confusion one may experience
in reading the PMBOK Guide. They also go into more depth than
the PMBOK Guide as can be seen by the fact that the book has
more than twice as many pages.
This Study Guide also has a CD-ROM with hundreds of practice
questions (you can take 2 practice exams). The entire book
is on the CD-ROM too. I have not tried their electronic flashcards
for PCs and Palm Handhelds.
Considering everything that the book offers, it is a great
buy at [this price]. Other CD-ROM software programs that offer
practice tests are over $300. The only other book that will
prove very useful on top of this book is Rita Mulcahy's 'PMP
Exam Prep'. It is a bit more expensive but is of much higher
quality in preparing for the PMP exam. This Study Guide is
wonderful as a secondary preparation material to Rita's book.
Read my reviews of her book to get more info on preparing
for the PMP. I always use multiple study guides to get multiple
perspectives when preparing for an exam. So, if you can afford
it, I would recommend both books for your PMP preparation.
But if you want to invest in only one study guide, I would
say get Rita's PMP Exam Prep.
Good luck on the PMP!
The Juggler's Guide to Managing Multiple Projects
by Michael Singer Dobson
Subject: Great job of identifying types
of multiple projects.
Rating: 4/5 Very Good.
We have all at one point or another in our Project Management
careers, dealt with the issue of managing multiple projects.
There is limited knowledge out there on how to manage multiple
projects. Dobson starts out by identifying three different
types of situations in which you may be managing multiple
projects.
The first situation which he labels as 'Task Oriented Project
Portfolio' deals with multiple projects that are very short
in duration (a few hours of 1-2 days at most). The basic problem
in this situation could be that there are a lot of these small
projects and the PM has a full-time responsibilities on top
of these projects.
The second situation is labeled 'Independent Project Portfolio'
where there are a lot of similar type projects that are not
related (no dependencies between the projects). The problem
here is resource availability that is fixed but there ends
the dependencies between the projects.
The third situation is called 'Interdependent Project Portfolio'
where there are large projects with many small projects identified
as tasks in the large projects. Here, the main problem is
the different kinds of expertise that is demanded of the resources
under the overall time constraints. An example of a move is
utilized where it is a large project with many sub-projects
that have time dependencies but are not related in content
(computer setup, ordering utilities etc.).
Entrepreneurs in start up companies especially run into the
first situation where there are so many of these small projects
that the business owner is just plain overwhelmed. I have
recently found myself in this situation and I was very thankful
to read Dobson's book and apply the simple techniques and
worksheets provided in the book.
Dobson briefly develops the circumstances surrounding each
type of multiple project scenario and provides techniques
and worksheets that a PM can use to manage in each situation.
He also creates new definitions that apply in these individual
scenarios.
This is not an in-depth treatment of the complexities involved
in handling multiple projects. The book is only about 134
pages long. It is an expensive book but I would highly recommend
any serious project manager to at least borrow the book from
some PM library that you may have access to. Dobson also spends
almost half the short book on explaining simple project management
concepts like WBS, Gantt Charts, etc. that most project managers
are already familiar with. Hence it makes for a very quick
but valuable read. Don't miss out on these neat techniques.
The ROI is very high.
Project Management: Planning and Control Techniques,
Third Edition by Rory Burke and Val Joyce
Subject: Condensed Intermediate Text on
Project Management.
Rating: 4/5 Very Good.
This is an excellent treatment of the vast body of knowledge
that comprises project management. The author does a great
job of explaining all the principles of project management
in sufficient enough detail for a new PM. Of course, it is
not a thorough, in-depth treatment of the field and the author
makes no such claims. There are examples and exercises used
throughout that make the book even more valuable.
Even though this is an especially useful book for new project
managers, I think even experienced ones will find some benefit
by having it in their PM library. Refer to Dr. Harold Kerzner's
book 'Project Management - A Systems Approach to Planning,
Scheduling, and Controlling' for an advanced treatment of
the subject. Refer to Rita Mulcahy's 'PMP Exam Prep' to prepare
for the PMP exam. A good book for beginners is 'The Little
Black Book of Project Management' by Michael Thomsett.
The only book I would say is comparable to this one at an
Intermediate level is 'The Complete Idiot's Guide to Project
Management' by Sunny Baker and Kim Baker. It is a slightly
better book and less than a third of the price of this book!
Bottom line, you can't go wrong with this book if you have
the money to spend on it.
The Principles of Project Management - John R. Adams
(Editor) et al.
Subject: Required reading for the PMP? NOT!
A must buy though ...
Rating: 5/5 Excellent.
This book used to be on PMI's recommended reading list for
PMP preparation (I am not sure if it still is). The book does
not use any complicated terminology and is written using an
easy to read writing style. But the concepts will be easier
to understand when you become an experienced project manager.
If you read it at the beginning of your career, I recommend
that you keep this in mind and not be disappointed. Just hold
on to the copy and you will appreciate it later when you have
more overall knowledge of project management.
The book is literally a compilation of 8 of the best papers
on project management ever published. Hence the papers can
be read independently. If you are a student at some University,
you should be able to trace the individual papers to their
source in your University library and print them at a much
lower cost than the price of this book. The price was the
only disappointment for me and since I am not a student, I
couldn't do what I suggested above.
The eight different topics addressed by these papers in the
book are -
1. Conflict Management
2. Contract Administration
3. Negotiating
4. Time and Stress Management
5. Team Building
6. PM Roles and Responsibilities
7. Organizational Development Approach
8. Organizing for Project Management
Based on my own personal background, I found the first five
topics noted above the most interesting and the topic on Time
and Stress Management the most useful. A lot of people I have
talked to have not really found the time to read this book
before taking the PMP but I would recommend reading it thoroughly
once you have passed the PMP. I am finding that this book
provides a very useful way to consolidate one's PM knowledge.
PMI publishes 'Project Management Journal' and 'PM Network'
on a regular basis that are also absolutely essential for
any project manager. I have actually kept these publications
from years back and they are one of the most prized possessions
of my PM library. Enjoy reading these papers and the above
mentioned publications!
PMP Challenge! by J. Leroy Ward
Subject: Half the battle in passing the
PMP is definitions ...
Rating: 4/5 Very Good.
One of the goals PMI has always pursued is to standardize
the terminology in the Project Management field. Hence, it
isn't surprising that a majority of the questions on the PMP
either directly or indirectly test your understanding of numerous
definitions found in the 'Guide to the PMBOK'.
One of the main benefits that this book 'PMP Challenge' provides
is that it makes it really easy to learn and remember the
various definitions on top of helping you recall them. This
spiral bound, flash card style, Question & Answer book
has hundreds of definitions on top of numerous Project Management
concepts - the minimum you need to master in order to pass
the PMP. This book CANNOT be used as a standalone product
to help you pass the PMP. You need to at least use the 'Guide
to the PMBOK' by PMI and 'PMP Exam Prep' by Rita Mulcahy on
top of a comprehensive text book on Project Management to
safely ensure that you get the PMP.
This book is great if used after you have an overall understanding
of the Project Management field and are trying to master the
definitions and concepts presented in the 'Guide to the PMBOK'.
It is a terrific aid to test yourself and increase your ability
to recall. For this purpose, it is a very complete tool. The
spiral bound makes it easy to open anywhere in the book when
you have a few minutes and quiz your brain. The flash card
style makes it easy to test concepts and definitions independently.
The Question & Answer style format keeps the PMP preparation
interesting.
All 9 Knowledge Areas are covered (with 60 questions per
section) and a 10th area covering Professional Responsibility
is supposed to have been added in the latest edition (3rd
Edition). There is cross referecing to the five Process Groups
for each question to help you grasp the knowledge even better.
The only thing I cringed at was the price. But if your company
library has a copy, you are all set. Otherwise, I would recommend
it if you are mainly experiencing a problem with definition
and concept recall. This book is by no means sufficient for
your PMP preparation because the toughest part of the PMP
is the situational type questions that seem very subjective
and the definitions/concepts are only half the battle. The
price is the only reason that I rated this book at 4 stars.
Good luck with the PMP!
Project Manager Competency Development Framework
by Project Management Institute
Subject: Giant Checklist to improve your
Project Management skills!
Rating: 5/5 Excellent.
For the longest time, the main standard that PMI focussed
on was the development of the 'Guide to the PMBOK'. The purpose
of that Guide was to 'Improve the Performance of Projects'.
There is another standard (on WBS) to achieve the same purpose.
In recent years, PMI has decided to address other goals like
'Improve the Performance of Project Personnel'. It is towards
achieving this end that the standard 'Project Management Competency
Development (PMCD) Framework' was developed. An exposure draft
was released recently and this book is that exposure draft
in it's entirety. PMI is now accepting comments on this exposure
draft and a final version will be released soon based on the
feedback.
PMI has done a fantastic job in creating this standard. It
is very usable, much more than the 'Guide to the PMBOK'. It
is only 108 pages long out of which the main standard is only
70 pages long. The rest is Appendices that outline the process
followed in developing the standard and a glossary of terms.
Even in these 70 pages, the first 12 pages are the main material
to be read. These 12 pages describe everything you need to
know about the PMCD framework and how to use it. The next
58 pages are nothing but a giant checklist that you can use
in assessing your project management competencies and coming
up with a plan to fill any gaps you may have. These 58 pages
will be the most used pages in your project management career.
The basic idea in the standard is that there are three areas
of competencies that a project manager needs to be concerned
with - PM Knowledge, PM Performance, and PM Personal Competencies.
When a project manager improves in these three areas, the
projects will see an improvement in their success too. These
three competencies are further split into multiple sub-sections
and described in sufficient detail.
A great way to use this standard is to read the standard
cover to cover and come up with an individualized plan for
oneself. I am currently in the process of coming up with this
plan for myself and I plan on maintaining it for a year before
revamping it. The print function on this electronic file is
supposed to be disabled but it wasn't disabled on my download.
I am currently contacting PMI to alert them of this so they
can fix it. All their other standards that you can download
have their print functionality disabled.
Even otherwise, this book has a very small price to pay considering
the benefits. How many other professions have such a logical
and systematic approach that is documented in 70 pages to
improve your skills? Overall, this is a standard that has
been long overdue in the Project Management profession. There
could be changes to this draft over the next couple of years
as PMI gets feedback from people like yourself after you start
using this framework and find room for improvement. Enjoy
this valuable book!
Project Management Institute Practice Standard for
Work Breakdown Structures by Project Management Institute
Subject: Every Project Manager needs the
info on pages 11-18.
Rating: 4/5 Very Good.
If you just read Chapter 4 (pages 11-18, that's 8 pages)
of this book, you can glean the essence of this entire 80
page book. This chapter contains valuable details relating
to creating a WBS. This chapter explains the process of coming
up with a WBS for your project. This information is not availabe
at this level of detail in many other books. And more importantly,
these details came out after an extensive effort by PMI (this
effort is described in Appendix A-D). No project manager can
afford to do work without being familiar with the information
in this book. The first three chapters are short and serve
as an introduction to what a WBS is and it's value on any
project. If you are a PMP, you already know this information
and you can gloss over these chapters. If you are new to project
management, these first three chapters are as valuable as
the fourth chapter because they lay the foundation for understanding
how to do a WBS.
Appendix E-O outline sample WBS for different industries.
I am familiar with the Web Design and Software Development
fields and I can definitely say that these are too basic to
be of any use unless you are a new project manager in these
fields. I cannot speak to the value of the sample WBS for
other industries but I am guessing you would probably have
access to better sample WBS in your own company. There are
vendors like IIL (International Institute of Learning) selling
better templates of these WBS in the form of project schedules
for various industries. It may be worthwhile looking in that
direction if you are trying to collect these.
The whole book is a free Acrobat download from PMI if you
are a member. The print function on this download is disabled
though so if you want a copy for your desk collection, you
have to buy this print edition.
As a final note, this is a very valuable contribution from
PMI. I have visited too many clients where project schedules
are glorified 'task lists' derived from wishful thinking.
These then get put on a calendar and the client is satisfied
that they have a 'project plan'. I had always wished that
somebody had already educated the clients on the importance
of a deliverable driven approach to project planning (WBS
serves this function). As a project manager working for a
consulting company, it becomes your job to do this. I plan
on using this book as a baseline to achieve this purpose (hand
out a copy to the client and take it from there). This book
is simple enough that I believe it would accomplish the purpose.
So, at the very least, download the electronic copy and buy
this print edition when you get a chance. I hope you found
the information in this review helpful. And more importantly,
I hope you find the information in the book even more helpful
(as I did). Good luck!
PM FASTrack: PMP Exam Simulation Software by Rita
Mulcahy
Subject: Over 1300 practice questions. Similar
to the actual test.
Rating: 5/5 Excellent.
After comparing some of the most popular PMP preparation
software programs, I found this software to be one of the
better ones in the market. There are a few limitations to
this software but in my opinion, the advantages far outweigh
the disadvantages.
The main advantage is that PM Fastrack takes a Process Group
approach as opposed to a Knowledge Area approach and this
alone can single-handedly influence whether you are going
to pass the PMP. In addition, PM Fastrack is probably the
largest repository of exam practice questions you can find
in any product. I have looked at several products (software
and books) and not found any that has more questions than
this product.
The thing I liked the most about PM Fastrack is that the
questions on the CD-ROM very closely resemble the actual test
questions. The resemblence is in more ways than one - nature
of questions, phrasing of questions, length etc. In a couple
of instances, I even saw an exact repeating of the questions
from this product. I don't know how it happened, but it did.
There are a few things I didn't like about the software.
If you are into software development, you will instantly recognize
that good HCI principles were NOT followed in designing this
software. In one instance, I lost the results of 3 hours of
work that I did because I clicked on a button that had misleading
instructions. In case you are wondering, I am not new to using
computer software.
But I am guessing you aren't looking for good HCI or usability
when evaluating a software to buy that will help you pass
the PMP. So, I think if you mentally prepare yourself for
not liking these aspects of the software, then you may not
find these problems as annoying as I did. Ignoring the disadvantages,
you can't go wrong with this software in preparing for the
PMP. The software is more useful if you use it along with
'PMP Exam Prep' by Rita Mulcahy also. Good luck with passing
the PMP!
Hot Topics: Audio Way to Get Ready For the PMP Exam
(Abridged) by Rita Mulcahy
Subject: You may remember the definitions
forever after listening.
Rating: 5/5 Excellent.
The CD contains numerous definitions and a few basic concepts
read aloud by a professional speaker.
I received this audio CD when I purchased the book 'PMP Exam
Prep' by Rita Mulcahy and PM Fastrack (software). This audio
CD is excellent in mastering the definitions and basic concepts
from the 'Guide to the PMBOK' by PMI which is the official
syllabus for the PMP. One of the main problems in passing
the PMP is the situational questions that comprise a majority
of the questions on the test. These questions seem very subjective
but once you understand the definitions thoroughly, half the
problem is solved.
That's where this audio CD comes in. After you have had a
chance to read the 'PMP Exam Prep' by Rita Mulcahy, you can
start listening to this audio CD whenever you have a few minutes.
I played the 87 minute CD for about half an hour each night
before going to bed. I have successfully used this technique
in a lot of tests where you need to memorize definitions.
If you play the CD about 2-3 times before taking the test,
you should be able to recall the definitions very easily.
If you play it a couple more times, I am guessing you will
never forget the definitions.
The CD has a few basic project management concepts on top
of the definitions. The voice is not that of Rita Mulcahy
but of a professional speaker. The price seems a bit [high]
and some people have preferred the book version of 'Hot Topics'
for the value provided. I have personally reviewed another
product, 'PMP Exam Challenge' by J. Leroy Ward in book form
and liked it also. But the superiority of HEARING these definitions
on an audio CD is hard to match in any book. This is because
when you both HEAR and READ a concept or definition, it is
more likely to permanently etch itself in your brain than
otherwise. Of course, the strongest etching occurs when you
use audio, video, book, and some form of interactivity in
your learning.
If you get a chance, read my review on 'PMP Exam Prep' where
I wrote about my PMP exam experience. You may find it helpful
in preparing for the PMP exam. ... Rita Mulcahy is President
& Founder of RMC Project Management that published this
audio CD. The best of luck to you in passing the PMP exam!
Project Management Case Studies by Harold Kerzner
Subject: Long awaited book. Most useful
if you are an experienced PM.
Rating: 4/5 Very Good.
Classes that use Case studies seem to be common at the Harvard
Business School but apparently not in the Project Management
world. This is a long awaited book containing Case Studies
from a respected author and Project Management guru. A detailed
analysis of the Pros and Cons of this book follows:
First, a summary of what is contained in the book - 437 pages
objectively documenting 68 real life Case Studies spanning
the last 20 to 30 years and 1 very neat Time Management exercise
at the end. The Case Studies are typically 3-4 pages long
with a couple that are 40-50 pages long and a few that are
only 1 page long. The Case Studies are roughly divided into
16 Chapters that don't necessarily follow the Process Groups
or Knowledge Areas in the PMBOK Guide (PMI). Example chapter
names are 'Negotiating for Resources', 'Project Estimating',
and 'Project Planning'. Each chapter starts with a 1 page
summary of the author's opinion on that topic - no more, no
less! The Case Studies themselves sound like factual description
of what happened with absolutely no judgment or analysis following
any of the Case Studies.
Since I like to end a review on a good note, the CONS first
- the blurb on the back of the book makes three claims out
of which two are clearly suspect. The claim regarding the
Case Studies covering a wide range of industries is definitely
true. The claim regarding 'follows and supports preparation
for the PMP certification exam' is not supported by the content
in the book. The only way this claim would come true is if
you attended a class led by a very competent instructor that
can glean the relevant points from these Case Studies and
present what you need to pass the PMP. The Instructor's manual
is ONLY available through the publisher directly if you represent
a University teaching Project Management curriculum. The third
claim is regarding the book presenting the best practices
and pitfalls of PM implementations in the real world. For
this claim to be true, one would expect discussions of the
Case Studies presented in the book by the author and a summary
of lessons learned so you can understand what these best practices
and pitfalls are. Without the best practices and pitfalls
EXPLICITLY stated, how do you know for sure what they are?
Isn't the assumption that you don't know them, one of the
reasons for reading the book? Anyway, this does not happen
anywhere in the book except very briefly and indirectly at
the beginning of each of the 16 chapters (1 page per chapter).
The language used is sometimes hard to interpret. I was thrown
off track quite a few times by some ambiguous statements and
I had to read them carefully a second time to interpret them
correctly. I have not noticed this problem with other Kerzner
books. There are also quite a few typos and grammatical errors
that may be common for a First Edition.
The last CON - I really wish the book had an extra 200-300
pages of Kerzner's interpretations of these Case Studies and
his opinions of how things should have been handled. I would
have paid three to five times the price of this book if that
had been included. Oh, well. I will sign up for one of his
classes.
Okay, the PROS - there aren't many books on Project Management
that have real world Case Studies. And definitely not as valuable
as the ones presented in this book. For this reason alone,
this book is worth a LOT more than its price. And to top everything,
these Case Studies are presented in a very objective way so
that you can try to see things the way they really are and
engage in educational discussions with a group of experienced
professionals to gain not just PM knowledge but PM WISDOM.
The time management exercise (about 24 pages) is one of the
best sections in the entire book. It is simple, yet worth
spending time on. The Case Studies of the Denver Airport (under
the Managing Scope Changes Chapter) and the Space Shuttle
Challenger (under the Project Risk Management Chapter) are
probably the most valuable Case Studies (in my opinion). These
are the Case Studies that are 40 and 50 pages respectively
that I mention at the beginning of the review.
The Preface carries a very important observation (and message)
regarding how these basic project management mistakes are
still being repeated even 20-30 years later in modern day
corporations. This is very profound as it implies that these
mistakes can be avoided by Project Managers that learn from
the past mistakes made by other corporations (from these Case
Studies). It is amazing that something so simple has not happened
in the Project Management profession even after all these
years.
I have treasured this book since the day I received it and
I am looking forward to joining a local group of experienced
Project Managers (meaning the Austin chapter of the PMI) to
discuss and learn from these Case Studies. A definite buy
AFTER obtaining the PMP Certification. In my opinion, it will
only confuse the reader who is focussed on passing the exam
to read these Case Studies that don't have any analysis associated
or references to the PMP exam (I didn't find the word PMP
anywhere between the covers of this book).
I hope you found this long and objective review helpful and
that you benefit from these Case Studies.
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