The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management, 2nd Edition - Softcover

Eric Verzuh

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0471692840 ISBN 13: 9780471692843

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc, 2005

Synopsis

An updated and revised edition of a bestselling guide to project management The first edition of The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management sold over 100,000 copies and has been widely adopted in university courses and corporate training programs around the world. The book teaches the basic methods for defining, planning, and tracking a project, as well as techniques for leading and building strong project teams. This new edition includes: Downloadable, customizable project management forms Study aids for passing the popular Project Management Professional certification exam Guidelines for building high–performance project teams New examples of project management at work in the 21st century Eric Verzuh (Seattle, WA) is certified by the Project Management Institute and is President of The Versatile Company, which delivers project management training and consulting services to such companies as Adobe Systems, Inc., GE, Lockheed Martin, Nordstrom, and the United States Postal Service. He is also the author of The Portable MBA in Project Management (0–471–26899–2), from Wiley.

About this title

Review:

Until the early 90s, Project Management was definitely located somewhere near the unsexy end of the business spectrum. But now with the rise of downsizing and outsourcing it has become one of the hot disciplines. Professional membership of the U.S.-based Project Management Institute has quadrupled in the last decade and Microsoft claimed recently to have over two million users worldwide of its project management software. The reasons for this growth are simple. Project management is about managing "projects", that is one-off pieces of work (as opposed to on-going operations). Downsizing, outsourcing and the accelerating pace of change have meant that increasingly work is carried out on an ad hoc, one-off project basis. Publisher John Wiley has cannily spotted this and has now added Project Management to its "Fast Forward" MBA series. It is designed as an advanced textbook for businessmen with a grasp of the basics and insufficient time (or inclination) to go back to school to learn more. Written by Eric Verzuh, president of the Versatile Company, a leading project management consultancy, and co-author of Accelerate Your Career as a Project Manager, this is not a heavy academic text.

Like the rest of the series it is designed to let the reader extract maximum information in minimum time. There is a strong use of graphics with tables, charts, cross heads and bullet points. Important passages are flagged in bold or emblazoned with the words "key concept." When you read it, you realise that there is nothing magical about project management, just the application of careful common sense. The book covers all the basic stuff like planning, time tabling, quantity and price estimation, resource allocation and scheduling. But it also acknowledges that there is inevitably a political dimension to every project, no matter how small. So it has important sections on how to ensure that all the stakeholders in the project are kept "on board" and the importance of communications.

As Verzuh states in his introduction: "Every project participant from part-time team member to executive sponsor, becomes more effective once he or she understands the basics of project management." Really this is a book about management that every manager should read, whether they have a project or not. --Alex Benady

From the Back Cover:

The bestselling introduction to project management now with downloadable forms and worksheets! This practical, easy–to–use guide gives you instant access to the cutting–edge ideas and hard–won wisdom of one of today′s leading experts on project management, Eric Verzuh. Using real–world examples, it delivers all the information you need to navigate complex project management issues. This revised Second Edition also includes downloadable, customizable forms to help you plan your project. You′ll learn how to build and coordinate teams, set realistic schedules and budgets, design a plan step–by–step, and manage the expectations of customers and management. As the business world has changed, so has project management and so has this bestselling, comprehensive resource. Keeping up with the state of project management today, this edition includes entirely new information on building project teams and enterprise project management. For the best practices and the latest advice on project management, this is the only resource you need. From the creators of the bestselling Portable MBA series comes The Fast Forward MBA . . . A quick way to brush up on new ideas An easy–to–use format that fits in any briefcase Real–world information that you can put to use now!

About this edition

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0471692840
• ISBN 13: 9780471692843
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 402