I have no doubt than my craft has been strengthened by dozens of these visionaries; men and women who have had the foresight to see the forest for the trees and the courage to carry their message to the masses.
During my four decades practicing in the field of project management, I
have been influenced by a number of visionaries. These include people who
have made major contributions to a wide body of knowledge that I have found
to be
useful in plying my trade.
My personal library is stocked with the published works of these giants who have made a difference in the way that we manage. Most of these are not "project management" books, but rather books that address the issues that we all face, in any discipline. This broader understanding is essential, as we cannot be successful in our project management endeavors by just applying the technical practices of project management.
In the project management arena, we deal with more than scheduling and cost control. We have to also excel in problem solving and decision making, in communication, and in all those "people skills" that help us to work together and to get the most out of our efforts. Of the hundreds of management books have been published on these topics, the books that I have selected here all have a direct bearing on how we can be successful in the practice of project management.
You'll find my full report at
http://www.sciforma.com/resources/white_papers/Project_Managers_Bookshelf.htm
Download a free copy of the US DoD Risk Management Guide June 2003 Edition
"Finding Project Management Performance Benchmarks," a new report from APQC is based on a study of 26 organizations' PM performance metrics practices. Read the executive summary.
Published by the Project Management Institute
Review by Max Wideman
The Project Management Institute's latest product is a set of working templates covering typical project forms, worksheets, and flowcharts complete with explanations, examples, hints and tips. It is promoted as a practical learning tool, but it will also be a valuable asset for the established practicing project manager. The templates, 79 in all (59 as Word documents and 20 as Excel) are wrapped in an Adobe Acrobat PDF environment that provides easy access links to its contents. These contents are grouped by the PMBOK®'s five management process groups. You know, the ones that look like the project life cycle: Initiating; Planning; Executing; Controlling and Closing; but are really intended to be the management process cycle.
Associated with each content entry are buttons that automatically load the relevant document in Microsoft Word or Excel, assuming that you have Microsoft Office on your machine. Some of the templates contain macros that help to automate modification of the templates, especially in Excel. Indeed, the tips provided with the Excel templates will even help users to learn how to get more out of their Microsoft software. The CD contains about 65 MB, of which 42 MB is an Installer for Acrobat Reader version 5 for those who do not have it already. Users wanting to adapt the templates for an active project may wish to transfer the remaining 23 MB to their hard drives for quicker access.
Such users may also want to customize the templates with their corporate or project specific logos for authenticity. Of course, not every one will be satisfied with the various contents - they have, after all, been based on a simplistic project as envisioned in the PMBOK® Guide. But then, the reality is that there is not a lot of agreement between the conducting of a project in the various areas of project management application, across industries, or even between companies in a single industry. For example, a recommendation in the Cost Estimating Checklist for a budget of 10% of total cost for project management will be rich for some and lean for others. It all depends on what you mean by "project management"! Still, the real value is in having a starting point for that essential report or process document that you just need in a great hurry - and in electronic form.
The Project Management Institute, and their supporters, must be congratulated on preparing a really useful product covering almost all aspects of a project. Is there anything missing? Well, probably, yes. For example, what about a template for a Business Case? But then that's not covered by the PMBOK® Guide either, so that's not the fault of the CD's authors. Still, we hope that it will be possible to buy upgrades as both the PMBOK and the contents of the CD mature.
Since the whole is in cross-platform Adobe PDF format, the CD works just fine on either a PC or a Mac computer. Automated Graphic Systems, the folks responsible for the technical work must also be congratulated for a well-implemented product. Is it worth it? For someone actively involved in leading projects, at $89.95US (member price, non-member price $124.95) yes, I think it is.
R. Max Wideman
Fellow, PMI
by Quentin Fleming
Review by Cyndi Snyder
In his new book "Project Procurement Management—Contracting, Subcontracting and Teaming" (FMC Press 2003), earned value guru Quentin Fleming provides a well rounded and thorough presentation of procurement planning, types of procurements, contracts, procurement risks and procurement relationships.
The book begins by defining a procurement as buying project scope. Chapter 1 closes by defining the six processes involved with project procurements. Since Fleming was the main contributor to the procurement section for the 2000 edition of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), it is not surprising that this book parallels the six procurement processes listed in the PMBOK.
Fleming categorizes procurement into 5 distinct categories: major complexity buys, minor complexity buys, commercial off the shelf, strategic teaming agreements and interdivisional work. Significant time is spent talking about strategic teaming agreements including the types, risks, and some of the legal aspects associated with teaming agreements. This section is sprinkled with real-world examples of teaming arrangements, some of the pitfalls to avoid, as well as some of the requirements necessary for success.
One of the meatier chapters talks about contract types and the various modifying provisions to contracts such as incentive and award fees. This chapter really drives home the point that a procurement professional must select the right contract for each procurement. The author states that there are no hard and fast rules to contract type selection, however, there are guidelines for determining the appropriate type of contract. The extensive discussion of each type of contract is very enlightening and educational.
While this book does not claim to be a reference for contract law, the chapter on legal aspects of procurement sheds light on some of those mysterious contract terms. It helps the layman understand what terms and conditions can be negotiated, the various types of bonds and how they work, and the difference between federal contracting concerns to commercial contracting concerns.
The chapter on managing project procurements provides many useful techniques to perform contract administration effectively. Subjects include change management, subcontract management and using earned value techniques for interim payments. This information is very practical. Implementing the techniques outlined in this chapter can go a long way in avoiding claims and establishing clear expectations at the start of the contractual relationship. One of the books strengths is the appendices. The Appendix contains four teaming agreement models, questionnaires and guidelines for use as sample checklists when considering a teaming arrangement. It also has an excellent subject index and a full procurement glossary.
Project Procurement Management is a first rate primer on project procurements, and an excellent resource for project managers and their team members. It is written in an easy-to-read style, with the author's rye wit sneaking in throughout the text. This book is distributed by the Project Management Institute (PMI) online bookstore.
Cyndi Snyder PMP, MBA is a project management instructor, consultant and principal of VistaPerformanceGroup.com
"Effective Risk Management" by Ed Conrow published by American Institute of Aeronautics, Inc, and available through the Project Management Institute's Bookstore. The book is a compendium of Conrow's experience with risk management in the US military, but is a serious read for people concerned with in-depth program/project risk management....Max Wideman
The Project Management Institute's latest report on salaryis will be useful for project management employees and employers, compensation committees, human resource departments and executive recruiters interested in the project management profession. The report is a sampling of nearly 2,600 professionals in the project management field, the largest salary survey ever conducted by PMI:
The full report, which includes cross-tabulations of salary data by 12 key demographic variables on a country-by-country basis, is available in PDF through the PMI® James R. Snyder Center for Project Management Knowledge and Wisdom. The cost is $90.00 (US) for PMI members and students and $135.00 (US) for non-members. To order, contact documentdelivery@pmi.org for additional information. For additional information, visit the Breaking News section of the PMI Web site.
Peter Drucker, a well known management writer has his own archives. There is personal information, he titles he's published, and a collection of related information. See the Archives Collection tab at the top of the page.