Absolute Beginner's Guide to Project Management (2nd Edition) (Paperback)

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Key Phrases: issue log, earned value, quality management plan, Microsoft Project, Gantt Bar, Copy Picture (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Five stars. The book is littered with very useful notes, tips and cautions, appearing on average every other page." Kawal Banga MBCS, IT Training, Summer 2009

Product Description

Why learn project management the hard way?

 

Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Project Management, Second Edition will have you managing projects in no time! Here’s a small sample of what you’ll learn: 

• Key concepts and fundamentals behind best-practice project management techniques
• The mindset and skill set of effective project managers
• Project techniques that work in any industry, with any tools
• The common elements of successful projects
• Lessons from failed projects
• The value and importance of project leadership versus project management
• How to manage growing project trends and tough project types that first-time project managers are likely to encounter
• How to make better use of Microsoft Project
• How to respond when project reality does not match textbook scenarios
• Expert insight on key project management concepts and topics

 You’ve just been handed your department's biggest project. Absolute Beginner's Guide to Project Management will show you exactly where to start–and walk you step by step through your entire project! Expert project manager Gregory Horine shows you exactly what works and what doesn’t, drawing on the field’s proven best practices. Understand your role as a project manager...gain the skills and discover the personal qualities of great project managers...learn how to organize, estimate, and schedule projects effectively...manage deliverables, issues, changes, risks, quality, vendors, communications, and expectations...make the most of technology...manage virtual teams...avoid the problems that trip up new project managers! This new edition jumpstarts your project management expertise even faster, with all-new insights on Microsoft Project, challenging project situations and intriguing project management topics of the day.

 

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Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Que; 2 edition (January 26, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078973821X
• ISBN-13: 978-0789738219
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #28,168 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Missing the practical approach, February 13, 2008

By	wibe "wibe" (Erlangen. germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Absolute Beginner's Guide to Project Management (Paperback)

This is one of the better books about PMBOK-based ProjectManagement. But what I really miss, is a practical explanation of how to switch theory to reality. For example: The PMBOK defines 44 processes. Some of them have to be done one time (e.g. defining a Project Charter), but many process steps have to be done daily, weekly, monthly and with different participants. So, what I miss is a description how to organize all these processes during a concrete project including a project plan with all these process steps defined as meetings.
This book is a really good introduction to PM and it helps to understand every PMBOK process. But when trying to use this methodology in daily work, you dont know what steps to do with whom and when. I simply miss a kind of project calendar showing how to spread these processes over the timeline.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For Beginners and Much More..., May 26, 2005

By	M. Zakaria (Indianapolis, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Absolute Beginner's Guide to Project Management (Paperback)

I enjoyed this book. It is jam-packed with theories and a wealth of practical experiences and lessons learned. This book is very comprehensive and goes beyond the catchy series title of "Absolute Beginner's Guide".

I particularly found the Tip/Note/Caution pop-up style side-bars amusing and very helpful (I cheated and read them first before every page). Some of these pop-ups are very insightful (e.g. Caution: Page 32 - "A good project manager can still end up managing and delivering a troubled project").

The summary/review section entitled "The Absolute Minimum", at the end of every chapter, is a very smart and practical method to review what the previous chapter was all about.

This book goes beyond the mechanics of pure project management. As an example, in Chapter 16 "Leading a Project" this book discusses leadership, techniques and success factors. The "Servant Leadership" approach is extremely effective and I am also very glad that someone had already named it and documented it as early as 1970.

Job very well done. This book is HIGHLY recommended for beginners and experts alike.

Marwan F. Zakaria, PMP

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It really does deserve its 5-star rating!, October 27, 2005

By	Carlo R. Montoya "Toy photographer" (Cebu City, Cebu Philippines) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Absolute Beginner's Guide to Project Management (Paperback)

If you're either a new project manager (without PM training), or
somebody interested or involved in project management, then this
book is for you.

I've read the Project Management Institute's Project Management
Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) cover to cover and I honestly don't
know how I prevented myself from going to sleep.

This book, on the other hand, is the most exciting book I've
ever read about project management. Greg's 16 years of
experience is evident in his writing.

Get this book, read it and before you know it, you're on your
way to become a better project manager.