Customer Reviews

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Project Management (2nd Edition)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've acquired two books on project management this year "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Project Management" and "The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management" by Eric Verzuh (also available through Amazon--at exactly the same price!).

The "Fast Forward MBA in Project Management" was far more comprehensive and far better organized than the "Idiot's" book.

I had no difficulty following the "Idiot's" book but I didn't learn anything. The chapters were logically sequenced but what happened within the chapters often had no rhyme or reason whatsoever. I like the Dummies/Idiot's books for software but this time it didn't gel (which surprised me because Kim and Sunny Baker are well known in project management circles).

I don't feel as negative about this book as some of the other reviewers (it's better than nothing if you are a complete "newbie" to Project Management) but there are much better books out there and the best I've seen in a long time is "The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management".

It turns out there is an entire series of "Fast Forward MBA" books and they are published by John Wiley and Sons (which is about the most respectable publishing house around).

You really need to get this book--it's not a comprehensiveintroduction to PM--but it is a very practical one; the best I'vefound and I've been looking at a lot of them. Get it. Enjoy it. Love the quotes. It has a sense of humor--something the other books lack.

A friend of mine suggested that I start to look at Project Managementto help me organize the variety of projects I do at work in a largeautomotive company. (Interestingly enough, the division I'm in has no real PM processes in place.) I searched for books that could get me going in the right direction and as quickly as possible (in addition to joining the Project Management Institute...) This book was an easy read, but presented a lot of tools that I could implement almost immediately. After reading the book, I started seeing very obvious improvement in my team's work--we started to actually understand what we wanted to accomplish and where we were going. If you're interested in getting a quick start and basic understanding about PM, start with this book! END

Sunny and Kim Baker have translated the Project Management Institute's standards into plain English. I have frequently recommended it to my clients and colleagues, as an excellent "Project Management 101" introductory course. For beginners, I can say "go read the book, then let's talk". As for veterans, too many so-called project managers do not truly understand project management. This book shows the big picture, and teaches how to avoid the pitfalls into which we so often fall. Thanks, Sunny and Kim!

This book makes it easy to get into project management. It doesn't bog down with useless information; and it has lots of fun, useful advice. I've given it as a copy to my new managers and all of them have improved their way of getting projects done. The overall project plans are better--and we're getting things done on time now, or at least better than we were. For general business project management, this book is definitely the right choice, at least for my company.

I found the book very helpful for me to understand how to start out in PM. In particular, the initiation and planning phase of the book was terrific in helping me add some structure when confronted with new projects. These two parts of the book explained to me the basics of Gantt charts, network diagrams, WBSs, and the like. I wasn't much for the second half of the book (executing, controlling, and closing). If you have a basic business background, most likely you'll find the second half pretty much common sense.

If you're new to PM and new to business, then this book is great. If you're new to PM but not to business, get the book to introduce you to the tools by reading the first half. Skip the second half and then go find a more indepth book, or look at the PMBOK.

I was looking for a good introductory text to hand to our new project managers and this book got some great references from some of my associates. I got the book and knew in 5 minutes that it wasn't what I wanted. In retrospect I realized that the people who recommended the book were both in construction and both lived outside of the United States. If you work in a small company, with little to no infrastructure; where PM practices are primitive at best, I think this book would live up to it's reputation. If you, rather than your organization, are new to PM I would suggest getting James Lewis's Fundamentals of Project Management which Amazon also carries, instead.

Actually, it isn't bad for experienced project managers to review the different sections of this book for a quick refresher on an annual basis. This is a very good book to have on your desk while you are working on your first couple of projects as a project manager. It explains in very simple terms the various aspects of this extensive field of project management. Like everyone else, you too may feel like project management is too overwhelming a subject when you first start out. It really helps to have a book like this nearby. You may want to keep it out of sight to prevent silly remarks from your colleagues.

The sidebars that you will see throughout the book 'Words from the Wise' and 'Project Lingo' are extremely useful to read and get upto speed on the definitions and the tricks of the trade. The only limitation that I found is that the treatment on some of the topics isn't very complete. That is completely understandable as this isn't aimed at teaching advanced tricks of the trade to the seasoned project manager. For that, you need to refer to an advanced book like Harold Kerzner's 'Project Management - A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling'. Or keep up with the latest by attending seminars and workshops at your local chapter of the PMI (Project Management Institute...).

Finally, keep in mind that there are situations in project management that are specific to the industry you are in and sometimes there is no right answer. But most other times, the knowledge in this book is extremely helpful. Overcome the fear of being caught with a book that has the word 'Idiot' in the title and exploit the knowledge that the book provides!

This is a great book to learn the basics--regardless of the type of project you're working on. Get it first--before you try the Dummies' guide. It's much better--and provides good background for the PMI certification as well. I was able to apply this information from day one. Thank you Bakers!

I've been using the first edition of this book in my PM seminars for a year. This new edition is even better than the first--which I loved for its fun, informative, real-world approach to PM for almost any type of project in business or not-for-profit enterprises. It contains expanded information on stakeholder management, risk assessment, standardizing PM in your organization, and generally more information and tips on the standard processes in PM. This is a great improvement to a book I recommended to every one of my clients; I'll recommended it even more enthusiastically now.