Customer Reviews

Essentials of Project and Systems Engineering Management

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

 

 

This book needs its concepts and focus updated and broaden. I found the book had a very narrow point of view, focusing only on a government perspective of approaching project and engineering management, and providing very little on private industry's management point of view in the book. Even when the book repeats again and again concepts on how government, DoD and NASA do business, the concepts it presents are different (outdated) from how government and DoD do business presently. In short, the book needs to be updated extensively, perhaps a brand new one written altogether.

From what I understand, this text book is an adaptation of Mil-Std-499; when the DoD abandoned Mil-Std's, Eisner was left without a customer, and so this book was born. It is currently used (but soon being replaced) as the standard textbook in the GWU EMSE repertory, and I have heard time and again (and indeed concur) that this book is a portfolio of platitudes and elevator speeches. There is not an item within its pages that prepares the reader to manage a systems engineering project or project manage a system. I feel cheapened by its words and would not encourage anyone to spend the money on this or "Managing Complex Systems: Thinking Outside the Box", Eisner's other book. In fact, the latter is even worse-- I cannot wait to dispose of it, I would not even sell it back.

Howard Eisner's book is an outstanding work that bridges the gulf between project management and systems engineering. As a 46 year old student of Dr Eisner's, I assert this with 25 years of experience in both disciplines. His book has been a wonderful aid to refreshing and updating my skills. If a section with the answers to the problems had been included, I would have said SIX stars... Highly recommended.

The book is outstanding. It has thoroughly fulfilled my expectations. My work as a Master of Science student has become easier, since I started to read the book.