Customer Reviews

Microsoft Project 2007: The Missing Manual

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Microsoft Project is an unmatched tool for managing all aspects of a project, and the power of its integration with other MS tools is awesome. But its potential is very complex and not for the faint of heart. Before you start blithely loading your milestones and allocating your resources, you really need to understand the concepts of defining your project and conceptualizing the plan. The software won't teach you that and it's the easiest thing in the world to wind up with a Gantt chart that looks like the head of Medusa in no time flat.

That's where this manual makes its mark. Yes, it's a good primer on the software; yes, it's a good reference manual as long as you can guess the term for what you want to do. "Unhide columns," for example: that's what I wanted to do this week, and two minutes with the index and a page reference got the job done for me. (Hint: it doesn't behave exactly like Excel.)

Since I tend to shun manuals, I had not picked up this book until now. I took a moment to flip, and was impressed, and wound up starting at the beginning and going all the way through, reading here and there, checking the book's organization and the points it made about project management. What a great resource! It's an introductory project management course that will get the user started on the right foot.

Despite its name, Microsoft Project 2007: The Missing Manual is much more than a manual. I recommend it for anyone who wants to brush up on the key points of project management, and especially for anyone using the software for the first time (or the first time in a while, which is my situation). It can't guarantee that your project will be a success, but it will greatly increase your understanding of what's going right and wrong. This book is going to make you look good!

Linda Bulger, 2008

I've always hated "How to" manuals written by people who know the application, but not the work. This book shows how to use MS Project from the perspective of a Project Manager.

It's alway been ironic when I've used other resources that the person who wrote the book explains all the buttons, but not when/why they are really used. "The Missing Manual" is the perfect marriage of function and purpose.

Any who own Microsoft's Project 2007 needs Bonnie Bafore's MICROSOFT OFFICE PROJECT 2007: THE MISSING MANUAL guide, which should really be in the box alongside the program. It offers easy step-by-step instructions that cover both Project Standard and Project Professional, explaining how and why to use some features - an approach which goes far beyond the usual `how to' guide. From using Project in a variety of business applications and incorporating other programs such as Word and Outlook to practically guaranteeing project success, MICROSOFT PROJECT 2007: THE MISSING MANUAL should be on the shelves not only of any serious computer reference library, but any business library and any individual who owns Project 2007 and wants to get the most out of it.

I used to have the Bible book for Microsoft Project as my reference for making the most out of this software for managing projects, until The Missing Manual came out. This title in now-popular Missing Manual series takes you through the basics and not-so-basics for Project Standard and Project Professional, allowing you to understand the when and the why behind its features and helping you better build and refine your project plans, track progress of your projects and succeed as a project manager.

This manual is extremely helpful for both the novice and the veteran user. The introductory section on project management is one of the best I have seen, and worth the price of the book by itself. Entertaining yet concise style. Book is well organized and information is easily found.
Highly recommended.

The author has successfully organized the overwhelming volume of info about project management into readable, digestible chunks. It's most helpful to skip around to the parts you're interested in at the time - and this book allows you to easily do that. MS Project 2007 is a complicated program!!!! I appreciate the examples and step-by-step breakdown of concepts that the author provides.

What I look for, in a book like this, is good info and a good index -- so I can use it as a reference for specific problems, rather than having to read the whole thing.

I give this book very high marks in this regard. It was useful to me in the first hours of learning my way into MS Project. As far as I'm concerned, it has already paid for itself. Good job.

The Author explains all things but goes off on tangents at times. I wanted a book on project and for me the chapters on Project Management were not needed. I just want to know the inner workings of the software not why the software is important. Sort of like buying a book on Microsoft Word and the author took you through an English lecture first.

This book is exactly what I was looking for. The material is easy to understand, provides step-by-step guidelines.

Bonnie, thanks for this wonderful book about Project Management using Microsoft Project!! Yesterday I did the Microsoft certification in Project Management (exam 70-632) and passed with 849 points !!!!! This book together with the uCertify practice tests (again questions prepared by Bonnie) made a difference in my preparation for the exam.

Unfortunately there are thousands of PMPs who only know theory. They are unable, do not have the skills necessary to clearly define the project scope and develop a good model of schedule. When the schedule is developed, do not know how to use the tool to collect actual data for project execution in order to compare actual data against the plan. This book fulfills this gap very didactics.The subjects are treated in a profound way, the language is light and full of examples and scenarios that we experience in the corporate world.