Project Management: A Managerial Approach, 4th Edition with Microsoft(r) Project 00 [Hardcover]

Jack R. Meredith (Author), Samuel J. Mantel Jr. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 7, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0471434620 | ISBN-13: 978-0471434627 | Edition: 4

Project Management: A Managerial Approach, Fourth Edition addresses project management from a management perspective rather than a cookbook, special area treatise, or collection of loosely associated articles. It addresses the basic nature of managing all types of projects?public, business, engineering, information systems, and so on?as well as specific techniques and insights required to carry out this unique way of getting things done. It deals with the problems of selecting projects, initiating them, and operating and controlling them. It discusses the demands made on the project manager and the nature of the manager's interaction with the rest of the parent organization. It covers the difficult problems associated with conducting a project using people and organizations that represent different cultures and may be separated by considerable distances. It even covers the issues arising when the decision is made to terminate a project.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Putting a man on the moon, building the pyramids, even creating a robust database for a large organization... These might seem like impossible achievements, but they are all the results of carefully implemented project management techniques.

Taking a managerial approach, Meredith and Mantel's text equips you with the insight into human behavior, knowledge of organizational issues, and quantitative methods you need to do project management. You'll learn how to select, initiate, operate, and control all types of projects—from public works and engineering projects to information systems.

The text puts you in command of the latest thinking in the field, including:

• Strategic project management: Chapter 2 is now oriented toward using project selection as a major tool for achieving the strategic objectives of the organization.
• Risk manqagement: The authors discuss risk management throughout the text and explain how to evaluate risk using simulation software, such as Crystal Ball. In addition, the text is accompanied by a student version of Crystal Ball® 2002.
• Earned value: Chapter 10 features extensively expanded coverage of earned value and includes a detailed example that illustrates the calculation of earned value during the execution of a project.
• Project Management Office: Chapter 4 (Project Organization) contains substantial discussion of the Project Management Office. Additional references to this topic also appear throughout the text.
• Activity-on-node notation: Chapter 8 (Scheduling) has been reoriented to focus on activity-on-node notation, which is used in most of today's software packages.

Includes a free trial version pf Microsoft Project 2002®!

A CD-ROM containing a 120-day free trial version of Microsoft Project 2002® and a student version pf Crystal Ball® 2002 accompanies the text. In addition, the text features new exercises in the end-of-chapter material that rely on he use of computer software. Microsoft Project and Excel printouts are updated and now integrated throughout the text where appropriate.

About the Author

Jack R. Meredith, Wake Forest University
Samuel L. Mantel, University of Cincinnati

Product Details

• Hardcover: 616 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 4 edition (November 7, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471434620
• ISBN-13: 978-0471434627
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,005,337 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars SAVE YOUR MONEY - DO NOT BUY!, September 27, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Project Management: A Managerial Approach (Hardcover)

This book makes learning Project management difficult. It does not clearly define anything. It is full of endless (and senseless) babble and author's "opinions" very few facts. I fully believe this is a required text because of the website Wiley created and the "bonus" cd of Project 2002. The website makes teaching the class a breeze, it gives the teacher quizzes and tests, therefore, the teacher doesn't have to muddle through the maze of crap to find out information. The quizzes are not general but tipically, "what message did the author's try to convey on page such and such".

This book is not worth it!

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Better than the previous Editions, October 13, 2003

By 

Arthur Gousby, III (AZ, CA, FL) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Project Management: A Managerial Approach (Hardcover)

I bought this book because it was required for a class I am taking. I had the 3rd Edition already and wasn't too impressed. But this 5th Edition is much more appealing. I just became PMP certified and reviewing this book before taking the exam was a great primer to get my head out of pure PMBOK and into real world Project Management. The case studies and Directed Readings are great for seeing real world PM activities. I would suggest the book for guidance and classroom type learning. If you're an experienced PM then this book is too academic and won't feed your intellect. Buy something else.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Primer and VERY Boring, January 15, 2009

By 

R - See all my reviews

This review is from: Project Management: A Managerial Approach (Hardcover)

Okay so we all know that PM books can be pretty dry and boring, but wow is this text a snoozer. The case studies are excellent, but general concepts are muddled between the author's opinions, babble, and history lessons.

If you are looking for concepts, facts, examples, and down to earth solutions to common problems, then look elsewhere. Wayyyyy too much babble. I wouldn't use this text for the PMP exam. If youre a "get to the point" kinda guy...this text will continually annoy you.

For the academic classroom its okay only, but get ready to explain concepts and shorten the history lesson. Nice Dilbert inserts, MS Project explainations, and earned value analysis though. :)