How to Run Successful Projects in Web Time (Computing Library S.) [Hardcover]

Fergus O'Connell (Author)

Book Description

Series: Computing Library S. | Publication Date: November 2000

No matter what high-tech field you work in, but particularly in software development, shortening project time is of vital importance. Here's the how-to book that describes a radical technique for doing just that.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

About five years ago DEC Computing published an article I had written. In it, I tried to show that the problem of estimating, which still remains unsolved in the IT/software industry, has to a large part been solved in the film making industry. I believe that the film making industry is, if anything, even more complex than the software development industry. This is particularly true in terms of its being part art part science, and also in terms of the level of perfection that is required in the finished product.

I read Alan Cooper's book, The Lunatics Are Running The Asylum. In it I was delighted to find him making the same comparison. What's more, he was saying what I had been saying, that the key to the successful movie was not a successful production phase, but a comprehensively thorough pre-production phase. He speculated what I had been speculating - that if we were to put more time into the project planning, we could shorten and cheapen the development time.

At a European project management conference I attended I was fortunate enough to both hear a lecture by and have a two-hour conversation with Eli Goldratt. It turned out that the application of his Theory of Constraints to project management emerged with essentially the same conclusion. He commented on the fact that everyone at the conference seemed happy with the state of things, despite the fact that many more projects fail than succeed. I suddenly understood the reason why they were happy. Most project managers believe the project management war is unwinnable. They believe that provided they can hold the line and perhaps accomplish local successes now and again, that that is the best that can be achieved. In our small way, we had helped to stop the rout and stabilize the front. I now realized that not only was it possible to hold the line, but it was possible to win the war. This book is about winning the war.

About the Author

Fergus O'Connell graduated with a First in Mathematical Physics from University College Cork. Since founding ETP (Eyes on the Prize), his own project management company, in 1992, he has taught thousands of managers in his unique seminars and worked with major corporations around the world. With 24 years in the computer industry, 21 spent in project management roles, this best-selling author wrote the highly-regarded book How to Run Successful High-Tech Project-Based Organizations (Artech House, 1999).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 266 pages
• Publisher: Artech House (November 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580531652
• ISBN-13: 978-1580531658
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,020,892 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

The Sunday Business Post has described Fergus O'Connell as having 'more strings to his bow than a Stradivarius'.

His first novel, 'Call The Swallow', was described by The Irish Times as 'better than Schindler's Ark (itself a Booker Prize winner). 'Call The Swallow' was short listed for the 2002 Kerry Ingredients Irish Fiction Prize and nominated for the Hughes & Hughes / Sunday Independent Novel of the Year. His new novel, 'Starlight' has just been published.

Fergus is also the author of twelve business books. The first of these, 'How to Run Successful Projects - the Silver Bullet', has become both a bestseller and a classic and has been constantly in print for over twenty years. His book on common sense entitled 'Simply Brilliant' - also a bestseller and now in its fourth edition - was runner-up in the W H Smith Book Awards 2002. His books have been translated into twenty languages.

He is married, has two children and is returning to Ireland after eight years living in France.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lives up to its title - highly recommended, July 8, 2001

By 

Linda Zarate "IT Ops Consultant" (Azusa, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Run Successful Projects in Web Time (Computing Library S.) (Hardcover)

This book is a condensed, fast paced approach to managing projects. Don't be misled by the title into believing that the theme is about managing web projects - it's about reducing the cycle time involved in initiating and managing projects, and the steps you need to take in order to ensure both speed of delivery and overall success of the project.

The approach is presented in informal style. I actually felt as though Mr. O'Connell was mentoring me through a project. He starts with a discussion of project management in general and some key issues, such as how much planning is enough, ensuring the project is valid and cost-effective, and setting scope. When he moves into the planning stage of the project he starts off with a work breakdown structure (WBS). I definitely like this approach because, in my opinion, any planning that does not start with a WBS is doomed to almost certain failure. He also covers estimating, and who should be doing it. Again, I'm in complete agreement with his advice that the best estimators are the people who will be doing the actual work. He also covers risk management, schedule optimization and all of the "due diligence" steps a good project manager would accomplish. Project execution and control is treated in the same methodical manner as planning. All of the key items are addressed, such as continuous monitoring and schedule refinement, resource allocation and status reporting. In this section the methods Mr. O'Connell proposes are reinforced with a week-by-week description of an example project. This adds a lot of credibility to how approach and also makes learning project management from this book relatively easy.

There is much to like about this book: Mr. O'Connell's engaging writing style, a sensible approach to planning, scheduling and controlling projects that leaves nothing out, and the worked examples that are provided in every chapter. Most importantly, though, is the fact that the book lives up to its promise of showing you how to run *successful* projects in web time, because the approach that is presented contains no fluff, and eliminates a lot of rework or lost efficiency by doing the right things the right way - the first time.