Customer Reviews

On Time, Within Budget: Software Project Management Practices and Techniques

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

 

 

This is a text based, pre-graphics, book. It doesn't have all the gee-whiz graphics of some of the new books on project management. It's down and dirty and gets to the point quickly. I consider this book a classic. I keep going back to it on a regular basis as a reference and follow some of Mr. Bennattan's recommendations.

I, too, didn't think much of the book when I first started but it is has grown on me quite a bit. It's concise and informative. Try the chapter on estimation, it serves as a good intro into estimation techniques.

Yes, "Rapid Development" is probably better but "On Time, Within Budget" is deserves it's place in your project management library.

I think this book is a QUICK reference for any software professional working in a team or independent, ofcourse, in management perspective. This could have been had focus on certain important concepts instead of just introducing the names. I often refer to this book for a quick reference at work as I am involved in / leading a development team.

The author is definitely not as witty as, say, Grady Booch or Steve McConnell and the book is not as glamorous as theirs. To be fair, it does not provide the same insight into the software development process, either. However, I did use a couple of suggestions from this book. In particular, I used the layout of the Technical Proposal and the cost estimation formulas, which is more than I can say of most books I have read on the subject (e.g., Object Solutions : Managing the Object-Oriented Project, which is nevertheless much more interesting). Not the ultimate book on project management, but the author does not claim he found the much-coveted silver bullet.

This book is worth about $4.95. Dry and bland. Like so many college texts, what it needs is 10% theory and 90% real world examples. Don't buy this book unless you have to.

I was forced to buy this book for college course work. I found it boring, and I spent a lot of time trying to read the small print.