4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An immensely useful book!, March 26, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Troubled IT Projects : Prevention and Turnaround (IEE Professional Applications of Computing Series, 3) (Paperback)
I have just finished reading my copy of this book and would thoroughly recommend it to all IT project managers.
Most projects of any substance that I have been involved with seem to fit the 'troubled IT projects' tag defined in the book, and the author presents a clear strategy for avoiding problems before and once they occur. I was particularly interested in the discussion of getting the initial proposal right before proceeding which is where, in my experience, problems often occur and we are then trying to catch up throughout the rest of the project.
I wouldn't say that the book necessarily taught me anything I didn't already know and to a large extent the material covered is really just common sense. However it is really useful and illuminating to see it all encapsulated in the one book.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
In this useful book .............reviewed by David P Jacobs, March 20, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Troubled IT Projects : Prevention and Turnaround (IEE Professional Applications of Computing Series, 3) (Paperback)
Troubled IT Projects
Prevention and turnaround
John M Smith, IBM
The Institution of Electrical Engineers
Professional Application of Computing Series 3
2001, ISBN 0 85296 104 9
In this useful book John Smith has combined his significant experience in engineering, defence and technology with an excellent commercial sense to produce a very comprehensive project health checking volume. He simultaneously manages to entertain and yet present essential project structure material, not usually known for its entertainment value. This is achieved with a fair number of anecdotes and pertinent allusions to the real world, all done with the occasional understated wit and a sprinkling of pertinent pieces of IT industry history and commercial perspective.
The book is in four sections; Why Projects Fail, Preventing Troubled Projects at the Planning Stage, Reviewing Troubled Projects in Delivery and finally, Project Turnaround and Organisational Learning. It starts with a definition of a troubled project and presents 40 root causes of troubled IT projects drawn from research and the author's own practical experience. These 40 root causes are clearly tabulated and subsequently used as the basis of analysis in a variety of contexts to add insight to the business of problem identification and rectification.
The book will most appeal to vendors of IS and IT services, although buyers of such may also find it a useful insight, if nothing else, by seeing into the sales processes of the services provider. In fact Section 2 on Prevention of Troubled Projects at the Planning Stage starts with a chapter entitled `A Professional Services Sales Primer'. The book will nevertheless be of interest to internal IS and IT departments and internal project management. It clearly and strongly addresses the importance of a well-defined specification, which is as pertinent to in-house projects as it is to Vendor/Customer situations. It also focuses strongly on the subject of roles, responsibilities and reporting lines; vital in whatever Vendor/User/IT Departmental structure may be in effect.
Highly comprehensive, the book contains many fulsome checklists and ends each chapter with a summary. In the chapters themselves there are many tables as well a variety of mini case studies to keep it all practically focused. Each chapter also ends with a few exercises which the author points out are intended to ensure the reader gets value, which I believe will undoubtedly be the case.
For those who seek to improve revenue or gross profit from the industry the author is evidently experienced in nurturing the essential relationship between vendor and buyer and gives many useful tips in that area for maximizing the value of that union although noticeably leaning towards the vendor's interests.
The aspects pertaining to project management covered in the book should be of interest to all readers. Techniques covered include the use of Function Points to help quantify the tasks in hand; Risk Management to open the reader's mind to the need to recognise that risks often (maybe always) accompany a major project, whether it be I.T....or building the GWR railway nearly two centuries ago - a very topical case study (ask Mr Byers)! The author also recognises the advantages of the `less is more' concept of delivering basic functionality in a highly useable and robust system, early on.
Finally, following Section 3 on the review of troubled projects in delivery, the Project Turnaround material comes a little later than I would have preferred but is nevertheless welcome. I would also like to have seen a little more on IS/IT project success criteria being based on more than `on time, budget and to user requirement' since user satisfaction appears increasingly to be a non bipolar entity. However, in all, my feeling is that John M Smith has several more interesting books up his sleeve for the IS and IT communities and I look forward to the next being not too far away.
David P Jacobs
Director
Profit from Information Ltd
"Maximising business value from information systems"
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is a really practical book, December 7, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Troubled IT Projects : Prevention and Turnaround (IEE Professional Applications of Computing Series, 3) (Paperback)
This is a great book, betraying in-depth experience of IT and project management. The thing I like most about it is the large number of checklists, hints and tips, which help you to apply the content of the book to your own situation and really make a difference. I thoroughly recommend this book if you are involved in a bid for a major IT project, or if you are taking on a challenging PM role and want to maximise your chance of success.
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