Visualizing Project Management: Models and Frameworks for Mastering Complex Systems [Hardcover]

Kevin Forsberg (Author), Hal Mooz (Author), Howard Cotterman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2005 | ISBN-10: 0471648485 | ISBN-13: 978-0471648482 | Edition: 3

THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT CLASSIC-REVISED AND EXPANDED

Now Includes Downloadable Forms and Worksheets

Projects are becoming the heart of business. This comprehensive revision of the bestselling guide to project management explains the processes, practices, and management techniques you need to implement a successful project culture within your team and enterprise. Visualizing Project Management simplifies the challenge of managing complex projects with powerful, visual models that have been adopted by more than 100 leading government and private organizations.

In this new Third Edition, the authors-leading thinkers and practitioners in the field-keep you on the cutting edge with a sophisticated approach that integrates project management, systems engineering, and process improvement. This advanced content can help take your career and your organization well beyond the fundamentals.

New, downloadable forms, templates, and worksheets make it easy to implement powerful project techniques and tools.

Includes references to the Project Management Institute Body of Knowledge and the INCOSE Handbook to help you pass:

• The Project Management Professional Certification Exam
• The INCOSE Systems Engineer Certification Exam (CSEP)

"I recommend this book to all those who aspire to project management [and] those who must supervise it."
—Norman R. Augustine, former chairman and CEO Lockheed Martin Corporation

"The importance of this excellent book, able to encompass these two key disciplines [systems engineering and project management], cannot be overemphasized."
—Heinz Stoewer, President, INCOSE

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Visualization: A powerful technique for achieving high performance

Complex systems do not require complex project management. The most effective project managers are able to simplify their project environment and organize projects, large and small, to achieve predictable results. This book explains how anyone responsible for a project can apply the same powerful methods, based on proven visual models, including these five essentials:

Organizational commitment—The foundation for the project that includes: a culture responsive to the project manager; the project team's charter to do the job; the financial and other necessary resources; and the tools and training for effective execution.

Communication—The language and techniques used to interact effectively and function as a project team.

Teamwork—Efficiently working together to achieve a common goal, with acknowledged interdependency and trust, acceptance of a common code of conduct, and a shared reward.

Project cycle—The overall strategic and tactical project management approach, performed in periods and phases, and punctuated by key decisions. The project cycle usually starts with the identification of user needs, ends with project products, and is comprised of business, budget, and technical aspects.

Management elements—The ten categories of management responsibilities, techniques, and tools that are situationally applied throughout all phases of the project cycle by all stakeholders.

Authors Forsberg, Mooz, and Cotterman are leading project management consultants who have helped shape the direction of project management thinking and culture. With the cooperation of their major clients, the processes and techniques in this landmark book have been confirmed and tested by more than 40,000 working project managers.

From the Back Cover

THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT CLASSIC—REVISED AND EXPANDED

Now Includes Downloadable Forms and Worksheets

Projects are becoming the heart of business. This comprehensive revision of the bestselling guide to project management explains the processes, practices, and management techniques you need to implement a successful project culture within your team and enterprise. Visualizing Project Management simplifies the challenge of managing complex projects with powerful, visual models that have been adopted by more than 100 leading government and private organizations.

In this new Third Edition, the authors—leading thinkers and practitioners in the field—keep you on the cutting edge with a sophisticated approach that integrates project management, systems engineering, and process improvement. This advanced content can help take your career and your organization well beyond the fundamentals.

New, downloadable forms, templates, and worksheets make it easy to implement powerful project techniques and tools.

Includes references to the Project Management Institute Body of Knowledge and the INCOSE Handbook to help you pass:

• The Project Management Professional Certification Exam
• The INCOSE Systems Engineer Certification Exam (CSEP)

"I recommend this book to all those who aspire to project management [and] those who must supervise it."
—Norman R. Augustine, former chairman and CEO Lockheed Martin Corporation

"The importance of this excellent book, able to encompass these two key disciplines [systems engineering and project management], cannot be overemphasized."
—Heinz Stoewer, President, INCOSE

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 3 edition (September 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471648485
• ISBN-13: 978-0471648482
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #420,172 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Visualizing Project Management 3rd Edition, February 16, 2006

By 

Kevin M. Magee - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Visualizing Project Management: Models and Frameworks for Mastering Complex Systems (Hardcover)

Visualizing Project Management, 3rd Edition is an excellent read! Throughout my career I have led or have been part of projects whereby risk management was defined as risk statusing. Real risk identification and their impacts to projects were ignored. In Visualizing Project Management 3rd Edition, the book focuses on the technical aspects of projects which is critical to project succcess and has a whole chapter dedicated to risk Management (chapter 13, Opportunities and their Risks). This was extremely valuable to me. Now that I have read this book, I am eager to tackle my next project.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Textbook, March 8, 2007

By 

S. P. Hayes (Columbia, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Visualizing Project Management: Models and Frameworks for Mastering Complex Systems (Hardcover)

This book was assigned as THE textbook for my graduate Level Project Management class. It is a good read, great at presenting its ideas, and easy to understand. It unfortunately talks only of a couple of project management techniques vaguely and what examples are included are very short with little or no good background. I'd sell this book as a good starter for those looking to gain understanding in PM, but with the understanding that other books would be needed for true enlightenment in particular areas.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice to have, April 6, 2008

By 

Dennis van der Spoel (Amersfoort, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Visualizing Project Management: Models and Frameworks for Mastering Complex Systems (Hardcover)

In my opinion the title does not cover the contents. The contents is by far more textual than visual. I was expecting a collection of models, process flows, graphs, templates, forms and pics with a how to... Something like 50/50 text and visuals. So it didn't meet my expectations, not by a long shot.
However, it is a little more richly illustrated than the usual textbooks on the matter and the authors use clear language to explain complex systems. Further it covers some ground not covered in PMBOK or PRINCE2. Therefor I decided to keep it.