Visualizing Project Management [Hardcover]

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

Book Description

Publication Date: July 9, 1996 | ISBN-10: 0471577790 | ISBN-13: 978-0471577799 | Edition: 1

Visualizing Project Management

Project management is widely recognized as the new frontier in productivity, quality assurance, and product development—a vista of opportunity in an otherwise shrinking corporate landscape. Fortune magazine compared the deepening cuts in middle management to the extinction of the dinosaur—with project managers cast as wily mammals evolving to rule the corporate jungle. If you would rather be a mammal than a dinosaur, it's time to adapt to the changing business environment. But project management is a complex and perilous process—the failure rate among project teams is alarmingly high—and few succeed without an open mind, a tenacious spirit, and a good teacher.

Visualizing Project Management offers the combined wisdom of three of the best and most experienced project managers in the business. Kevin Forsberg and Hal Mooz have trained more than 20,000 project managers in hundreds of organizations, including GTE, AT&T, NASA, and Whirlpool. Drawing on hands-on management experience at IBM, Intel, and Lockheed, the three authors present a time-tested, field-proven approach to learning, mastering, and implementing the project management process. They define 10 essential elements of project management and present models that illustrate how each element fits into the overall project picture. Planned, sequential project cycle events are separated from situational management and leadership elements, which are portrayed in a three-dimensional model.

Supplemented with outstanding graphic charts and helpful analogies, the book features succinct sections and an engaging, easy-to-follow style to help accelerate comprehension. Its quick-access structure makes it a handy reference for established project managers and a wise long-term investment for students and trainees.

You can't avoid the changes brought to corporate managerial structure by increased global competition and the blinding pace of technological innovation. You can, however, face those changes, embrace them, and forge a new and exciting future for yourself and your organization. Visualizing Project Management introduces that future, anticipates its opportunities and pitfalls, and helps you adapt your talents and abilities in order to grow and thrive in the business climate of the twenty-first century.

an innovative approach to project management— clear, precise, and detailed

Project management is the wave of the future. In this unparalleled guide, three major figures in project management draw upon decades of experience to bring you the most reliable, authoritative, and practical resource available for mastering the tools and techniques of project management. Using clear, succinct language, helpful analogies, and memorable visual aids, they show you how to visualize the universal project cycle, see opportunities when they arise, and avoid pitfalls along the way. They demonstrate how visualization can help you make the tough decisions within the project framework, follow through with your successes, and correct errors before the damage gets out of hand.

This superlative guide to managing projects successfully

Defines the essential elements for visualizing project management such as common vocabulary, commitment to teamwork, and project cycle planning

Presents a unique orthogonal model that separates the sequential project cycle from situational leadership and management components

Provides exceptional graphic charts and 3-D models to help you visualize every piece of the project puzzle and see how it fits into the overall picture

Regardless of your current position or specialty, Visualizing Project Management helps you ensure a prosperous future in an increasingly unpredictable business climate.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Project management is widely recognized as the next productivity frontier. With 49 years of experience in this area between them, the authors present a complete guide to successfully managing a project from inception to completion. Rather than offering a full inventory of management techniques, they decompose them into 10 essential elements to provide an innovative approach to project management using a universal project cycle. Excellent graphic charts and 3D models help readers understand the project cycle, enabling them to visualize how each element fits into the overall project picture.

From the Inside Flap

Visualizing Project Management Project management is widely recognized as the new frontier in productivity, quality assurance, and product development—a vista of opportunity in an otherwise shrinking corporate landscape. Fortune magazine compared the deepening cuts in middle management to the extinction of the dinosaur—with project managers cast as wily mammals evolving to rule the corporate jungle. If you would rather be a mammal than a dinosaur, it’s time to adapt to the changing business environment. But project management is a complex and perilous process—the failure rate among project teams is alarmingly high—and few succeed without an open mind, a tenacious spirit, and a good teacher. Visualizing Project Management offers the combined wisdom of three of the best and most experienced project managers in the business. Kevin Forsberg and Hal Mooz have trained more than 20,000 project managers in hundreds of organizations, including GTE, AT&T, NASA, and Whirlpool. Drawing on hands-on management experience at IBM, Intel, and Lockheed, the three authors present a time-tested, field-proven approach to learning, mastering, and implementing the project management process. They define 10 essential elements of project management and present models that illustrate how each element fits into the overall project picture. Planned, sequential project cycle events are separated from situational management and leadership elements, which are portrayed in a three-dimensional model. Supplemented with outstanding graphic charts and helpful analogies, the book features succinct sections and an engaging, easy-to-follow style to help accelerate comprehension. Its quick-access structure makes it a handy reference for established project managers and a wise long-term investment for students and trainees. You can’t avoid the changes brought to corporate managerial structure by increased global competition and the blinding pace of technological innovation. You can, however, face those changes, embrace them, and forge a new and exciting future for yourself and your organization. Visualizing Project Management introduces that future, anticipates its opportunities and pitfalls, and helps you adapt your talents and abilities in order to grow and thrive in the business climate of the twenty-first century.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (July 9, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471577790
• ISBN-13: 978-0471577799
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,065,918 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

93 of 95 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Used in a trial by fire and it got me through, March 16, 2001

By 

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

This review is from: Visualizing Project Management: A Model for Business and Technical Success (with CD-ROM) (Hardcover)

I received this book as a gift from a colleague/mentor who insisted that I read it. Since I had never been a project manager I glanced through it and stuck it on a shelf where it collected dust. One fateful day I was tasked with producing a project plan and, in a panic, called my mentor who reminded me that the answers to my frantic questions were in the book. Although I was under pressure and in no mood to read a book I gave it a shot.

This is where the value of Visualizing Project Management became apparent. I was able to follow the step-by-step procedures outlined in the book to produce a work breakdown structure (something I didn't know existed), determine dependencies and perform supportable estimations for time and resources. By the time I was ready to plug the tasks into Microsoft Project I had a clear idea of what needed to be done, and a realistic estimate of time and people required. In essence I was using this book as a guide for planning my first project. Each step of the way I was gaining self-confidence while methodically laying out a project that accounted for all necessary tasks and their deliverables, and could be supported from a traceability and cost-estimating relationship viewpoint.

Along the way I learned how to control the project once it was initiated, which was something I had not considered when I was first tasked with planning it. Bear in mind I was simultaneously reading this book and planning my first project, so I am probably not a typical reader. Taking this into account what I liked most about this book is the step-by-step approach to project management. The approach is logical and highly visual (hence the title). Each step, from initial planning to scheduling to controlling the project was put into context and clearly explained. There are no long-winded explanations or theory, making this book a great tool for learning project management (in my case learning while doing).

In addition to using a lot of illustrations to show how project management should be done this book also shows how to use visual tools to manage projects. One visual technique that I really thought was clever is the "cards on the wall" approach. This method allowed me to put the tasks from the work breakdown structure on cards, tacked to the wall, then examine dependencies by connecting them with yarn. In essence, I could play "what if" and optimize dependencies using some very low tech tools. However, this is a highly visual and highly effective way to sequence tasks.

I also learned a powerful technique for controlling projects: earned value. This technique compares your project's planned cost and schedule baseline to actuals. It is a proactive way to manage projects because it is an early warning indicator of slippages and overruns.

Before reading this book I was in awe of project managers. After reading this book I discovered that many project managers really depend on luck instead of methods to get through projects. I am appalled by the number of PMs who do not start with a work breakdown structure, or analyze and develop task dependencies before scheduling a project. I have also noticed that far too many do not use earned value to control their projects. It is no small wonder that IT projects historically overrun or fail.

In that respect a book that I almost did not read not only got me through my first project plan, but showed me that there is a way to do projects right. It has certainly made an impression on me and has improved my professional skills. This is the book and I hope that practicing and aspiring project managers read. It certainly will improve the chances of your next project if you follow its straightforward steps and apply them.

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Should be on the bookshelf of every PM & aspiring PM, December 7, 2000

By 

Mike Tarrani "www.tarrani.com" (Deltona, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Visualizing Project Management: A Model for Business and Technical Success (with CD-ROM) (Hardcover)

This book explains how to plan, schedule and control projects the right way, starting with a workbreakdown structure through to managing schedule and cost using earned value. While there are other books that do this, Visualizing Project Management presents this information in an easy-to-read and easy-to-understand manner. One of my favorite parts of the book explains how to use "cards on the wall" to portray dependencies and sequence, which is the basis of a good schedule. I also liked how earned value project management is presented. If you want a book that shows in a straightforward manner how to plan and estimate a project with confidence (versus firing up MS Project and starting with a Gantt chart that will aomost surely result in cost and schedule overruns because you did not think through the basics), then this is the book to get. Moreover, if you want to understand how to correctly schedule a project after it has been planned and estimated (using MS Project or your favorite tool), then Visualizing Project Management is must-reading. This book also explains in an easy-to-understand maner how to control a project; i.e., what you need to do in order to proactively manage to budget and schedule. I have purchased 8 copies of this book over the years as gifts to colleagues who were assigned to manage projects - each person loved the book.

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Weighty in its Simplicity, July 6, 2001

By 

Craig L. Howe "The Pointed Pundit" (Darien, CT United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Visualizing Project Management: A Model for Business and Technical Success (with CD-ROM) (Hardcover)

Rarely do I read a book that is weighty in its simplicity while being exhaustive in its subject treatment. Visualizing Project Management succeeds where many have failed.

The book focuses on the five common elements of every successful project: a common vocabulary, teamwork, a plan, leadership and management.

Starting with the project requirements, it details the correct way to plan, schedule and control projects. These elements do not naturally occur, particularly in complex technical projects. The techniques and tools presented are applicable throughout the project lifecycle.

The book is full of illustrations, which clarify the techniques being discussed. The best idea I found book was the Cards on the Wall technique, which calls for each team member to attach each WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) to a wall and interconnect the dependencies with yarn. The resulting interaction, I found, encourages group thinking and project buy-in, while anticipating the unanticipated.

There is also a great section on Earned Value, a powerful and effective tool for the early detection of slippages and cost overruns. As the authors correctly note, "If you can't measure it, you can't manage it."

Aspiring project managers and executives responsible for supervising it in their organizations should read this book. It will help them successfully understand and apply the project management process in their pursuit of "better, faster, and cheaper."