Quantifying the Value of Project Management [Paperback]

William Ibbs (Author), Justin Reginato (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In today’s highly competitive marketplace, organizations want more from project management than on-time, under-budget delivery. Just like labor, technology and equipment, project management is seen as a corporate asset that is expected to contribute to the bottom line. It must deliver a profitable return on investment if it is to become a strategic business asset, and not just another drill press in the corporate tool crib.

In Quantifying the Value of Project Management, William Ibbs and Justin Reginato, from the University of California at Berkeley, explore real-world data from 52 U.S. corporations and find the key to a high return on investment. It is project management maturity. Mature project management departments have more on-time, under-budget projects; less variable schedules and expenses; and decreased cost ratios. Project management maturity benefits extend to the parent company where Dr. Ibbs finds lower utilization rates, higher production rates and lower operating costs. Dr. Ibbs shows how to assess project management maturity and track its development.

The details of these groundbreaking discoveries are presented in a style that combines the wit of Fortune magazine with the sophistication and rigor of an academic contribution to the Project Management Journal®.

If you are looking for a comeback to those who want proof of project management’s corporate value, Quantifying the Value of Project Management lays out all the evidence you need.

About the Author

William Ibbs is Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of California Berkeley.

Justin Reginato is a doctoral candidate in Civil Engineering with an emphasis in Project Management at the University of California Berkeley.

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Project Management Institute (September 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880410966
• ISBN-13: 978-1880410967
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 1.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,441,795 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars This Book(let) is a Major Disappointment, March 11, 2003

By	David Schoon - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Quantifying the Value of Project Management (Paperback)

This booklet is a major disappointment, and I am surprised that a professor of civil engineering from UC-Berkely would co-publish this together with a graduate researcher and call it a "book". This is not a book, it is a booklet at best.

I have purchased dozens and dozens of books on project management over the years and this one ranks in the bottom decile.

It is "49 pages" in total length consisting of the following:

Pages 1-3 introduction.
Pages 47-8 references.
Pages 4, 16 and 30 completely blank.
Pages 49 author contact information (consultants); actually the last 5 pages of the book are generically entitled "Upgrade Your Project Management Knowledge with Leading Titles from PMI" and are solely advertisements.

The booklet also contains glaring errors making for confusing and potential misleading conclusions, for example:
Page 24 Table 3-1 the equation is in error,
Page 28 Figure 4-1 the figure is mislabeled,
Page 29 Figure 4-2 part of the diagram is completely missing.

Unfortunately, the trade association (PMI) publisher of this "booklet" continues to struggle with putting out much needed quantifiable case studies demonstrating the value of project management. This booklet is not the way to do it, nor is it the way to develop a project management consulting business.

By the way, PMI sells this booklet for an amazing $...(see back cover of the book). I paid substantially less than that thru "Used" on Amazon.com and still wish I hadn't bothered. PMI should know better.

Save your money, invest it elsewhere. Two books that have some helpful resources for quantifying the value of project management include:

"The Project Management Scorecard", especially chapters 4-16.
"The New Project Management", especially chapers 12-13.

Other project management books I have read and found beneficial:

"Successful IT Project Delivery"
"Visualizing Project Management"
"Project Management Nation"

"Project Management: Best Practices for IT Professionals"
"Idiot's Guide to Project Management"
"Project Management Professional: Study Guide"

David B. Schoon

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your money, March 16, 2005

By	F. Kurtbayram (Uk) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Quantifying the Value of Project Management (Paperback)

I purchased the book expecting some practical approach. I was disappointed; it's all theory, and there are too many mistakes in the text.