World Famous Comics: The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management (Portable Mba Series)
The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management (Portable Mba Series)
By: Eric Verzuh Publisher: Wiley Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Wiley Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 480 Publication Date: April 25, 2008
Product Description: This is one of the bestselling books ever published on the topic of project management. Now in a revised new third edition, it presents you with a wealth of proven techniques for managing projectsfrom establishing project objectives to building schedules to projecting costs. It includes all the basics on defining, planning, and tracking a project, as well as building stronger project teams. This new edition includes new chapters on Agile Project Management, PMI exam prep, and more.
Amazon.com Review: Until the early '90s, project management was definitely located somewhere near the unsexy end of the business spectrum. But now, with the rise of downsizing and outsourcing, it has become one of the hot disciplines. Professional membership of the U.S.-based Project Management Institute has quadrupled in the last decade, and Microsoft claimed recently to have over 2 million users worldwide of its project-management software. The reasons for this growth are simple. Project management is about managing "projects," that is, unique pieces of work (as opposed to ongoing operations). Downsizing, outsourcing, and the accelerating pace of change have meant that, increasingly, work is carried out on an ad-hoc, one-off project basis. The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management is designed as an advanced textbook for businesspeople with a grasp of the basics and insufficient time (or inclination) to go back to school to learn more. Written by Eric Verzuh, president of the Versatile Company, a leading project-management consultancy, this is not a heavy academic text.
Like the rest of the Fast Forward series, this book is designed to let the reader extract maximum information in minimum time. There is a strong use of graphics with tables, charts cross-heads, and bullet points. Important passages are flagged in bold and/or emblazoned with the words key concept. When you read it, you realize that there is nothing magical about project management, just the application of careful common sense. The book covers all the basic stuff like planning, time-tabling, quantity and price estimation, resource allocation, and scheduling. But it also acknowledges that there is inevitably a political dimension to every project, no matter how small. So it has important sections on how to ensure that all the stakeholders in the project are kept "on board" and the importance of communication.
As Verzuh states in his introduction, "Every project participant from part-time team member to executive sponsor, becomes more effective once he or she understands the basics of project management." Really, this is a book about management that every manager should read, whether he or she has a project or not. --Alex Benady
The Fast Forward MBA third edition I had purchased this textbook for a on-line class in Project Management. The textbook The Fast Forward MBA turned out to be a great investment for me. The textbook is easy to read and understand concepts. It provide great detail of follow along illustration that help with the read the text. I would strongly recommend the textbook for anyone but it is a must for beginniners interesting in project management and techniques used to manage the project life from begiingn to end, helpful in understanding how to initiate a project, and great clear definition of terminology. Tracy
An excellent Project Management Book This is a very good project management book. Easy to understand and substantial information. There are some PMP exam prep questions at the end of each chapter. However, you should know that the book's material is not quite compatible with the PMBOK Guide by PMI. So, don't use it for the PMP exam prep. Otherwise, to learn general project management, this is a very good book. Recommended.
Extensive introduction to PM As a very experienced project and program manager, I've been asked to help introduce MBA students to project management. Of all the PMs books out there, a number of which I own, this one is the best I've found to help understand the complexities and challenges of project management. The subject is complex and requires lots of studying and practice but Mr. Verzuh has done an excellent job of capturing the essence of it.
This 3rd Edition of Fast Forward MBA in Project Management rocks! As both a practicing & certified Project Management Professional (PMP), who is also a adjunct professor that teaches project management at both the graduate & undergraduate levels, this is one of the most useful project management books that I have used in the classroom. Unlike many of the project management texts that I have used that spend many pages on project management theory, Eric's book gets to the point of how to practically & successfully manage projects. What I like in particular is that he approaches project management from a "How to get it done right" approach. The many fully customizable templates and forms included as part of the purchase price of the book are absolutely invaluable.
Previously I had successfully used the 2nd Edition of Eric's book in the classroom. Given that success, I am planning on using the new edition. Although understanding some of the underlying project management theory is important, many of the books I have used offer an overly theoretical and statistical approach that does not effectively explain the essential 'soft' project management skills well. In my view, Eric addresses project management theory at the right level, while offering a number of exceptionally useful project management ideas and tools.
Lastly, in preparation for an upcoming class, I did a page-by-page scan of the new edition. Lots of truly substantive changes. Unfortunately, in the case of many of the books that I have used in the classroom, the issue of a new edition means little more than a change of the copyright date.
Concise & Clear Verzuh has done a great job on this subject. He has covered the key topics in a concise yet succient manner. Its a useful read for those interested in gaining some knowledge on Project Management. I highly recommend it.
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