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The book is undoubtedly a useful reading for both programmers and project managers who want to expand their horizons and become better at performing their jobs. when I quickly turned over the leaves, I decided to buy it.This book actually encouraged me to dedicate more time to learn soft skills and focus more towards project management. I bought the book a couple of years ago, when I devoted a lot of time learning programming languages. While browsing the programming manuals at the bookstore I accidentally came across the book with interesting covers.
:-)Anyway, this book is a very good starting point. and on, and on.Welcome to the world of the REAL project management, the most complicated version of MINE-SWEEPER. This is one of the most valuable book about project management, I think, especially for primers and mediocre managers who don't have enough train or experience.As this author have pointed implicitly and explicitly, the most important thing to do in the project management is not amusing with templates, procedures, or other bureaucratic toys, but focusing on the dynamics of its requirements, its designs, and its teams.Therefore, this book is not much like other primer-books about project management.This is more like ones about requirements, designs or psychologies.So, I think this book suited not only for PM, but also programmers, designers, testers, and any other personel participating in a project.And I think the new title ("Making things happen") meets much better than the old one ("The Art of project management").Of course, Most of the staffs describing in this book are just about basic knowledges.And to learn about these staffs more deeply, you must learn from books, Weignberg, Demarco, Humphrey, Beck, Joel, McCarthy. and so on, and I also recomend Goldratt, Wiegers, McConnell, Poppendieck, they doesn't referenced in this book, and also you must learn from LIVE projects of your own.Schedule-management is not the only responsibility what PM is expected for, PM must get along with its Requirements and designs, Human-factor is the next headache, and Risk-management is coming second,.
This guy is the real deal.This is my #1 business bible. As a bonus, he's an entertaining writer. If everyone in corporate America read this book and abdided by its guidelines, the cubefarms would be a better place. If you're gainfully employed in a corporation and have any responsibility for technology or projects, you need to read this. There isn't a close second. Only when we've mastered the fundamentals can we truly pursue excellence and realize our own individual, team, and organizational potential.I've probably read this book five times, and I've completely raided the bibliography. Berkun has literally written the book on how to get things done by focusing on what all the other talking heads have forgotten about: mastering execution fundamentals. Berkun's concepts are universally applicable and easy to absorb.
Easier said than done, and Scott provides a good outline for how to do exactly that.Strongly recommended. Scott understands that successful project management is not about managing projects at all - it's not about creating schedules and Gaant charts and budgets (though those things are important) - it's about understanding the people working on your project, their needs and motivations, clearly identifying where they need to go, and getting out of their way. I've been meaning to contribute a review for a while, and was re-inspired when I recently referred to Scott's book. I don't have much to add to the numerous detailed reviews here, aside to say that this is the book we give each project manager at my firm on their first day.I like the Making Things Happen (previously The Art of Project Management) because it goes beyond pure project management and reaches the heart of what's required to make things happen in a modern organization: the ability to understand and manage people.
Even though many of the examples come from Microsoft and traditional desktop product life cycle, if you read it with the right attitude, you should be able to apply the strategies to the process of your choice. If you're looking for a book on specific methodology (Agile, whatever) this is NOT it--this is a generalist take. This is an outstanding book for anyone who works on a project in the business world. If you work on software products, you'll probably be able to relate better to the anecdotes, but I think just about any discipline can take away the lessons.
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