mnehr's Full Review: Eric Verzuh - The Fast Forward Mba In Project Mana...
All of us have been there; a typical day at work and your boss gives you the project of coordinating a way to track DPMO for a client’s call center using a Pareto system and create a project plan for acting on the found defects. While you tell your boss, No problem you are internally scanning your memory of college classes hoping you remember what to do, where to start, and what the heck is a Pareto system.
The real chance that you actually remember everything from your college business courses is slim. With the Fast Forward MBA series by Eric Verzuh, however, you will have a quick resource to all of the vital concepts that you learned in college but rarely use on a daily basis.
On my desk now are titles from the Fast Forward MBA series in Finance, Marketing, Technology Management, and Project Management. Often these are just quick references to look up a term or verify that I am making a calculation correctly. Of these titles the one most dog-eared is the Fast Forward MBA in Project Management. While many of the fundamentals of project management are simple and clear, working with CPMs all day is like living in a Dilbert cartoon of acronyms and jargon. Whether you are new to project management or you just want a quick reminder of how to create a SOW or identify sequence constraints then the Fast Forward MBA in Project Management may be a useful resource for you.
Easy to navigate and superbly informative the Fast Forward MBA in Project Management is an easily navigated guide to every aspect of project management from defining your project to close out reporting. Often the Fast Forward MBA in Project Management explains concepts in the most basic of terms; this providing an advantage for those newly initiated in project management. For those well versed in project management this could seem annoying but the lack of assumption ensures that all concepts are covered and not simply referenced with no explanation.
Navigation through the Fast Forward MBA in Project Management is enhanced by clear charts and real-world examples of the concepts being described. These are not occasional hit and run tools but are extremely helpful in the explanation of concepts.
Other tools the book uses are bullet points to highlight important points. One can easily scan a chapter using just the included bullet points such as:
Key Concept- The vital concept of the chapter or practice being discussed.
End Point- Summary of the chapter or practice.
Tip- Not just what you give your waitress, the Tip bullet point gives you shortcuts or easier ways of looking at the Key Concepts.
Danger- Avoid falling into common traps or mistakes during your project plan of action by watching for Danger bullets.
The flow of the Fast Forward MBA in Project Management is clear and concise giving one a natural progression from one step of project management to the next.
Part one lays the foundation of project management including defining terminology and global concepts that tie project management to other disciplines, such as quality and product development. In part one examples are given of what organizational changes companies make to move toward a more project geared work environment.
Parts two through four present the tools and techniques of project management using real world examples. The techniques are described in refreshing detail making this truly a how-to book. These techniques start with simple examples, then progress to tips for handling larger projects. Together, sections two through four provide the tool sets every project manager needs.
Part two focuses specifically on setting the goals and constraints of the project.
Part three gives you the most effective techniques for managing budgets, keeping on schedule, and managing a project’s budget. Examples are also given of how to incorporate common project management software, such as Microsoft Project, in to your project management system.
Part four explains methods of controlling a project and keeping it on track within your project path. Part four offers many useful tools that can be used to keep a project on track and completed successfully.
Finally, part five describes how the tools presented in the Fast Forward MBA in Project Management can be used by your organization to meet specific goals. Examples are given of the kind of problem situations (challenges) that project managers are likely to face and how to deal with them using the given tools.
With the cost of a CPM certification running upward of five thousand dollars or more depending on the educational venue one chooses, the Fast Forward MBA in Project Management provides a much more cost effective ($16.95) option. This is, of course for those who are not professional project managers and don’t need some letters behind their name.
The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management does not give guides to higher level concepts and tools such as Six Sigma or Kaizen, but if one is in charge of implementing these type of plans the Fast Forward MBA in Project Management may not be a needed tool. This is a must have book for every business unit manager and is even quite helpful as a reference for more seasoned project manager.
From finding the right sponsor to clarifying objectives to setting a realistic schedule and budget projections, this book can help managers coordinate...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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