Projects and Systems Books

I was very uncomfortable with the idea of using linux but I wanted to try something new and this book really eases you into the process of learning to use linux without being overwhelming. It explains everything in easy to understand 'non-geek' language and is a good starting point if you want to learn more about linux and are a traditional windows user. After reading this book, I purchased many ubuntu and other linux distro books to help me understand linux more but I do not think I would have understood them that well if I had not read this book first. I would highly recommend it to "newbies".

Item was in great shape (infact it was new). Very fast delivery.
Would purchase from them again.

It is nice to be able to look up the problems you come up against in a new OS. This book is well done and has been very useful for my conversion to Linux. It even came with a Hardy CD.

I have toyed occasionally with both Red Hat and Ubuntu over the years, but I definitely meet the definition of "non-geek." Installing these operating systems before always required some degree of struggle, and not uncommonly (especially with some earlier distros) I would simply fail. But that has changed. The current 8.04 version of Ubuntu partnered with this book is frankly outstanding.
First, a word about the operating system: this Ubuntu distro, code-named Hardy Heron, may well be the one that has finally made Linux as easy as Windows. I had always previously laughed at such claims from Linux enthusiasts, but this distro impresses me. It is the one that may at last enable me to defenestrate completely. And this guidebook is the perfect match, using normal language. One thing that it does very well is explaining what the few text commands that it uses actually do, instead of just instructing the reader to type it into the command line and leaving you wondering what exactly those "magic words" meant. There is a single short chapter about using the command line, but 99% of what the guidebook leads you through uses the GUI, so if the command line intimidates you never fear.
I installed Ubuntu 8.04 dual-boot with Windows XP on my laptop effortlessly. Not a single thing went awry. The new partitioning tool that is used during the installation is a great improvement over those in any of the (few) other Linux distros I've seen. The book follows step by step. My laptop is about 4 years old, so I am sure that a newer laptop may have hardware that is not as well supported and effortless. But on mine everything just worked, including my wireless internet.
Though they are enthusiastic, sometimes getting an understandable answer from the Linux community can be challenging. I had always struggled through installing Linux software before, especially if I needed to compile it myself. In fact, I can count my successful compilations on one hand. I never knew that GUI-based tools like Synaptic Package Manager or GNOME App Install were available to make it all so easy (assuming that a deb package is available, as there usually is) and again the book walks you through flawless examples. One example used for software installation is a program to automatically detect and load a driver for any ATI or NVIDIA graphics card- something which has historically been very difficult on Linux systems
My biggest criticism- and it wasn't enough to cost half a star or anything like that- is that the CD included with the book only has the i386 version of Ubuntu. If you want the 64-bit version you have to download it and burn the ISO to disc. (In fairness, the i386 version will load and run on a 64-bit machine, but only in 32-bit mode.) One of the reasons I bought this book was that I can't seem to pass the checksum when I downloaded the ISO, so now I am waiting for my disc from Canonical so that I can install Ubuntu on my desktop.
So, if you describe yourself as a "computer user" rather than a "computer geek," this is an outstanding book. If you know enough to know that Ubuntu exists then you almost certainly possess the minimal computer savvy required to use this book. I know that this review sort of morphed into a review of Ubuntu in addition to the book, but it is difficult to separate them. Suffice to say, the book walks you step-by-step through multiple examples of everything that you have to do. It also explains such details as what the differences are between the various file formats in which Open Office Word Processor can save documents. Almost all of such important minutiae are covered.

I wrote my original review for a discussion forum at:
http://www.certforums.co.uk/forums/thread26912.html

Not too long ago, I reviewed The Official Ubuntu Book, Third Edition published by Prentice Hall (July 13, 2008). The thing about reviewing a later edition of an already successful book, is that you need to make sure it updates to the current version of whatever it's describing, which in this case is Ubuntu 8.04, the Hardy Heron. I dinged the Benjamin Mako Hill, et al. book, primarily because it didn't address readers who were already dedicated Ubuntu users and who needed to know the ins and outs of upgrading vs. doing a clean install. I've since learned (and it wasn't addressed in the Prentice Hall book) that there actually is a direct upgrade patch from 6.06 to 8.04 (and this information was a little hard to come by). I needed that information, because performing that upgrade was the task I needed to perform. Rickford Grant's third edition book arrived at my home yesterday. How will this book appeal to the complete Ubuntu newbie vs. the experienced "non-geek" with upgrade needs?

Bottom line for "upgrade" people is that Grant dropped the ball as far as continuing to address his earlier readers who want to learn how to turn our "aging" Ubuntus into brand new Hardy Herons. I highly recommend picking up this text if you've never used Ubuntu before and have a burning need to learn how Ubuntu 8.04 will benefit you on the desktop (and it really will). For those of us with a few years of Ubuntu under our belts and who want to upgrade what we've already got, I guess http://ubuntuforums.org is the best place for us to get clued in.

Very easy and fun reading. Hits all the right points that relate to project management. Examples are good, lots of creative ideas that I wasn't aware of and good reference to other books and material.

I would have liked to see more content on systems thinking and how they are applied in real life. Other than that, it is very un-common for me to read a book end to end. I enjoyed - and learned.

This is a excellent overview for General Management, Stakeholders, PMs and PM Team Members to used not only as an overview of Project Management, but as an advance guidance in the planning, scheduling and controlling methodology. Mr. Lewis's approach to Systems Thinking vice the linear thinking is well addressed. The Chapter on Managing Quality in Projects is excellent and stresses planning, customer needs, rework, and cost should be reviewed at all levels of the Enterprise from General Management to individuals striving to complete a project. I will place this book next to my copy his book, "The Project Manager's Desk Reference."

I found this bookto be a very useful source of information associated with Project Managment. Lewis's ideas associated with Innovation in projects is very helpful in the R+D project world.

I found this to be a good high level view of the PM discipline, its concepts, and processes. The section on Risk Management provided a good overview. All chapters are "overview" level, but the book has a good reference section for further reading. I'd refer readers to Lewis' The Project Managers Desk Reference" for more detailed reading. I do find I refer to this book and am glad I added it to my library.

Whether you are a project manager or programmer working on VB projects this book is very helpful. It is written in terms that are understood by both project managers and programmers. Flows well with overviews on UML, MS Project98 and Visual SourceSafe. Bought it for the whole team.

A book that I have been waiting to be written for years. Jake's book of 550 pages gives an professional and clear guide to planning and implementing VB projects.

His section on UML to VB mapping, is excellent, with the example code snippets backing up his explanation. Helps educate your management that VB development should be taken seriously and more important, what actually needs to be done!

This book covers every detail of a Visual Basic project. It is not just a book for project managers, it is for every member of the team. If you are in involved in any VB project that uses more that a few developers, you must read this book, now!

Com o surgimento de aplicações de múltiplas camadas (multi-tier) e de n-camadas (n-tier), os desenvolvedores são desafiados a desenvolverem sistemas complexos cada vez mais. Paralelo a isso, a necessidade de gerenciamento destes projetos passa a ser uma necessidade. Acompanhar um projeto fase-a-fase é a maneira de se obter sucesso no planejamento, design, implementação e codificação de um sistema. Só através de um gerenciamento perfeito, um sistema de alta qualidade e desenvolvido dentro do prazo e orçamento poderá ser obtido. Este livro expande os conceitos do UML Design and Development e provê um guia completo para gerenciar um projeto em VB. A metodologia é ilustrada na prática através de uma aplicação real Windows DNA - desde a identificação dos objetivos dos clientes, projeto e desenvolvimento, até a distribuição final do sistema.

"Project Management for Modern Information Systems" is the text book I would recommend to new students of Project Management. It incorporates the latest techniques, terminology, and interfaces to related technologies. Well written and easy to read. Subject matter is well organized.

The author presents IT project management in an easy to understand, applied manner. A must for IT managers from large or small enterprises. Get this book. It's a must read.

"Project Management for Modern Information Systems" offers a thorough examination of Project Management for project mangement professionals emphasizing information systems, but definitely not limited to or constrained by IS. Development of each topic includes technical, business, and strategic perspectives, building clear imperatives for "best practice". Each chapter is well developed and easy to read with excellent examples throughout.

I have had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Brandon and hearing him speak multiple times on the subject of project management, and I feel confident in saying that you ll have a hard time finding anyone with the depth and breadth of experience Dan possesses. Furthermore, through his academic and industry experience, he has learned to write about project management principles in a manner that is both rigorous yet easy to understand.

This book is a great read! It is fast paced and hits on all the major project phases. Each phase is laid out in easy to understand writing with great diagrams and charts. I firmly believe that you can use this book to help all your projects.

Book Review - Cheetah Project Management
Reviewed by Frank Townson, PMP, Director - Strategic Planning, PMI-OVOC

Cheetah Project Management
Michelle A, LaBrosse, PMP - HNB Publishing, New York, NY, USA, 2004. ISBN: 0-9728061-2-1

Are you new to the field of project management and don't know where to start? If so, this book can really help you. If you are an experienced project manager and have struggled with issues of teamwork and having a successful project launch session, then this book can help you. Or have you been handed a project in disarray that needs major disaster recovery work? Again, this book can help you.

In Cheetah Project Management, the emphasis is on the team: "If the team is aligned on its project priorities, then it will better understand and work towards aligning its actions" notes the author. Using a team-based approach, the author takes the reader step by step through an e-commerce project case study and demonstrates how to build team consensus on customer/stakeholder requirements, who needs to do what and when, individual roles and responsibilities, determining the critical milestones in the project, identifying and assessing risks, and preparing accurate cost estimates including a clear understanding of cash flow needs and level of effort.

Ms. LaBrosse defines Cheetah's Accelerated Project Management as "A process that covers the complete framework for a project team to quickly launch its projects, initiatives and ideas." She then takes you through that framework demonstrating how, in just one day, using the methodology, templates and techniques she provides, a project team can develop a complete project plan covering customer/stakeholder requirements, project scope, project schedules, and project budgets. Building upon the eight components of the accelerated project management (APM) framework, she shows project teams how to:

* Clearly communicate with people on the project team and stakeholders/clients about the project.
* Accurately define the problems the project will help stakeholders/clients solve.
* Specify the requirements of the project in terms of how stakeholders/clients will use the project deliverables.
* Clearly define the end points of the project to rein in costs.
* Create a high performing project team that is aligned on their roles and responsibilities.
* Determine exactly what is needed to get started with the project and what represents completion (and success).
* Create measurements to ensure the project meets stakeholders/clients' acceptance criteria.
* Define reviews and approvals at each stage of the project.
* Assess, quantify, and prevent risks that could derail the Project.
* Define the priorities of the project in terms of cost, schedule, and quality.
* Identify the constraints and conflicts on doing this project.
* Determine the staff and resources required to complete the project.
* Create dependency schedules of the interim deliverables with an easy to visualize graphical mapping technique.
* Use a quick three point estimating technique to calculate budgets associated with work and resources needed to get the job done.
* Adjust the project plan based on issues that arise during the execution of the project.
* Record the lessons learned in a way that can used to improve the next project.
* Identify how to use what has been learned doing this project.

Although Ms. LaBrosse clearly focuses on the project team, she recognizes that individual roles and responsibilities must be well defined and agreed to by team members. She observes, "When everyone is responsible, no one is accountable." A key feature of Cheetah's Accelerated Project Management is single point accountability, meaning that one person is specifically responsible for each interim project deliverable, including risk countermeasures.

One of the clear strengths of this book is that it is reader friendly. It is not loaded down with jargon, nor does it preach its message. Rather, it presents a simple and straightforward methodology and guides the reader through it in a clear and readily understandable manner loaded with lots and lots of examples and clarifications. Simple tools and techniques are presented along with easy to follow templates. In determining risk probability and impact, for example, she employs a "highly scientific technique called the gut-feel index (GFI)".

The eight components of the APM framework are Project Launch, Project Agreement, Teaming Guidelines, Planning (including Risks), Scheduling, Staffing and Budgeting, Project Tracking, and Lessons Learned. Ms. LaBrosse presents and explains these components in a clear and effective manner. Noting that "People can achieve whatever they put their minds to", she provides the means by which a project team, working together, can achieve a highly successful and productive project launch event.

Recommended

Cheetah Project Management is a must for anyone involved in project management currently, or someone considering PM as a career. In simple, straightforward language it outlines the steps and processes toward formalizing a project agreement.

An easy read that truly impacts all phases of the project manangement cycle. I highly recommend this book!

This book should be on every project managers reading list. It is logically orgainzed. The explanations of the how's and why's to create dynamic project plans in Microsoft Project are complete. Beyond that Mr. Uyttewaal explains sound project management principles in clear and real-world terms. Whatsmore these principles are practical in their application and they work. The chapter summaries provide exercises that drive the concepts home. What makes this book so valuable is that even after reading it I can and do keep it within reach to use as a primary reference source. If you're serious about Project Management you will appreciate this book.

The author has put together a great book. It can take a project manager from the training and practice field to the playing field to create effective and realistic project schedules.

The author has mastered the concept of the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and more importantly, how to present and use it in a Microsoft Project plan format.
A project is comprised of phases, deliverables and activities. This book is fully aligned with the Project Management Institute's Project Management Body of Knowlegde (PMBOK). PMPs and non-PMPs alike will appreciate the insight it offers in planning and designing succint, comprehensible and manageable project plans to present to project team members and sponsors alike.

Food has always been a major preoccupation of humankind. The "agricultural revolution" (14,000 - 10,000 BC)changed the world and since then, the majority of the people in the world have been farmers. At least until the 1990s. In that decade, for the first time in the history of the planet, urban dwellers outnumbered rural/ agrarian dwellers. The trend continues, and at the moment, the number of people in prison in the US outnumbers the people who list "farming" as their primary occupation.
This decreasing percentage of farmers producing increasing amounts of food, is thanks to changes in technology. Simply stated, technology, especially petroleum related technology, has increased agriculture's per-capita output many-fold. Pre-20th century agriculture was solar-powered, whereas 20th and 21st century agribusiness is increasingly petroleum powered.
Never before has so much food been available for so little to so many people who are unaware that a carrot grows in dirt! Because so few people are farmers now, especially in the West (USA and Europe), few people are aware of the true costs of food production.
These facts make this book of great value. REading it will help you understand the basics of agriculture and will inspire you to teach others. The illustration of using an apple to demonstrate the limited nature of top-soil is alone worth the price of the book.

Food has always been a major preoccupation of humankind. The "agricultural revolution" (14,000 - 10,000 BC)changed the world and since then, the majority of the people in the world have been farmers. At least until the 1990s. In that decade, for the first time in the history of the planet, urban dwellers outnumbered rural/ agrarian dwellers. The trend continues, and at the moment, the number of people in prison in the US outnumbers the people who list "farming" as their primary occupation.
This decreasing percentage of farmers producing increasing amounts of food, is thanks to changes in technology. Simply stated, technology, especially petroleum related technology, has increased agriculture's per-capita output many-fold. Pre-20th century agriculture was solar-powered, whereas 20th and 21st century agribusiness is increasingly petroleum powered.
Never before has so much food been available for so little to so many people who are unaware that a carrot grows in dirt! Because so few people are farmers now, especially in the West (USA and Europe), few people are aware of the true costs of food production.
These facts make this book of great value. REading it will help you understand the basics of agriculture and will inspire you to teach others. The illustration of using an apple to demonstrate the limited nature of top-soil is alone worth the price of the book.

Sara Coblyn has written an excellent manual for teaching kids (and all of us) the importance of knowing where our food comes from, what's in it, and why that matters. Recommend highly!

A tremendous discussion and reference of the nuts and bolts for all kinds of teaming in the IT world. It's loaded with nuances related to teaming that you won't easily find in one place. It's also a good review, thinker, and is exceptionally well researched and written. I definitely reccomend this book to anyone who is serious about adding to their skills in this often overlooked but necessary specialty.

This book is a comprehensive analysis of the points throughout development life cycles where team collaboration is appropriate for creating deliverables. Formats and methods for conducting team workshops are set out in great detail, based on the organizational environment, project type, end result desired, and particular phase of the life cycle. Jones proposes a "framework" for development which he calls Team Design and which he contrasts with Joint Application Development (JAD) and other group methods. Jones defines five Formats (Business Process Design, Requirements Definition, Application Design, Team Planning, Decision Making) under which almost any development project or part thereof can be placed. He devotes separate chapters to each Format, defining for each Format the life-cycle steps within the Format, the workshop agenda activities that apply to each phase of the life-cycle, and recommended workshop methods (e.g., brainstorming, scoping diagrams, scenario analysis) that can develop the deliverables for the phase. Team Design comprises a generic set of life-cycle Phases (Initiating, Scoping, Visualizing, Usage, Packaging, Validating) that can be mapped to each of the five Formats. For each Phase, Jones then recommends certain workshop methods that can be used regardless of the Format. This allows flexibility in analyzing all the factors facing a Project Manager and Facilitator (organization type, project type, end result, life-cycle phase) and adapting a workshop plan that will apply best. It also allows for bridging of experience with workshop methods across different Formats. Jones also deals in depth with a wide variety of topics related to team-based development, including: · JAD and Participatory Design: A survey of the history of these two group-based methods, and an assessment of their strengths and weaknesses in various environments · Facilitation: The scope of Facilitation; the technical competencies required of a Facilitator in a development environment; in-depth description of facilitation tools (e.g., conflict resolution, problem solving) and workshop methods (e.g., brainstorming, diagramming, Pareto charts), and their applicability · Requirements: Analysis of the major problems faced by organizations in creating and managing requirements, and how Team Design can address those problems · Team Dynamics: The phases of team development; team-building techniques; special issues involving workgroups comprising members with different functional backgrounds · Organizational Culture: The impact of organizational dynamics on a company's receptiveness to structured methods and team-based approaches to development

This book is a comprehensive analysis of the points throughout development life cycles where team collaboration is appropriate for creating deliverables. Formats and methods for conducting team workshops are set out in great detail, based on the organizational environment, project type, end result desired, and particular phase of the life cycle.

Jones proposes a "framework" for development which he calls Team Design and which he contrasts with Joint Application Development (JAD) and other group methods. Jones defines five Formats (Business Process Design, Requirements Definition, Application Design, Team Planning, Decision Making) under which almost any development project or part thereof can be placed. He devotes separate chapters to each Format, defining for each Format the life-cycle steps within the Format, the workshop agenda activities that apply to each phase of the life-cycle, and recommended workshop methods (e.g., brainstorming, scoping diagrams, scenario analysis) that can develop the deliverables for the phase.

Team Design comprises a generic set of life-cycle Phases (Initiating, Scoping, Visualizing, Usage, Packaging, Validating) that can be mapped to each of the five Formats. For each Phase, Jones then recommends certain workshop methods that can be used regardless of the Format. This allows flexibility in analyzing all the factors facing a Project Manager and Facilitator (organization type, project type, end result, life-cycle phase) and adapting a workshop plan that will apply best. It also allows for bridging of experience with workshop methods across different Formats.

Jones also deals in depth with a wide variety of topics related to team-based development, including: (1) JAD and Participatory Design: A survey of the history of these two group-based methods, and an assessment of their strengths and weaknesses in various environments; (2) Facilitation: The scope of Facilitation; the technical competencies required of a Facilitator in a development environment; in-depth description of facilitation tools (e.g., conflict resolution, problem solving) and workshop methods (e.g., brainstorming, diagramming, Pareto charts), and their applicability; (3) Requirements: Analysis of the major problems faced by organizations in creating and managing requirements, and how Team Design can address those problems; (4) Team Dynamics: The phases of team development; team-building techniques; special issues involving workgroups comprising members with different functional backgrounds; and (5) Organizational Culture: The impact of organizational dynamics on a company's receptiveness to structured methods and team-based approaches to development.

Many of the techniques used in this book's hardware/software waterfall project to make it succeed, are also used in agile software development to help them succeed. People skills, frequent feedback, keeping in touch with reality. I loved the humor and compassion exhibited by the authors. I recommend this to practitioners of Scrum, Extreme Programming, and other agile methods to provide a perspective on a real-life waterfall project and problems common to all development projects.

Excellent material, well written and cogently organized. Reads like a Steve McConnell book, but at a more general "Project Management" level instead of "Software Project Management". Loaded with funny (in hind sight *grin*) stories that make the major points very memorable.

I related to many of the stories (they read very much like AntiPatterns), and I gained important insights into a current critical project -- which is having immediate positive impact on my current planning and actions.

Very glad I read this book in time.

Strongly recommend this book for current and future project/program leaders!

"It Sounded Good When I Started" sounded equally good when I finished reading it.

This is a book about project management, not as it should be, but as it is: confused, satisfying, creative, mundane, exciting, demanding and chaotic. Built around the authors' adventures with a real, large scale project named Delphi, one feels as if she/he is working with the them and their very human cohorts as they cope with problems of enormous complexity.

The chapter titles themselves should give a flavor of the book:
"Digging Yourself into a Hole,""Going Where Angels Fear to Tread: There Is No Right Way to Do the Wrong Thing," and "A Charlatan in Expert's Clothing: Writing a Lie - The Proposal..."
being typical examples.

Each chapter concludes with "clinical" phrases such as, "The Dog Ate My Plan" or "I Wasn't Involved," that serve as warnings, in everyday language, that something is amiss. The warnings are then followed by very useful "bullets" that suggest ways for coping with the "dog" or the excuses one gives for his/her participation in a phase of the project that ended in failure.

A highly readable book, it should be of interest to all people who are engaged in project management, whether the project involves creating a piece of multi-million dollar electronic equipment or planning a extended family reunion of relatives who are ambivalent about getting together.

Metric For Me! is a very useful book for the layman seeking tolearn the basic units of the metric system for everyday use: themeter, liter and gram. It can be used for self-instruction or by educators as a classroom text. An accompanying wall chart entitled All You Need To Know About The Metric System For Everyday Use (which is frequently referred to in the text) is a valuable adjunct to learning. The chart may be purchased separately. The book is a practical, concentrated short-course focused on teaching the three measurement units. It is a "learn-by-doing" text with no conversions between metric and inch-pound units. This is the best way to learn the metric system. Each major section contains a series of hands-on exercises, review problems (with answers), and estimating activities which provide practice and help the learner build an understanding of metric-system concepts. It stresses learning by building a frame-of-reference so the learner can visualize the sizes of metric units. The book clearly explains use of the decimal system with metric-system units and the symbols that are used to represent the units. It is also a workbook, structured so the student can write answers to practice problems directly in the book.Other short sections of this text include: information about the history and development of the metric system; a short discussion of the superiority of the metric system over other measurement systems, including its simplicity and logic; rationale for the U.S. transition to metric-system usage; and a brief discussion of Celsius temperature. For educators using the book as a classroom text, there is a suggested schedule for structuring the course as well as directions for obtaining an instructor's manual. Most equipment and supplies needed for doing the exercises can be found in the average home. But, unless the book is studied in a classroom setting where metric measuring equipment is available, for self-instruction the learner needs to obtain (or have access to) a metric measuring tape, a meterstick, a metric scale for weighing small items, and a bathroom-type scale for body weight (mass).A 10-rating was given, because for the intended purpose of the book, which is learning to understand and use the meter, liter and gram, the text (especially when used with the chart) provides total instruction necessary for the learner to achieve this goal easily and quickly.

"Metric for Me!" is an easy-to-read, fun, and practical introductory book on the metric system, and it includes a colorful reference wall chart. Robert Shoemaker's conversational style and witty observations make for a friendly and interesting reading experience. The hands-on exercises with their every-day applications are ideal for either classroom or individual learning. The brief, yet very informative, "Technological Supplement" extends the book's scope to such engineering-related quantities as fuel efficiency and pressure. Throughout, the emphasis is on using metric units without converting back and forth to other obsolete units.

Gary P. Carver, former director of the federal government's Metric Program Office.

In the U.S. Department of Commerce Office of Metric Programs,we maintained comprehensive libraries of literature and tools used to teach and to learn the metric system. Almost all drew focus on the mathematical relationship of metric units to their inch-pound equivalents through use of conversion tables.

This book and chart, instead, relates metric units of measurement to objects and modules familiar in our everyday lives. Understanding is achieved by familiar visualization rather than by mathematical conversion. Anyone who has lived or traveled extensively abroad knows that this is how they became comfortable with metric measure.

Use of this approach, especially in our school systems, would help people of all ages become more comfortable with the measurement system used by the rest of an ever, more interdependent world.