Microsoft Books

VALUE OF THE BOOK:

Already having about a 3-ft pile of computer books, I still found it most valuable about a year and a half ago to borrow and read this one by maranGraphics. For anyone needing to do much work using programs in Microsoft Office 97, I recommend reading this book cover-to-cover. It's a quick reference for sophisticates, and it is a powerful enabler for novices, whether they have used this software for just 1 month or have used it unskillfully for 10 years. Especially valuable is the option of reading the entire book without ever turning on the computer, since nearly every discussed screen, dialog box and drop-down menu is printed in the book. I found this abundant use of printed screens to be a more accurate representation of the actual computer experience. Not having to fumble between the book, the pen and the computer is great, especially for studying on bus or train.

WHY READ THE WHOLE BOOK?

1) It's doable.
2) The reduced frustration in learning afforded by this format nets one more learning per hour.
3) One can better understand each of the MS Office components by reading about all of them.
4) One can develop more of a "computer way of thinking."
5) It leads to a better intuition about how the software probably works.
6) It enables one to choose more efficient methods and programs for one's tasks.
7) The resulting increased familiarity converts the book into a more rapid reference.
8) It helps to prepare one for the reading of material with higher information density.

SUGGESTED STUDY METHOD AND ATTITUDE:

1) Fine print & icons: to make the most of the learning task at hand you will need to be able to read all of the fine print and make out the designs in all of the icons in the pictured program screens. Drug store reading glasses might be helpful. The pictures of computer screens display some very fine print which should not be skipped over.

2) Thorough reading: recognizing that no thick computer book covers all topics or all of every topic, and trusting that the writers have chosen to depict the most useful material, read and strive to understand every detail of the text and the screens - this will enhance understanding and memory.

3) Repetition in the text: welcome it as a memory enhancer.

4) Taking notes: write book notes, or possibly write your own rapid-access help document comprised entirely of one-liner command selection sequences. Example: Scroll bar, horizontal: Tools > Options > View > Horizontal Scroll Bar

5) Workshops: if, for example, you are going to attend an Excel or Access workshop, don't go in there ignorant. Be sure to master the related material in this book first - you will be able to keep up with the workshop pace, you will learn more, and you will experience less embarrassment.

6) Efficiency and attitude: understanding that optimal use of the programs will save hundreds of hours of work, one can more readily accept that a few tens of hours will be needed to master the material. That's not much time considering that thousands of careers have already been expended over decades to develop the software to its present powerful level.

THEORETICAL VS. PRACTICAL:

This book is about gaining a practical understanding and proficiency in the use of the software. Anyone who is disdainful of this concept (but favors a more theoretical understanding) needs to be reminded that he/she probably understands nothing at all about how his or her automobile works - including its computer - but nevertheless judges the simple memorization of the operation of all of the controls as appropriate knowledge.

COULD THE BOOK BE IMPROVED?

While I believe that this book is probably the best for teaching via graphics, I would still call for inclusion of larger pictures at least of featured icons, sometimes with text explanations of their designs. This would make them easier to memorize.

Bill Norwood

VALUE OF THE BOOK:
Already having about three feet of thick computer software books, I still found it most valuable about a year ago to borrow and read this one by maranGraphics. For anyone needing to do much work using programs in Microsoft Office 97, I recommend reading this book cover-to-cover. It's a quick reference for sophisticates, and it is a powerful enabler for novices, whether they have used this software for just 1 month or have used it unskillfully for 10 years. Especially valuable is the option of reading the entire book without ever turning on the computer, since nearly every discussed screen, dialog box and drop-down menu is printed in the book. I found this abundant use of printed screens to be a more accurate representation of the actual computer experience than the representations in other books. Not having to fumble between the book, the pen and the computer is great, especially for studying on bus or train.

WHY READ THE WHOLE BOOK?
1) It's doable.

2) The reduced frustration in learning afforded by this format nets one more learning per hour.
3) One can better understand each of the MS Office components by reading about all of them.
4) One can develop more of a "computer way of thinking."
5) It leads to a better intuition about how the software probably works.
6) It enables one to choose more efficient methods and programs for one's tasks.
7) The resulting increased familiarity converts the book into a more rapid reference.

8) It helps to prepare one for the reading of material with higher information density.

SUGGESTED STUDY METHOD AND ATTITUDE:

1) Fine print & icons: for the learning task at hand you will need to be able to read all of the fine print and make out the designs in all of the icons in the pictured program screens. If needed, experiment with (drug store, thrift store or prescribed) eyeglasses which will allow you to read at a distance of about 12 inches, for greater magnification.

2) Thorough reading: recognizing that no thick computer book covers all topics or all of every topic, and trusting that the writers have chosen to depict the most useful material, read and strive to understand every detail of the text and the screens - this will enhance understanding and memory.

3) Repetition in the text: welcome it as a memory enhancer.

4) Taking notes: write book notes, or possibly write your own rapid-access help document comprised entirely of one-liner command selection sequences. Example: Scroll bar, horizontal: Tools > Options > View > Horizontal Scroll Bar

5) Workshops: if, for example, you are going to attend an Excel or Access workshop, don't go in there ignorant. Be sure to master the related material in this book first - you will be better able to keep up with the workshop pace, you will learn more, and you will experience less embarrassment.

6) Efficiency and attitude: understanding that optimal use of the programs will save hundreds of hours of work, one can more readily accept that a few tens of hours will be needed to master the material. That's not much time considering that thousands of careers have already been expended over decades to develop the software to its present powerful level.

THEORETICAL VS. PRACTICAL:
This book is about gaining a practical understanding and proficiency in the use of the software. Anyone who is disdainful of this concept (but favors a more theoretical understanding) needs to be reminded that he/she probably understands nothing at all about how his or her automobile works - including its computer - but nevertheless judges the memorization of the operation of all of the controls as an appropriate knowledge level.

COULD THE BOOK BE IMPROVED?
While the book is probably the best for teaching via graphics, I would still call for inclusion of larger pictures at least of featured icons, sometimes with text explanations of their designs. This would make them easier to memorize.

This was my first review of a computer book (quite different from reviewing Glasser's Choice Theory, Fumento's book about AIDS or Levenstein's book about cancer). I hope it will be helpful for you.

Thanks for reading.

Sincerely,

Bill Norwood, Greenbelt MD

Simple for first timers. Easy for advanced to locate answers to questions

This book is absolutely the best way I've seen to learn Office 97. Even better than a video. Very well thought out, very easy to follow, covers a lot of ground. This whole series is the best computer learning tool of any kind I've ever seen. Get this one first.

After having completed Microsoft's MCAD certification, I am using this text along with the Tom Carpenter text to prepare for MCTS and MCITP certification. Though I haven't taken the exam yet, the material appears to be covered in a thorough and in-depth fashion. Yet, it does not get bogged down in unnecessary detail.

Excellent book!

Well written and in depth, this book should cover everything necessary to pass these tests.

I have two complaints:

1) The book is laid out functionally for SQL Server, not for each test. So, for example, when you are studying for the 70-442, it may involve a portion of chapter 3, 4, 5, and 8, but all of 12 and 13. All this information is entwined with the stuff for the other tests.

2) You choose to only take one of the tests on the CD. For example - you couldn't say just test for the 70-441 test. I found the CD questions less useful than books dedicated to one test because of this.

These are minor complaints though, and I'm not really sure the issues can be avoided to begin with. Don't let them stop you from using this as your resource to pass these three tests.

The end-of-chapter exam questions were perfect for helping me know what I know and what I don't know. I already passed the 70-431 and 70-441 exams and the questions I looked at in the back of the chapters hit the knowledge needed to pass these exams.

Unfortunately I failed the 70-442 exam before this book was released. However, after reviewing the end-of-chapter exam questions, I saw exactly what I needed to brush up on. I spent several days in a marathon study session doing the exam questions in the back of each chapter for the 70-442. For anything I missed, I studied the material in the chapter. In addition to learning what I needed for the exam, I also learned a couple things I didn't know about in SQL Server 2005. I then took and passed the 70-442.

This book was just what I needed. I only wish I had it before I took the 70-442 the first time.

For the 431 exam, I used the (Tom) Carpenter book as my primary study guide and this book as a side reference. My main reason for purchasing this book is for the next two exams (441,442). After taking the 431 test and looking up some questions I guessed at in this book, I regret not using this book as my primary study guide. This book seems to point out the exact information needed to get through the test. I look forward to using it for the next two exams. Note that the author of this book is the technical editor for the Carpenter book.

Update to previous review:
I just passed both exams (441 & 442) without difficulty and with plenty of time remaining (each exam took about 2 hours). This is definitely the book to use for these exams. The topics and sample questions are on target with the actual test. Be sure to review the topic list for each exam in the front of the book before taking the test. The 'what you need to know' section at the end of each chapter is not always accurate. Also - the explanation of cascade deletes is incorrect in the book.

Great study guide for the ones who want to pass the exam in the first try.

Microsoft Press has left no stone unturned in its attempts to help you study for the 70-218 Managing a Microsoft Windows 2000 Network Environment.

MCSA Training Kit - Managing a Microsoft Windows 2000 Network Environment is organized into two parts. Part 1 of this self-paced book covers every objective prescribed by Microsoft in order to successfully negotiate the 70-218 exam. Each chapter in Part 1 is divided into lessons. Each Lesson begins with a brief summation of what you will learn as well as what you will need to attempt the hands-on labs for that lesson. Each lesson concludes with a lesson summary and review question - these review questions are not to be compared to the actual exam question. The review questions are there to serve as a quiz on what you reviewed in the lesson.

Part 2 of this book is organized by the exam objectives. The 70-218 exam has five primary objectives that are covered on the actual exam. Every chapter in this book relates to one of those five primary objectives - or Objective Domains. I like this due to the fact Microsoft Press has made it easier for you to find your weakness and concentrate you energy on studying those areas. The Objective Domains are filled with questions and Case Studies that are vital to pay attention to when studying for the exam. Also Part 2 is filled with recommendation on further reading. This section lists supplements reading material recommended by Microsoft Press to help you thoroughly understand the material covered.

Microsoft Press has left no stone unturned in its attempt to help you study for MCP exam 70-218: Managing a Microsoft Windows 2000 Network Environment. Now with that said, if you are studying for this exam you should already be familiar with a majority of topics covered by this book -- having taken the 70-210 and 70-215 test first. Review them again! If it is in the book, you will more than likely see it on the exam. However, if you feel that you have a firm grip on Windows 2000, utilize the "Where to find Specific Skills in the Book" to help cut your study time and concentrate on the skills you need to learn.

This book is divided into two parts. Each chapter in Part 1 is divided into lessons that include hands-on procedures or expound on a particular concept. Each chapter begins with a "Before you Begin" section. This is a brief summation about the material that will be covered. Along with the overview, there is also a description of what you will need to perform the exercises for each lesson in the chapter. Each lesson concludes with a lesson summary and review questions - these questions are not designed to mimic the exam question, but only to test you on the reviewed material.

Part 2 of this book is organized by the exam objectives prescribed by Microsoft. The objectives are broken down into 5 primary groups called Objective Domain. Each of the 5 Objective Domains cover test skills you will need to master to order to pass the exam. One of the things I liked about this section is each Objective Domain provides suggestions for further reading or additional resources to help you grasp the concepts of each objective.

All in all, with the combination of material, notes, hands-on labs and lesson review questions, this book should prepare you for the 70-218 Managing a Microsoft Windows 2000 Network Environment.

Having dealt with Microsoft over the past 14 years and taken some of their exams, I have found that nothing beats study material that not only covers the objectives but also gives you the ability to learn at your pace and has good hands-on exercises. That is what I found here in this book.

This self paced, 1100 page book has been updated since its initial release so there is improvements within the text itself. In part 1 you have over 60 lessons to work at your pace, work them over and over till you understand the material and then move on.

Part 2, which was my favorite part the book, is the test prep section. This is broken down objective by objective with review questions included. The cd included now has practice exams and a 120-day evaluation copy of Windows 2000 Server.

Overall new updates, better lesson breakdown and an very good exam review section make this a very useful tool to work with.

I read this book and also took a week long MCSE class. I took my 70-270 test today and passed with an 873.

I used the Microsoft 70-270 book for studying, and a few days before the exam, I just felt completely not ready for it. It is not as good as a book as the earlier reviews have said (read my review of it for an honest opinion). To pass the Microsoft exams these days, you need more than one study source.

Two days before my exam, I picked up this book and read it cover to cover. Needless to say, it put in perspective things that the Training Kit made so confusing, and the tables and charts in the book are great for learners.

I passed the exam, and believe that the majority of that success came from this book being read in two days than the Microsoft one being read for a month.

About the only thing the MS book is good for are the Measure Up tests that are included, but you will have to do quite a bit of external research to get things down if you use that book.

While I wouldn't recommend this book as a sole study guide (it wasn't intended for that), I would definitely tell all 70-270 takers to read this book start to end if they don't immediately know that difference between winnt.sif, unattend.txt or RIsetup.exe and RIPrep.exe amongst other things such as Group Policy.

Finally, though I used only this and the Microsoft book, please research other 70-270 study guide books to accompany this book, because the MS 70-270 book is just not enough anymore, not with how much the exam has changed since its first release. I know that Sybex are always good, and that the author of this book (Lisa Donald) also has a Sybex study guide.

Remember, take a lot of practice tests and learn from the mistakes you make on them!

I am approaching this review with the understanding that this book is basically a summary of what you need to know for exam 70-270. I also read the Microsoft Training Kit book for this exam. This books covers a bit of information in its 300 pages, but I certainly would not rely on this one book to teach you what you need to know. The enclosed CD contains two practice exams and flash cards. The book's main weakness, however, is in the questions both on the CD and the ones at the end of each chapter. The questions are not the verbose type found on Microsoft exams and they are much easier - too easy in fact to be of much use. If you want to utilize good questions for the exam try MeasureUp and SelfTest. Their questions are of a higher degree of difficulty and provide explanations for both the correct and incorrect answers.

This book fills in alot of the gaps that the Microsoft book leaves out. I believe it is a must to own this book if you are planning to take the 70-270 exam. I must note that the previous reviewer "Jedi" was absoulutly correct in his reviews and he helped me in picking the right books to pass the exam. This book is well written and should be used 2-3 days before going into the exam after using the free Measureup test provided with the Microsoft book. I must say that the Measureup test is VERY good and you will understand alot of it by reading this book and reviewing your answers on the Measureup cd after you get them wrong to see why you got them wrong.

I had no prior expierence going into the exam and used this book along with Microsoft's to pass the 70-270 exam.

I found this book to be a great resource and a good foundational book. I goes into enough detail to get a good understanding of the principals of Active Directory. While I am not sure you can pass the MSCSE 70-294 test with just reading this book it is a great foundation to compliment a good purchased sample test.

The 70-294 Self-Paced Training Kit does an outstanding job in teaching the objectives of the exam. Especially useful are the practice activities at the end of each lesson/chapter. Getting hands-on experience with Active Directory is a must to pass this exam, and this books makes getting that hands-on experience a breeze.

Of all the MSPress books I have bought, this one is the best.

Although this book is larger than most of the other MS exam books, it provides great detail and enabled me to pass the exam the first time and with flying colors. I've had some "issues" with some of the other MS exam books, however, this one MS actually did a good job with.

Piece of Advice for the Exam - Study and KNOW the GPO sections, OU sections (especially design and managment), and RRAS sections. Very little is covered outside of those things, believe it or not.

Good Luck!

This is another excellent book from Microsoft Press. I'm not a native English speaker but the books from Microsoft Press are pretty good to read because Microsoft uses clear technical languages that is easy to understand. The questions, practices and troubleshooting labs are good resources to prepare for Exam.

I would like to recommend this book for any Windows Admins who is going to take the 70-294 exam.

This is a superb book. I purchased this book in late May as my primary study guide for the Sharepoint Server 2007 Configuration exam. This books gives one the opportunity to gain real work expertise via the many well worked out exercises that guide you step by step through the installation, configuration and administration of Sharepoint Server 2007. The book assumes no prior expertise with Sharepoint although familiarity with networking concepts is a must. The text is well written and engaging. Nevertheless, do bear in mind that Sharepoint Server 2007 is an Enterprise product with SQL database, IIS and .NET requirements and thus the book is technically demanding and requires a certain level of motivation from the reader.

Each chapter is punctuated with sections on real world scenarios involving the usage of Sharepoint Server 2007. These make for light reading and are good motivational aids. All chapters finish with a series of 20 tough review questions in order to test your knowledge of the studied material. The book contains a total of 16 chapters. The last 6 deal with the Enterprise features of Sharepoint Server 2007 such as Excel Services, Business Forms, Web Content Management and the Business Data Catalog. These areas are available as books in their own right; suffice to say this text will sufficiently wet the appetite to get you started. The beginning chapters cover Authentication, Building of Sites, Lists and Libraries etc all of it well presented in bite size logical steps.

I sat the Microsoft exam in early July and comfortably passed. This book, coupled with a desire to learn and the motivation to go through the hands on exercises, the review questions and the sample examinations ( there are two bonus exams on the accompanying CD ) will give you not only the knowledge to successfully pass the exam but the confidence to comfortably administer and configure Sharepoint Server 2007 in the real world. I would strongly recommend this book. Best of luck.

Very good book on MOSS 2007 Admin. It's got great insights into MOSS Deployment scenarios, configuration, and built-in development features.

Much more in-depth and better than Microsoft's MOSS admin book.

I bought this book in preparation for the exam (which I did pass), and found it to be an excellent resource.
A month ago, I knew very little about Sharepoint; I have been a software developer for years, and, over those years, have had to learn many systems and environments. This book, combined with the online learning packages from MS, prepared me quite well for this exam.
I agree with B. Abler: I found the practice exams and the flash cards to be MUCH harder than the actual exam. I had scheduled the exam before I had finished the book and online tutorials; I was extremely anxious that I was not going to do well on the actual exam, based on my performance on the practice tests.
I highly recommend this book to anyone planning to take the 70-630 exam.

I recently passed exam 70-630 (MCTS: MOSS Configuration) and this book was one of the study methods I used for preparing for the exam. Overall, this is an excellent resource for not only the exam but I found it to be a decent reference manual as well. The book covers all of the concepts you "need to know" without going into the great depths of every detail. It's easy to read and follow and retain the information. It is also they only book available specifically geared towards exam 70-630.

If you understand all of the concepts of this book and can answer the practice questions provided with it, you are more than ready for the real exam. My only critique about it is that I did not find the practice questions to be very helpful as many of them were much more detailed and more complicated than the actual exam. However, it's better to err on the side of complexity than making the practice questions too easy.

I would recommend pairing this book with a practice test vendor such as Self Test Software or Transcender and you should be successful in achieving your MCTS in MOSS Configuration.

Overall it's a very good study guide and reference book.

I received this order in a very timely manner and it was properly wrapped and protected for shipping.

I've used Word occasionally over the years, but I've always been more of a WordPerfect girl. I recently started using Word full time for all my transcription work and I really needed to learn some shortcuts. I only had the book open for about two minutes before exclaiming, "This is going to save me soooo much time!" Even if you know Word inside-out, you'll probably still find some time-saving tips you hadn't thought of before.

wonderful i give it a five not only was i cheap but in grat condition and everything it promsed to be

I haven't even begun to go through the vast amount of helpful information in this book. Everything you ever wanted to know about Word but didn't know where to ask. I have already implemented many of the tips in my office job (which has nothing to do with transcription) and have improved the speed of my work -- more time for me!

I am a business consultant that works with Microsoft, HP, Oracle, HP, Xerox etc. and teaches how to conduct sales presentations to CXOs for a living. I can say that this book has taken the look, feel and ease of creating a first class executive level business case to a level I could have not imagined. At first it is quite daunting and overwhelming. But I had to get some business cases together for 50 marketing professionals in Sydney on a special workshop and I crashed into it. The MODD system once you "get it" is easy, fast and addictive. I ripped through Excel, PowerPoint and Word integrated data and information in no time flat with the MODD tools. It scared me it worked so well. This stuff is like awesome and it is refreshing to actually see a program work without a hitch. ( I wonder how they did that?)Krieger has made me look really, really good. Go for it!

I have trained over 3,000 people in Microsoft Word. None of them had ever heard of or used styles. Styles are necessary if you're going to use Word correctly. So, I bought this book for two reasons. First, I find that a woman writes a better book about learning software. I think women authors seem to explain software in better detail, especially for beginners. Second, the back cover describes a CD that has "Dozens of professional designs and layouts." I like examples for learning.

So, I opened the book. It looked very good. Good topics, easy reading, nice coverage of Word, Excel,and PowerPoint. But, not a single reference to Word styles. Did I waste my time? No. I then looked at the CD and guess what? There is more information for Word users on the CD than in the book. Don't get me wrong - the book is good. But the CD has articles that explain more about how Word works than most people know. And as for styles, I found them when I loaded the samples, they were filled with styles. And, the CD tells much about their use.

How about Excel and PowerPoint? They are also covered very well on the CD, along with great examples in the book.

So, this book is about integration of three programs, yet each is covered very well. In today's world of business, if you know how, you can always find a job. You will learn the "how" with "Document Designer." You'll also learn the "why", and, if you know why, you can always be the boss.

This book is like having an assistant to help with my documents. I create a lot of my own documents at work, and they have to look good. The book is a true help with that, not to mention the tools that come with the book. And, I can't believe how many how-to articles and tip sheets come along with the tools on the CD. Those articles are so great for quick and practical answers to the whatever I need to get done - I use them all the time.

This is the first book on Office that's not a theoretical reference or a laundry list of all the stuff you can do but will probably never use. The book and the tools actually help me get my work done. The tools save a lot of time, and they help me do things I didn't think I could do (like complex page layouts in Word or formatting Excel charts). I think Office 2003 is great, but I can do a lot more with it since I started using this book.

After purchasing this book over a month ago, I have attained the necessary tools and techniques to be able to create complex looking documents that weren't hard to create at all. The book was easy to read and the CD that was supplied had really great layouts that helped me put together some of the documents I needed for my job. Also the various toolbars were really helpful, so I didn't need to go searching; it was right there! After using Office 2003 / XP for quite some time I felt that something was missing...and this was it.

Some books give you workbook like examples to do. Some times that approach works best, but for me, I just want to read about how the software works, and apply it to the work I am doing. This is not a step-by-step book where you do exercises, which for my needs is good. This book includes a CD of the whole book, plus other things. Overall, I have found this book able to address my techncial questions in depth, the CD is worth the price alone.

This book is by far one of the best I've seen on Outlook. It is geared to intermediate to advanced users and covers all the major topics in good detail. I found the chapters on integrating Outlook and Exchange Server particularly useful. There are a lot of great tips on configuring public folders and using advanced features that aren't covered in most of the other books. There is also a nice introduction to programming Outlook applications. If you are an experienced Outlook user or want to get up to speed on managing Outlook installations for Exchange Server, this is the book to have.

The book does an excellent job describing how outlook works at the right level of detail. There are lots of screen shots where they provide value. The text does an excellent job talking about WHAT outlook does and HOW you can do things with outlook. It provides TIPS on how to do things and how people combine features of outlook in ways that I did not know were possible!

I set out to learn how Outlook works. I decided that Outlook is a valuable productivity aid and that the "trial and error" method of learning it was not how I wanted to learn it. I found this book recommended on a web site, bought and read the book (cover-to-cover). I now feel I know what outlook can do, and how to do it.

And no. I do not know the author or have anything to gain from this review.

This book is a very comprehensive manual on the use of Outlook 2002, and is great if you are well versed with Windows, Internet Protocols, and computers. It includes detailed discussions of setting up Outlook for MS Exchange Server (which allows multiple users to access Outlook data at the same time).

If you're a novice, however, you may find the information in the book overwhelming and confusing. This book may well be too much information for the casual individual user. If you are a casual user who will use Outlook only to keep track of your calendar and your date book, you may want to buy a simpler book that just focuses on what you need to know in order to use Outlook.

A very good description of the MSF processes. Concise and essential; before reading this book I even didn't know of the existence of Microsoft Solutions Framework: at the end of the book I have confidence with the processes and the models.
The only thing that could be emproved is the description of Principles and Mindsets, that I found a little bit abstract.
Anyhow I strongly reccomand this book for all MSF neofites.

I got the book as a gift from a friend and found it helpful for my cross-country project. Although I have not done reading this book while writing this review, I found the approach in the book is very practical and would like to share my feedback. Team communication has always been a challenge to my US-Japan-China projects. Not only does everyone have different time-zone, experience, or priority/urgency, but some of us also cover multiple projects at the same time. The book shows an approach and I adopted to evaluate my solution delivery environment. After communicated the assessment and objectives to my team members what to expect and take pre-planning actions for cost control, quality assurance, scheduling, and risk control! Amazingly, the meeting was naturally turned into issue solving and team collaboration discussions. Most of us left for a clearer understanding of what we want to achieve in mind. It was something I was not expecting. It is a good tool to keep in mind!

This book explores version 4 of Microsoft's Solutions Framework, the high-level guidelines Microsoft follows for their software development lifecycle. MSF, and hence this book, is rather abstract. Therefore, it won't tell you step by step what you should do. But hopefully you are aware that there is no such thing as perfect SDLC process- each situation demands finding the best solution for the specific context involved.

This book has some great points - from the foundational principles such as "foster open communications" and "partner with customers" to the way project "phases" are renamed "tracks" to emphasize their overlap. And therein lies the strength of this book - it forces the reader to consider just about everything that should be considered from inception through delivery of a software project.

In terms of drawbacks, the biggest one is that the book focuses virtually exclusively on huge teams in huge projects. The paragraph or two talking about combining advocacies is entirely insufficient. Even when one person handles most of a project, all the aspects need to be considered and covered. One drawback the book avoided was focusing on Microsoft and/or Microsoft technologies. Aside from a couple of minor plugs for specific product, this book is technology and product agnostic.

Overall, this book is well-written and useful.

This is a mandatory reference to anyone who wants to use MSF in projects. In this book, Mike presents all the essential concepts and how to apply them.