Product Description

An updated and revised edition of a bestselling guide to project management
The first edition of The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management sold over 100,000 copies and has been widely adopted in university courses and corporate training programs around the world. The book teaches the basic methods for defining, planning, and tracking a project, as well as techniques for leading and building strong project teams.

This new edition includes:

• Downloadable, customizable project management forms
• Study aids for passing the popular Project Management Professional certification exam
• Guidelines for building high-performance project teams
• New examples of project management at work in the 21st century

Eric Verzuh (Seattle, WA) is certified by the Project Management Institute and is President of The Versatile Company, which delivers project management training and consulting services to such companies as Adobe Systems, Inc., GE, Lockheed Martin, Nordstrom, and the United States Postal Service. He is also the author of The Portable MBA in Project Management (0-471-26899-2), from Wiley.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #45297 in Books
• Published on: 2005-01-28
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 416 pages

Amazon.com
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

Download Description
An updated and revised edition of a bestselling guide to project management The first edition of The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management sold over 100,000 copies and has been widely adopted in university courses and corporate training programs around the world. The book teaches the basic methods for defining, planning, and tracking a project, as well as techniques for leading and building strong project teams. This new edition includes: - Downloadable, customizable project management forms - Study aids for passing the popular Project Management Professional certification exam - Guidelines for building high-performance project teams - New examples of project management at work in the 21st century Eric Verzuh (Seattle, WA) is certified by the Project Management Institute and is President of The Versatile Company, which delivers project management training and consulting services to such companies as Adobe Systems, Inc., GE, Lockheed Martin, Nordstrom, and the United States Postal Service. He is also the author of The Portable MBA in Project Management (0-471-26899-2), from Wiley.

Book Info
Provides a practical, easy-to-use guide to give you instant access to the cutting-edge ideas and information you need to navigate complex project management issues. Softcover.

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Customer Reviews

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.

Good but not for the PMP Exam
This book is good in gneral...but do not rely on it for the PMP exam..though...