Manage Projects

Manage Projects by Adny Bruce and Ken LangdonManage Projects: Meet your deadlines and achieve your targets by Andy Bruce and Ken Langdon is a great little book. It truly is little being just 120 pages long and smaller in size than most books. However, it’s crammed full of useful information taking you the process of managing projects. Just what I needed! It’s a very readable book with lots of illustrations, tables, and blocked out sections. Could have done with some greater contrast at times for reading comfort but apart from that it’s a very attractively put together book.

It introduces the subject of project management in easily understood language and provides many useful tools. It’s made me feel quite inspired to try out the process on our projects.

The one criticism that I have is that I would have liked a checklist bringing together all the different parts of the process in one place. I was hoping to be able to put one together myself but going back through the book found it difficult to extract the flow. However, it’s definitely worth persevering with and I plan to do some further reading to help me achieve my goal.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Project Management for Dummies

Project Management for Dummies by Stanley E. PortnyOK, I admit defeat. I started Project Management for Dummies a couple of weeks ago and have so far managed a pathetic 80 pages. When reading becomes this much of a chore it’s time to give up so that’s what I’m doing. I thought ‘for Dummies’ books were supposed to be easy-going. Well I’m certainly not finding that with this one.

Part of the problem is that it’s obviously aimed at someone working in a large organisation but I’m not lacking in imagination so much that I can’t apply the examples to our small-scale setup. For example, I can easily substitute ‘go and see a solicitor’ for ‘consult the legal department’. However, I’m still don’t feel like I’ve been getting much benefit from it. It annoyingly combines a considerable amount of detail with very little in the way of practical examples, so half the time I don’t have a clue what the author is going on about.

Do I sound too harsh or just incredibly whingey? Either way the book will be winging it’s way back to the library tomorrow and I’ll be on to something (hopefully) more enjoyable.

Anyone know any good project management books?? Suggestions gratefully received, especially if they take into account that not everyone works in a large multi-department organisation. Even projects run by a two-man band such as us need some form of management.

Rating: ½☆☆☆☆

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