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Rating: 
Summary: A rare gem. The perfect complement to "Value Drivers".
Review: "Intellect Industry" is ostensibly about how to manage people and intangibles in the professional service industry. But, far, far more than that. Fills what was a vacuum in this field. A little gem, with often overlooked fundamental insights that make or break a professional service firm (PSF). An essential book for anyone setting up a new firm. I read it over and over again.I suggest that readers who will certainly find this book useful should also consult the recent 2nd edition of M.C.Scott's first book, "Value Drivers". Equally insightful. Considering them together, suggests that a third book by Scott with the larger over view might turn this into the essential trilogy for the PSF industry. Would be wonderful if "Intellect Industry" and "Value Drivers" were bundled together. Would make for the basis of an excellent PSF management course.
Rating:
Summary: The "Porter" of the PSF, indeed
Review: As a law firm administrator I could not tell that we were not talking about the legal industry. It is an excelent resource to understand the common aspects that the Professional Service Firms share. Worth every dollar.
Rating:
Summary: A rare gem. The perfect complement to "Value Drivers".
Review: Highly Recommended. A fantastic book targeted at entrepreneurs wishing to setup a professional service firm (PSF) or managers within an existing organisation seeking to understand how they can increase the profitability of their firm. I wish that I had had this book when I started my first PSF some seven years ago, I could have avoided a _lot_ of mistakes and possibly become profitable faster as well. I have been in the Internet Consulting field for a while and I know that many of the startups in this industry might be well advised to pick this book. This is not a "how to" book. Instead it explains the basic economics of a PSF. On my way to starting a second PSF I will undoubtedly read this book again shortly...
Rating:
Summary: Understanding the economics of a professional service firm
Review: Highly Recommended. A fantastic book targeted at entrepreneurs wishing to setup a professional service firm (PSF) or managers within an existing organisation seeking to understand how they can increase the profitability of their firm. I wish that I had had this book when I started my first PSF some seven years ago, I could have avoided a _lot_ of mistakes and possibly become profitable faster as well. I have been in the Internet Consulting field for a while and I know that many of the startups in this industry might be well advised to pick this book. This is not a "how to" book. Instead it explains the basic economics of a PSF. On my way to starting a second PSF I will undoubtedly read this book again shortly...
Rating: 
Summary: An Excellent Intro to the Economy and Org Structure of PSFs
Review: This was just the book I was looking for. You'll find it most useful, if, like me, you're a relatively recent college graduate looking to understand the financial aspects of that hot new PSF that you've started working for. What makes it tick? Why do I have to fill out a friggin' time sheet every friggin' week? Answers to burning questions like those await you. You'll also find it most useful if you have some accounting or financial analyst background, because it does get into the P&L and balance sheet equations a bit, and generally assumes that you know what it's talking about. I have had an accounting class or three (I'm in the process of taking the CFA), but even so, I found myself wondering if i'd bother reading the book every time I hit one of the accounting bits, which I found to be the low points. The most successful parts of this book were the areas in which the author discusses the tradeoffs between the "Creeping Minority" and "Earn-out" methods of acquiring a PSF; lays out the pros and cons of being a product or sector-focused PSF; and the writing on the underlying economics of a PSF, including the bit on organizational structure, utilization and charge-out rates. And mostly, Scott writes about all of this in an unadorned, easily-understood style. Excellent reading -- but only dead authors earn five stars from me.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Intro to the Economy and Org Structure of PSFs
Review: This was just the book I was looking for. You'll find it most useful, if, like me, you're a relatively recent college graduate looking to understand the financial aspects of that hot new PSF that you've started working for. What makes it tick? Why do I have to fill out a friggin' time sheet every friggin' week? Answers to burning questions like those await you. You'll also find it most useful if you have some accounting or financial analyst background, because it does get into the P&L and balance sheet equations a bit, and generally assumes that you know what it's talking about. I have had an accounting class or three (I'm in the process of taking the CFA), but even so, I found myself wondering if i'd bother reading the book every time I hit one of the accounting bits, which I found to be the low points. The most successful parts of this book were the areas in which the author discusses the tradeoffs between the "Creeping Minority" and "Earn-out" methods of acquiring a PSF; lays out the pros and cons of being a product or sector-focused PSF; and the writing on the underlying economics of a PSF, including the bit on organizational structure, utilization and charge-out rates. And mostly, Scott writes about all of this in an unadorned, easily-understood style. Excellent reading -- but only dead authors earn five stars from me.
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