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Rating: 
Summary: Good info on a sparse topic
Review: As a project management consultant, I get asked alot 'how do I implement PM into my company'. There is no one cookie-cutter approach to this since every company is different. There is also no one book out there that adequately covers this subject. This book is the closest thing that there is. If you are looking for a good coverage of the things that you need to be aware of in implementing PM into your company, this book is a good start. It is also well suited for executives looking to implement PM into a company who are curious what PM involves - since a major problem in implementing PM into a company quite often involves executives who are unaware or unconcerned what their responsibilites are for PM. All in all, a useful book that I have used extensively for clients.
Rating:
Summary: Good info on a sparse topic
Review: As a project management consultant, I get asked alot 'how do I implement PM into my company'. There is no one cookie-cutter approach to this since every company is different. There is also no one book out there that adequately covers this subject. This book is the closest thing that there is. If you are looking for a good coverage of the things that you need to be aware of in implementing PM into your company, this book is a good start. It is also well suited for executives looking to implement PM into a company who are curious what PM involves - since a major problem in implementing PM into a company quite often involves executives who are unaware or unconcerned what their responsibilites are for PM. All in all, a useful book that I have used extensively for clients.
Rating:
Summary: Too many projects failing?
Review: Graham and Englund have achieved something quite remarkable in the second edition of "Creating an Environment for Successful Projects." The original book from 1997 provided a very good road map for organizations looking to improve their project and program management capabilities, and this update significantly improves on it. There are many fresh insights and specifics about what works (and what doesn't work) drawn from an extensive circle of organizations, including many that the authors consulted with personally. Even more than in the first edition, the message is that excellence in project execution does not just happen - it requires planning, ongoing investment, and the right encouragement. I think the best parts of the book are chapters 3 through 8, because they provide the most concrete and actionable advice for managers of project leaders; they are filled with good practices on what to do and on what to avoid.
Rating:
Summary: Too many projects failing?
Review: Graham and Englund have achieved something quite remarkable in the second edition of "Creating an Environment for Successful Projects." The original book from 1997 provided a very good road map for organizations looking to improve their project and program management capabilities, and this update significantly improves on it. There are many fresh insights and specifics about what works (and what doesn't work) drawn from an extensive circle of organizations, including many that the authors consulted with personally. Even more than in the first edition, the message is that excellence in project execution does not just happen - it requires planning, ongoing investment, and the right encouragement. I think the best parts of the book are chapters 3 through 8, because they provide the most concrete and actionable advice for managers of project leaders; they are filled with good practices on what to do and on what to avoid.
Rating:
Summary: Practical Stuff
Review: Most PM books focus on those things the PM is supposed to control: cost, schedule performance, quality. This book posits that there are many factors OUTSIDE of the project manager's control that prevent project success. The PM spends more time dealing with external issues than managing the project team. Managers of PMs must "create an environment for successful projects", by essentially identifying and eliminating environmental barriers to project success, so the PM can focus on managing the project and the project team. Intended for managers of a manager of PMs. Also a good book if you're a PM consultant or a manager of a project-oriented department containing several PMs and project teams. My only real criticism is that there's a fair bit of consultant-speak psychobabble in the book. In spite of that, there's enough solid info in the book to make it a worthwhile read. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: How to get the best leverage for your efforts
Review: One of the better books on project management, the focus is not so much on specific best practices for project managers to implement on their own within their teams, but how upper management can create an environment that is conducive to project success. This book is exceptionally good at helping to understand how management causes organizational perversity - mucking things up by applying departmental best practices that are totally inappropriate and bad practices for project teams. Great insights into how this happens without upper managers being aware they are doing the opposite of what they intend. Could be used by a Project Office to convince upper management that they might be the main problem that keeps other best practices from being effective. It also highlights those areas where you can get the most leverage, most out of your efforts to get an organization to improve its overall project management effectiveness. Amazing how a book written in 1997 seems like it was written for current times.
Rating:
Summary: Unique book on an important topic
Review: This book, by 2 authors who are very knowledgeable and well respected, is unique. It is the only book that I have been able to find on the subject of project management for people who are managers of project managers. It contains enough (but not too much) material to describe what project management is---and what it is not. If upper managers read the book and pay attention to its contents by implementing some of its recommendations the lives of people managing projects in their organizations are likely to become more fulfilling, and project management will be of more value to the parent organization. The book also provides some insight into one of the US's more successful corporations, Hewlett-Packard, from which the authors draw many of their examples. A job well done!
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