Features
- Cover Type: Paperback with 408 pages
- Published by: O'Reilly Media, Inc.; Revised ed. edition March 25, 2008
- Written in: English
- ISBN 10 Number: 0596517718
- ISBN 13 Number: 978-0596517717
-
Book Dimensions:
9 x 6.9 x 1.1 inches
- Weighs: 1.3 pounds
Product Description
In the updated edition of this critically acclaimed and bestselling book,
Microsoft project veteran Scott Berkun offers a collection of essays on field-tested philosophies and strategies for defining, leading, and managing projects. Each essay distills complex concepts and challenges into practical nuggets of useful advice, and the new edition now adds more value for leaders and managers of projects everywhere. Based on his nine years of experience as a program manager for Internet Explorer, and lead program manager for Windows and MSN, Berkun explains to technical and non-technical readers alike what it takes to get through a large
software or web development project. Making Things Happen doesn't cite specific methods, but focuses on philosophy and strategy. Unlike other project management books, Berkun offers personal essays in a comfortable style and easy tone that emulate the relationship of a wise project manager who gives good, entertaining and passionate advice to those who ask. Topics in this new edition include: How to make things happen Making good decisions Specifications and requirements Ideas and what to do with them How not to annoy people Leadership and trust The truth about making dates What to do when things go wrong Complete with a new forward from the author and a discussion guide for forming reading groups/teams, Making Things Happen offers in-depth exercises to help you apply lessons from the book to your job. It is inspiring, funny, honest, and compelling, and definitely the one book that you and your team need to have within arm's reach throughout the life of your project. Coming from the rare perspective of someone who fought difficult battles on
Microsoft'sbiggest projects and taught project design and management for MSTE,
Microsoft's internal best practices group, this is valuable advice indeed. It will serve you well with your current work, and on future projects to come.
About The Author
Scott Berkun worked on the Internet Explorer team at
Microsoft from 1994-1999 and left the company in 2003 with the goal of writing enough books to fill a shelf. The Myths of Innovation is his second book: he wrote the best seller, The Art of Project Management (O'Reilly 2005). He makes a living writing, teaching and speaking. He teaches a graduate course in creative thinking at the University of Washington, runs the sacred places architecture tour at NYC's GEL conference, and writes about innovation, design and management at www.scottberkun.com.
Reader Reviews
§ Perhaps only a little off-key since I am not a project manager -- altho my professional life is made much easier by working with some dedicated ones. I did not read the previous edition as the other reviewers did. In fact, I was not really intending to read this edition straight through. I was going to give it a good skim for those aspects of project management that intersect my own world as a Web application interface developer. I have to say that Scott Berkun is a real teacher because I found the *whole* book to be relevant to my work -- and it was fun to read in the bargain. This book is not in color and does not contain lots of fancy images. The illustrating and illuminating is done verbally. For once, this was enough for me because Berkun finds a way to make things both practical and vivid. From the text, it is reasonable to assume that his public talks are worthy events. This is definitely a book to read for people who may not be project managers but who sincerely want to build their teams by understanding this important role better. §
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