Volume IX - Issue IX - September 2007
PM Book Reviews
Managing Agile Projects
Introduction This book is an introduction to the world of managing agile projects. It has just enough detail to keep the reader’s attention and does an overall good job in giving the reader some tools and techniques to take away from the reading and be able to apply them to everyday projects. The book is specific as to when agile methods should be used, when change occurs in projects for example, and also cautions the reader that there is no cookie cutter approach in using agile methods. It is up to project manager to assess the specific project they are working on and apply only those agile methods which would benefit that project. Overview of Book’s Structure The book split into 4 parts with individual chapters dedicated to each part. The chapters throughout the book have a variety of contributors with Mr. Aguanno being the editor of the whole book. These resources and their bios are listed at the end of the book along with their credentials, books/articles they may have authored, and links to any related websites. Editor’s note: All author royalties from the book “Managing Agile Projects” are being donated to the International Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund (www.icrc.org) as it was published just six days after the tsunami that devastated southeast Asia and all of the book's contributors wanted to do their share to help. Read full book review of:
The Power of Enterprise-wide Project Management
Introduction Project management is credited for streamlining processes and keeping initiatives on track in a diverse array of industries. Senior leaders in leading enterprises are pushing project management beyond specific projects and adopting its powerful methodology across the company. There is a challenge, however, to keeping all the many teams, departments, and divisions aligned with the larger organizational goals. And this is where the Enterprise Project Management Office comes in. This book details the four key functions that are vital to building an effective Enterprise Project Management Office: Authorization, Standardization, Education, and Execution. Besides the start-to-finish methodologies, the book provides a wide selection of templates, forms, and other invaluable tools to guide businesses towards taking and transferring project management company-wide.The Power of Enterprise-wise Project Management by Dennis L. Bolles and Darrel G. Hubbard assumes from the reader a basic knowledge of the PMI PMBOK. The key objective of this book isto put forward the argument that business leaders should strive to establish standard project management practices throughout their organizations. To attain this, the authors espouse the need for organizations to incalculateand institutionalize their knowledge of project management. Bolles and Hubbard highlight the benefits of the PMI Project Management Maturity Model which they believe organizations can employ in order to assist them to attain their organization’s evolutionary path. They also place great importance in the four stages that mark the maturity work of the CMMI (Capability Maturity Model Integration) model: 1st Stage - Standardized/Evolving 2nd Stage - Defined/Emerging 3rd Stage - Managed/Controlling 4th Stage - Optimized/Improving Overview of Book’s Structure The Power of Enterprise-wide Project Management revolves around the four maturity stages and goes on a detailed discussion of how an organization should go about developing this capability. As the authors explain their goal, “This book is written primarily for executives and senior managers who recognize that project management is a business function and who want to establish project management as a core competency enterprise-wide within their organization.” To spearhead the organization’s quest to mature project management practices, Bolles and Hubbard recommend the creation of an Enterprise Project Management Office (PMO) that will be responsible for coordinating project management efforts throughout the organization. The structure of the book also chronicles the premise that organizations that execute strategic planning and identify their business objectives on an annual basis end up creating portfolios to authorize, prioritize, and initiate programs and projects to achieve their strategic objectives. The end result shows that portfolios have a lifecycle that strongly coincides with the organization's strategic planning and business development activities.
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