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Making Things Happen: Mastering Project Management (Theory in Practice (O'Reilly)) | 
 enlarge | Author: Scott Berkun
Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Category: Book
List Price: $39.99
Buy New: $19.50
You Save: $20.49 (51%)
New (38) Used (8) from $19.50
Avg. Customer Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 5940
Format: Illustrated
Media: Paperback
Edition: Revised
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 408
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6.9 x 1.1
ISBN: 0596517718
Dewey Decimal Number: 658
EAN: 9780596517717
ASIN: 0596517718
Publication Date: March 25, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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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.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 Great foundation for new careers June 2, 2008
Making things happen fills one of the gaping holes in MBA education. I learned quite a bit through trial and error over several years post MBA but this book would have been a welcome addition to any of my courses. If you have any reservations about managing projects, working in and leading teams, or generally being effective, get this book, read it cover to cover, and put all the great tips and insights to work ASAP.
 Essential Buy For Project Managers May 30, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
In the field of project management, 'Making Things Happen: Mastering Project Management' is one of the finest books I have ever had the chance to peruse. From gathering ideas to managing teams and schedules, everything and anything is in this book that is a MUST BUY for all project managers or group leaders that want to update or learn new techniques for creating widgets in the real world and doing so efficiently and successfully. I think a chapter overview would be helpful to help the reader get an idea of the wonderous content contained within:
01. History of Project Management
I - PLANS
02. Schedules
03. What To Do
04. Vision
05. Ideas and how they come about
06. What do to with your great idea
II - SKILLS
07. Writing good specifications
08. Good decision-making
09. Communication and relationships
10. Process, Email, Meetings - Don't waste people's time
11. When things go wrong
III - MANAGEMENT
12. Leadership & Trust
13. Making things happen
14. Middle-game strategy
15. End-game strategy
16. Power and Politics
I was originally going to Highly Recommend this book but I think it's so fantastic I'm going to up it to HPR. If you are any way related to making progress at your job or possibly even life this can be useful, this book is a must read... NOW.
***** HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION
Outstanding Book May 29, 2008
This is an outstanding book that speaks in a very practical way to the thorny problems that all projects face.
Many project management books are either theoretical or case-study based. Both approaches are valid and valuable, but Scott takes a third approach. He offers up a series of lessons and practice around the various classes of problems project managers run into -- especially people problems. "No battle plan survives contact with the enemy" (von Moltke) -- and Scott recognizes that the enemy most often is not entropy or planning software or supply-chain delays. Rather it is the spate of well-meaning folks who populate real-world projects and bring their various agendas into play. He shares useful and practical ideas about "winning over the enemy" where you can and working with and around them when you can't.
The book isn't entirely about people issues, of course, but the title "Making Things Happen" is indicative. How do you, as a project manager, work proactively not to keep your project from failing but rather to drive it to succeed?
Practical Advice on how to do IT May 15, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Scott writes good books, from his own experiance (credible) and they are fun and easy to read. I learn something with every book. Read them all.
Add My Voice to the Chorus April 23, 2008
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
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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