Book 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
Coming from the rare perspective of someone who fought difficult battles on Microsoft's biggest 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.
Publisher resources
Table of contents
- Making Things Happen
- FOREWORD
- PREFACE
- 1. A brief history of project management (and why you should care)
-
I. PART ONE: PLANS
- 2. The truth about schedules
- 3. How to figure out what to do
-
4. Writing the good vision
- The value of writing things down
- How much vision do you need?
- The five qualities of good visions
- The key points to cover
- On writing well
- Drafting, reviewing, and revising
- A catalog of lame vision statements (which should be avoided)
- Examples of visions and goals
- Visions should be visual
- The vision sanity check: daily worship
- Summary
- Exercises
- 5. Where ideas come from
- 6. What to do with ideas once you have them
-
II. PART TWO: SKILLS
- 7. Writing good specifications
- 8. How to make good decisions
- 9. Communication and relationships
- 10. How not to annoy people: process, email, and meetings
- 11. What to do when things go wrong
-
III. PART THREE: MANAGEMENT
- 12. Why leadership is based on trust
- 13. Making things happen
- 14. Middle-game strategy
- 15. End-game strategy
- 16. Power and politics
- A. A guide for discussion groups
- ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- PHOTO CREDITS
- Index
- About the Author
- COLOPHON
- Copyright
Product information
- Title: Making Things Happen
- Author(s):
- Release date: March 2008
- Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
- ISBN: 9780596555399
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