Agile practices of project management have transformed how software is developed. Planning an entire project from the start often leads to unmet objecAgile practices of project management have transformed how software is developed. Planning an entire project from the start often leads to unmet objectives and cost overruns. Agile instead proposes to start small by developing a minimal viable product and growing one feature at a time. In an age of the Internet’s instantaneity, continual deployment makes agile an achievable possibility. These authors, whose careers have all been hewn in software to some degree, propose undertaking the same transformation with product management. Thus, instead of fixed plans, product roadmaps can become living documents responsive to feedback from various stakeholders.
Before I get too far, let me address the unusual shape of the book. Yes, it’s a wide book instead of conforming to the traditional pattern of tall books. One of the authors has extensive experience in graphic design, so he seems to have aided in this book’s beautification. Both approaches embody a risk, but the final product pulls it off. While unusual and unorthodox, reading the book was a pleasureful experience. As someone who reads a lot of books, I found it nice to experience a change of approach.
I’m currently writing roadmaps for a series of products in my job, and this book helped me polish nuances in those plans. I established a GitHub project to house Markdown versions of my documentation so that they will become living documents under version control. The authors expressed sentiments that I lacked words to convey better than I ever could. Software is a living industry no longer fixed by hard deadlines from a “waterfall” approach. Continual development, integration, and deployment will surely continue to serve as paradigms for the future.
While this book did express thoughts I anticipated in my gut, its contents were not earth-shaking to someone already experienced in agile methods. The conceptual leap from software development to product management wasn’t all that great. They did bring out details that my work will benefit from, and I’m grateful to have spent time reading this work. However, potential readers should be aware while it’s really good, the book does not convey totally novel concept.
The authors made some attempt to generalize its application to product managers in all technology fields that rely on research and development. It remains very focused on the field of software. IT plays a major role in almost every organization these days, so a software-centered approach seems honest. I still think that it doesn’t escape the field of software product management enough to generalize too broadly. Continual deployment isn’t possible in physical domains. Nonetheless, all product managers should read this book to improve their skillset. Staying agile with a living product plan is an idea whose time has come....more
There aren’t a ton of books available on coaching how to manage stakeholders while managing a project towards success. This independently published boThere aren’t a ton of books available on coaching how to manage stakeholders while managing a project towards success. This independently published book attempts to fill that gap by providing a series of methods and tools to those new to the practice.
First the strengths: The book indeed delivers as advertised by including most common practices for managing stakeholders. It explains them well and provides examples of documentation. It reads like an internal training document that companies might use to help their employees.
However, weaknesses also exist. At 57 pages, the book is incredibly short. The narrative of the book is likewise thin. It could have included practical stories to illustrate the tools’ effectiveness or limitations. I sense that stakeholder management involves a soft skills, not just filling out objective forms. I sought to develop those skills through this book, but it almost entirely let me down in this respect. To pay for a book published for the general public, I expect more than just a series of templates. The book simply needs to be fleshed out more....more
Product management centers itself on coordinating several diverse, complex teams towards producing one coherent business product. It’s a fairly new roProduct management centers itself on coordinating several diverse, complex teams towards producing one coherent business product. It’s a fairly new role in organizations, and it’s especially popular in the IT sector. Software involves a disparate set of competencies, like writing code, graphical design, software design, marketing, customer relations, and subject matter expertise. A good product manager can act as a representative of a product’s “soul” to give voice to its essential human benefit. Alignment plays the key role in that task. A product manager gets everyone pointed in the right direction instead of living in their individual silo. This book tries to teach basic concepts required to take on that task by telling a story and identifying principles to bring this new role to life.
The story tells the tale of a new product director at a small technology startup. The field of application is personal healthcare, but that’s relatively unimportant for the book’s message. Like anyone else first navigating these waters in a new job, the new product directορ notices complex organizational currents at play. The CEO is out on medical leave; another founder, well, routinely confounds her from his position of power; other teammates are competent and well-meaning. These pieces together provide a puzzle to compile. What will come of this company? And what are the unspoken cultural rules at play?
Each section illustrates a key principle of a product manager’s role. Focused teaching accompanies each chapter to provide an academic take on the plot. By imagining the protagonist’s journey, readers gain competency to handle their own professional challenges. Books like this fall into a long history of works that teach navigating business culture via innovative ideas placed in organizational life. They don’t just instruct; the narratives make us more human while empowering us to face tomorrow’s goals.
This book achieves its aim towards a business audience. Although books about product management pose a new literary market, only a relative few have explored this topic in detail. This book has a leg up on the competition because instead of just teaching principles, it inspires the imagination so that abstract ideas become real. It should gain a large audience. A lot of people have heard the term “product manager,” but many have not seen effective product management firsthand. Putting the practices in a narrative construct allows readers to get imaginative training in this role without getting personal exposure. By itself, that makes this book valuable for developing one’s career....more
IT projects comprise a particularly difficult niche of project management. The field is so new, and IT professionals’ proficiencies vary widely. The tIT projects comprise a particularly difficult niche of project management. The field is so new, and IT professionals’ proficiencies vary widely. The technology quickly evolves, so what was true about project management a few years ago might not be relevant soon thereafter. Personalities can also pose a problem since software developers aren’t reputed to be the most personable workers. In this textbook, impressively in a ninth edition, Kathy Schwalbe provides sage advice by summarizing the entire profession. It can serve as a more-than-adequate guide for those relatively new to the profession, like me.
I’ve worked as a software developer for decades and have managed my personal projects for some time. However, I’m moving into a role of guiding others. This book helped me emotionally distance myself from my personal routines and refocus on how I can serve others to add real value through IT practices. I especially benefitted from sections on stakeholder management and project quality management. Since I’ve never managed the financials of a project, the sections on cost were supremely beneficial, too. Even though the terminology caused me to slow down somtimes, Schwalbe’s prose was not too overwhelming.
A lot of books focus on one topic in IT project management or general project management. Other books take a more relational approach based on practical experience. This book does neither; instead, it provides a comprehensive overview of the field in an academic manner. That’s why it’s a mainstay in the field and could see a tenth edition sometime. IT will continue to add business value over coming decades, and this book will teach interested readers to leverage it to benefit their organizations and customers....more
Organizational life in America has grown much flatter and more mobile in recent decades. A lifetime career with one company is now the exception ratheOrganizational life in America has grown much flatter and more mobile in recent decades. A lifetime career with one company is now the exception rather than the norm. As such, an individual’s ability to contribute quickly to a team has become more important than their upward mobility. However, much literature about leadership and cultural practices remain fixed on the idea of one all-powerful person at the top commanding legions of followers. To counter this narrative, these five university scholars present their approach towards leading by doing in complex networks. They provide a framework for a paradigm shift in the way leaders conduct themselves.
This book’s subtitle reports its topic as “agile leadership.” This term “agile” is borrowed from the world of software development. A top-down design approach used to direct software development and specified complex code all at once. Then teams would build the software, often over years. By the time the team completed development, the software would often be obsolete, and thus, large investments would be lost. Instead, agile software development sought to flatten software organization so that groups can achieve quick results through many iterations of continual feedback and improvement. It has revolutionized the world of software engineering.
The authors seek a similar agile revolution for leadership. Instead of one small group of leaders defining five- and ten-year plans of strategic thinking on their own from on high, the authors suggest that organizations learn about their direction as they go through doing and iterative feedback. Thus, the creative energies of an entire organization can be unlocked instead of just a select few. This framework then places a premium on teamwork and communication. The authors do not leave this direction as mere inspiration; rather, they provide ten concrete practices for individuals to enact this vision within their local contexts. Leadership thus becomes everyone’s business.
Though this book is geared for the general public, not just academics, the authors have grounded their analysis in evidence-based research. They have implemented its ideas widely through workshops and in classrooms. Therefore, the reader can trust the practical effectiveness of their work rather than just pondering whether ethereal concepts would work in reality.
Clearly, the authors aim to bring the insights of their academic discipline to a wide array of organizations. Anyone working in a team can benefit from understanding how agile principles can be applied to their setting. I’ve worked with agile software development for over ten years, but I appreciate how the authors extended this helpful approach towards organizational life. They have put words on social practices that I have sought to adopt in my work context. I only hope others follow suit so that we all can benefit....more
Most businesspeople are familiar with the role of project managers. They ensure that projects become executed with quality, on time, and on budget. NoMost businesspeople are familiar with the role of project managers. They ensure that projects become executed with quality, on time, and on budget. Not as many are familiar with the role of a program manager. As Irene Didinsky describes in this book, this role organizes a collection of projects to ensure that the organization benefits from them. The Project Management Institute, which publishes this book, supports certifications in both project management (PMP) and program management (PgMP). While PMP certification is very popular, the PgMP certification, as of the time of this writing in 2017, has not gained much steam. Writings like this book seek to change that fact.
Didinsky starts by defining the role of a program manager within an organization. She also delineates their social role with various stakeholders, including governing bodies. Their main task is to ensure alignment between projects and the wider organization. Through various efforts, they seek to ensure that benefits accrued by the organization surpass the costs.
After describing program managers’ wider role, she focuses on more of the nuts and bolts of how they typically work. She talks about the lifecycle of a program, from definition to benefit accrual to closure. I wish she would have exhibited a bit more imagination when describing the lifecycle; given the popularity of agile methods, described elsewhere in the book, I would have liked to have heard how those methods could apply to the program management lifecycle, too.
After detailing the lifecycle, she dives deeply into the structure and metrics of a program manager’s work, including budgeting. Microsoft Project software is relied upon as a template, but not too heavily. I do not use this application, and I followed 98% of the book just fine. She concludes by talking about future directions of the profession and about growing community among fellow practitioners.
My workplace uses the term program manager to apply to a class of workers, and since I work closely with many, I’ve been curious what that term meant. Didinsky helpfully details the highest aspirations of that job title and encourages me to think highly about their work. Her writing is accessible, clear, and practical. It’s more of a textbook than a work that advances an argument. Readers will find themselves better able to guide and lead projects to benefit larger organizational goals. Doing so will cut down on waste and push benefits well-aligned to the larger group....more
Business projects involving information technology require their own set of required skills. The product is electronic, not physical, but the implemenBusiness projects involving information technology require their own set of required skills. The product is electronic, not physical, but the implementation is very abstract and technical. Planning and monitoring the work itself pose their own set of risks. Further, because everyone uses software, many think that designing software does not require special expertise, so projects become improperly designed from the start. Project management education does not routinely cover this niche of practical problems, but in this book, Marcin Dąbrowski describes his wisdom gained from years of work experience in industry.
Project managers often face a difficult first few years in the field as they learn by trial and error what the classroom could not teach them. To supplement academic training, this book offers insights gained specifically from delivering projects to external clients.
Dąbrowski is keen to ensure that projects are designed right from the start. He spends several chapters criticizing how salespeople can sometimes overpromise and overcommit their project to make a sale. Instead, he advises consulting with subject matter experts before a contract is signed. Good software architecture and design play pivotal, even foundational, roles in his mind to successful project completion. He goes on to discuss other topics, including personnel management, bug fixes, delays, and recapturing momentum after failed projects.
This book has a few weaknesses, however. First, the sentences don’t always follow standard grammar, and adverbs like “firstly” are commonly used instead of the simple “first.” These errors are common enough to distract from the book’s overall message, sadly. Second, as the subtitle alludes to, the book is focused on the specific scenario of delivering work for external clients. While these skills are broadly helpful, internal projects for internal clients are not discussed at all. A more generalized approach of just delivering IT projects to any client would help. This book creates a niche where one is not needed.
This book’s audience consists of IT project managers and those invested in delivering successful products to external clients, whether direct to consumer (“B2C”) or to other businesses (“B2B”). It seeks to communicate non-technical “soft skills” that can make or break a project. Building software is both a science and an art, but applying final polish so that the user can adopt it – the work of project managers – represents its own challenge. Dąbrowski informs us about pragmatics to accomplish this task to build both a business and a successful project....more
In a diverse business, a product manager oversees all of the projects for several products. That is, it sits a step above project managers on the org In a diverse business, a product manager oversees all of the projects for several products. That is, it sits a step above project managers on the org chart. This corporate designation seems to exist across many companies, especially those which are larger. Potential readers might be mystified by this role among their co-workers; others might aspire to this role and want to know what to do. In this self-published work, Daniel Chak, an experienced product manager at successful outfits like JP Morgan Chase and Google, describes what it takes to do this job well.
First, the Good: This book provides a good overview of this role in larger organizations. He is particularly adept at describing how to handle meetings. He writes with the authority of experience and brings pragmatics to light. He writes using examples from IT, which is on the leading cusp of most industries today. Finally, he has seemingly experienced most major challenges that a product manager could ever face. This wisdom, distilled into every section, helps Chak’s ethos.
The Bad: It’s obvious that this is a self-published work as it could have been made much stronger through an editor experienced in this field. Almost all examples come from the field of software; having more diversity would expand its audience. It doesn’t focus on outstanding issues in the field that need addressing; it’s just a rehash, more like a company guide to the position and less like a forward-thinking luminary across the business enterprise. Finally, this book’s main strengths, which I maintain are its acumen with meetings, are buried in chapters on other topics. Those strengths should be separated, emphasized, and expanded.
This book will be helpful to those who do not understand much about the role of product management but want to. However, it will not ignite curiosity among more casual readers, nor does it address pressing problems in the field with new insight or information. It does what it does well, but I doubt it will ever reach a wider audience. I’m reminded of what an editor told Harper Lee when her first book was rejected: “Tell me more about a young Scout.” The next story became the classic To Kill a Mockingbird. In the same way, Chak needs to expand on this comprehensive guide by focusing on an area or two of impactful change.
The field of project management is receiving amplified attention in recent years. Companies simply need people with skills that can transform action iThe field of project management is receiving amplified attention in recent years. Companies simply need people with skills that can transform action items of strategic planning into reality. The Project Management Institute (PMI) has even begun as a way to provide consistent education and certification. The author holds a Project Management Professional Certification (PMP) and concisely relates how those principles should inform more businesses’ practices.
Project management comes down to achieving agreed-upon results on time and on budget. It also takes into account risk management and the ability to learn in case of failure. This book attempts to be a tutorial to these principles. It does not replace a PMP certification but rather teaches people who do not hold this certification (i.e., people like me – I work as a software developer) how to do the basics of project management. It can help us work with people with subject-matter expertise in project management better.
In this book, Petersen, whose experience lies in managing IT projects, describes some of his life experiences while teaching foundational concepts. He also markets his company’s project-management software some, but this book is intelligible and accessible without considering purchasing a product. His words are clear, and he does not veer into ambiguity.
This book does not tread a ton of new ground, but it does provide access to PMI concepts without having to incur an expense by taking one of their courses for a certificate. At best, this might represent a trial whether a professional wants further education in project management. Petersen whet my palate, and I am interested in finding ways to learn more....more
“Managing up” is a relatively new concept in the business world. It refers to taking care of your boss’ and senior management’s needs as a part of you“Managing up” is a relatively new concept in the business world. It refers to taking care of your boss’ and senior management’s needs as a part of your duties. Managing down, presumably, refers to managing subordinates, but managing up, not just managing down, has a significant impact on one’s career trajectory. Brownlee seeks to explore this concept by describing what this looks like pragmatically as a newer employee.
Most employees have encountered difficult bosses at some point in their career. Many are quick to relate horror stories when trying to empathize with new employees. However, Brownlee points out that a few techniques could mitigate many of these horror stories. Bosses can be “managed” – not told what to do, but handled by appropriate skills. In this book, she hopes to identify the dynamics of the relationship and introduce specific strategies on how to deal with it.
Throughout the book, her metaphors entertain, and she tries bring the book to life with real stories. Management books sometime have a theoretical tinge to them, without much grounding in day-to-day life. In contrast, Brownlee’s analysis comes from the bottom up and finds its primary font in regular business life. She sprinkles each chapter with a questionnaire to detect whether the reader herself/himself exhibit traits of one of these difficult bosses. It’s packaged as a fairly standard business book that touches all the bases, but still lacks any fireworks.
This accessible book is primarily geared towards newer employees (who are just getting used to the workplace and bosses) and towards newer managers (who are just getting used to supervising other employees). However, its potential audience can be much wider and potentially engages anyone in a hierarchical workplace. Managing up, like this book, is simply about taking care of others’ needs so that you can get your work done more effectively. It’s not “brown-nosing” or “kissing up” but rather a strategy to accomplish more and more with your work and your career....more
Many technical people speak negatively about soft skills as if hard skills are the only things required for professional success. However, especially Many technical people speak negatively about soft skills as if hard skills are the only things required for professional success. However, especially in the realm of management, people skills can make or break projects. Keeping people happy means making lives function. How can we leverage making people naturally cheery towards the productive growth of projects? Wasson directly addresses these questions in this business book.
So-called “emotional intelligence” came into vogue through Daniel Goleman’s book in the 1990s. Goleman discussed how emotional IQ often predicted success better than traditional IQ, especially in the domains of leadership and person-oriented professions. Citing Goleman, Wasson takes his ideas and adapts them towards her domain of project management. She spent her career as an IT project manager and provides many examples from her professional experiences. She aims to head off potential problems through pragmatic insight.
She focuses on cultural literacy (and even regional literacy) while bringing the reader up-to-date on forecasting common social pitfalls in projects. Small things, if anticipated, can often turn a project towards success if they are artfully managed. Yet technical leads are often placed into project leadership roles without an adequate interpersonal background. This book can help people get up to speed and identify deficits that might need to be filled by further personal work.
This book thoroughly addresses most of the standard social business fare. However, it is limited in that it does not really argue for any great change in the current business climate. It just teaches practices that should be common to most people involved in the world of management today. It’s solid and informative, but it is not earth- or paradigm-shattering. It’s not bad to read if you have time, but if you’re looking for a power-packed book to inspire your next effort, this might not be it....more