Scott Berkun's The Art of Project Management [EN]

Abstract
It's very difficult looking for non-boring book on software management. The first book I very liked was Brooks' "The Mythical Man-Month". In the same period I was starting my professional carieer and I had to read also "Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change" of Kent Beck.

Then I have the chance to read this book. First of all, it is very nice and clean. After a good preface, the book is divided into three section: Plans, Skills and Management, for a total of more then 450 pages. Finally Bibliography is done very very well.

In the first chapter, Berkun introduce us to the figure of the Program Manager rised from the Multiplan project at Microsoft, in late 1980s. Then he does a very interesting path to some conflicting attitudes found in project leaders. This view was very insightful in my humble opinion. In the next chapters we are carried into the detail of plans organization.

Chapter 5 ("Where ideas come from") is very valuable bacause give you a very wide view of how to deal with requirements. In particular, it is worth to have some advice to drive the first design phase, and the next chapter tell you what to do with your huge amount of ideas. Then the author shows how to consolidate them.

In the second part of the book ('Skills') you find a very pratical set of advice for managing a team, recharging it after a milestone was hit, and improving your communication skills. I admit I suffer in the first two years of my job of an abuse of email media, and Berkun deals with this issue.

In the last part of the book the author tell us about organizing your work. The chapter 13 is organized to prepare ypu to war, and is clever and pratical. For instance, we build the three lists of Goals, Features and Work items. The lists are divided only in two parts: the first part is the needed part, the rest is less important. This very simple division is what I try always to acquire from my team coworker. The rest of the charapters deal on how to obtain the work done in time. Then Berkun give us some hints about the middle-game and the end-game strategy, and how to correct the process long the way.

The ending charapter deals with 'politic issues': a very underrated stuff by young team leaders.

Conclusion

The book is imprinted by a very pragmatic view: you will learn the difficult art of getting things done, figthing a very wide range of different obstacles. The book is focused on young IT Managers, but can be a valuable help for team leaders and senior architects too.

Finally, this book is very big: over 470 pages, and this can be a pros or a cons: a positive thing if you like a detailed view of this 'art'.
On the opposite, if you like a true fast-and-forward manual of project management, and if you haven't yet read Brooks, I can suggest you to buy this book and also the Brooks' "The Mythical Man-Month".

Global Rating: 8 of 10.

Informazioni sull'autore

Giovanni Giorgi, classe 1974. Dopo il diploma di liceo Classico, si è laureato in Informatica nel febbraio 2000, e attualmente lavora nel campo del software finanziario (trading on line, soluzioni web).
Appassionato di linguaggi di programmazione, si interessa anche di politica e letteratura.

È possibile consultare l'elenco degli articoli scritti da Giovanni Giorgi.

Altri articoli sul tema Libri / Recensioni.

Risorse

1. "The Art of Project Management"
   http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/artprojectmgmt/