Monday, March 08, 2004
SureTrak Project Manager 3.0
SureTrak was designed with features that practicing project managers need, not glitzy fluff. Although the two previous reviewers have made strong cases for SureTrak there are a few details that I'd like to add.
(1) Multiple calendars - you can have up to 31 base calanders per project, giving you absolute control that is not possible with other PM applications in this price range. This feature allows you to model different resource baselines, which is powerful. Also, unlike MS Project, SureTrak does not assume it knows better than you and change the project in strange and mysterious ways after you've made an adjustment. This alone makes SureTrak worth using.
(2) Earned Value project management is built in and works correctly. If you're a PMP you'll not only appreciate the solid implementation of earned value, but should also know that the earned value portions of the PMBOK were developed by members of the Primavera team--Quentin Fleming and Joel Koppelman--who also authored Earned Value Project Management, second edition. This adds a high level of trust in the way SureTrak works.
(3) Project resource leveling works (it's somewhat 'challenged' in MS Project), and the ability to automatically forecast resource shortages, trace PERT logic, use precedence diagramming method if you so choose, and the ability to jump from WBS, resource, activity or PERT views with a mouse click shows your project from any perspective. Another nice feature is the 'cosmic' view of the PERT view that shows the entire network in one window and details in another.
(4) The reports, profiling and analysis options are too many to list. Suffice it to say that if there is a view or report that isn't shipped with SureTrak (and I cannot think of any), you can easily create one.
Although it has serious features, it also has glitz: publish in HTML, add graphics to your schedule and customize bar legends. It also has team features, such as email management, the ability to manage multiple related projects simultaneously, and the ability to exchange files with MS Project via MPX files. Note that there are some losses when you exchange MPX files because SureTrak has features that Project doesn't have and they will not import correctly into MS Project.
If you make the leap from MS Project to SureTrak I strongly recommend investing in Planning Using Primavera SureTrak Project Manager Version 3.0 by Paul E. Harris, which will get you quickly started.
Microsoft Project 2003 Standard
This upgrade is worth its price.
Used in conjunction with Project Server and Project Professional 2003 the program now allows project tasks to appear in Outlook calendars and messaging. As a project manager, I find this feature eases communications with team members and fosters greater team participation.
This ease of communication saves time and money. If you have doubts over this upgrade, my unequivocal recommendation is to proceed. The software's tight integration with other Microsoft Office Products, including Outlook, enables you to focus on project goals, not the technology that supports them.
Visualizing Project Management : A Model for Business and Technical Success (with CD-ROM)
This book is about managing technically challenging development projects to a successful conclusion. It is not about the coordination of low tech routine projects. You will be pleased to find that there is a healthy dose of system engineering integrated with solid project management material. Understanding these concepts can increase your effectiveness in interfacing with your customers and your technical team members which is critical to achieving the results you want. This material, while essential, is very rare in project management books.
Also of note is the emphasis on managing the business case and getting customer buy-in throughout the process to ensure that the solution will satisfy the business case even if the business case is changing. There is no gain in successfully delivering a solution that is of little value.
Many projects suffer because of poor baseline management and this book calls for managing the three baselines (business, budget, and technical) to be congruent. Control Gates are effectively proposed as the discipline to cause this to happen.
All important concepts are clearly illustrated and three dimensional models are provided to assist in understanding important interesecting processes. The included CD provides visualizations that you can use with your team. I do.
If you are able to get all of your team members including your customers to understand these concepts your life will become much easier and your projects are sure to be more successful. There is nothing that reduces conflict more than having a common vocabulary and a clear and mutual understanding of the management approach.
The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management: Quick Tips, Speedy Solutions, and Cutting-Edge Ideas
I've purchased a number of books on Project Management. They run the gamut from dry, cryptic self-congratulatory works of academic vanity to the disorganized and insultingly simplistic (including anything with the word "idiot's" in the title).
This is the first book I've read that I would consider appropriate for both seasoned PM's and those new to the discipline.
The format is great. For someone new to Project Management it has a logical, step by step flow backed up with relevant visuals and great case studies. For the more seasoned PM it is a treasure trove of problem-solving techniques, examples and formulas. It's not a book you'll be willing to loan to your friends (my copy looks to become one of the more "dog-eared" in my collection).
I run a small company but many of my clients are quite large (the companies, not the... nevermind). The concepts in "The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management" are adaptable to any size business and any size project; the case studies range from the development of the Boeing 767-400 to how Seattle's Safeco Field keeps their grass green. If the rest of "The Fast Forward MBA" series are as strong and results-oriented as this book, I may end up getting the collection.
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) -- 2000 Edition
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)– 2000 Edition is your basic reference and the world’s de facto standard for the project management profession. It was designated an American National Standard (ANSI/PMI 99-001-2000) by the American National Standards Institute in March 2001.
The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®) is an inclusive term that describes the sum of knowledge within the profession of project management. The PMBOK® Guide identifies and describes the subset of principles and practices within the PMBOK® that are generally accepted and applicable to most projects most of the time. The guide also provides a common lexicon for talking about project management. Project management is a relatively young profession, and while there is substantial commonality around what is done, there is relatively little commonality in the terms used. An extensive glossary further aids in standardizing definitions of the most important concepts, terms, and phrases.
The Project Management Institute (PMI®) uses the PMBOK® Guide as one of the references for the Project Management Professional (PMP®) Certification Examination. Major revisions and expansions of this edition include:
• Aligned newly added processes, tools, and techniques with the five project processes and nine knowledge areas. For example, reserve time, variance analysis, and activity attributes were added to Chapter 6 (Project Time Management); estimating publications and earned value were added to Chapter 7 (Project Cost Management); and project reports, project presentations, and project closure were added to Chapter 10 (Project Communications Management).
• Added a section in Chapter 2 to acknowledge the role of the Project Office; expanded the treatment of earned value management in Chapter 4 and Chapter 10; and added a brief discussion of the Theory of Constraints in Chapter 6.
• Expanded Chapter 11 (Project Risk Management) to include six processes instead of the previous four: Risk Management Planning, Risk Identification, Risk Assessment, Risk Quantification, Risk Response Planning, and Risk Monitoring and Control.
• Strengthened the linkage between organizational strategy and project management throughout.
The PMBOK® Guide is one of those indispensable tools that you will want at your fingertips, both at work and in your home office. Selected as a suggested resource for CAPM®, CAQ® Automotive Product Development, CAQ Capital Projects, CAQ Information Technology Systems, CAQ Information Technology Networking, and CAQ Project Management Office exam preparation.
I found having the PMBOK in Adobe Acrobat format to be a real convenience and prefer it to the paper version. Note: while you can download a copy of this document from PMI's web site, it's a preview version that is missing chapters 2, 4-12 and appendices A through F. Therefore, if you need a copy of the PMBOK 2000 version your options are to purchase either the CD ROM or the book.
PMI has put a lot of work into this version. Compared to the 1996 version this one reads better, shows clearer relationships between knowledge areas, and has been greatly expanded in some of the knowledge areas - most notably risk management and earned value project management. The CD ROM version that I am reviewing has additional refinements that make this media easier to work with. The 1996 version in electronic format was a collection of standalone Adobe Acrobat files, this version is a single Acrobat file that makes good use of Acrobat's navigation features.
If your reason for buying the PMBOK 2000 is to prepare for the Project Management Professional certification you have two choices: CD ROM or book, because this is the primary source of test questions. Heed the previous reviewer's comments that the 2001 examinations will also use the 1996 version as a basis for test questions. If you are buying this book to implement project management processes that conform to the PMBOK and work in the computer industry I recommend that you also look at Information Technology Project Management by Kathy Schwalbe. That book presents a project management approach for IT projects that is closely aligned to the PMBOK.
This book is certainly a must have for the management of BIG projects. It is extremely rich in a wide area of relevant details. It is extremely good as a reference. It is good, if your specific area has not an established project methodology.
On the other hand I do not like the book for reading and learning. It feels like reading a book on income taxes regulations, though a good one.
As a "book of knowledge" you would not expect a page-turner. However, as published professional "standards" go, this one as accessible as any. The writing style is crisp and open, with a minimum of techno-speak.
I'd give it 5 stars, except that some concepts are treated partially in several different locations, rendering it less than elegant. An example is "earned value management," for which one must look in three or four locations for the full picture.
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