Revised An Introduction to Project Management: With a Brief Guide to Microsoft Project Professional 2016

by Kathy Schwalbe

This text updates Appendix A for Project 2016 versus 213. The other chapters and pagination are the same as the original fifth edition. Based on user feedback, the fifth edition of An Introduction to Project Management provides a separate chapter for planning integration and scope management and for planning time and cost management. Additional examples are provided for creating work breakdown structures and schedules. It also includes information on Basecamp, a free web-based project management tool, along with a user guide. In addition to updating many references and examples, this edition continues to include several popular - Follows the Project Management Institute's PMBOK® Guide, Fifth Edition (2013) - Has chapters for each process group and a comprehensive case study to illustrate applying tools and techniques throughout the project life cycle - Includes a Guide for using Microsoft Project - Provides a free trial of MatchWare's MindView Business software (www.matchware.com/intropm), a tool for creating mind maps, Gantt charts, and other project documents - Uses real-world examples and references, including opening cases and case wrap-ups, examples of what went right, what went wrong, media snapshots, best practices, and video highlights in each chapter - End of chapter materials include chapter summaries, quick quizzes, discussion questions, and exercises, with case studies provided in Appendix C -Comprehensive, secure instructor site available with lecture slides, solution files, test banks, etc. -Free Web site includes over fifty template files, online quizzes and games, data files for Microsoft Project, and much more. Visit the free companion Web site at www.intropm.com.

518 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 2, 2016

Reviews

[Shannon Sierzenga · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favorite. Lost sleep over it.

[Ragnar Ragnarsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my review of my reading experience for the Text Book by Kathy Schwalbe entitled “An Introduction to Project Management (with a brief guide to Microsoft)”. So I actually did not wake up one morning and say “I want to read a f***ing text book today! My wife was taking a class and needed some help balancing the work load so I read the text book in its entirety to understand the course material so she would have someone to bounce ideas off of while working on the projects in the course. So First things first, I went through and surveyed the text book, meaning I just flipped through the pages on the PDF file of the text. This gave me an understanding of the structure of the book (Bolded Key Terms, Bullet points, Main body texts, graphs, charts, etc). I also paid attention to the scope of information, that is what is really being covered in this text…I asked myself how specific is the subject, how broad? Lastly, I pre-read the text by skimming through at 10 to 15 times my normal reading speed. Then I wrote down some questions I had after surveying the text. An I wrote down a statement of what I wanted to get out this text. Then I began the read through.
This was an intense two days of 8 to 10 hours of reading. However, it was well worth it because after finishing the 500 pages of text spread out through the ten chapters I had a broad knowledge of the Project Management profession and a generation of ideas regarding how to apply the concepts and techniques covered in the text into my life in the real world. I read through 5 chapters each day. I had already highlighted the key terms in their context so while reading through I was careful to highlight only the key information that was not bolded or otherwise standing out on its own in the main body text. I realized as I read through that with some preparation you can read a text book like a novel or comic book. It may not be as fun but it is infinitely more informative. The text follows a woman named Kristin Mauer, who is the project manager for a project she calls the Just-in-Time Training project for her company Global Construction. The idea begins as she realizes that their training program is completely outdated and needs to address immediate needs in a fast paced and rapidly growing industry. So this project proposes to cut training costs per as much as $100 per employee! The text then follows her process throughout the ten chapters, including concepts, key terms, and vibrant examples all structured around the framework of this Just-in-Time Case study. The writing is surprisingly vibrant for a text book, but I would say that with any introduction text, that is a text book designed to introduce you to a subject, there will always be a level of ambiguity. Many times throughout the text there were times when I was following a concept description with great concentration, only to be frustrated by a concluding paragraph that basically says, these are general rules but every organizations does things differently and every project is different. Other than that it was a surprisingly readable text book.
After I read through it all the way, I went back and reviewed section and explored the companion website for the text book. The website has some great resources to help you interact with the text book so I feel that increases the re-read-ability of the text. And re-reading a text is vital when you undertake a project (no pun intended) that requires a deeper knowledge for further application. My favorite feature from the website is the interactive quizzes that challenge you with new questions. The quiz even tells you the score with a certificate of completion, which is a great resource for instructors AND self-instruction alike. Overall, I would recommend this text to anyone who is interested in the subject of project management, study leadership, business, military, or even just someone who lives a full and complex life. These skills are applicable to more aspects of life than just professional.

[MobileMinx · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a single source reference for those wanting a solid foundation in project management. Chock full of detailed explanations, current best practices, samples and templates and accompanying software guidance, you couldn't ask for a better companion to the industry Project Management Body of Knowledge.

[Michael Kiripolsky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing about swans