Project Management: The Managerial Process

by Erik W. Larson, Clifford F. Gray

Project Management, 8e provides a holistic and realistic approach to Project Management that combines the human aspect and culture of an organization with the tools and methods used It covers concepts and skills used to propose, plan secure resources, budget and lead project teams to successful completion of projects. this text is not only on how the management process works, but also, and more importantly, on why it works. It's not intended to specialize by industry type or project scope, rather it is written for the individual who will be required to manage a variety of projects in a variety of organizational settings. 8e was written for a broad range of audiences including, project managers, students, analysts and Project Management Institute Members preparing for certification exams. The digital component, Connect, now has enhanced algorithmic problems, Application Based Activities, SmartBook 2.0 and Practice Operations, a game-based 3D operations management simulation.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Textbooks, Management, School, Engineering, Reference

704 pages, Unbound

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Rachel Aranda]

Clifford F. Gray and Erik W. Larson have written a very detailed and lengthy book with real world case studies especially ones based in India. It serves as a reference for my Information Systems Project Management course I had. However this wasn't the best reference book I ever had my Fall 2017 semester while attending university. My professor filled in the blanks for the holes in the lessons that I had in regards to this book. There are many mentions to PMBOK and they could have been better. If I wanted to find any information I found it better to got the website. More up-to-date information would be much appreciated in the new editions. Overall, this book is good for learning about the general concept of project management but nothing in depth.

[Dhruv Sharma]

Very detailed and lengthy book with real world case studies (specially indian ones), however reference to PMBOK could have been better. Overall Good for learning general project management.

[Mark Oppenlander]

In this better-than-average textbook, Oregon State University professors Erik Larson and Clifford Gray split their time between discussing the process based elements of Project Management and the people based elements of project management. They are acutely aware that someone may be really talented with work project breakdowns, risk management and Gantt charts but still be ineffective as a PM due to a lack of people skills.

The book covers everything from project selection to budget and time management to dealing with the unexpected on a project to project closure and review. I appreciated that the chapters in this book were shorter and more digestible than in many textbooks. I felt like I could chose to read a lot or a little, depending on my energy level. There are also a number of real-world examples provided in almost every section, many of which are memorable and entertaining.

Things I learned from reading this book:

1. There is so much that I still don't know about business and Project Management.
2. We are all managing projects of various types and sizes all the time.
3. Management is hard.
4. I don't think I want to be a Project Manager.
5. It may be too late for that.

[Eric Herr]

This is the text for my current Masters course in Project Management. Written by an Oregon State University professor (Larson) and a professor emeritus from OSU (Gray). Good text with helpful information but the layout is bit dull. Another 5 weeks in the course so my impression may change.

I found this book to be an excellent reference throughout the course and while developing a plan for a project at work. A bit stiff but useful and acceptably readable.

[Tom Armstrong]

As far as text books go, this was an excellent one. Great examples, easy to read, a level of detail for almost any reader. If it weren't a text book (and thus inherently boring) it would probably get 5 stars.

[Gift]

Good for general learning of project management, could be more detailed.

[Bander AL Otaibi]

I had this book for my project management class. The book is filled with many examples and pictures that may help the reader to analyze any project process. The book was a great guide for using Microsoft proeject application. A lot of data and enhancements to your projects can be found through reading this book. What I really enjoyed was the order of the process that go from simple to complicated steps which is not that difficult for me to achieve. I still have the book and I am going to keep it as a resource for real projects I may face in real life.

[Madison]

✨1.5 stars✨ (read for school)

Probably a very good book, but I was not the biggest fan of this class, so it tainted the reading. I think it was pretty good at explaining complex topics to a level that anyone could understand, which is great! Noticed some typos in a few of the cases? Maybe? Not my wheelhouse, but they were quite difficult to do because of that. Would appreciate if help with ProjectLibre was included in this book because it was required for the cases, but never explained how to use it. I was lost.

Note: eBook (McGraw Hill Connect)

[Stosha]

Many project management concepts were discussed. There were plenty of references to the PMBOK that could have been elaborated upon. Additionally, several concepts were had to follow as discussed in the book and I had to find YouTube videos to supplement.

[Blair]

I know project management!

[Margherita Cardani]

From the moment the project is thought of till the end and adjourning of it, this books explain in details and with examples all the steps a project has to go through in order to be successful. New project management styles such as Agile are explained and the stakeholders involved in the project are described.

[Fran Hutton]

I expected a dry text, especially as this was a required class for an MA in Geographic Information Technology I was pursuing. Project management sounded like one of those tedious classes. But the book was pretty good, and informative, and I ended up really liking the class as well. The text made me want to consider continuing on in the field of project management someday. The accompanying CD and sofware was easy to use and an asset to the book and class.

Best of all, I found out Erik Larson is an author of great diversity, and I have added several of his fascinating sounding books to my to-read list. It speaks well of the text if I want to read other works by the author.

[Ashutosh]

This is the text book for the advanced course on Project management at GURU GOBIND SINGH INDRAPRASTHA UNIVERSITY, DELHI: MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (WE), Consultancy. The course has the following objective.

"Objectives: The objective of this course is to provide advanced understanding of various aspects of Project Management to the students to understand and apply these techniques to solve practical problems and become an effective Project Manager".

The theoretical text has been complimented with fitting case studies.No other single book meets the course objective as appropriately as this book.

[Brianna]

Another text book to review. There's a lot about proejct management that focuses on the people involved, which makes sense to me. It doesn't matter what your process is, without the right people you won't be successful and your projects won't turn out the way you want.

[Sohail Khattak]

i learned how to manage the projects and different activities.

[Tanya Hakala]

Another basic overview of concepts, but this one was pretty good. I can see myself referring back to it again.

[Husain Haider]

When I studied Software Engineering 2, I read this book. The book is clear with great examples and I keep this book with me. I use it when ever I need to participate in a project.

[loafingcactus]

Very clearly written book which proceeds stepwise through the concepts and examples, including earned value scenarios.

[John Buchanan]

Nice blend of practice and theory, with good supporting cases. I used it as the main text for a Project Management course for 3 years. Students also liked it.

[Holly]

Easy to read, very informative. Good for a textbook.

[Michael]

Fairly practical, although a bit verbose. Topics are cohesive and organized well.

[Nicole]

Graduate degree required reading

[Jayaram]

THIS BOOK IS NICE

[Waheeth]

This book is amazing, the concept is well explained by problems

[Gaby]

Good book to learn how to manage your small and big projects.

[Tony Smith]

Well presented, easily digested.