economics-software

Books about the relation & the effect of quality in process planning & the reverse

As opposed to general reengineering principles, this book tells you how to carry out and implement reengineering successfully. We have already used it in one project with very good results and it was much cheaper than hiring expensive consultants. We now plan on using it for two more projects.

Most reengineering books give you general directions for doing part of the reengineering. They do not deal with implementation. Nor do they address the many problems that you are likely to encounter during the work. This book is an exception. It is probably the most useful and usable book on process improvement/reengineering. It is based on actual experience and follows a step-by-step approach through implementation. In fact, almost half of the book deals with implementation. There are a number of real world examples that are carried and discussed through the book. The book is well written and complete. The files on the CD-ROM are very useful.

Whether you are an experienced project manager or just starting out, this book should be on your shelf. For the beginner, it covers all of the basics...and much more. For the experienced project manager, much of it will be familiar, but you will find many opportunities to improve your techniques.

Better Software Project Management goes beyond the oversimplified approaches that confuse project management tools with project management. Real project management means dealing with people as well as tasks, schedules and budgets. This book offers insights into them all.

As an IT Project/Program Manager, senior IT executive and fellow-author for more years now than I care to remember, I found Marsha Lewin's new book, "Better Software Project Management", a pleasant and informative surprise. Ms. Lewin has distilled her obviously vast experience into a highly practical "how-to" book which will prove invaluable to Project Managers and all other managers with IT connections. Her advice and suggestions throughout this well-written book vibrate with hard-won experience and a strong aura of "been there, done that". Newly minted project managers will find a wealth of tips and templates to get them started and to provide project deliverables with the aplomb of seasoned veterans. Veterans will themselves find plenty to learn and re-learn from Ms. Lewin's hard-nosed, yet humorous approach. The author dispenses with the usual theoretical approaches to the subject but illustrates the best of the available theory with practical and thoughtful "cases".

If you have one project management book to read this year, read this one!

I have been engaged in the management of software projects for more than 30 years. This "primer" is, by far, the best and most concise book that I have ever read on the subject.

Of particular note, it is written by an experienced project manager to meet the needs of real life project managers. The author offers practical answers and presents usable examples that clearly show how her methods may be applied.

One of the hardest things for a new project manager to do is to sort out all of the acronyms, buzzwords, means and methods spoken of when describing the management of a project. The author cuts through the professional fog that obscures the subject and makes clear what is entailed in this art/science. Even after 30 years I found myself learning from her.

I strongly recommend this book.

Businesses are changing shape faster today than ever before. Information technology (IT) is playing an increasingly significant part in this rapid evolution of businesses. That does not just mean the Internet, but a whole range of increasingly powerful influences from data warehousing to developments in Web services.
Unfortunately most books about business process change tend to assume that IT is merely a support player in relation to business. The continued economic downturn only serves to reinforce this mistake. At the same time most books about systems analysis and design, including those on the Unified Modeling Language (UML), are weak in their treatment of business processes. There is a widespread failure to appreciate the collaboration that must achieved between business and IT if business process change is to really work well in today's climate.

While this book will probably be of immediate interest to business managers, the refreshing thing about Paul Harmon's new book is that it speaks clearly to both IT and business camps in plain language. It reflects the need to integrate business and IT thinking. As such it is also a must read for both business facing IT people and for those key individuals who are breaking the conventional barriers between business and IT.

The book contains a wealth of timely advice. While it's range is wide and impressive, it is structured for ease of information access. This means that readers can quickly use the book for reference. Enjoy!

I spent last year creating a "Business Process Management" team for the CIO of HP. We spent much time and effort thinking clearly about how to approach business processes without the pitfalls of "Business Process Re-engineering," and worked to create both a holistic approach and an extremely simple, intuitive methodology. Through concentrated effort, without the luxury of time (in the midst of a complex, highly-visible merger), we arrived at a set of conventions for our work, policies on alignment to the office of the CIO, IT Architecture and Program teams, as well as different approaches we could supply to our business and IT internal clients. The value we've provided has been dramatic in the areas we've worked in, from Supply Chain Integration between pre-merger HP and pre-merger Compaq, to HP direct sales process design, to Global Content Management processes and re-engineering.

In hindsight, I wish I'd been able to read Paul Harmon's Business Process Change a year ago. Creating the team and its functions would have been much simpler, direct, and less time-consuming. Based on our experiences in a process architecture team in a $75B IT company, I see the book having major value to at least three audiences I deal with daily. First, the book is for managers considering major business change. It will provide a blueprint to why they might be changing (Part 1 - Process Management), specific ways they might change (Part IV - Patterns section), and if/when they use external consultants, a way to specify with formidable detail what they're expecting to receive (Part II - Modeling, and Part III - Managing).

Second, it is for IT people who are seeking to regain architectural and analytic skills, which ERP and packaged workflow may have supplanted. This book provides both modern idioms for approaching business with what might be termed 'object-oriented' analysis (Part II - Modeling), as well as a summary of the field of implementation techniques (Part V - Automation and Part VI - E-Business).

Third, for the consulting function to both IT and business, it provides a well-rounded blueprint for marketing (value propositions), tools, techniques, and implementation approaches. I cannot imagine a consultative team which doesn't have virtually all the elements of Paul's book as part of their basic operations. Certainly, no state-of-the-art team would want to be without them.

For the futurists (which I don't deal with daily), the book provides an implicit narrative of how the nature of business is changing (I myself feel we're on the edge of a dramatic change in business structure.) It begins with the disappearance of organizational models - which in the book are artifacts of a process model - and the focus on quantifiable outcomes for transactions (I'm thrown back to hierarchy-disrupting transactional analysis from the '70s). It continues by looking at virtual business structures - the 'extended supply chain' example which Paul walks through -- a linking together of transactions. And it ends by building IT - automation -- around process elements instead of traditional 'systems' architecture. Traditional labels, capsules, and hierarchies change and shift, and I see the book in a more 'future perfect' tense.

Paul Harmon has provided a guide for a manager to improve and redesign processes. In the introduction, Paul overviews business process change and the manager's job. He gives a brief history of corporate business process change initiatives including organizations as systems, systems and value chains, process reengineering, the Rummler-Brace methodology and ISO 9000 and the six sigma methodology, Harmon discusses organizational goals and how they can be tied to competitive advantages. In Chapter three he introduces the process architecture. The book is full of process chart, examples and case studies. In addition, I found the Glossary to be most helpful. The book is a partial guide for the Performance Improvement professional. The concepts are presented straightforward and easy to follow. Paul provides a holistic state of the art approach we have been looking for.

Quinn's work is an excellent guide / explorer for the 21st century. I highly recommend this groundbreaking work to everybody who is interested in changing nature of tomorrow's organizations.

Quinn's work is an excellent guide to explore the world of 21st century. I recommend this groundbreakink work to everybody who is interested in tomorrow's organizations.

Quinn has long been among the absolute finest academics at helping real world managers understand the best practices in the world for managing & generating innovation. In earlier works he brought to our attention such groundbreaking concepts as the role of chaos in innovative organizations, the implications of our shift to a services based economy, and the rise of intellect or human capital as the critcal resource for competition among companies. His newest book may be his most useful to date. With his usual meticulously fact based research Quinn not only lays out the emerging tools, techniques and approaches the world's leading companies are using, he also provides breathtaking evidence of the real world performance gains that are available. The sections on software paradigms, "beyond teams" organizational approaches, and knowledge systems deserve especially careful reading, in my opinion. As usual, the biggest problem with Quinn's work is the sheer density of important new ideas makes consuming this book and putting it to work a significant investement. As a private investor, I will suggest to the executives that I work with that they make the time.

I enjoyed this book very much. It is well written and the author leverages real life examples which is refreshing. In my opinion this book gives you a very clear introduction to semantics and why they matter. I would recommed the book to technologists and business managers alike.

Dave McComb's book is about semantics, and it is a terrific advertisement for his understanding of meaning and communication. Drawing on a lifetime of experience, he explains the basic ideas in simple, unpretentious language, introducing semantics as the branch of philosophy that deals with meaning. Then he motors on through classification, vocabularies, taxonomies, ontologies; data and object-oriented modeling; state machines, schemas, metadata, natural language processing, business rules, document and knowledge management and much more. McComb ties everything together logically, and proves that it is possible to describe some of the core ideas of software in words that anyone can understand. The last few chapters present some of the latest buzzwords, such as XML, Web services, Service Oriented Architecture, Business Process Management, Enterprise Application Integration and the Semantic Web.

This book is very well written, and can be read in a single sitting - its 300 pages took me about five hours, making the occasional note and skipping nothing. When you have finished, there is still more value at the end: a reference section, where all the concepts mentioned in the book are summarised in logical order; an excellent glossary; a "resources" section 30 pages long stuffed with book references, URLs and the like; and a professionally compiled index. The book is well produced, too. Its binding is suitable for frequent use, there are no typos or other careless errors, and the many diagrams are attractive and easy to understand.

Anyone who is involved with producing or maintaining software stands to learn something new and useful from reading this book. Even if not, it would still be a fascinating read.

This book is extremely readable, particularly given the complexity of the subject. It is conversational without sacrificing the detail or precision that is necessary in a book of this nature. McComb's "tell to you later" approach to some of the topics was very refreshing. It was almost like reading a mystery. He gives a glimpse of an intriguing issue and tells you that he will explain it later. This kept me reading, just like a well written novel would. You could almost hear McComb talking to you about the subject and clearly it is a subject he both knows well and enjoys discussing. His examples and definitions were extensive, easy to understand, effective and to the point. The glossary and the resources appendices alone are a significant contribution to the subject of Semantics in Business Systems.

The chapter transitions are very well done and helpful, particularly for a person in the early stages of understanding the application of Semantics to the development of Business Systems. They are concise, effective and readable. McComb also makes excellent use of background summaries. His history lessons and comparisons to common or similar experiences helped me relate to the subject. He uses experiences we all have in common and they brought me into the subject matter he was discussing, even if it was unfamiliar. The examples he gives, comparing the shift to Semantics to earlier transitions and similar technology developments, acted as a friendly guide through a territory of unfamiliar ideas and concepts. If you lived through those earlier transitions, they give you insight into what is going on in the world of Semantics today.

Where he could, McComb uses common everyday language. Even when covering more advanced concepts, he uses the most familiar terms possible. This is not just a matter of semantics; it helps keep the reader on board and gives a sense that the topic can be mastered. And when new terms were introduced, it was clear they were not arbitrary. They were needed because the reader was entering new territory.

The figures McComb included were relevant, to the point and very easy to follow. I thought they were effectively placed and helped me a lot in understanding the text. One of the greatest strengths in this book is the very effective use of examples. They are right on target, easy to understand and succinct enough to make the point quickly.

The product and vendor knowledge McComb provides is extensive. It brought the subject of Semantics to life. There is no better evidence of the emergence of a technology trend than seeing people in the marketplace providing tools and offering services that develop and implement the new concepts and approaches.

The contrasts that McComb creates are also very helpful. They can be found in his text, examples, figures and tables. They helped me develop a clear understanding of how Semantics is different from related technologies and techniques and how it is the same. As well as why they were the same and why are they different.

Finally, this is an extremely well researched book. And that research was enhanced by the frequent, helpful and very meaningful insights that McComb brought to the subject.

This book covers Software Project Management broadly with a lot of good information for both the new project manager as well as the old hand. The material is presented as a comprehensive overview rather than a detailed instruction. By itself the book does not go deeply enough into any of the areas to provide a novice with enough useful information so it's a good book to use in conjunction with books providing more detail.

Despite its lack of detail, the book presents many important points - the importance of the human equation, analysis/organization tools such as Tony Buzan's MindMap, having a Management Information Center, and using standards without having a programmer's revolt. There is only passing mention of key issues such as scope creep, the tendency of management to try to throw more personnel at a project in trouble, needing to build testing into the initial design process, and the pro's and con's of the various development methods (waterfall, spiral, etc.). A number of references are quoted, including many IEEE documents (IEEE is the publisher) plus books by Gerald Weinberg, Capers Jones, Tom Demarco, and other recognized gurus - which make good adjuncts to this handbook.

Phillips perpetuates one of my pet peeves, the issue of including the top ten risks in the risk assessment document. What if there are only 7 risks which seem to be significant? What if there are 12? Granted, it would be unwieldy to track & evaluate dozens of risks routinely, but it doesn't make sense to suggest that exactly 10 be tracked.

The discussions of Configuration Management are quite lengthy and in a bit more detail than other topics covered.

Although the book is fairly short at 500 pages and is easy reading, there is a substantial amount of information covered. The 5 star rating is for the breadth of information covered, with the caveat that other references would be needed by those unfamiliar with the concepts presented.

Don't confuse the ease of reading this excellent book with the depth and power of the information within it. Being involved in software project management myself, I related to the ideas the author expressed and feel I have learned much from reading the book. Other project managers in my company are now reading this book and share similar opinions.

The book contains good explanations of various techniques for formalising projects. It also contains a number of case study experiences which are very apt.

I recommend this book to project managers of all levels and to managers of software companies.

Unlike most text books, it is a very easy to read book allowing one to read it from cover to cover. The book is an excellent source for novice project managers who need a guide to the many aspects that come with the job. Personally I refer to it often for suggestions on which documents I should produce or what actions to take while managing a project.

Interesting corporate biography on Intuit, which arguably is the most successful consumer software company in the world.
The authors focus on Intuit's core values
1. Integrity
2. Do right by the customers
3. It's the people

It provides entertaining examples where the company did right by customers and did right by its employees. In particular, the authors focus on Intuit's strong customer oriented culture and its extensive user testing to make their software easy to use.
The Intuit story is told chronologically covering Intuit's conception to the present . Probably since the authors have a marketing background, there is a lot of coverage on marketing roll-outs, pricing strategies, and branding. I would have liked to read more on their engineering strategies. This really is limited to stories of engineers pulling all-nighters and a focus on usability testing. Not much insight is given on how they actually develop award winning software. There is interesting management insight to current CEO Bennett, and how he brought more discipline and metric focus to the organization. The authors had access to all of the key Intuit players , and Intuit's vision, mission and operating values statement makes for an insightful read in the appendix.

When Inside Intuit arrived in the mail, along with four other books I'd ordered, it was the first one I picked up to browse. Seven hours later, I finished the book! Reliving the experiences, placing myself in the events (I worked for Intuit for over fourteen years - by way of ChipSoft), was an overwhelming experience for me.

I remember the first time I met Scott Cook. Leo Redmond, at the time managing the Intuit Supplies Group, and I had just finished lunch in Palo Alto. As we drove back to his office, we talked about Quicken and how it was the second product I bought for my first computer in early 1989 (the first was Sim City). Leo said that he'd like me to tell Scott about it. Scott was excited - "You have five years of Quicken data?" He told me to install the latest Quicken beta as soon as I got home - he wanted to know how it handled large data files (mine was over two megabytes at the time). That was nearly ten years ago.

What an experience! Having been hired by Evy Chipman in late 1988 and working closely with every top-echelon executive on the ChipSoft side (Gaylord, Harris, Gleicher, Lane), I never thought I'd be so intimidated - stammering - as I chatted briefly with Scott in his office.

Reading Inside Intuit brings you into Scott's (and many others) office - you are in the presence of greatness when you read this book.

I have read a number of corporate biographies and this one has to rank near the top. The authors describe many of the company's failures and successes in a forthright manner. Also, their technique of discussing the company in terms of its several regimes is a very useful way of thinking about the company's evolution.

My one complaint is that I don't think the book adequately describes the company's present and future; for instance, there is no mention of the Siebel implementation that is a huge deal internally, the efforts in leveraging the accountants as a channel, or the impending battle with MSFT in the Small Biz arena. There is a lack of description of the daily life at Intuit- the Friday beer fests (Karl Strauss beer!), employee bonding at the foosball tables, the yearly golf tournament, the one office per employee policy, opportunities to pick Steve Bennett's brain at quarterly web broadcasts anonymously.. the list goes on- that makes Intuit a Great Place to Work.

I'm taking an on-line college course, and this is this textbook. It's full of up-to-date information that relates well to today's business world. An excellent introduction book to the fascinating world of business.

It is very helpful and interesting.

Best book written ever in the field of business. Ideal for any students either majoring or non majoring in business and acctg.

Not so much of "How I did it", but more of "How you can do it", which is actually more important.

Aimed at selling your software in the mass market, gives lessons and ideas for selling through publishers and superstores, but not much about selling direct, especially on the web, maybe next printing revision.

Lots of good ideas, and if you haven't started on your software idea yet, this book will make you want to start.

Very easy reading, and thin too! Good for the midnight programmer / day tripper.

Finally, a book that gives *real* info about the software publishing business. Even professionals will benefit from reading this one.

Author Herbert Kraft candidly reveals all the insider tips you need for launching a software product.

He tells you what failed and what worked for him. I started working on a software project that I feel sure will sell to the commercial market, thanks to his advice in the book.

My favorite part: which kinds of software titles sell and which don't.

Don't launch your software without this book. Well worth the price of the book. Mine is full of post-its to mark all the great stuff!

Approximately 200 pages presented as a comprehensive step by step guide to setting up and getting the most out of Suretrak. I found many helpful tips that are not in the Suretrak's help files or manuals. A chapter is also devoted to the new features in Suretrak Version 3.0 and this allowed me, as an existing Suretrak user, to hone in on the new features. In all, 21 workshops re-enforced the material as its presented and made me reflect on the content. Readers will need access to the Suretrak software (the demo version will do) to get the most from this book.

When I reviewed the SureTrak program here last may I considered myself to be an experienced used who fully understood the features of that powerful PM application. After reading this book I found out that I was only using a fraction of the features that are built into SureTrak. For example, while I knew that it supported multiple calendars. This feature gives you absolute control and is especially useful when you're using subcontractors or multi-national resources. Until I was stepped through it by the book's lessons I didn't know how to fully exploit its power.

It was the same for reports. SureTrak includes reports for every conceivable management style and project type. The problem is there are so many that it's difficult to select the ones best suited to each project's unique requirements or your PM standards. This book clearly explained the reports and clearly explained how to create custom reports in the unlikely event that what you need isn't already included. I also learned a lot from the lessons on resource management, as well as the author's tips for project management in general.

If you're using SureTrak you should get this book because it's a safe bet that you're not using everything it has to offer for planning, scheduling and control - and this book will reveal them.

Although SureTrak Project Manager 3.0 ships with adequate documentation and the program is intuitive, there are three good reasons to buy this book:

1. The product documentation covers every feature - the information about planning and managing projects using this powerful tool is scattered throughout, making it difficult to tap into SureTrak's power without wading through an overwhelming amount of nice-to-know, but non-essential detail.

2. Although anyone who has used Microsoft's ubiquitous MS Project will have no problem getting started with SureTrak, they will miss the true project management features of SureTrak that are not present (or don't correctly work) in MS Project. This book identifies those features and shows how to use them effectively.

3. The author goes beyond merely describing how to use SureTrak by showing you how to use effective project management techniques, many of which take years of managing projects to discover.

The book is structured as a series of 20 lessons (called workshops) that are designed to step you through setting up a project, and planning and scheduling it. If you follow them in sequence you will be able to not only set up a project using SureTrak's rich feature set, but will also pick up general project management techniques along the way. An example of one such technique is how the author classifies projects into four levels for planning and controlling. These levels are based on project complexity, with Level 1 being the simplest and suitable for short projects, to Level 4 for complex, high-value projects. You are given the planning and tracking criteria for each project type, which allows you to tailor your approach as well as ensure that you don't over-manage simple projects or under-manage the complex ones.

You are also shown how to use the more powerful features, such as the many project views (work breakdown structure, activity or resource), managing the sophisticated calendaring functions, and effectively using the resource profiles and reporting features. I particularly like the way earned value is treated. The author shows how to use SureTrak's facilities for managing to earned value, as well as explaining this essential technique (which, by the way, is now a part of the Project Management Institute's PMBOK 2000 version). Another bonus is the way scheduling is explained by walking through adding logic to activities. You'll not only be shown how to perform this task, but given reasons why you should use one approach from among four possibilities to establish relationships. In this example the choices are start-to-start, finish-to-start, start-to-finish and finish-to-finish.

This book is clear, concise and heavily illustrated with screenshots from SureTrak. The tutorial style and the way the lessons are sequenced will get you quickly up-to-speed with SureTrak and give you the knowledge and skills necessary to employ it with minimum reference to the manuals that come with the software.