Project Management- A Systems Approach to Planning- Scheduling- and Controlling Description:

Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling review:
4 stars (EXCELLENT REFERENCE TOOL, BUT VERY DRY READING) - Okay, this book is long, and very dry reading material. Most individuals I've talked to buy it exclusively for the halo factor - having this book on their shelf makes them look like they understand the academics of project management.



I would never recommending reading the entire book, but it is an invaluable reference - the bible/koran/gita for project management in my view.



IF YOU'RE PREPARING FOR THE PMP EXAM.

I read the following chapters through at least once each which helped my comprehension of the subject matter immensely:

- Organizational Structures

- Management Functions

- Conflicts

- Quality

- Procurement
5 stars (A very good all-in-one book) - The book deals with the PMI's PMBOK areas of focus in a very structured way. Definitely a useful tool for PMP exam. In addition the book is definite winner for any practioner of PM. A full detailed chapter on pricing and estimation .... not to mention another on management of conflicts in PM scenario. It also has a Chapter on Critical Chain Management which is very much the topic today. ALL ROUND WINNER.
2 stars (A monolithic reference) - This Book is just a monolithic reference that I used for a class. Don't try and learn from it.The PMP exam is not as hard as you think; yes it is high pressure, time wise. It has primarily 2 types of questions. 1 is memory recall. 2. Is testing your experience, that is to say how do you respond to a given situation, what is your rational or judgment? And every question is tied directly or indirectly to the PMBOOK. Read it Twice. I used The PMBOOK with a book written in narrative style chapter for chapter against the PMBOOK. It's called "Information Technology Project Management" by Kathy Schwalbe. It has some simple IT examples that most business people can understand after all Project Management is irrelevant to industry. And The Project Manager (person) is not. Also Parts of the book "Project Management: The Managerial Process" by Clifford F. Gray. For Scope, Time, Cost, and Risk. The cheapest and "good" situational questioner (with explanations and references to the PMBOOK) and memory jogger (two products) come from ESI international, do a search on the web for company info; the author is J. Leroy Ward. These two books again are mapped directly to the PMBOOK. Use your experience, Intuition and smarts to answer the questions. Memories all economic formulas. Sleep tight and then go do the exam