Book Description

The leading reference for production and inventory control professionals for over 25 years, the Handbook has been totally updated to reflect today's rapidly changing manufacturing environment. The Third Edition now includes 37 contributions from more than 50 distinguished members of the American Production and Inventory Control Soceity (APICS). The work features 15 all-new chapters, covering bar coding, bills of materials, MRPII, customer and vendor relations, TQM topic, and more--plus full details on APICS certification requirements. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent reference on production and inventory control
Yes, it's a bit expensive, but this book is enormous and packed full of information. At 1200 pages, you're probably not going to read this from cover to cover. Instead, you'll want to have this on your shelf whenever you need information on production and inventory management. The book is actually a compilation of chapters by various authors. On the plus side, this results in having each topic covered by an expert on that specific topic. On the minus side, it results in some redundancy from chapter to chapter and inconsistency in the quality of each chapter.
What's great about this book is that if you need information on a topic related to production and inventory management, you are almost certain to find the topic covered in this book. I definitely recommend this as the starting point in your manufacturing operations library. ... Read more

Book Description

Provides an overview of new practices and systems in supply chain management, from logistics information systems architecture to supply chain integration. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Best Practical Reference
This book simply rules the subject area! If you are a practitioner looking for hands-on advice and solid methodology, this is your blueprint. It will jump-start and carry through your Supply Chain/Logistics activities. One of the best Supply Chain books I have encountered. It has a spot on my desk (as opposed to the library).

Academicians, people wanting to broaden horizons, and undergrad students will find this too technical/practical, hard-to-relate, and difficult to pad out their term papers.

Supply Chain Strategy - Classes and Book
The classes at Georgia Tech were fantastic and I have been reading the book since I have returned home.
It is the best book on the subject that I have ever read and I will keep it on my book shelf right next to Gordon Garham's Inventory Management for future reference. I don't want to sound stupid but I like tech books that have a lot of pictures. Dr. Ed Frazelle is a great teacher and I give both the classes and the book my most enthusiastic recommendation.

Typos Galore
This is a comprehensive high-level book for someone who is familiar with, but needs more information on supply chain. It covers the major areas with a good level of detail.

HOWEVER, there are numerous typos and misspellings. For example, a major table on p.36 has its headings transposed, which leaves the readers trying to guess what the author had in mind. If I'm paying $40-50 for a book, I expect that it would be well-edited. ... Read more

Book Description

This book presents the fundamental concepts of project management in a concise fashion with an emphasis on the difficult tradeoffs that must be made by project managers. The authors describe the basic analytical tools and project management methodologies and show how to apply these tools and methodologies to realistic problems.
* Offers a unique balance of theory and practice, with emphasis on the uncertain, risky projects that managers have to manage in the real world.
* Takes an analytical and applied approach.
* Includes Excel templates for all models described in the book on an accompanying disk. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Outstanding! A must-read for project managers!
Very clear and consise! This book does an excellent job of clearly presenting the important concepts of project management. It places emphasis on the realistic problems and tradeoffs that project managers face every day in the real world! I would highly recommend this for all project managers and all others faced with similar tradeoffs. ... Read more

Book Description

This text/reference addresses the unprecedented changes occurring in manufacturing that are being brought about by quality management philosophy — lower inventory, reduced lead-time, preventive maintenance, and increased emphasis on customer satisfaction. Combining theory and practice, it presents alternative systems (models) for managing materials (inventory) — their use, transformation, distribution, and sale — and their flow to, within, and from the organization.Covers forecasting and marketing analysis; independent demand systems (deterministic models/probabilistic models); discrete demand systems (deterministic models/materials requirements planning - MRP); inventory system changes and limitations; single order quantities; in-process inventory, just-in-time, and theory of constraints; distribution inventory systems; inventory valuation and measurement; simulation; and aggregate inventory control. Content progresses from simple systems to more complex models; numerous examples of solved problems and short case studies explore a variety of situations and organizational settings; and appendices provide additional extensions and supporting logic on particular topics.For practitioners and advanced students involved in operations, inventory control, production control, and physical supply in manufacturing. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Technical book on inventory management
I would describe this as a technical book on the science behind inventory management. Much of the book is dedicated to detailing formulas and models used to determine order quantities, lot sizing, demand forecasting, safety stock calculations. Real examples make understanding these complex formulas easier. The book also describes the logic behind MRP and discusses Just-In-Time and Theory of Constraints. I would not recommend this as an introductory book to inventory management but rather a book for those that already have some basic understanding of inventory management and want to take their knowledge to a higher level. I expect to be referring back to this book for years to come.

A book points the right subject at the right place
As a MRP consultant, This book helped me a lot to prepare user training materials. By placing marketing suject at the beginning, this book points where real-world success on implementing Inventory and Material Manage is coming from. Also has good examples and cases. ... Read more

Book Description

Russell and Taylor provide readers with an ideal balance of managerial issues and quantitative techniques. The new Fifth Edition keeps pace with current innovations and issues in the field, particularly those related to the impact of information technology and the global business environment on OM. While emphasizing quality and competitiveness, the book helps readers see how OM relates to real businesses. ... Read more

Book Description

In today's time-based and cost-conscious global businessenvironment, tight project deadlines and stringent expectations are the norm.This classic book provides businesspeople with an excellent introduction toproject management, supplying sound, basic information (along with updated toolsand techniques) to understand and master the complexities and nuances of projectmanagement.

Clear and down-to-earth, this step-by-step guide explains how to effectivelyspearhead every stage of a project--from developing the goals and objectives tomanaging the project team--and make project management work in any company. Thisupdated second edition includes:

* New material on the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK)* Do's and don'ts of implementing scheduling software * Coverage of the PMP certification offered by the Project Management Institute * Updated information on developing problem statements and mission statements * Techniques for implementing today's project management technologies in anyorganization--in any industry. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

A good point to begin
If you are looking for a book that introduce you into project management without boring then it's a good point to begin. It'll give you the basis with an easy and nice prose including for non english.
After read it you'll have better criterion selecting another books to increase you knowledge on project management.

A book a lot of people can read.
I have been trying for some time to get people on my company to read about Project Management, with no success: even if they start, they don't read more than a few chapters. This book has an exceptional advantage over many other books: It is short, instructive, readable, and fun.

In the last three months, I have convinced four people to read this book, lending to them the copy I bought for the company, and two of them bought a copy for themselves (I almost forgot: it is also very inexpensive :-) ). Afterwards, most of them say that the book does not contain any secrets, but it provides an excellent framework on PM, and wets their appetite for this discipline.

By the way, some of the best books on PM I have read come from Amacom. I'd recommend Team Based Project Management, also by James Lewis, and another great book is Information Systems Project Management, by Hallows.

Perfect intro level book
If you need an easy-to-read, beginners level book for Project Management, this is definetely the book. Very clear writing and good examples. It is a fundation builder for a newbie project manager.

117 excellent pages
Reading the reviews, there appears to be a difference of opinion about the value of this book. This book will show anyone how to define the critical path of a project and create a PERT chart to outline the project. If you're looking for something else, you might want to look elsewhere (no GANTT timeline charts here). In addition, there are other excellent, succinct chapters on the art of managing projects. Five stars, because it does exactly what it proposes to do.

Decent if you just need technical info on PM
I'm not a project manager. I'm a system administrator for a large website. I bought this book in my previous job because of all the projects I had to handle, either as a lead or as a key team member. Like many people, I'm often a project manager even though I'm not a Project Manager. The book helped some; I got some of the terminology down and at least now I can follow most of a technical discussion about project management.

That said, 80% of project management is common sense and being organized and responsible. The other 20%, the technical side, is useful, but don't fool yourself. There are probably better PM books out there, especially if you're totally unaccustomed to leading any sort of project. But if you're a pretty organized person who just wants to see what the fuss is all about, this isn't a bad choice. ... Read more

Book Description

This book is a step-by-step guide to achieving inventory record accuracy in a manufacturing, retail, or distribution facility. Starting at day one, Sheldon outlines the necessary elements of procedure and discipline necessary for good sustainable process. The result is 95+% perfect inventory balances in 120 days with minimal cycle counting required for on-going maintenance. The book includes special aids such as Gantt charts, cycle count process parameters, and process celebration points. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Well thought out book on project management
This book provides the basics of project management in an easy to use casual style. It proceeds step by step through building a plan and then managing a project. The chapter on project costing is good, but could use some more detail. The modern and historical examples are usefully examined. These could be expanded more later.

Overall most useful basic project management book
This book not only gives you all of the basics, but also highlights how to use the Internet for project management. Very useful material.

Modern, complete easy to use project management book
Project management for the 21st century is one of the most usable, easy to read, and complete project management books. There are good examples. Techniques are modern--better than that available in other books. This books stresses working together, sharing information, and dealing with resources that are spread among various projects. Very good reference.

Excellent general project management book
This is one of the best project management books for introducing employees to modern project management in an interesting way. Most project management books are ver dry and lack realistic examples. Thus, it is difficult to motivate people to read and use such materials. This is a very practical, down to earth book that has many guidelines that you can use immediately as you read the book. Some of the strengths of the book are: 1) best description of matrix management; 2) use of collaborative tools in managing projects; 3) how to deal with multiple projects; 4) how to share resources across several projects; 5) how to deal with risk in projects. The authors have developed a very creative and useful approach in dealing with project risk that associates project risk with unresolved issues. I highly recommend this book.

Excellent proj. mgmt. book for all levels
This book is very good for all types of projects. It covers setting up a project, organizing the work, managing a project, handling several projects at once, dealing with project issues and crises, using modern technology such as groupware and the Internet. The approach of establishing an issues data base and relating issues to specific tasks in a project is unique. It is very useful. ... Read more

Book Description

Designed to be the ‘best’ book for restaurant management, Restaurant Operations Management  addresses content areas that are integral to a restaurant manager’s job, providing current and practical information. It breaks down the busy and complex world of restaurant management into what the manager must know, from the restaurant’s inception to its actual operation. It focuses on financial, labor, and product resources, within the context of pleasing the guests. Topics cover: industry basics, sanitation, safety, nutrition, marketing, menu planning/design/pricing, human resources, accounting/financial management, standard recipes, product purchasing/receiving/storing/issuing, and restaurant analysis/improvement. Current, practical, and accurate, Restaurant Operations Management is an easy and interesting read for practicing industry professionals, such as restaurant managers, restaurant training managers, restaurant owners, and others wanting to learn effective restaurant management.

Book Description

Working well with others, as important as it may be for efficiency and productivity, is rarely as easy as it sounds.Sometimes we need a little more motivation to understand why the effort is worth it, and this collection of wisdom about working in groups does just that ... Read more

Book Description

Intensifying competition forces companies to closely integrate with their customers and suppliers. Cooperation creates a more flexible supply chain. Yet, lead-times become shorter and demand for increased variety continues to grow. This dilemma requires a means to implement the desired integration.Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is that tool. ERP, a system for effectively planning and managing all the resources of an enterprise, fully utilizes the increased power available in computers today. ERP is distinguished from MRP in its use of relational databases, fourth-generation languages, integrated computer aided engineering tools, and open system portability to adjunct planning systems, finite scheduling systems, and manufacturing execution systems. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

What is it? Pull everything and call it ERP?
I should believed Jim (another reviewer of this book). This book does not focus on ERP. Rather, it's a basic operation management book. There are only 2-3 chapters that really talk about ERP but only introduction. If you look for the introduction, "Daniel E. O'Leary" book is much more valuable (Enterprise Resource Planning Systems : Systems, Life Cycle, Electronic Commerce, and Risk). Although I am an IE, I don't think this book will be interesting other IE too. Like I said in subject, the author(s) try to pull everything, e.g., SCM, OM, and ERP and call it's an integration. The simulation game does not capture neither "fundamental" or "application". I still don't understand why APICS publish this book in the market.

Mile wide-inch deep
This book provides a good overview of ERP and its integration with supply chain planning. However, it appears targeted at the lay person with little experience in manufacturing planning and operations. The examples have little to do with real-world issues (although that makes them easier to understand perhaps.) If you're a manager and want to be able to use the lingo correctly, this might be a good book to buy. If you are really interested in gaining a working knowledge of the subject area, give it a pass.

Excellent guide for ERP users and providers
As an almost novice in ERP systems, I found it interesting to follow up all the chapters of this book: "ERP; tools, techniques, and applications for integrating the supplu chain". The book starts with the history of ERP and descriptions of every aspect of enterprise production systems. Chapters on backgrounds for operations management and each module of ERP systems follow this introductory part. At the end, real-world application issues and implementation problems are discussed. Examples and attached simulator (MICSS, contained in a CD-ROM) provide further demonstration of real case studies. I recommend this book to the intermediate level of ERP users of developers. ... Read more

Book Description

STANDARD WORK FOR THE SHOPFLOOR

Productivity Press Development Team

STANDARD WORK FOR THE SHOPFLOOR is the latest in the Productivity Press"Shopfloor Series" created by our in-house development team. This book is a guide to standardizing and documenting operators’ current best practices on the shop floor. Standardized work stresses consistency while remaining dynamic enough to change with products and process. It documentsguidelines and illustrations for employees performing the same specific job. ... Read more

Book Description

In today's industrial manufacturing Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) is essential in order to cope with the challenges of more demanding global competition. New and more complex products must be introduced to markets faster than ever before. Companies form large collaborative networks, and the product process must flow flexibly across company borders. This first book on Product Lifecycle Management in English language is designed to introduce the reader to the basic terms and fundamentals of PLM and to give a solid foundation for starting a PLM development project. It gives ideas and examples how PLM can be utilized in various industries. In addition, it also offers an insight into how PLM can assist in creating new business opportunities and in making real eBusiness possible. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

PLM book review
This is excellent, seems to me that this is the first time when some one has put all the basics of PLM in one cover.

As I see it, the real PLM problem or challenge is really not the PLM software implementation project. The real issue is to know what to implement! The concept of PLM is still much fuzzier than f. ex. the area of ERPs.
In my company we discussed for ages about certain details of PLM, its contents and the selecting of the SW vendor. However the real big thing was that there were no clear goals for the whole PLM development project. I think we missed our opportunity here because all the discussions and the definitions of PLM were held in very different levels and everybody had very different understanding of PLM
within our organization.

We all should have read something like this before we launched our PLM initiative in our company. This book really gives you good and clear view into PLM. I recommend! ... Read more

Book Description

This new series of fifteen books - The Food Service Professional Guide TO Series from the editors of the Food Service Professional are the best and most comprehensive books for serious food service operators available today.

These step-by-step guides on a specific management subject range from finding a great site for your new restaurant to how to train your wait staff and literally everything in between. They are easy and fast -to-read, easy to understand and will take the mystery out of the subject. The information is "boiled down" to the essence. They are filled to the brim with up to date and pertinent information.

The books cover all the bases, providing clear explanations and helpful, specific information. All titles in the series include the phone numbers and web sites of all companies discussed. What you won’t find are wordy explanations, tales of how someone did it better, or a scholarly lecture on the "theory". Think of them as "Cliff Notes TM" on the subject matter.

Every paragraph in each of the books are comprehensive, well researched, engrossing, and just plain fun-to-read, yet are packed with interesting ideas. You’ll be using your highlighter a lot! The best part aside from the content is they are very moderately price. You can also purchase the whole 15 book series the isbn number is 0-910627-26-6. You are bound to get a great new idea to try on every page if not out of every paragraph. Do not be put off by the low price, these books really do deliver the critical information and eye opening ideas you need you to succeed without the fluff so commonly found in more expensive books on the subject. Highly recommended! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great Book - Great Value
It takes alot more than top-shelf cocktails to produce a successful beverage operation. In today's market, whether running a stand-alone business or one incorporated into a restaurant, hotel, or foodservice operation, the successful bar operator needs to have product and equipment knowledge, management savvy, marketing skills, insight into the latest trends, and, of course, a strong grasp of mixology-all of which are detailed here in This Book. Has the most up-to-date material on managing a beverage operation, bar equipment, sanitation and bar setup, managing inventory, marketing and planning for profit.Get it you will not be dissapointed especially at this low price ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Another Rushed Tech Book
Not a very readable book, straight scoop. It does certainly throw a lot of information at you. It's chock full of diagrams and pseudocode, but I haven't been able to make heads or tails out of a significant number of them. Which makes me think that the authors had at least an inkling of what they were writing about, but failed to take the time to develop and refine their explanations and reasoning. Very appearant by detailed selections here and there. They also seem to be hung up on their IBM product experiences; narrowness of scope quikly leading into "train of thought" explanations. A classic "Ugh!" book that makes you feel like you wasted "money."

Here is an example paragraph that I just happened to turn to, but it is indicative of the problems throughout the book. Practically the whole book is like this!:

"Before a user can perform any work, he must establish a session with the workflow management system. The session is initiated by the user starting the appropriate workflow management system client component and providing his user identification and password. If both entries are correct, the workflow management system establishes a session. Within a session, the workflow management system assumes that all requests are coming from the user that who established the session. The session can also be terminated automatically by the workflow management system if the user has not been active for a specified period of time. This measure prohibits unauthorized use of the system if a user forgets to terminate a session." p. 101

See what I mean? I wish to add that I am somewhat dissappointed at Prentice Hall publishers. This book is not an exception, but a continuing trend for them. Their editing efforts sadly put them in the league with SAMS and QUE books, IMO. For excellent tech books, it's still O'Reilly (ORA) and Addison Wesley at the top of the heap!

Comprehensive
This is a good book. It covers a wider range of topics and provides more details than any other workflow book I read. The authors target technical people who are interested in building, evaluating, or using workflow systems. The book doesn't provide all the implementation details you would need to build a workflow system, though. But once you read it you'll have a better idea about what it takes to do it.

The first part of the book discusses concepts relevant to workflow management. The authors cover a wide range of topics, from business processes to workflow basics to advanced workflow features like dynamic modification of workflows. However, some concepts don't fit in as nicely as others, which makes it seem unfinished. For example, in Chapter 4 the authors present in great detail a formal workflow metamodel. But 63 pages later they don't show how the reader can use this formal treatment: "One of the advantages of representing a metamodel in a formal manner is that one can prove statements formulated in the corresponding language. In our case, properties of process model graphs can their instances can be derived." The chapter ends with a 1/2 page (sketch of a) process termination proof.

The second part of the book focuses on techniques for implementing workflow systems. Here the authors discuss objects, transactions, advanced workflow functionality, and the architecture of workflow systems and workflow-based applications. These chapters seem more biased by IBM's MQSeries Workflow system (with which both authors have been involved) than claimed in the preface. Therefore, the presentation revolves around the techniques used in IBM's product and shadows other alternatives.

Many discussions in this book are followed by examples in the Flow Definition Language used by MQSeries Workflow. There are two problems with this approach. First, unless the reader uses the same workflow system, I question its value. Second, the FDL examples focus on specification rather than implementation. Probably the majority of readers are interested in the latter (which is missing) rather than the former. In fact, throughout the 2nd part the presentation of different techniques remains on a conceptual level.

Object technology seems an afterthought. While you can find the word "object" quite often, this book doesn't show how workflow management systems can benefit from object-oriented technology. The authors regard objects as components that merely encapsulate the implementations workflow activities. Their treatment ignores the other key features of object-orientation (inheritance and polymorphism). Incidentally, Chapter 6 (Workflow and Objects) is one of the shortest chapters in the book.

Some additional comments:

- There are a few places where the authors provide basic background information which probably should be left out. For example, Section 10.1.1 on Availability introduces MTBF and MTTR. In my opinion, unless this discussion is tied into workflow (which is not), it doesn't belong to this book. But this may not be the case for someone who hasn't encountered these concepts.

- The travel reservation example from Appendix A is too simple. As in the previous chapters, the authors spend a great deal with the FDL specification. I would have liked to see a more elaborate example that convinces the reader about the benefits of workflow technology. For example, does the 2nd part of the travel reservation process really require workflow, or merely a batch system?

To summarize, Production Workflow has an intrinsic bias that stems from the authors' experience with the FlowMark and MQSeries Workflow systems. Both these systems use persistent queues and relational database technology. The uninitiated reader may be led to believe that there are no other technologies for building workflow systems, when in fact this is not true. However, the experienced reader should be able to filter out the bias and project the ideas discussed in the book into different contexts.

As far as the quality of the book is concerned, it looks like a rushed job from the publisher's side. I have found quite a few typos, errors, and inconsistencies which should have been fixed by the copy editors.

The best book I've read on workflow today
A really complete book on workflow covering both technical and business aspects. A must-read for anybody who wants a coverage of both practical and theoretical issues of WF Management. More oriented towards technical people than business people and very useful as a basis for lectures on the topic. It could have covered other WFMS and models than only MQ-series in order to be more complete, but as the focus is mainly put on models and architecture the book does not appear as a IBM white paper. Anyway, this is already a very good book on Workflow and the best I've read today. ... Read more

Book Description

This unique and cutting-edge book takes Lean beyond your four walls to the end-to-end supply chain. The authors discuss how to integrate the total value stream — vertically, horizontally, and laterally and achieve success through empowered people and teams, cultural transformation, and an integration of Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, and enabling technologies such as ERP, SCM, APS, CRM, PLM, networks, exchangers, and portals. Using the Lean Extended Enterprise Reference Model (LEERM), the authors demonstrate that by deploying the right methodologies and technologies to the right situation you can achieve huge breakthroughs in performance. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

The Lean Extended Enterprise: Moving Beyond the Four Walls t
This is an excellent book that I have purchased for key leaders in my organization. It does a great job of linking Value Stream Mapping to Lean Concepts.

the lan extended enterprise
Being a "real world" lean practitioner and having gone through the many trappings in "going lean," I found T. Burton and S. Boeder's book, "The Lean Extended Enterprise" to be one of the most practical and usefull text on the market. These authors have blended the best of academics, case histories, lean tools, and industrial science to provide a road map to navigate a lean implimentation. I.e., not only on the shop floor, but across the enterprise. This helps preclude the sub-optimiztion syndrome and lack of work organization and syncronization that many of us have experienced while attempting to go "lean."

Great reference for Enterprise application of lean
The book provides a great reference model ("Lean Extended Enterprise Reference Model-LEERM") for understanding the strucure and framework for assisting companies, their customers, and suppliers in transitioning to a total value stream conversion to lean. Unfortuately most books on the subject of lean only address the application of specific lean tools (Kanban, SMED, etc.) and do not provide the strucured methodology necessary for aligning the total organization. The Lean Extended Enterprise Model outlined in the book identifies Panels of Value Stream Integration; (1) Strategic Journey Panel, (2) Best Practices and Principles Panel, (3) Implementation Panel,(4) Methodologies, Tools,and Enabling Technologoes Panel. Additionally the book provides a formal performance measurement tool to support the Lean Extended Enterprise Reference Model. The termed used to define this model by the authors is "Lean Extended Enterprise Assessment Process-LEEAP". Seven major evaluation areas are identified in detail; (1) Leadership, (2) Customer and market focus. (3) Uniform improvement infrastructure, (4) Value stream processes, (5) Extended enterprise integration, (6) organizational learning, and (7) Performance measurement. This book is a must read reference for those companies who are serious about implementing Lean throughout the entire Supply Chain.

Lean Extended Enterprise
The book does a good job by meeting its objectives. It provides guidence for the executive that's trying to fit everything into the process from strategic planning to execution.

Too broad a brush...
What I would thought would bring to me some new concept or ideas to continue to move in the Lean Enterprise direction and conversion, is however a "summary" of all the different available tools, with nothing new about them. Unfortunately not written for those of you who have already started to implement Lean approches in Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Product Development, or else. Good for the ones looking at the different options and trying to see what can be the whole picture... ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Excellent approach to project management information!
I have a library full of Project Management books, and I use them mostly as references, looking up a particular piece of information as I need it. They're far too boring to approach them any other way! This book is different. The mix of humor and practicality is wonderful, and encourages you to read this book from cover to cover. Yes, it still has all the information you need to put Project Management to work in your career and your organization. But it's a good read, too, and keeps you turning the pages!

Herding Chickens
Great book with nice mix of humor and practical advise.The author is right, project management is not like herding cats. It is more closely aligned with herding chickens.Hopefully by applying the practical advise in this book, my head will not be on the "chopping block" and my team wil not be "running around like chickens with their heads cut off".Read, learn and enjoy!

Herding Chickens - what a hoot!
As a practicing project manager for almost 15 years and reading PMBOK and Kertzner, this was a refreshing change.Not that I have anything against theory (the former), but practical application (the later) and real life examples are much more useful to me in my day to day "crowing & scratching" to bring project teams together and work in harmony to get the right things done, in the right amount of time for the right price.Nice job Dan & David!Now when is your book on relationships coming out????

Great book...Read only if you want to acomplish things
The only reason I didn't rate it five stars is because there weren't many pictures of pretty women.

However, Bradbary and Garrett really helped me organize and accomplish tasks. This is a must read if you really want to get things done and motivate team members to accompish goals.

Great book - great read
I read more than half the book the night I bought it, and finished it the next dayIt gives good common sense advice and provides real world examples.If your new to Project Management or an old hand you will find good information, good advice, and great tips.
I want my whole team to read it! ... Read more

Book Description

Proactive Risk Management provides product development teams and managers with a step-by-step process for managing innovation risk in an effective cross-functional manner. In addition to providing a formula, this book illuminates the rationale of managing project risks allowing project and product development managers to successfully adapt the process to their organizations and projects.

Proactive Risk Management's unique approach provides:

- A model of risk that is scalable to any size project or program and easily deployable as the risk management approach built into any product development or project management life cycle.

- Methods for identifying drivers (causes) of risks so you can manage root causes rather than the symptoms of risks.

- An appropriate quantification of the key factors of a risk that allows you to prioritize risks without introducing errors that render your numbers meaningless.

- A clear distinction between a risk and an issue and the different types of management they require.

- A vast array of supporting tools and strategies that support implementation of an effective project risk management program.

- Guidance on identifying and overcoming the organizational and cultural impediments that can block implementation of your risk management program.

Proactive Risk Management stands apart from much of the literature on project risk management in its practical, easy-to-use, fact-based approach to managing all of the risks associated with a project. The depth of actual how-to information and techniques provided here is not available anywhere else. _____________________

Advance Praise for Proactive Risk Management:

"The authors present an easy-to-understand model and an easy-to-implement set of steps to successful risk management. This book should be required reading for project and product managers. I believe you can read it one day, implement it the next, and begin seeing results immediately. The model and approach presented here navigates the knife-edge between the obvious babbling and the philosophical musing that seems to dominate the risk management literature." Patrick Neal, Ph.D. PMP, Manager, Project Management Network, Agilent Technologies

"In our fast-paced environment, there is ever-increasing pressure to bring successful new products and services to market faster than before. This means that risk management is strategically important to the success of your project or venture. Proactive Risk Management provides proven techniques for assessing and avoiding risks before they hinder the results of your project. This excellent manual will be my standard reference on the subject from now on." Dr. Peter Maddern, Product Development Manager, Kimberly-Clark Europe

"Successfully managing complex product development projects -- and keeping effected customers, stakeholders and team members connected -- requires clear communication. In my experience as a leader of projects and project managers -- in Defense, Aerospace, Commercial Consumer Electronics, and Medical Devices/Bio Pharmaceuticals -- the most effective basis for that communication is risk identification and management. Proactive Risk Management provides an extremely practical guide to the tools, techniques, and strategies that best enable that risk-based communication. It is clear that identifying and accepting the "right" risks within a project can be a powerful competitive edge. Keep a copy of this book on your desk and in the hands of your teams - I will." Mike Shires, Vice President, Global Program Management, Baxter Healthcare

"This book clearly communicates the challenges of risk management in product development and provides simple, proven methods for addressing them. The authors' experience with managing risk in product development is clearly evidenced in their practical treatment of the subject. They take a holistic view of product development and illuminate the cross-functional nature of risk in product development. They then offer a straightforward procedure for managing risk and suggestions for implementing techniques in the real world." Kent Harmon, Director, Product Development Improvement, HPA Division, Texas Instruments

"You can read Proactive Risk Management, begin implementing strategies, and start seeing immediate results. For survival in these uncertain times, Smith and Merritt offer the straightforward procedures applicable to any product development project." Ruth Carter, Director of Program Management, InFocus Corporation

"Proactive Risk Management provides the right amount of depth and breadth in its discussion of ways to model, predict, measure, and control risks that arise in projects. It is written in a style that is easy to read and understand; a style that makes you eager to apply the knowledge to your own projects. I am sure that I will go back to it repeatedly for insights and tactics." Dr. J.M. Radovich, Director, Research & Development Fenwal Division, Baxter ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Clear and Informative
Over the years, I have encountered nearly every kind of risk in software projects. I found the suggestions in this book for risk analysis and risk management to be simple, clear, and actionable.

If you're a project manager or a team leader, you need to read this book or one very much like it. Otherwise, you're likely to lead a project without knowing or controlling its risks.

If you are not in a leadership position, use the concepts in this book to evaluate your leaders. That way, you can find out early how things are likely to turn out.

best book on prject management risk analysis
I found this book to be the most approachable, and day to day useful text on risk, currrently available. The authors make it easy to understand, provide a progressive example that builds on the model presented, and they provide a useful risk management toolkit.
As a trainer, I found the concepts easy to get across to students. They were also able to retain these concepts because they made so much sense.
Buy it!

Proactive Risk Management
This book is right right on target in its ability to bring risk management down to a practical level that can be easily applied in most businesses. Too many risk management books exist today that are very theortical in their treatment of risk. Preston has been able to bring theory down to a practical level that can be used daily in product development situations. This is what is needed in most businesses today, simple yet effective risk management.

Clear and effective prescription for NPD risk!
"Proactive Risk Management" is by far the clearest and most direct treatment I've found for managing risk within New Product Development projects. Preston Smith has done an excellent job of taking a complex topic (one which has recently become much more important in an unforgiving economic environment), distilling it down to a simple but elegantly powerful risk model, and embedding that model within a proven continuous risk management process.

I'm always delighted to read Smith's articles in the product development journals (e.g. PDMA JPIM, Research-Technology Management). He's hit the nail on the head with this book - his earlier treatments on risk pointed out the need for NPD risk management, but lacked the detail needed to tackle risk in a way that could be immediately implemented. He's now closed that gap, and NPD professionals will find immediate gain from his work.

The book is very well written and organized. The running example, as well as the more detailed case studies, provide the implementation examples that easily moves one from theory to practice. The examples of spreadsheets and risk maps are a snap to replicate, and they work. The graphics and charts are clear and to the point. Smith's direct in-the-trenches experience clearly shows - this is not a theoretical/academic treatment, but instead is an insightful distillation of a great deal of thought and trial reduced to concise practice. As the earlier reviewer points out, there's very little not to like here!

One of the biggest points of this book is that risk does not reside only within the technical realm, but must be managed across functions (marketing, manufacturing, support, etc...) and over the complete span of the development and delivery effort. This holistic view provides the framework to true product success.

(The reviewer is currently corporate NPD manager at a major semiconductor firm, previously managed Technology Strategy at a Fortune 100 company, and is PDMA NPDP certified.)

Risk Management applied to Product Development
There's very little about Proactive Risk Management not to like. It has an excellent format, with an executive summary chapter up front, then detailed how-to chapters. I especially liked the analogy to FMEA's (Failure Modes Effects Analysis). Comparison with FMEA's puts it in perspective, which is such an everyday tool for many engineers, it's easy to understand how it is risk management also, just with a very narrow scope. This book can be either skimmed fairly quickly initially, with Caution, Key Idea, and Example markers easily focusing concentration on key points and items to refer back in the future. However, the detailed chapters allow the book to also be used as a "how-to" manual. There are many examples throughout the book, most from actual product development uses of Risk Management, and a chapter devoted to two case studies, plus a hypothetical running example used in several chapters.

There is a good discussion about how risk management fits into the overall product development process. I also liked the frequent comparisons of issue vs. risk, I can see the confusion arising on this, and I thought these were well clarified. As I read the book, I went back and forth on whether there should be more discussion of broader use of risk management than pure product development- i.e. starting up a new manufacturing plant. Fortunately, one of the case studies touched on this exact scenario.

I highly recommend Proactive Risk Management. I think there's little doubt that usage of this tool will continue to increase, and this is as thorough, yet easy to understand and apply, of a book on the subject that one could hope to find. ... Read more

Book Description

Ideal for those with no prior manufacturing background or knowledge, this book provides an exceptionally "real-world" exploration of manufacturing principles, the functioning team, and basic improvement practices -- showing how operators and technicians actually work in manufacturing today.Uses actual case studies -- from operators and technicians in manufacturing -- describing modern-day dilemmas of manufacturing firms -- often with no right or wrong answer. Covers the statistics and probability needed by an operator or technician in manufacturing -- rather than those that are more appropriate for engineers or statisticians. Uses a manufacturing example to show how to manually plot a Statistical Process Control (SPC) chart. Covers manufacturing improvement programs; manufacturing teams; the process; sources of process waste; improvement; continual improvement; basic statistics for improvement; Statistical Process Control Charts; interpreting SPC charts for team action; process capability and improvement.For technicians and operators interested in the process of manufacturing. ... Read more

Book Description

PRAISE FOR Professional Services Automation

"SPO/PSA should be viewed by the market as a cost of doing business or, in other words, a competitive necessity for conducting business in the services economy."
–Ted Kempf, Principal Analyst, Gartner

"The depth and breadth of coverage is extraordinary. Any professional or firm considering the implementation of PSA must stop here first–to make a PSA decision without consulting this book first would be foolish."
–Rick Freedman, author, The IT Consultant and The eConsultant

"I have requested each and every department in my organization to look at their respective chapters for incredible insight and concrete solutions."
–Jean Denis Talon, President and CEO, AXA

"This is the reference book that you need to pick up and consider periodically as you plan, analyze, select, and roll out enterprise software."
–Stuart Sackman, Vice President, ADP

"This book is a perfect starting point for any organization wishing to improve their services delivery through the implementation of a PSA product. It provides a clear overview of all of the aspects to consider when evaluating PSA products as well as how to avoid the stumbling blocks to successful PSA implementation."
–Michael Lines, PMP, Publisher, allPM.com–The Project Manager’s Homepage

"This guide addresses appropriately the subject of project management as an integral component of the PSA business environment–a sensible and pragmatic approach."
–Lloyd Bartlett, P. Eng., MBA, PMP, Lecturer in Project Management, McGill University ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Excellent book
PSA: Optimizing Project and Service Oriented Organizations is an excellent book, which provides today's executives with the kind of knowledge they need to really set themselves ahead of the game.
Very well written and easy to understand, the book is full of graphics, diagrams, figures and charts that explain basic concepts common to all PSA systems. I particularly like the PSA cycle diagram that demonstrates the various aspects of a powerful PSA solution...

Working in the services industry I can truly appreciate this type of reference book, mainly since it provides an overview of all of the important aspects to consider when evaluating PSA products. As well, it describes methods of avoiding difficulties that will come in the way of a successful PSA implementation. Another impressive and very useful part of the book is their professional services automation request for proposal template that addresses key questions in order to properly implement such a solution.

The authors share their six years expertise in the field by providing their view of PSA through real life experiences of veteran project managers, IT experts and business executives. I think this is the best book ever written about PSA, and from my understanding, the only book on this subject.

A must for everybody who is involved in the service industry.

Thorough, informative and practical - this book is GREAT
Thorough, informative and practical - this book is a great read. The authors have done a commendable job in addressing the topic of PSA solutions. The book provides the reader with a clear-cut roadmap for keeping your projects and services on track- from the initiation phase through completion.

What I liked most about the book was the fact that the concepts were presented in a way that could easily be understood. The most prominent factor that made this book so good and useful is that it offered an exceptional tutorial on successful project and service management through a PSA implementation.

Boring!
I did not get much out of this book, and I do not think
it is a fair representation of what PSA really is. They seem
to focus on the technology represented by one particular
vendor's solution instead of an industry overview.

Optimized and Specialized ERP for White Collar PSORGs
"The primary focus of traditional Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems is the blue-collar world of factory automation and the world of accounting systems, where the raw data tends to be rolled up and summarized into the organizational structures that were built to conform to the accounting view of the enterprise. These accounting views are useful in the production of general ledgers and other high-level accounting snapshots of the enterprise, but they usually bear little relationship to the dynamic way project-focused organizations are structured and continually restructured around new projects...Regardless of the acronym used, whether it is PSA (Professional Service Automation), SPO (Service Process Optimization), SRM (Service Relationship Management), or any other variation, they all refer to the same thing. Their ultimate goal is also the same: Maximize the performance of white collar project-and-service oriented organizations (PSORGs) ant their staff...These solutions automate and integrate core business processes with the intent of increasing the efficieny of how projects are planned, budgeted, created, staffed, scheduled, implemented, and billed in the real world...Very few PSORGs efficiently deliver their projects or services. Due to increased industry complexities and inefficiient corporate processes, service workers are not focusing on their key responsibilities. Instead, they are being bombarded with increasing numbers of administrative tasks, technology issues, unmanageable workloads, and either a lack of useful information or an inundation of useless detail (or both). There is a great need and an increasing demand for software applications to make PSORGs more productive and more profitable. PSA applications, or the many other similar acronyms, descriibe a set of software solutions that have been designed to achieve such a goal" (from the Preface).

In this context, Rudolf Melik et. al. define this invaluable book's goal is to assist the reader in identifying the key concepts of PSA solutions, their principle features, criteria for selecting them, and their implementation requirements. According to them, PSA functionality can be divided into following multiple core components and extended components:

I. Core Components:

* Performance analysis: Executive reporting, OLAP-based multidimensional data analysis, ROI, and decision support. Quick and customizable home, portal, and dashboard views and peer reviews.

* Operations: Organization breakdown structure (OBS) management, site management, scoping, business rules, component-based security profiles, access rights, audit trails, general ledgers, and terminology settings.

* Resource management: Skills and expertise assessment and matching. Resource allocation, search, scheduling, leveling, forecasting, and availability.

* Project management: Work breakdown structure (WBS) and engagement tracking. Multiple levels for budgeting amounts, duration, schemes, thresholds, and estimate to complete (ETC). Project scheduling, quality control, and R&D claim management. Seamless integration with major project management applications.

* Revenue & cost accounting: Cost and billing rate engine, support for dependencies, history, custom rules, fixed, hourly, daily, custom, WBS, and split billing settings. Multicurrency support, tax category and jurisdictions, Invoicing and payroll wizards and payment processing.

* Timesheet management: Timesheet submission, validation, and approval, compliance reporting, supervisory controls, automatic approval, notes, document attachments, and work assignment. Regional holiday, overtime, and administrative task processing, constraints, validations, and usage rules. Adjustment, status indicators, and mass update. Compliance to regulations for govermental and regional guidelines.

* Expense reporting: Expense submission, validation, and approval, compliance reporting, markups, business rules, document/receipt attachment thresholds, foreign currency conversions, supervisory controls, automatic approval, and work assignment. Offline expense reports and multiple expense report views from which to choose.

* Knowledge management: Hierarchical view of the entire organization, knowledge repositories, document management, full text searches, best practice templates, keyword searches, advanced queries, company policies, coorporate handbooks, and collaboration.

* Strategic sourcing: Requisitions, purchase orders, suppliers, customizable workflow engine, document attachments, staff purchasing, and receipts.

* Request and issue tracking: Call tracking and escalation, change and process management, help desk, classification, notes, document attachments, and a customizable workflow engine.

II. Extended Components:

* Customer and partner relationship management (CRM and PRM): Some PSA solutions include CRM and PRM functionality. CRM includes customer self-services, contact management, marketing campaigns, and a more sophisticated demand management system. PRM automates the workflows and processes of finding, training, and managing partners.

* Human resource management (HR): HR systems process the staff requisition, purchasing, and recruitment process.

* Complete enterprise accounting: Invoices, accounts payable/receivable, revenue recognition, and other such information generated by a PSA solution is exchanged with the organization's accounting system.

Finally, they write that "PSA is the first class of software that provides a comprehensive end-to-end solution that uniquely addresses the needs and problems of PSORGs. This class of software solutions is rapidly evolving into the ERP for white collar project- or service-driven organizations...Every PSA solution has its unique set of strengths and limitations. Determining which areas are important to your business is the key to selecting the most effective solution. PSA is no longer a way to have software or a means to gain competitive advantage; PSA is rapidly becoming a must-have tool for project and service oriented organizations" (pp.339-341).

Highly recommended.

A consultant's perspective from the UK
To be honest, I was worried that this book might put me, and a large proportion of the consultancy profession, out of a job. With things as they are, it wouldn't have taken much!

I needn't have been concerned. The book is so long at over 400 pages that most potential clients probably won't be bothered to read it all, and those that do will realise that it's a sufficiently complex subject that calling up the cavalry is likely to be the most effective approach, at least first time round.

Unsurprisingly, in view of the authors representing a large proportion of the senior management of Tenrox, this would make an extremely good text book for ERP or CRM salesmen who have identified a brand new seam to be mined. The content will effectively allow them to short circuit the process of developing convincing arguments for investment. This actually shouldn't be too difficult, although perhaps I'm biased about the potential benefits that holistic PSA systems could bring to service sector organisations. Even those in other sectors with significant internal service departments (well, those organisations that haven't discovered the mixed blessings of outsourcing) would benefit enormously.

So what is actually in the book? Well, to start with there's a Foreword from Ted Kempf of Gartner Dataquest (still smarting at Aberdeen's David Hofferberth pre-empting the invention of the definitive TLA for the market) who has only apparently managed to identify 28 PSA vendors, when it's actually nearer a hundred - and still counting.

If you want to sound knowledgable without spending too much time reading, then the Preface and Part 1 effectively explain and summarise what PSA (or SPO, or ESM, or whatever your preferred analyst chooses to call it) actually is.

The bulk of the book is to be found in Part 2, which lists and explains the relevant characteristics of all the components of a PSA system. This is not rocket science by any means, but the explanations put the software into a business context. Add this to a good book on running a professional firm (anything by Maister!) and you have the essential elements to begin to re-engineer your service organisation for the twenty-first century.

First time through you could probably afford to skip Part 3, which is a worthy but unremarkable exposition of how the selection and implementation process should be approached, as well as Part 4 which is a surprisingly brief look into the future of PSA. Perhaps that's because it doesn't mention Microsoft!

Among the Appendices is to be found a template Request for Proposal. This is mainly what gave me concerns regarding my redundancy, but while it actually represents a good guide for the production of a real-life RfP, a lot more work would actually need to be done to tailor it to the needs of a specific service organisation. Whew . . .

Overall I have to congratulate the authors on taking on a big challenge. It used to be that IBM would educate a market before selling into it. In their absence the guys from Tenrox have made an extremely brave attempt, which I am sure will prove of benefit to all participants in the PSA sector. ... Read more