Risk Management by Coleman



A Practical Guide to Risk Management by Thomas S. Coleman

Managing risk is at the core of managing any financial organization. Risk measurement and quantitative tools are critical aids for supporting risk management, but quantitative tools alone are no substitute for judgment, wisdom, and knowledge. Managers within a financial organization must be, before anything else, risk managers in the true sense of managing the risks that the firm faces

Thomas S. Coleman's book, A Practical Guide to Risk Management, is a thoughtful, engaging work that board members and senior managers, in particular, will find most instructive. Coleman argues that, while risk measurement is a specialized technical discipline that should often be housed in a separate department, risk management is the responsibility of the board, the CEO, and every line manager in the firm. One chapter presents fundamental concepts of risk management, including a lucid explanation of frequency-based and belief-based probability. 

Another, devoted to managing risk, incorporates a superb essay comparing a firm's financial exposures to small-group ski mountaineering in avalanche country. The author also surveys historic trading losses and comments on specific cases of fraud and "normal business activity gone wrong." In addition, there is a full-length primer on measuring risk and a brief consideration of the uses and limitations of quantitative techniques. Valuable for motivated generalists and experienced risk professionals alike, Coleman's work fully meets the standards of excellence in writing and editing we have come to expect from the Research Foundation of CFA Institute.

Written by a 'hands-on' & obviously very experienced manager of risk, this is an excellent introduction to the subject, and all the better for the fact it is free!!

Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher




Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Roger Fisher (Author), William L. Ury (Author), Bruce Patton (Author)

The foundation of all great negotiation books, Getting to Yes gives you the real essence of mutual gains negotiation. It's a neat, concise, little paperback, and a fast read. It's so neat and concise, in fact, that you should buy multiple copies and hand them out to people you like - or to people you want to like you. I've read it a dozen or so times and I keep finding new insights. 

The main ideas of the book are that positional negotiation is pointless, and that our negotiations should focus on interests rather than positions. As far as I'm concerned, if that's the only thing you recall from reading this book, you'll have learned something indispensable. But, by the time you finish Getting to Yes, you'll be convinced that negotiation is a simple matter of figuring out what you really want, what the other side wants, and working out the space where those interests intersect -- despite the generalizations, deletions, and distortions the other side might use to confuse you. One of the leading fundamental constructs presented in Getting to Yes - which differs radically from my own number one tenet - is "separate the people from the problem." 

Getting to Yes proposes that problems exist objectively and can be analyzed on their own merits, independent of people's perceptions, attributions, and relationships. My contention is that a problem only exists to whatever extent it is perceived by the beholder. As such , there is no problem if you separate the people from it. In real life, it's impossible to disentangle people issues from discussions of "concrete substance." 

Regardless of the prescriptive in Getting to Yes, real problem solving negotiations require constant simultaneous attention to the problem and the people. The skills you really need to extract and understand others' perceived interests in the context of a relationship aren't taught in Getting to Yes. 

The book diagnoses the conditions that cause difficulty in negotiation, but doesn't offer all components of the cure. Nevertheless, one dose each of Sales Effectiveness Training and Getting to Yes should cure just about anything that ails any normal negotiation. As John Kenneth Galbraith says of Getting to Yes, "This is by far the best thing I've ever read about negotiation...equally relevant for the individual who would like to keep his friends, property, and income and the statesman who would like to keep the peace." What other endorsement do you need?

How new managers become successful : Selden




What To Do When You Become The Boss: How new managers become successful managers by Bob Selden

Management books are commonplace and most everyone who works in the managerial realm has read at least one book on the subject. Unfortunately for the inspiration- seeking manager, books that deal with management are often dull and sleep- inducing. But to every rule there is an exception and "What to Do When You Become the Boss" is certainly one of them. This management book is different in many ways from the typical management book, both in organization and in content. Starting with an introduction that includes a self- assessment of management style, What to Do When You Become the Boss is a proactive book from beginning to end. This book's goal isn't to explain theories of management. It focuses instead on taking action; implementing change, improving organization, and formulating a strategy that will help a manager achieve his/her greatest potential.

As mentioned before, the introduction of this book includes a self- assessment test that is intended to help the manager find which of four categories- Activist, Reflector, Theorist, or Pragmatist- his/her style of learning/managing matches most closely. Once the personal style is known, the reader is prepared to read and learn. To help make the book more useful to readers and to help managers concentrate on the material with the greatest relevance, there are directions (starting in Part 2) that recommend turning directly to a particular chapter, based on which of the four styles the reader fits. By following these directions, a manager can bypass the less relevant information and proceed to the material that pertains specifically to them.

Even though I fit the definition of a pragmatist, I decided to read the entire book to see what it had to offer and discover how it could help me as a manager. A management book, if it is written correctly, can prove to be a valuable learning tool and it can help tremendously in the daily act of managing people, money, projects, etc. And this book is certainly one of the more helpful I have read on the subject of management. Not only does this book offer some new and different advice on management, it is also very well organized, with case examples; tables; charts; and summaries of the key points in each chapter. The organization makes it easy to thumb through the pages of the book and find the needed advice and the charts and tables help to organize the data further, making the book easy to understand and easy to follow.

What to Do When You Become the Boss is a book about taking charge and working to improve your business, your co- workers, your subordinates, your supervisor, and yourself. This is probably the main quality that sets this book apart from most other management books. Instead of boring the reader to tears with behavioral concepts and management theory, this book moves directly to the action. For example, instead of explaining how Classic Management theory would suggest the proper way to search for the right employee for a position, this book explains exactly what to do, step by step, to maximize the chance of finding exactly the right person for the job. From an analysis of requirements for the position to the implementation of the new employee into the organization, this book offers precise methodologies to help a manager succeed.

Besides the common topics covered in most managerial books, What to Do When You Become the Boss includes a few chapters that set it apart from the usual book. It contains some of the usual material (like ways to motive employees, give effective feedback, etc.) but it also includes a few chapters that offer some advice on topics not discussed very frequently in management books. Examples include the chapters on choosing and managing your boss. Most people don't think of their boss as someone they "manage" or "get to select", but like the book points out, it is very important that a manager's immediate supervisor is someone he/she can trust and someone he/she can go to for advice and assistance when needed. The book recommends examining your future boss starting with the initial interview and he even offers some questions to ask your future boss during the interview process.

Author Bob Selden is a native of Australia, so his writing is a little different from what is usually found in a book written by an American author. For example, it is common to find the letter "s" in place of "z" (like, "organisation" instead of "organization") in some of the words and some of the writing may not be as grammatically user- friendly as some readers would like. Also, some of the advice may not be completely practical to everyone and may require some modification to fit individual needs and requirements. One good example is the chapter about e-mail. The book recommends not getting too wound up on constantly checking e-mail and it suggests not even looking at e-mail until the afternoon. This might very well be good advice, but it isn't always practical to wait until the afternoon to check e-mail for the first time and some companies, in fact, insist e-mail is open and read on a constant basis.

Overall, What to Do When You Become the Boss is a highly effective book on the subject of management and it ranks among the better books I have read on this subject. It is well- written with plenty of good advice and great organization to help the young manager reach his/her greatest potential. It's a handy book that all managers, both new and experienced, can benefit.

Management: Meeting & Exceeding Customer Expectations




Management: Meeting and Exceeding Customer Expectations (with InfoTrac & Xtra Printed Access Card) by Warren R. Plunkett, Raymond F. Attner, Gemmy S. Allen

This book was a requirement for a class. It was easy to understand and apply. It comes with key terms in the margins for easy review and description. The chapters begin with a learning objective and concludes with a summary of each objective. Each chapter is filled with detailed information and highlights corporations and how they have applied each concept. I would recommend it for anyone constructing an organization or for those wishing to change management styles. It also, has a CD Rom that is incredible.

About the Author
Warren Plunkett is a retired professor of management and Chairman of the Business Department at Wright College, City Colleges of Chicago. He holds a B.B.A. from Notre Dame University and an M.B.A. from Roosevelt University. Since graduating from Notre Dame, Warren has been a high school teacher, a systems analyst, a member of the U.S. Army Reserve, a management consultant, a college professor for 30 years at Wright College, and most recently an entrepreneur. Warren has authored several textbooks, including Supervision: The Direction of People at Work, Business, The Consumer in America, and Management: Meeting and Exceeding Customer Expectations. Warren has made numerous presentations to industry, and has served on numerous committees and led various workshops.

Raymond Attner, the co-author of Management: Meeting and Exceeding Customer Expectations, 8th edition, is presently a Professor of Management and Dean of Business at Brookhaven College of the Dallas County Community College District. For the past thirty years at Brookhaven and the Dallas District, Ray has held numerous positions including Professor of Business, Director of the Marketing and Management Center, Acting Vice President of Instruction, Director of Marketing for Distance Learning, and Acting Executive Dean of Workforce/Continuing Education. Ray has been the author or co-author of four college textbooks and has been the faculty content developer for two nationally distributed telecourses. He has been selected as Brookhaven's Outstanding Faculty member, has served as Faculty Association President three times, and has been the chair of the last two college presidential search committees at Brookhaven College. He is currently the chair of Brookhaven's Southern Association Reaccreditation Committee. Ray holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from California State University--Long Beach and a Master of Business Administration from Northern Louisiana University. His professional affiliations include the Texas Community College Teachers Association, American Management Association, and the Farmers Branch Chamber of Commerce. He resides in Plano, Texas, with his wife Deborah and three "fur" children (Bubba, Risky, and Annie) where he enjoys the family, jogging, and tennis.

Gemmy S. Allen is professor of management at North Lake College, in the Dallas County Community College District. She holds a B.B.A. from the University of Texas at Arlington and an M.B.A., as well as an ABD on a Ph.D., from the University of North Texas. Gemmy's accomplishments include being named Outstanding Mountain View College Faculty Member and receiving the Golden Oak Award, Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce; the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Excellence in Teaching Award; and the award for Mountain View College Innovator of the Year. She has served on the Microsoft/Compaq College Advisory Council and the St. Philip's College Model Electronic Commerce Curriculum Advisory Committee and is Founding Teacher, Virtual College of Texas--"Internet Teachers at Every College." She is also a Microsoft Mentor. She has co-authored several discipline-specific Internet-related books and has developed several online courses. Gemmy has made numerous presentations to industry and has led workshops in the United States, Australia, and Mexico. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Drucker's Essential Writings on Management



The Essential Drucker: The Best of Sixty Years of Peter Drucker's Essential Writings on Management (Collins Business Essentials) by Peter F. Drucker

Father of modern management, social commentator, and preeminent business philosopher, Peter F. Drucker analyzed economics and society for more than sixty years. Now for readers everywhere who are concerned with the ways that management practices and principles affect the performance of organizations, individuals, and society, there is The Essential Drucker—an invaluable compilation of essential materials from the works of a management legend.

Containing twenty-six core selections, The Essential Drucker covers the basic principles and concerns of management and its problems, challenges, and opportunities, giving managers, executives, and professionals the tools to perform the tasks that the economy and society of tomorrow will demand of them.

If you are not familiar with Professor Drucker, he is generally considered to be the first person to think systematically about what management is and needs to become. He was also the first to identify that we were moving into a knowledge-based society where the focus of work and the ways that work is organized would have to be totally transformed. His definition of what a business must do is the most often quoted one around: "The purpose of a business is to create a customer." Innovation and marketing are the prime tasks. The book is especially deep in references to his seminal thinking on how to innovate and to operate entrepreneurial businesses. He was also the first twentieth century thinker to see the connection between management of for profit and nonprofit organizations, and that both types of organizations are needed in growing numbers for a sound society. This book is also deeply presents his thinking about the social responsibility of business.

He states that "No decision has been made unless carrying it out in specific steps has become someone's work assignment and responsibility. Until then, there are only good intentions". He then explains the importance of creating disagreement, rather than consensus. He states that disagreement provides alternatives and stimulates imagination and that "The first rule in decision making is that one does not make a decision unless there is disagreement".
This book is an excellent introduction to management. As you may have guessed from the quotes, it contains many of the most famous Druckerisms. I recommend this book as a must read to every manager and anybody interested in management.

The E-Myth Revisited by Gerber




The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber

In this first new and totally revised edition of the 150,000-copy underground bestseller, The E-Myth, Michael Gerber dispels the myths surrounding starting your own business and shows how commonplace assumptions can get in the way of running a business. He walks you through the steps in the life of a business from entrepreneurial infancy, through adolescent growing pains, to the mature entrepreneurial perspective, the guiding light of all businesses that succeed. He then shows how to apply the lessons of franchising to any business whether or not it is a franchise. Finally, Gerber draws the vital, often overlooked distinction between working on your business and working in your business. After you have read The E-Myth Revisited, you will truly be able to grow your business in a predictable and productive way.

This book is a guide to success for small business owners. Gerber is the founder of a consulting company for small businesses. In the beginning of the book, Gerber cites the well-known failure-rate statistics for small business: 40% fail in 1 year. Of those who survive 1year, 80% fail in 5 years, and of those who survive 5 years, another 80% fail. Over the years, Gerber has observed that the small business owners who fail often share a number of characteristics, while those who succeed do so not by luck, brains, or perseverance, but by taking a different approach. This book explains the approach that is necessary for a business to survive and thrive.

One of Gerber's most striking observations is that most small businesses are started by "technicians", that is people who are skilled at something and who enjoy doing that thing. (A technician can be anything from a computer programmer to plumber to a dog groomer to a musician or lawyer.) When these technicians strike out on their own, they tend to continue doing the work they are skilled at, and ignore the overarching aspects of business. Without clear goals and quantification benchmarks, they soon find themselves overworked, understaffed, and eventually broke. Worst of all, they may come to hate the work they do. Rather than owning a business, they own a job, and they find themselves working for managers who are completely clueless about how to run a business- -themselves.

The solution, Gerber argues, is for every business owner, especially the technician-owners, to balance their business personalities. According to Gerber, every business owner needs to simultaneously be an entrepreneur and a manager as well as a technician. The technician is the worker-bee, the one who produces the product. The manager makes sure operations and finances run smoothly and consistently. The entrepreneur formulates the goals, and steers the business in the direction needed to reach those goals. Of these three personalities, the entrepreneur is key- -without it, the technician will work himself or herself to death or bankruptcy. As the business grows, the business owner will need to draw away from the technician work and manager work and delegate this work, rather than abdicate this, to others.

For turning businesses around, or getting them off the right foot, Gerber suggests looking at franchises as a model. In comparison to the dismal rate of ordinary small-business start-ups, 75% of franchises succeed at 5 years. The reason they succeed is that they are set up so that any unskilled person off the street could walk in, buy a franchise, run all operations in the franchise, and have a fairly good chance of success. The product of franchise companies is a business model, not food, hotel rooms, etc. In order to meet this level of success, franchise companies have clear operations manuals, procedures, consistent sales approaches- -every detail of running the business is specified down to dress codes and wall paper.

By asking us to consider the franchise approach, Gerber is not saying to go out and buy a franchise license. Instead, he says to imagine that you want to sell your business as a successful franchise within a finite period of time. If so, what will you need to do regarding your business plan and management in order to meet this goal? That is, if you were going to make your business fool-proof so that any unskilled person could take over as owner after a few years and succeed with it, what will you need to do?

Overall, I found the ideas in this book extremely profound and incredibly useful for my own small-business venture. The writing style can be a bit wordy and choppy at times, which is the only reason why I did not give this book full marks. If you're a small business owner whose business is out of control, stagnant, or worse, or if you're thinking of going into business yourself, this book can be of immeasurable value.

Flash Cards for PMP Exam by Crowe




The PMP Exam: Flash Cards (Test Prep series) by Andy Crowe PMP PgMP

These flashcards cut through to the essential core facts and components of the PMP Exam. Perfectly aligned with The PMP Exam: How To Pass On Your First Try, this companion product will help students commit the most important information to memory quickly and effectively.

Nothing beats flash cards for memorization, and a lot of memorization is required for the PMP exam. These cards also have the knowledge areas printed on them, which makes it easier to sort them for focused study on a particular area.

Note that some of the process cards list "key" inputs, tools, and outputs. "Key" means they're doing you a favor and helping you focus on the stuff you are most likely to be tested on. I was annoyed by this at first, but came to see the value of these focused lists for study purposes.

These are really good flash cards and there are enough of them that you can study them with the appropriate amount of detail. Like all flash cards, set aside the ones that you don't need and focus on the ones you have trouble with.

I used "The PMP Exam: How to Pass on Your First Try, Fourth Edition" with these flash cards, along with the other Velociteach study aid and had no surprises when I took the PMP exam.




Quick Reference Guide for PMP Exam



 

 The PMP Exam: Quick Reference Guide (Test Prep series) by Andy Crowe PMP PgMP


This guide is a great study aid and reference tool. Prior to taking the test, I used this as a handy reference for refreshing my memory on key inputs, outputs, and processes and also for mathematical formulas. The guide is actually a laminated tri-fold guide, with a total of six pages (three sheets, front and back). It's well-organized and extremely helpful. Now that I've taken the test, I'll keep this handy for everyday reference.

The publisher did a very nice, quality job on construction and it has well laid out groupings of information (This keeps it from being a 1 star). I really like the idea of a consolidated mix of key terms/vocab next to the Inputs/Tools/Outputs for each section - though the terms don't match the BOK. For fairness, the QRG does NOT say it summarizes the BOK and it DOES say it is for use with the "How to Pass on Your first try" book which I have not seen. That might explain why the QRG brings up a few terms that I did not find in the BOK.

I must say this is an extraordinary product. Really helped me a lot for my quick reference. Whenever in doubt, I used to refer this. You can carry it everywhere and don't need to turn pages for small things.


This little guide was a great way to summarize the material I crammed in with the book and keep the important areas in focus. The formulas roundup was indispensible. The whole layout saved me time by helping me zero in on exactly what I needed to know--and to successfully pass.

 "The PMP Exam: Quick Reference Guide" gave me six information-packed panels that focused on the essential pieces I needed to review. Great value, great tool.




PMP Practice Questions with Detailed Solutions Scordo





PMP Exam Prep Questions, Answers, & Explanations: 1000+ PMP Practice Questions with Detailed Solutions by Christopher Scordo

Many people enroll in correspondence courses or evening classes to obtain certificates as Project Management Professionals. Often these courses are very expensive, but are seen as a necessity to get the necessary preparation to pass the certificate. Well this book will allow for self study and pass the exam at a much lower price.

The book is a combination of mock exam that are shorter than the actual exam, but still allow the student to identify areas of weakness that require additional study. More importantly, the book also contains a number of quizzes arranged by topic. These quizzes are very helpful once an area that requires additional study has been identified and allow the student to focus on these areas.

There are a total of 14 "lite" exams, which take about an hour to complete. In addition to the quizzes and exams, there are test taking tips, which will be helpful to people taking the PMP exam for the first time. Some of the tips are pretty basic, others are more specific to the PMP exam, such as the fact that the PMP exam is very focused and may not be as easy as other multiple choice exams. All the more reason to thoroughly go through this book and look over the incorrect answers to make sure the student understands why a specific answer was deemed correct.
People should be aware that this is only an exam guide, it does not contain the textbook material that forms the basis of the study. I find it especially nice that this book will reference study sections, so students can look up the relevant chapters that are covered in the questions.

Overall, this is a very valuable tool for self studiers, but also for others that want to complement their textbook and gain additional exam experience. I found the quizzes a good way to focus on weaker areas that I identified through the actual "lite" exams included.

PMP Exam prep questions, answers, and explanations: 800+ PMP Practice Questions with Detailed Solutions offers the most efficient study guide to the PMP exam out there. The book maintains a serious integrity in that it takes the reader through an in-depth course of practice questions. The author feels that the only way to pass this exam is through practice, practice, practice. If you buy this book you will be certain to practice the questions over and over in several different ways. The answers, to the problems, are clearly explained within the book and purchasers, who follow the format, typically succeed on their first go around with the test. Finding a useful guide for this test for a reasonable price is difficult. However in this book you have a major amount of content with very few pages wasted on fluff.




PMP Certification Reference For Dummies Stackpole





PMP Certification All-In-One Desk Reference For Dummies by Cynthia Snyder Stackpole

The PMP certification is the most popular project management certification available, but also a very difficult certification to obtain with very demanding requirements. That's where this All-in-One reference comes in. Packed with valuable information for taking the exam, the nine books in one covers everything from the certification process to gathering information for the application and signing up to take the exam, as well as studying for the most pertinent parts of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), and review questions. One thousand pages of fresh, new, and completely up-to-date comprehensive content have been prepared to correlate with the various domains of the test requirements.

  • Serves as a solitary resource for all things related to PMP certification, from signing up to take the exam to getting savvy with the areas of the PMBOK that are required to be PMP certified
  • Helps you navigate through each domain of the PMBOK: communications management, cost management, human resources management, integration management, procurement management, quality management, risk management, scope management, and time management
  • Offers complete coverage of the challenging PMP certification requirements and a large selection of practice questions
  • Includes a CD-ROM that features fully customizable test-prep software
  • With this book by your side, you'll learn to navigate the various requirements that will put you on your way to becoming PMP certified.

This is an excellent book to use in preparing to sit for the PMP (Project Management Professional) exam. At over 800 pages and with hundreds of sample questions this is the ideal companion to the PMBOK Guide (Project Management Body of Knowledge) when seeking to pass the exam. In addition each chapter includes assessment questions to reveal where you need to study, and labs to help with memorizing key information and terminology. It also incorporates the new changes to the PMP exam that are not in PMBOK Version 4.

When you factor in the great price compared to other prep texts this is one book that every candidate needs.




Guide to Passing the PMP Exam by Greene&Stellman




Head First Pmp: A Brain-Friendly Guide to Passing the Project Management Professional Exam Jennifer Greene & Andrew Stellman

Learn the latest principles and certification objectives in The PMBOK Guide, Fourth Edition, in a unique and inspiring way with Head First PMP . The second edition of this book helps you prepare for the PMP certification exam using a visually rich format designed for the way your brain works. You'll find a full-length sample exam included inside the book.

More than just proof of passing a test, a PMP certification means that you have the knowledge to solve most common project problems. But studying for a difficult four-hour exam on project management isn't easy, even for experienced project managers. Drawing on the latest research in neurobiology, cognitive science, and learning theory, Head First PMP offers you a multi-sensory experience that helps the material stick, not a text-heavy approach that puts you to sleep.

This book will help you:

  • Learn PMP's underlying concepts to help you understand the PMBOK principles and pass the certification exam with flying colors
  • Get 100% coverage of the latest principles and certification objectives in The PMBOK Guide, Fourth Edition, including two new processes: Collect Requirements and Identify Stakeholders
  • Make use of a thorough and effective preparation guide with hundreds of practice questions and exam strategies
  • Explore the material through puzzles, games, problems, and exercises that make learning easy and entertaining


For those of us, who find the PMBOK bo-o-o-oring, "Head First PMP"'s approach is the *only* way to learn. Let's admit, that the topics covered by the exam, while are very important, are not very exciting. To learn them well, it is important to dig deeper into the reasons for the best practices. Following the style of the "Head First" series, the authors of this book took the subject of the PM science and turned it into a fun-to-read and easier-to-learn-and-internalize collection of graphics, questions, answers, mental games and scenarios, stories. They deconstructed the topics to their essence and then reconstructed them in a way that makes sense to everyone who is willing to focus and think. The book is very engaging and, in my opinion, is a must to read, at least to make sure that you understand all the answers.




How to Pass PMP Exam by Crowe




 The PMP Exam: How to Pass on Your First Try, Fourth Edition by Andy Crowe

In order to read the PMBOK® Guide--Fourth Edition with appreciation, motivation and comprehension, you need to reverse your academic position. Do not read it from the perspective a student. Instead, imagine that you are a guest professor who has to deliver a lecture on one PM Knowledge Area per day to a classroom of 300 graduate students @ a prestigious university. Create an OUTLINE of each chapter in the PMBOK® Guide--Fourth Edition (putting an emphasis on what YOU think is important). Now take 1 or 2 Practice Final Exams from Andy Crowe resources or Internet (PMStudy), in order fine tune your OUTLINES. When you feel confident to give your lecture, go take the PMP EXAM! No matter how they spin the question, You WILL KNOW what you know!

This book is decent in helping one study for the PMP Exam, whether it's the first or subsequent try at it. The manufacturing of it is very poor and is not the worth the money spent to get it in the first place. Velociteach's customer service is also very poor should you need any help with anything. They seem to not want to help anyone despite the fact that the customer can share their view with the world. Chapter quiz questions are mixed up with other chapters, e.g. Ch 7 with Ch 4, so you are left wondering why they are asking about that when it was not in the chapter to start with. Can't say I would recommend this study guide to anyone who wants a decent guide to prep with.

Crowe's book is very well organized and easy to get through. It doesn't appear to be as comprehensive as some of the other books I have looked at, but I won't know until I take the exam whether what is left out is stuff I don't need to know.

There book's huge flaw is its worthless index. If you look up a concept there, it often points only to the practice quizzes, rather than to the place in the book where the topic is covered substantively. This makes the book very difficult to use as a reference manual. In fact, while it may be worthwhile as an initial learning tool, it cannot be used on its own as a study reference -- one MUST use books with usable indexes.





PMP Exam Prep by Rita Mulcahy



PMP Exam Prep, 7th Edition: Rita's Course in a Book for Passing the PMP Exam by Rita Mulcahy


I found the book to be easy to follow and easy to break down into areas where I needed to concentrate the majority of my study. There is very little memorization involved. The book made all of the concepts understandable, and helped me figure out my gaps (where I needed to focus most of my study time). Overall, it was well written, suited my study plans and helped relieve most of my anxiety about taking the test.

In addition to the book, exam simulator and flashcards, I also ended up using the abridged audio CD version of the book (6th edition-- 7th wasn't available yet) as I got closer to my exam date. Although the audio version doesn't contain nearly the same amount of content as the paperback, it was a good review tool for me during my commute.

After years of managing projects, I did NOT look forward to preparing for the PMP exam. I was convinced the process was going to be tedious and overwhelming, but I was pleasantly surprised when I opened PMP Exam Prep! From the beginning of the book through the end, I actually ENJOYED my study experience reviewing concepts from a different perspective, learning how these concepts might be asked on the exam, and picking up lots of new tips and techniques to use on my real-world projects.
This book made the certification process not only fun, but extremely valuable in my day-to-day job. I wish I had found this book earlier in my career!

About the Author
Rita Mulcahy, PMP, was an international expert in project management Tricks of the Trade and best practices with over 15 years and $2.5 billion of hands-on experience. During her career, she directly taught tens of thousands of project managers from around the world, and prepared them to pass the PMP exam. Rita helped write earlier versions of the PMP exam, and spent 7 years as a PMI chapter officer, speaking at PMI Global Congress, Project World, and PMI's International Project Management Symposium to standing room only crowds.
Rita was the founder of RMC Project Management, a project management training, consulting and speaking firm helping companies use project management tools and techniques to complete projects faster, cheaper, better, and with fewer resources. RMC Project Management is a Registered Education Provider (R.E.P.) with the Project Management Institute.




Guide to the Project Management (Pmbok Guide)






A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge: (Pmbok Guide) by Project Management Institute


For taking PMP test, you MUST have this book.studying just this book and the free online tests, you can pass the PMP test (I did). For an experienced PM, the definitions and calculations are not difficult to learn (learn = memorize).

This book explains the Project Management steps/procedures perfectly and it is easy to read and understand.

It may not be the best, but certainly good reference considering it is free for PMI members.

This is very good book for people who are working in projects mode. May not be that much useful people who are working in functional style of operations.

This is a recommended book for one of my Master level courses. I have only just started reading it but it is already very useful for Project Management and I am finding that it contains lots of information that will be helpful to me in working through PM.







Business Model Generation by Osterwalder&Pigneur



Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers by Alexander Osterwalder & Yves Pigneur

This book is very different as a business book. Instead of being filled with dense, usually overly wordy pages, it is beautifully laid out, the wording is kept to a minimum, and there are lots of illustrations.

The book is focused on ways to think of the model for your business... with some nice guidelines for structuring the thought process... as well as a bunch of examinations of different types of businesses.

It has good discussions on thinking through what is critical for the business, where the cost structures are, where the benefits are, and how to organize and present those ideas.

It also has a number of cases studies of various companies that changed or invented new business models, such as Amazon's introduction of Web Services.

The book is fast to read, and there were several sections I bookmarked to put into use in my company, which to me is always a good sign for a book.

Where the book is lacking is that I would really have liked more case studies -- a bit more meat so to speak -- once a company came up with the new model, how did the artifacts of the book's discussions come into play with the execution? Did any of the techniques discussed help with the inevitable pitfalls associated? What are some case studies for when people tried the techniques discussed and failed miserably? Innovator's Dilemma, by comparison, does a much better look at both positive and negative case studies, which can provide a lot more learning.

The book is aptly titled, being all about how to generate business models. However, you have to know what it is before you can generate it. To this end, the first section of the book is devoted to introducing a standard language and format for talking about business models. They introduce nine key items which serve as the building blocks for all business models. These are listed below, illustrated with Skype's business model.





The 48 Laws of Power by Greene



The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

48 Rules of Power is a good primer for learning how these people think. I've spotted a number of similar books in the Business section (like "Career Warfare" and classics like the "Art of War") of my local bookseller, but none put things quite as succinctly as this one. In today's predatory work culture, with good jobs (read: jobs that let you own a home and pay all the bills month to month with a little left over) becoming harder and harder to find, you almost certainly will be the target of these techniques at some point. A friend once made an innocent and extraordinarily minor faux pas at an office Christmas party, and had a homicidal CEO attempt to destroy his future using methods as varied as slander and identity theft, all done through middle manager proxies to keep his own hands clean. You need to read books like these to know how too many people at the top think. But don't live out some of these rules in real life (e.g., crush your enemy completely) - there'll always be someone who does it better, and you will get crushed. Martha Stewart got hers, so don't think you're going to smash people and live to tell the tale. Reality simply doesn't work that way - and even if you survive professionally, the spiritual rot and personal decay will leave you an isolated, paranoid wreck. Read this book in the spirit of C.S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters, in which a master demon gives advice to a protege on how to destroy mortals. Learn how to spot people who live like this - and then stay very, very far away. Jesus said, "Be wise as serpents but innocent as doves." This book, read in the right spirit, will help you with both.

When it comes to morality and ethics, people are used to thinking in terms of black and white. Conversely, "The 48 Laws of Power" deals primarily with the gray areas. At the risk of sounding melodramatic and trite, I say that most of the Laws covered in this book can be used for great evil or for great good. It depends on the reader. There is really nothing wrong with most of the Laws per se.
Each Law comes with true stories from history about those who successfully observed it and those who foolishly or naively trangressed it. Robert Greene has an interpretation for each story. Though each Law is self-explanatory, Greene's explanations are not padding, fluff or stuffing to make the book longer. They actually give greater clarification and depth. Greene's insight even extends to crucial warnings about how the Laws could backfire.

There are two reasons to read this book:

1. For attack: To gain power, as have others who have carefully observed the Laws;

2. For defense: To be aware of ways that people may be trying to manipulate you.

As Johann von Goethe said (as quoted in "The 48 Laws of Power", of course): "The only means to gain one's ends with people are force and cunning. Love also, they say, but that is to wait for sunshine, and life needs every moment."

Those who say they have never used any of these laws are either being hypocritical--or lying.

Amoral, cunning, ruthless, and instructive, this piercing work distills three thousand years of the history of power in to forty-eight well explicated laws. As attention-grabbing in its design as it is in its content, this bold volume outlines the laws of power in their unvarnished essence, synthesizing the philosophies of Machiavelli, Sun-tzu, Carl von Clausewitz, and other great thinkers.

Some laws teach the need for prudence ("Law 1: Never Outshine the Master"), the virtue of stealth ("Law 3: Conceal Your Intentions"), and many demand the total absence of mercy ("Law 15: Crush Your Enemy Totally"), but like it or not, all have applications in real life.

Illustrated through the tactics of Queen Elizabeth I, Henry Kissinger, P. T. Barnum, and other famous figures who have wielded--or been victimized by--power, these laws will fascinate any reader interested in gaining, observing, or defending against ultimate control.



7 Habits of HighlyEffective People by Covey




The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

As the title of the book implies, Covey describes the seven habits of highly effective people and techniques for adopting the seven habits. Covey makes clear that an individual must make a paradigm shift before incorporating these habits into his/her own personal life. A paradigm is essentially the way an individual perceives something. Covey emphasizes that if we want to make a change in our lives, we should probably first focus on our personal attitudes and behaviors. He applies different examples via family, business, and society in general.
This book's focal point is on an approach to obtain personal and interpersonal effectiveness. Covey points out that private victories precede public victories. He makes the example that making and keeping promises to ourselves comes before making and keeping promises to others.

Habits 1, 2, and 3 deal with self-mastery. They move an individual from dependency on others to independence. Habits 4, 5, and 6 deal with teamwork, cooperation, and communication. These habits deal with transforming a person from dependency to independence to interdependence. Interdependence simply means mutual dependence. Habit 7 embodies all of the other habits to help an individual work toward continuous improvement.

Habit 1 discusses the importance of being proactive. Covey states that we are responsible for our own lives; therefore, we possess the initiative to make things happen. He also points out that proactive people so not blame various circumstances for their behaviors but they realize behavior comes from one's conscious. Covey also explains that the other type of person is reactive. Reactive people are affected by their social as well as physical surroundings. This means that if the weather is bad, then it affects their behavior such as their attitude and performance.

He also explains that all problems that are experienced by individuals fall into one of three categories, which are direct control, indirect control, or no control. The problems that are classified under direct control are the problems that involve our own behavior. The problems classified as indirect control encompasses problems that we can do nothing about. The problems classified as no control are those that we can do nothing about.

Habit 2 focuses on beginning with the end in mind. Covey wants the reader to envision his/her funeral. This may sound disheartening but his goal is to help you think about the words that you wish to be said about you; it can help the individual visualize what you value the most. To begin with the end simply means to start with your destination in mind. That gives an individual a sense of where he/she presently is in their life. One has to know where they are going to make sure that they are headed in the right direction. Covey also mentions that the most effective way to begin with the end is by developing a personal mission statement. After doing that, you should identify your center of attention. Are you spouse centered, money centered, family centered, etc. The he tells you depending on you core of interest, your foundation for security, guidance, and power.

Habit 3 is the practical fulfillment of Habits 1 and 2. Covey accentuates that Habits 1 and 2 are prerequisite to Habit 3. He states that an individual cannot become principle centered developing their own proactive nature; or without being aware of your paradigms; or the capability of envisioning the contribution that is yours to make. One must have an independent will. This is the ability to make decisions and to act in accordance with them.

Habit 4 deals with the six paradigms of interaction, which are win/win, win/lose, lose/win, lose/lose, win, and win/win or no deal. Win/win is a situation in which everyone benefits something. It is not your way or my way; it is a better way. Win/lose declares that if I win then you lose. Simply put, I get my way; you don't get yours. Win/lose people usually use position, power, possessions, or personality to get their way. The win/lose type of person is the person that feels that if I lose; you win. People who feel this way are usually easy to please and find the strength of others intimidating. When two win/lose people get together both will lose resulting in a lose/lose situation. Both will try to get the upper end of the stick but in the end, neither gets anything. The person that simply thinks to win secures their own ends and leaves it up to others to secure theirs. The win/win or no deal person means that if there is not a suitable solution met that satisfies both parties then there is no agreement.

Habit 5 deals with seeking means of effective communication. This habit deals with seeking first to understand. However, we usually seek first to be understood. Most people to not listen with the intent to understand but with the intent to reply. The act of listening to understand is referred to as empathic listening. That means you try to get into the person's frame of mind and think as they are thinking.

Habit 6 discuses combining all of the other habits to prepare us for the habit of synergy. Synergy means that the sum of the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Possessing all of the habits will benefit an individual more than possessing one or two of them. Synergism in communication allows you to open your mind to new possibilities or new options.

Habit 7 involves surrounds the other habits because it is the habit that makes all of the others possible. It is amplifying the greatest asset you have which is yourself. It is renewing your physical, emotional, mental, and social nature. The physical scope involves caring for yourself effectively. Spiritual renewal will take more time. Our mental development comes through formal education. Quality literature in our field of study as well as other fields help to broaden our paradigms. Renewing the social dimension is not as time consuming as the others. We can start by our everyday interactions with people.

Moving along the upward spiral requires us to continuously learn, commit, and do on higher planes. This is essential to keep progressing. At the end of each habit, there are application suggestions or exercises that help you become a more effective person. This is definitely not a quick fix it book. The concepts should be studied in order to be fully achieved. I think if you learn to use these 7 habits, it will change your life.

This is a must-have book.









Discover Your Strengths by Buckingham & Clifton





Now, Discover Your Strengths Marcus Buckingham & Donald O. Clifton

This book presents an interesting description of personality that describes 34 different types of strengths that a person may have. Based on measurement of these strengths (discussed below), it is possible to identify dominant strengths that help to determine personality. The focus of the book is on describing these strengths and then arguing that it is best for individuals and managers can best develop and build upon individuals' strengths. The book makes the interesting point that it is most effective trying to build on these strengths rather trying to identify and improve upon weaknesses.
A key to this book is an internet-based test that allows an individual to obtain a measurement of their top five strengths. To take this test, you log onto a specific website and type in the unique password that is printed in thte inside cover of the book. (This means you only take the test once -- your friends will need to buy the book to take the test!). The test is based on work that the Gallup Organization has done and has (according to the book) been been administered to 2 million people in a large number of different type of organizations.

Once on the site, you answer 180 questions in which you are asked to make a two-way choice as to what word better describes you, which action you would rather take, and so forth. It takes about 20-30 minutes in total to get through these, but once you do, a report is generated on screen (along with an with the same information) that lists your top five strengths and provides a description of what they are. Many of the strengths involve how you deal with people, how you process information, and how you see yourself in the world.

The book gives short descriptions of each strength and gives short (one-paragraph)write-ups from people who have the particular strength describing themselves. The book is meant to be a management tool, in that it talks about how to manage people with each of the strength in the book and make best use of these strengths.

I feel that the book is a better popular psychology book rather than a management book. Although the descriptions of strength seemed fairly clear, the discussion could have been better when it described how to manage people. It tended to be a list of "do this" without much discussion of why a manager might want to encourage an employee to do certain things or take on certain types of assignments. What the book really lacked was a description of the downside that certain strengths might bring (e.g., a person who is deliberative may seem to take a long time to do something). A better discussion of what the strengths really mean would have been helpful.

The book is well-written and taking the test is fun. Learning about one own attributes as measured by the test is helpful, both in personal and business life. It will make you think about yourself in a constructive and stimulating way. This in itself makes the book worth buying.









The Lean Startup by Eric Ries




The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Ries

In this book, Ries focuses on a variety of entrepreneurial situations from traditional, physical businesses to those only existent on the web. If you are operating a business or thinking about starting one, chances are Ries has addressed your situation in some capacity within the book's 290+ pages.

The Lean Startup is filled with technical information, but also interesting stories that back up the author's assertions.

In short, the lean startup model focuses on getting a minimum viable product to the market, then receiving customer feedback along the way to improve the product and pivot (take a new approach) if necessary. This, of course, is in contrast to the old way of doing business where a product is launched fully functional backed by extensive market research. This method can be successful, but it costs a lot of money, pivoting is difficult, and failure can harm the bottom line (think Microsoft Vista).

Eric Ries in his book  explains that startups cannot use traditional planning an management tools because their product and customers are unknown. 


So, what else? Here he comes up with his Lean Startup Methodology - which is a scientific approach for creating and managing startups. Since the product and customer are not known, startups needs to develop a process of "validated learning" through which they can learn to build a sustainable business. This is different from learning through failure - which is a very expensive and wasteful process. Startups need to have a "Build-Measure-Learn" process and get continuous feedback from the market, so that they can decide whether to continue with the current plan or `pivot' into other directions. Eric shows the various ways a startup can pivot: Zoom-in pivot, Zoom-out pivot, Customer segment pivot, Customer need pivot, Platform pivot, and so on. Eric also explains how the normal metrics which he calls `vanity metrics' fail to show how a startup is performing and he comes with solutions of defining new metrics for the startup which takes into account the continuous innovation that a startup should perform.





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