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Information Technology Project Management

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This completely revised edition of the best-selling Information Technology Project Management recreates the experience of dozens of projects, both successful and failed, to provide a real-world context for learning. The author explains the foundations of project management - project integration, scope, time, cost, quality, human resources, communications, risk, and procurement - using the experiences of real-life businesses. This new fourth edition includes a running case, new PMBOK Guide, and coverage of Microsoft Project 2003. Accompanying the book is a revised companion Web site, www.course.com/mis/schwalbe4e.

677 pages, Paperback

First published September 28, 1999

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About the author

Kathy Schwalbe

37 books6 followers

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5 stars
161 (28%)
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191 (33%)
3 stars
151 (26%)
2 stars
45 (7%)
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19 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
Profile Image for XxTainaxX Curvy and Nerdy.
1,561 reviews504 followers
December 12, 2016
I found this to be a solid read with strong content to support Project Management principles. The templates and guidelines are useful. The content also made to be relatable to the year in which it was published. It was easy to understand and follow. The author is very knowledgeable. One of the better textbook's I've had to use.
Profile Image for Rayna Wang.
67 reviews3 followers
December 30, 2016
Pro: 1) An introductory reader on basic frameworks, concepts, and components of IT project management. 2) Much of the content is also applicable to generic project management. 3) Enriched with examples.

Con: I was hoping for more examples that are specific to the IT industry, and the examples were not discussed in depth, i.e. mainly a short description of the problem, without going into details about the problem-solving process.
Profile Image for Shinee Erdenebat.
17 reviews
March 28, 2020
This book is about information project management and contains 12 subject of project management. Such as scope, time, cost, human resource, risk, communication management. All subjects give basic information and some of samples. I think i will be read same kind of this book again.
Profile Image for Jonathan Tennis.
664 reviews14 followers
July 27, 2016
Project Management is a tough subject to cover in book form and this is from a Project Manager who has read a fair number of PM related books.

My review is short and sweet - there are better books out there. The author covers the material just fine but both Mulcahy and Heldman cover it better. Because this has IT in the title, IT PMs will pick it up. It's more expensive than other books and really doesn't improve on what those others say.

Save the money and time and pass on this book.
8 reviews1 follower
April 17, 2015
Essential book for someone who want become a project manager, especially IT project manager. It contains a lot useful stuff to handle all kind of risks and problems, from internal to external, inside out.
Profile Image for Amr Swalha.
107 reviews1 follower
October 4, 2017
For those who want to apply for PMP and also want to have a better understanding of IT projects this book is your target.
Profile Image for Scott Pearson.
831 reviews40 followers
October 19, 2024
IT projects comprise a particularly difficult niche of project management. The field is so new, and IT professionals’ proficiencies vary widely. The technology quickly evolves, so what was true about project management a few years ago might not be relevant soon thereafter. Personalities can also pose a problem since software developers aren’t reputed to be the most personable workers. In this textbook, impressively in a ninth edition, Kathy Schwalbe provides sage advice by summarizing the entire profession. It can serve as a more-than-adequate guide for those relatively new to the profession, like me.

I’ve worked as a software developer for decades and have managed my personal projects for some time. However, I’m moving into a role of guiding others. This book helped me emotionally distance myself from my personal routines and refocus on how I can serve others to add real value through IT practices. I especially benefitted from sections on stakeholder management and project quality management. Since I’ve never managed the financials of a project, the sections on cost were supremely beneficial, too. Even though the terminology caused me to slow down somtimes, Schwalbe’s prose was not too overwhelming.

A lot of books focus on one topic in IT project management or general project management. Other books take a more relational approach based on practical experience. This book does neither; instead, it provides a comprehensive overview of the field in an academic manner. That’s why it’s a mainstay in the field and could see a tenth edition sometime. IT will continue to add business value over coming decades, and this book will teach interested readers to leverage it to benefit their organizations and customers.
Profile Image for Max Patiiuk.
502 reviews3 followers
May 10, 2023
4-

I wasn't convinced about the value of some of the project management tools mentioned for all but the largest projects. It often felt like unnecessary overhead or a more formal way of doing what happens anyway informally. It also sometimes felt like this kind of project plan would be created but actually read or followed by anyone (i.e, the communication plan might say one thing, but teammates would actually do something completely different)

In particular, I'm not convinced of the value of the following for most projects:
- change request - seems too formal and seems like a great way to kill innovation on a project by making it very difficult (or at least expensive time-wise) to propose changes
- requirements traceability matrix
- a formal template for a progress report
- RACI chart
- Activity list and attributes
- activity resource requirements
- cause and effect diagram
- team project draft schedule
- flow chart
- issue log - I have a problem with that being a template as if anyone is expected to keep track of issues in a Word document, rather than a proper bug-tracking system
- Transition plan
- Assumption log

Of course, adjusting the depth of project management to scale with the size of the project and the complexity of the software is the right way to go
Profile Image for Serena Yates.
Author 104 books769 followers
July 31, 2017
This book was required reading for one of the project management courses I took between May and August this year, and I think it is very informative, well written, and I loved all the practical examples the author adds to make the subject more interesting. The structure is roughly the same as that of the "PM Bible", the "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)–Fifth Edition" (also required reading for the course), but is is far less dry. With its focus on information technology, it is a good addition to the more theoretical PMBOK. And even though I have never worked on projects in that area, I found the book easy to follow and full of interesting facts and case studies.

Recommended to anyone interested in in this area!
Profile Image for Ingrid.
247 reviews
July 11, 2022
3.75

This was read for an IT project management class. As a full-time junior career woman in an IT position/industry, I can say that over 90% of the verbiage in this book are terms or philosophies that I've never heard of, or that have never come into play in my field. I hope I will be able to utilize some of it because it isn't all outdated, many of the principles in theory are relevant. But I wouldn't say this makes you project manager ready.
Profile Image for Andrey.
192 reviews4 followers
May 9, 2017
...........
Well it was helpful and it wasn't as painful to read as I feared.
Still....
*shudder*

For anyone who will be reading this: it's actually a good text. Solid, to the point, thorough, and interesting. The author tries to keep things spicy with stories and real world examples that are both relevant and fascinating.
23 reviews14 followers
June 4, 2018
I read this book as a textbook for the Educational Project Management course at the University of Florida. The textbook is the first book I have read on project management. The examples helped clarify the material. The important terms were in bold and the outline was easy to follow. I finished much of the book in a weekend.
Profile Image for Lee Reed.
17 reviews
December 20, 2022
I read this for a class as I worked toward my Masters in Educational Technology. It was a good and rather extensive overview of project management as it pertains to information technology projects. Oddly, I was less interested in earning my PM credentials after reading this book. However, the examples and lessons learned from them were invaluable.
Profile Image for Jay.
373 reviews
March 14, 2017
Really well thought out textbook. Extremely easy to follow, with links for additional information in the electronic format, which I read, that are also pertinent to project management. Great resource.
8 reviews
August 8, 2023
Does what it needs to do for someone who wants to learn specific material for the CAPM or the PMP exam.
83 reviews8 followers
August 21, 2008
A solid intro to the realm of IT Project Management. It's provided a solid framework from which I can understand all the universal basics of project management and really helped me jumpstart my career.
Profile Image for Sandy.
387 reviews11 followers
August 23, 2016
This is another textbook for class. It's a pretty good intro to project management, particularly IT project management. There are some helpful case studies. It does emphasize planning to the nth degree. Depending on the size of the projects you'll be doing, that may or may not be overkill.
26 reviews8 followers
February 25, 2007
I've no time to read and no money to buy this book .
Profile Image for Tuti.
20 reviews7 followers
November 8, 2007
for me as a 'project management newbie' this book gives me the right perspective to start and manage IT project management
1,670 reviews12 followers
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August 22, 2008
Information Technology Project Management by Kathy Schwalbe (2007)
Profile Image for Victoria Rodrigues.
26 reviews1 follower
Read
April 16, 2011
Ugh. Dry. The only memorable thing about this book will be the constant onslaught of TLAs... (three letter acronyms.)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews

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