Many books about project management (PM) and Microsoft (MS) Project software are written to reveal the package functionality, and its integration into different PM phase issues, including its specific tasks and resources, and data tracking and reporting. This book is also focused on these areas, but also drills the reader in PM methodology (PMM), supported by the MS Project 2002 package, as a tool for monitoring project management throughout a project’s full life cycle.

The book is structured into two vertical layers, made up of four main units: “Project Management Building Blocks,” “Working with Resources,” “Finalizing the Project Plan,” and “Project Implementation.” These units include 16 chapters, following the theories of, and the usual practical accomplishments to be done by, a project manager during a typical project life cycle. The included CD-ROM provides support, with exercises for each chapter. At the beginning of each chapter, after the “Performance Objectives” section, the book references student data documents from the CD that can be used for practice.

At the beginning of the first unit, the author includes an introductory guide to “Getting Started with Microsoft Project 2002,” which provides hands-on practice using trial software included on the CD. The book walks the reader through a short tour of the MS Project skills associated with the four general project phases: project selection, concept, project implementation, and project close out, using just the MS Project software package, without CD support. Beginners or students can easily use this information to train themselves, since the material is presented in a gradually leveraged, multistructured manner. Each chapter includes an initial bulleted list, mentioning specific performance objectives; the chapter’s major topics, and additional major topics, each associated with separate assignments and exercises; a chapter summary, also presented as a bulleted list; two separate questionnaires, “Key Terms” matching and “Concepts Check”; a “Skills Check” practical exercise, using a step-by-step procedure under MS Project 2002; a “Think Tank” element to be used as a discussion topic for activity at the group level; and, finally, a “Get to Work” subsection, with project proposals for practice in a real-world setting, using MS Project 2002 skills. At the end of each main unit, there is a “Case Study” subchapter, with two practical case study examples involving MS Project, and specific questions.

Unit 1 contains seven chapters, covering “The Elements of a Project,” “Establishing Project Basis,” “Planning and Risk Analysis,” “Estimating Costs,” “Working with Project Tasks,” “Defining the Project Outline,” and “Exploring Timing Relationships between Tasks.” Unit 2 includes two chapters, about “Creating Resources” and “Assigning Resources.” Unit 3 includes three chapters, concerned with “Reviewing and Modifying Resource Workload,” “Adjusting Timing and Scope,” and “Tracking Progress on a Project.” Unit 4 contains four chapters, about “Launching Your Project,” “Monitoring the Project Budget,” “Reporting,” and “Living with Change and Getting Closure.”

The different types of projects, coming from different industries, used in each of the four units are titled, respectively, “Software Localization,” “Marketing Project,” “IT Network Installation,” and “Construction.”

It is worth noting that the material emphasizes some interdisciplinary aspects, focused around a project life cycle and the PM domain. Among these are PM as a career, PM certifications, project areas of risk, payback analysis, PM roles, risk analysis, change management, costs analysis and budget constraints, cash flow analysis, work breakdown structure, resource costs and conflicts, skill levels, critical path method, network diagrams, tracking strategies, budget analysis, leading through crisis, and debriefing stakeholders. The reader is taught, step-by-step, about many other PM issues, and about how to track, monitor, and manage them with the MS Project tool, while automating nearly all project life cycle phase deployments.

The included CD-ROM is structured into two main folders. One contains the MS Project 2002 trial software. The other folder is organized into 16 subfolders, each dedicated to its chapter exercises. I personally went through the CD exercises, using both the 2002 and the 2003 versions of MS Project, and they are completely manageable using only the book instructions. The MS software also provides many helpful “how to” recommendations.

A glossary of 145 PM-specific words, and a full index are included as support, for both the material text, and for MS Project 2002 package use. The book’s presentation is that of a student reference work. The very high quality of printing, with respect to covers, page backgrounds, and specific figures imported from MS Project 2002, makes this wonderful book very attractive.