Lessons in Project Management »

Tom Mochal is currently president of TenStep, Inc., a project management and methodology consulting and training company. He has over 23 years of IT experience working with such companies as Eastman Kodak, Cap Gemini E&Y, The Coca-Cola Company, and Geac Computers. Tom has published hundreds of columns, and he has presented and trained on project management and life-cycle topics around the world. He has also developed a complete project management methodology called TenStep http://www.TenStep.com, a methodology for implementing and supporting project management within companies called PMOStep http://www.PMOStep.com, and an application-support methodology called SupportStep http://www.SupportStep.com.

Jeff Mochal has been working in the public relations and communications industry for the last 5 years. He is an experienced writer, editor, and communications strategist who has worked for several clients in fields such as sports, technology, and public affairs. Jeff has worked for International Management Group (IMG), Rogers & Associates and, most recently, Brener Zwikel & Associates in Los Angeles.

Most of the project management books on the market are basically textbooks. They are dry to begin with and don't focus on the practical advice that most people need to run their projects. Lessons in Project Management does not assume you are a project manager building a nuclear reactor or sending a man to the moon. Instead, it focuses on the millions of people who manage normal, medium-to-large projects on an ongoing basis.

Each case study in Lessons in Project Management contains accessible, easy-to-read case studies in real-world project management challenges. Each presentation of the problem is followed by an examination of the solution, written in easy-to-understand language.

The format allows you to relate better to the book since it brings into play a project scenario with practical project management lessons to be learned. You'll also recognize recurring characters that appear in multiple stories and you'll start to develop some empathy and interest for their struggle.