It's challenging to take a complex subject and express it simply, clearly, concisely, and comprehensively. This book meets the challenge.

Other books in the Simplified series are listed on Amazon.com under the author name Ruth Maran. A similar series (which I also enjoy very much) by the same author is the Teach Yourself Visually series.

A lot of authors make you feel good only while you are reading their book. Soon after, you're out looking for another "feel good about yourself" fix. It is becuase they help you build an inflated self image that it bursts easily, leaving you back where you started.

Dave offers a plan to solidly build a good self image based on taking stock of your actions. When you believe in your own self worth, it lasts, because it will be true.

Mr. Gustafson's practical business experience offered me a real approach to life versus a viewpoint from a health professional who may not be entirely aware what the business world is like today. This is real!

In my field of information technology (IT), it is critical for progam designers to have a baseline of how a program presently works. This is best done by a representative team of end users. I have found process mastering the most economical and efficient way to get a document that describes the current system. By doing a process master the team becomes empowered to improve the present process without the IT people and to know what else they want or need IT to do for them. Additionally, the team becomes more effective in their participation in the joint application development (JAD) with the IT folks.

The philosophy behind the approach is very empowering to employees since it is they, the people who do the work, who develop the process masters. I am also pleased with the emphasis that the book puts on understanding the needs of internal and external customers.

Finally, I can recommend this book to anyone who has processes they want to improve and who sees the value of engaging the energy, thought and commitment of their employees to do it. This book, this process, is truly liberating even to the extent of giving meaning and value to previously mundane work.

While the title may give the impression that the book's purpose is to ensure that system documentation is compatible with ISO or ISO/QS requirements, the authors have a higher purpose. They recognize the problems managers face and also understand that the manner in which system documentation is developed is inadequate. They propose a method of developing process documentation that not only aids in the preservation of an associate's knowledge, but also helps to reduce the learning curve for new associates. An added bonus is a reduction in process variation during the training or transition period.

The authors define "process mastering" as the fundamental building block for continuous improvement, and as such, they describe a more complete and value-added approach to process documentation. While most organizations have used process mapping for documented processes, they have failed to implement a most important element, which is the evaluation of process needs and interactions which are used to determine the critical process steps. Combining the best of process mapping, quality function deployment, process analysis and planning, and cross functional team techniques in a simple manner, the authors present a more effective method for establishing the "best known way" to do a job.

The authors are not proposing a method that is either "magic" or easy. What they are proposing is a method that managers may use to avoid suboptimizing the system while juggling multiple projects and priorities. In addition to the flowcharts, forms, and templates, the examples provided in the book make this an excellent reference for managers wishing to evaluate or implement process mastering. Whether your specialty is manufacturing, engineering, quality, or auditing, you will find this book a worthwhile resource.

Stern's book is thorough, covering every aspect of expert witness testimony, and is full of specific ideas that can be applied in court. Best of all, it's far from the tedious read of the typical legal text. Stern mixes entertaining real-life examples, and a sense of humor, into his informative text.

Highly recommended.