We have all at one point or another in our Project Management careers, dealt with the issue of managing multiple projects. There is limited knowledge out there on how to manage multiple projects. Dobson starts out by identifying three different types of situations in which you may be managing multiple projects.

The first situation which he labels as 'Task Oriented Project Portfolio' deals with multiple projects that are very short in duration (a few hours of 1-2 days at most). The basic problem in this situation could be that there are a lot of these small projects and the PM has a full-time responsibilities on top of these projects.

The second situation is labeled 'Independent Project Portfolio' where there are a lot of similar type projects that are not related (no dependencies between the projects). The problem here is resource availability that is fixed but there ends the dependencies between the projects.

The third situation is called 'Interdependent Project Portfolio' where there are large projects with many small projects identified as tasks in the large projects. Here, the main problem is the different kinds of expertise that is demanded of the resources under the overall time constraints. An example of a move is utilized where it is a large project with many sub-projects that have time dependencies but are not related in content (computer setup, ordering utilities etc.).

Entrepreneurs in start up companies especially run into the first situation where there are so many of these small projects that the business owner is just plain overwhelmed. I have recently found myself in this situation and I was very thankful to read Dobson's book and apply the simple techniques and worksheets provided in the book.

Dobson briefly develops the circumstances surrounding each type of multiple project scenario and provides techniques and worksheets that a PM can use to manage in each situation. He also creates new definitions that apply in these individual scenarios.

This is not an in-depth treatment of the complexities involved in handling multiple projects. The book is only about 134 pages long. It is an expensive book but I would highly recommend any serious project manager to at least borrow the book from some PM library that you may have access to. Dobson also spends almost half the short book on explaining simple project management concepts like WBS, Gantt Charts, etc. that most project managers are already familiar with. Hence it makes for a very quick but valuable read. Don't miss out on these neat techniques. The ROI is very high.

Michael Dobson has placed one of the first stakes in the ground by defining this grey area between Project and Programmes. We (ProgM - the Professional Body for Programme Management) are looking to form a BoK (Body of Knowledge) to define the delineation between these areas and we will draw on this book as a point of reference.

Michael uses clear reasoning and definitions backed up by proven methods eg. PERT and CPM. He defines projects into portfolios and gives sound analysis for scoping and reasoning. The book distinguishes the juggling between Task-Orientated Project Portfolios, Independent Project Portfolios and Inter-Dependent Project Portfolios.

This book even covers the distinction between urgency and priority which is a issue for all Project Managers.

Excellent reading and comparatively light reading for a book rich in information.

The incomparable Bloodstone saga continues as the intrepid lords (PCs levels 16-18) delve into the most dangerous dungeon of all time! Your unbelieving players (who will probably never forgive you) will face demons, iron golems, red dragons, the Tarrasque, and yes, Orcus, the Prince of the Dead himself; hopefully, they're half as good as they claim to be, or this adventure will usher in an exciting new campaign for their 1st-level replacements. The one and only epic - not deep, but unforgettable!

The 2nd of 4 adventures set in the Forgotten Realms world. Brave heroes fought outside influences to protect the Bloodstone lands, what was thought just another angry band of monsters leads them to the abandoned bloodstone mines, once mined for its rich bloodstone minerals. It appears theres more than originally meets the eye as their investigations bring them ever closer to the unceasing force behind it all.

Although some claim you can't find a decent one volume Bible commentary, I've got an accredited B.A. in Theology, and I say you certainly can. The contributors of this commentary are from the highest levels of academia and present material worthy for the pulpit and pew alike.

This is a 1st edition D&D module set in the city of Lankhmar from Fritz Lieber's fantasy stories. It is very moody and dark and provides some good adventures. If you can get your hands on it I would highly recommend it.

...is what the authors needed to do with this painfully extensive book. Having now read the book in its entirety, I can still say that it contains little useful information and the useful information it does have seems to be buried and scattered throughout the book. One problem is that the length of many chapters (one chapter clocks in at roughly 60 pages) make them difficult to read in one setting, if you have a shorter attention span, or for that matter, a life. This could create a problem as stopping in the middle of a chapter and picking back up with it later may be counter-productive. There is lots of good information presented, it would have just been nicer to have it broken down into smaller chunks.

What are the forces in the workplace that can make or break your career? How can one deal effectively with situations ranging from water-cooler chats to conferences in your boss' office? How can one navigate more smoothly office politics and power plays? What is the difference between lying and spin-doctoring? These are some of the questions authors Michael and Deborah Dobson attempt to answer in this book which is loaded with career survival tips. Here are a few of their postulates: "Deal with the way things are, not the way you think they ought to be"; "Live your principles and life, not everyone else's"; "Be honest, or be quiet"; "Respect those who oppose you".Read the book, and step more confidently over those subtle and not so subtle traps in the corporate battle arena. The book illustrates much of what you may encounter, and is a helpful tool in preparing you for those experiences. After reading this book, continue your enlightenment with, "How To Master Change in Your Life" by Mary Carroll Moore. Both books contain practical and timely information.

What distinguishes this book from the competition is the authors' commitment to an ethical, principled approach to the political game, which I found to be refreshing and positive. So often, the choice is presented as "stop worrying about being nice and get out there and win!" Instead, the Dobsons show why having principles, being honest, and treating others with dignity and respect can be a source of political strength and effective results, and why the archetypical Machiavellian office politician often comes to a bad end.

The second quality of this book I liked was its emphasis on how to adapt its general guidelines to your specific situations, which it did through a series of exercises, questionnaires, and worksheets. They took some serious effort on my part to complete, because they were quite challenging. I had to think through my own goals, the goals of other people, and the circumstances that described my office environment. At the end, however, I felt that I had a much clearer picture of what was going on, why it was going on, and what I could do about it. I would definitely encourage you to invest time in the exercises.

The third quality of the book that appealed to me was the easy and personal writing style. The Dobsons have a warm, intimate conversational tone, and I felt that they explained clearly and effectively how organizations worked, where politics fit into the picture, and how you could turn it into a positive force on behalf of your goals.

In a world where cynicism and power hunger drives people toward short-term gain, it is heartening to see a potentially negative topic such as office politics treated as a positive, ethical, and potentially uplifting force. I recommend this book.

I didn't finish reading the book because I had lost my interest in it. Notwithstanding, the contents are all good and correct. However, having worked for more than 4 years now, I've already known all the ingredients need to climb up the ladder. The problem to me is how to do it effectively and efficiently without leaving a kiss up perception, which is hardly covered in this book. However, if you're a "rookie", a first year employee, a fresh graduate, then this might be the book to read so that you can gain an impressive "hello" effect to your managers and colleagues. In fact, you could actually just browse the table of contents to get the meat of the book.

If your notions of how to get along with your boss stopped at the admiring-the-family-photos-on-the-credenza stage, here's how to move it along. Michael Dobson and Deborah Singer Dobson advance kissing-up to a new, practical level, as they straightforwardly explain their boss-wrangling concepts. You can read the brief chapters in bite-size chunks and each one ends with a worksheet. While these concepts about understanding your boss and playing to the boss's priorities are not particularly innovative, they are useful and accessible. The Dobsons wrote their book as much for the folks in the cubicles as for the fellow in the office with his feet on the desk. Reading this book won't change your boss's personality - but it might blunt his pitchfork. We [...] recommend it to staffers who want to get ahead by getting along with the boss, the gatekeeper to the top. And if that takes a little manipulation, well, hey, it's business.

This book should be titled "Moving into Management for the Technical Professional." Less than twenty pages are devoted to project management. I gave it one star for meeting the expectations of the title, but for the actual topic covered it rates a three or four. It discusses the challenges and pitfalls for a technical professional who moves into the role of managing other technical professionals. And also gives good guidance on how your thinking must change to be successful in your new role.

Project management is far more than just whether you know how to draw a Gantt chart or use Microsoft Project. In fact, the technical "project management" skills are often the least important skills you need to get a project done. It's the people issues, the political issues, the organizational issues that end up spelling the difference between failure and success.

Especially if you're in the IT field, or indeed in any area of high tech, there's a good chance that you became a project manager by growing out of a technical position. And when you do, you normally find out that it's a whole different world. In my experience, your organization usually doesn't spend nearly enough time helping you through this transition. It's sink or swim, and I've watched a number of people go through this process (in addition to going through it myself), to witness the full range of outcomes. Even when people succeed, it isn't easy for them.

A regular project management book often needs a supplement, and this supplement would be a excellent part of any project manager's library. It's practical, insightful, sympathetic (it's pretty clear that the author is writing from personal--and sometimes painful--experience of his own), and even witty (the footnotes have hidden jokes that only very knowledgeable science fiction readers will be able to ferret out; but don't worry, the book is still funny and fully understandable even without knowing all the references).

What does the book tell you? First, how to make the transition inside yourself to be a good project manager, with emphasis on "manager." Second, how to extend and expand your influence over people--and every real project manager knows full well that on projects you normally don't have official power over all the people whose cooperation you need. Third, how to understand all the management systems and tools that you probably didn't study in college. (The book has the best short descriptions of concepts like TQM and ISO-9000 and MBO and the like I've ever read--it's like having a quick Cliffs Notes of an entire MBA, and that's only in one chapter!)

Another review here talks about how little "technical" project management is in the book. Fair enough. If you want to know how to draw a Gantt chart, buy another book. But if you want to know how to manage people, and that hasn't been your strong suit in the past, add this one to your shelf at the same time--and I'll bet you'll refer to this one a lot more often than the other.