Finance-Software

Save your money. Has some good ideas about using 3 1/2 inch floppies instead of the aging 5 1/4's

The book is well organized and provides useful sources for further information but beyond that the material is very dated. The book mentions that CD-Roms are in their infancy and focuses mainly on DOS programs.

I've read more than 50 books on project management, and have reviewed a good number of them, but this is the first one that was fun to read. The author manages to keep the tone light and conversational, yet touch all of the important aspects of successfully managing software projects. While I am one of those die hards who doesn't believe in silver bullets--those elusive shortcuts to accomplishing complex tasks--any more than I believe in the tooth fairy, I think that the approach in this book comes close.

Although the tone is light, the techniques are solid. I like the way the author strips away non-essential tasks and focuses on what is essential to successfully managing a project. He starts with visualizing the goal, which is an exercising in defining project objectives, and introduces a key concept that will be used through the book: Probability of Success Indicator (PSI). These indicators are checkpoints for ensuring that all critical success factors are satisfied and are closely tied to risk management. I especially like the common sense way projects are approached - develop a checklist, emphasize leadership and teamwork, carefully plan and manage expectations and communicate. These are the essence of project management, regardless of whether you are using the U.S. standard set forth in the PMBOK or the UK PRINCE2 approach. In fact, all of the techniques, including the 10-step methodology given in the book, will work with both the PMBOK and PRINCE2 approaches.

Chapters I especially liked covered assessing project plans, issue resolution and how to shorten projects using accelerated analysis and design. I found some of the appendices valuable as well, especially Appendix 1 (ISO 9000 Estimating Procedure) and Appendix 2 (Structured Project Management, which summarizes the 10-step approach. If you use MS Project (which I do not), Appendix 6, Learning Microsoft Project 2000, may be useful.

The only shortcoming is the lack of earned value as a project control tool, but for small projects this isn't a major issue. Overall this is an excellent book for new project managers for software development projects and it is also full of tips and techniques that an experienced project manager will appreciate.

Follow the principles outlined in this book and you won't go far wrong with your projects. It's a bit lacking in some places with theory butif it's practice you're after, it's great.

The author provides a Ten Step process that certainly sounds workable. I have no doubt that it DOES work. It would have been nice to see more rationale and discussion of why this particular method is "necessary and sufficient" to run a project. He never really talks about why this method is sufficient. Proof by repeated claim doesn't count. It was still pretty good despite that flaw.

This is a great book from a great man. If you manage projects you *have to* read this and keep it on your desk for frequent reference. It is a very enjoyable and thought provoking read.

Our banker said the plan we wrote with this book was "the best plan he had ever read" and approved our loan before we filled out the application, without a credit check! This simple, easy to understand guide will be especially helpful to first-timers and people with short attention spans (like myself). This book got us $120,000 in startup capital and, 4-1/2 years later, a company worth $3,000,000. Buy this book!

No joke. I have to say, I'm no idiot. But writing a business plan was the most difficult thing I had ever had to write in my life. And I'm a professional journalist/writer. However, this book really helped me structure my proposal, leave out the non-core information, research my market and --very important-- understand what I could leave out of the b-plan. While the book de-constructs the business plans of other extremely successful companies, it doesn't bog you down with too much information. It presents useful, crystallized examples from those plans. The Best Practices, so to speak. Anyway, the best news: I just got funded for my web business (and in this down market, too!). It's called www.mediabistro.com and the comment I heard over and over from the VCs I spoke to was: "GREAT business plan." I have Mr. Gumpert to thank for that. --Laurel Touby

This book was recommended to me by an executive with 30 years of experience and 8-digit net worth as the "bible" for starting a business. I have used this book twice during the past 6 years to assemble successful business plans. The lessons in the book are not industry specific or date specific, but rather the wisdom that applies to any business. Some of the insights in the book were later worth a lot of money to my companies. My compliments to the author for not just putting together templates or example plans, but rather teaching the entreprenuer how to think.

Lisa Shaw's advice on the economics of starting a home-based publishing business is something of a conundrum. First, she claims startup capital and money for living expenses can be unnecessary luxuries that sap motivation. "In fact," she says, "I had no money in my early publishing ventures, so I had to rely solely on my creativity and my intractable faith in my own abilities." Later, she recommends this reality check to help assess the level of risk you're comfortable assuming: "How would you react if you or a family member had to spend a week in the hospital and you didn't have health insurance because you needed the money to pay the mortgage?"

She goes on to take a superficial look at a number of self-publishing enterprises (including booklets, books, greeting cards, magazines, newsletters, newspapers, software and e-zines); considering ease of startup, initial investment, time commitment required and other factors.

Each chapter contains a brief profile of someone who's been successful in each line of home-based publishing, but little detail is given. The profiles tell what each entrepreneur did, but offer only limited information on how they did it, since names and contact information for the resources they used are kept secret. Despite citing the growth of the Internet as one of the key factors making home-based publishing viable, there's scarce information on how to utilize the World Wide Web as a marketing tool for your efforts. And in a chapter dealing with computer hardware and software titled "Technologically Speaking" - a chapter one would expect would be brimming with detail based on the book's topic - Shaw's best advice is, "do your own research...."

The final chapter begins, "You now have the knowledge and the tools necessary to start your own home-based publishing business."

Not unless you're prepared to do a lot of supplemental reading.

Unless you're looking for a very brief introduction to home-based publishing, there's no "how-to" in How to Make Money Publishing from Home.

Shaw's book is drive-by writing, without the research.

Publishing is part of the daily routine at my 13-year-old, home-based marketing and public relations firm. So, I was wondering what innovative things Lisa Shaw would be able to teach me in her book HOW TO MAKE MONEY PUBLISHING FROM HOME. Well, trust me--this "old dog" learned PLENTY of new tricks! Of course, there was the usual, basic stuff: reasons to begin a home-based business, financial assessments, skills needed and exactly what to expect from your new venture. But then I learned about: new niches I could fill within my company; some areas of publishing I'd NEVER want to try based on Ms. Shaw's descriptions (which saved me time); and Zines ... never had heard of them! There were a few things I wish the author HAD included, and perhaps they can be in a revised edition: a) contract examples for independent contractors, b) confidentiality statements for use with clients and c) since the book is about publishing, more updated information on copyright laws. Her Resource List included many of the titles I have relied on over the years, and which should be "must reads" for budding entrepreneurs. And, I'd like to add two titles to her list: 1)GETTING BUSINESS TO COME TO YOU by Paul & Sarah Edwards and Laura Clampitt Douglas and 2) 101 HOME OFFICE SUCCESS SECRETS by Lisa Kanarek. It was apparent in the content of Ms. Shaw's book that she had "been there" and obviously "done that" (publishing from home) extremely well! Warning: Running a home-based business isn't for sissies! Do you homework and research BEFORE you begin to save you a lot of heartache later. And, oh yeah, GOOD LUCK!

Have you ever dreamed of starting your own home-based publishing business? Have you been hesitant to put your plans into action? This book contains all the necessary ideas and strategies you will need to successfully launch and grow your business. Lisa Shaw, a home-based publisher, reveals to her readers everything they need to know to successfully start and run a home-based publishing business.

I have read and re-read the book so many times, the cover has gotten frayed. The genius of the book is that it is based in sound business practices and could theoretically be applied to any business. Whether you want to earn your living creating newsletters and brochures, zines and postcards with this excellent book at your side you can experience the satisfaction of building your own home-based publishing business.

one must read this book. This book is a great experience of every reader who can go throughly.