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Titanic Lessons for IT Projectsby Mark Kozak-Holland ISBN: 1-895186-26-9 Published by Multi-Media Publications Inc. |
A portion of the contents of this book has been previously-released as a series of articles. Here is what people thought about those articles:Found [the] Titanic article on Gantthead very interesting.
[...] Can tell you a story about an IT project I took over that
suffered this disease!! Thanks. A friend forwarded me [the Titanic] article from Gantthead.
It was very insightful and well written. I'll have to check
out [the] book. Just a quick fan letter to say I have enjoyed [the] Titanic
article series on Gantthead, and have just ordered a copy
of [the] book. Look forward to reading it. I just read [the] article titled “IT Project Lessons from Titanic”.
I found it very interesting and [the author has] developed very
true and interesting analogies between the two processes. Just
wanted to compliment [him] on that…. Read [the] article on Titanic. It was excellent how [the
author] related the Titanic to IT projects.
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This book is based upon an earlier work -- On-time, On-line, On-budget: Titanic Lessons for e-business Executives. See what others were saying about this earlier book:Perfect for any manager as well as IT management. Having had
my own business, I felt when I read this book that the advice applies
not only to IT but can be offered as helpful hints and warnings
to just about business, big or small. [...] Mr. Kozak-Holland’s
book should make us all look at our past downfalls and ensure we
all learn from them. This book works well on many levels’s being
entertaining, insightful and a fun read for anyone interested in
history. A great analogy using the Titanic as an example of over-confidence
in building and running a ship. If you don’t plan to avoid “IT Icebergs,”
then you will likely hit one....and then what happens? Being a history buff, I was intrigued with a book that could
link a historic non-IT project with modern so-called new wave online
IT projects. I was not disappointed -- it clearly demonstrated [that]
the more things change, the more they [stay] the same. The flow
was pragmatic, thorough, and easy to follow. The language was geek
free and informs readers on what they should expect from their deliverables
and why they are needed; more importantly, why certain decisions
are made and their overall impact on any project. In the end, the
book clearly demonstrates, through the Titanic reference, that it
is rarely a single decision that creates the failure but a series
of smaller seemingly unrelated decisions that cause us to fail.
Failing to plan does cause your plan to fail. I would recommend
this book to any non-IT person, and any IT professional who is about
undertake a project that involves Information Technology. From where I sit, the themes of the book are even more relevant
to wireless than the internet (if that is possible). The approach
fits perfectly. Our project managers have been using some of the
new language they acquired in presentation for project planning,
and some templates to systematically address complete problems for
system deployments. Our Systems Engineers and QA testers have been
particularly vocal about the points [author Mark Kozak-Holland]
made on testing scenarios, simulating real life prior the "hot patching"
live systems. We bought about 8 books and following [the author's]
presentation, they all disappeared from my office. Thanks again,
and I'm looking forward to the next one! The use of historical reminders to present readers [with] some
very practical lessons is both entertaining and insightful. The
author has me looking forward to his next book in this "Lessons
from History" series. [The greatest] value most of us in the IT
industry can get from this book is the large number of practical
reminders that (without the proper foundation) it is too easy to
lose focus on the details that count and the result is often a failed
project. Used properly, this book can help project management and
participants "steer clear" of potential disaster. I've finished reading the book, and enjoyed it. Relating project
management risks to the real life disaster of the Titanic is very
effective, and especially so when [the author shows] that all the
risks on the Titanic could have been avoided or mitigated. [His]
analogies are a great reference to relate back to when explaining
the project risks to others and trying to justify courses of action
to avoid it. Mark Kozak Holland has really put things into perspective in
this book. I found it entertaining and insightful. I could not put
this book down after I started reading it. It's a fun read, pragmatic
and unique in it's reflection on the Titanic as a perfect example
of lessons learned from the past. As a CIO, I can really understand
the messages and guidance the author is providing. The tools and
guidance on best practices and "questions to ask today" are great.
Well done, I'm looking forward to Kozak-Hollands follow-on book.
Refreshing! Clear! This book is a breakthrough for non-techies
who need to manage technology!! This book does an excellent job
helping CIOs and other 'C' level, P, VP, and Director executives
understand some of the key issues in managing a technology project.
From requirements, to project management, to build, to testing,
to deployment; without a lot of tech-talk, Mark has captured the
issues an executive needs to be aware of to help ensure their technology
projects succeed. As an architect, I am going to buy this for the
executives that rule my life! It helps both sides of the organization
(business, technology) understand more of each other's issues fostering
a more educated communication between them. I know this book would
be of great value to many of those whom I have consulted. I am sending
a copy to three of them! |
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© 2005
Multi-Media Publications Inc.
