Reading Room - April 2016

This month's reading room selections are about project management. Just about everything in IT these days is a project - so having the skills to manage projects effectively is becoming a basic requirement. Two books to choose from, though there are thousands of good books on this topic. Enjoy.

IT Project Management (Susan Snedaker, Nels Hoenig). OK, we can file this under "shameless self-promotion". I post this book as a recommended book because time and again, I see people struggling to manage projects in a methodical manner. The Standish Group published a report called the CHAOS report, which provides statistics on project success rates. The most current report suggests that only 29% of IT projects SUCCEED. So, with such dismal success rates, I strongly suggest people study up on project management skills. My book is written to be pretty simple to use and very straightforward. You don't have to delve into Earned Value Analysis or other more technical aspects of project management with my approach. It sort of boils down to "make a plan and work the plan" but my book provides a roadmap for success and survival tips along the way.

Project Management for Healthcare Information Technology (Scott Coplan, PMP and David Masuda, M.D.). This is a well-designed book specific to project management in healthcare IT. The authors have included the basics of project management intertwined with specifics of healthcare IT. This is an excellent book, especially for project managers who may be new to healthcare IT or for those who would like to move into this area of expertise.