05probe.pmd

“ W h at E m p lo y e r s Wa n t B u t B u s i n e ss section introduces inspiring, timeless ideas in light hat Employers Want But Business Schools Don’t of problems encountered by people in their everyday Teach is one such book that tries to address the needs of a career-oriented employee. In the past, much The authors call the First Chapter “Life’s
has been written on attitudes, motivation and Never….Just A Piece Of Cake”. This chapter is the
behaviour separately by various authors but this is book’s pulse and includes motivational and one book which practically and straightforwardly inspirational statements by the authors where they covers all the aspects affecting individuals at the work say, “Open your mind to the different things you place. With the help of numerous examples the book really want to do in your life. Look at what you can gives antidotes for success in the workplace and really do with your time. The human body is capable simultaneously also provides an understanding of the of much more than we give it credit for. You can emotional and attitudinal ‘downers’ that bring about work, look after a family, spend time doing charity problems with individuals. Besides identifying the work, chase after a hobby, entertain, pray, and do a key factors for achieving success it provides lessons on commitment, hard work, gut instinct, confidenceand foresight. Laced with real life problems The more you do the more you can cope with doing.
encountered in daily life the authors also dwell on a The brain gets quicker, the body nimbler, ideas flow situation when their own institution was on the brink faster and you suddenly realize that because you of insolvency. The ordeal of stress and crisis have stretched yourself, you can make things happen.
management makes interesting reading.
You realize that every moment is important and you The road map for improvement and success at the can fit in the things you really wanted to do. Life work place cannot however be dealt with in isolation becomes more interesting. There is never a dull and the book touches upon the development of the individual’s personality, offering numerous In Chapter Two “Managing Time by Managing
suggestions on how to balance your personal life Priorities” some common time wasters like finding it
hard to say “No”, Trying to do more than one could, The essence of this simple, practical literary creation lack of discipline or poor delegation of work have is to seek solutions to the following quests: been elucidated. In the end the authors nicelysummarize tips for time management in three simple I am trying to reach my goals but not reaching steps. In Step One it is advised to prepare a list of 10
important priority items like, reading, working, I have difficulty in coping with my workmates.
meditating, traveling, exercising etc, and examining
the outcomes associated with them. Step Two
I have difficulty in managing time and setting includes figuring the 3-5 most significant items in one’s life which one has to manage personally. Step I lack confidence and feel stressed easily.
Three indicates managing, delegating or deleting therest of the secondary items.
I find difficulty in coping with the challengesof corporate life.
With time behind, the issues of commitment and
hard work need to be looked at. In Part-II, Lessons
About The Book
on Commitment, Hard Work, Common Sense, Gut
Written in an easy-to-read manner by Yasmin D’Souza Instinct, Confidence and foresight have been
and Amitabh Singh, the book offers practical solutions for managing conflicts and stresses on time Chapter Three titled “Have You Got What it Takes
management and prioritisation, taking a look at the to be a ‘High Achiever’?” commences with a quote
broad organization of the book it is split up in four by Diana Scharf Hunt “Goals are dreams with parts, with Part I containing two chapters and rest deadlines” and mentions that in order to achieve, parts consisting of four to seven chapters.
one must first of all have the right attitude to climb In Part I- Lessons On Time Management And
the ladder and go the extra mile. A positive attitude Priorities, the authors concentrate on the advantages
is all that counts and converts everything into of time management and prioritizing events. This achievable. The authors even reassemble the word ‘impossible’ to read ‘ I- M- Possible’. And this has patient working, positive attitude and will to succeed.
nothing to do with the gender. Both men and women One needs to defeat the symptoms of twisted thinking can achieve this without much ado. Besides the right i.e. stress, fatigue and depression by meditation and attitude, the authors also stressed upon the significance of goal setting and satisfactory motivation Chapter Eighth presents tools for “Coping with
level to achieve set targets with commitment and Stress and Crises Management at Work” by working
hard work. Chapter Four-”Six Elements to Making
at whatever is the problem, spending one’s energies a Success of Yourself” discusses six key components
doing hard work, brainstorming on ways to tackle the – Common Sense, Hard Work, Gut Instinct, problem, discussing and sharing it with other Confidence, Clear Thinking and Developing Foresight colleagues. Significance of Meditation as a great de- as essentials for managing work and one’s self stressor and development of an hobby like gardening, successfully. The chapter briefly touches on the cooking or exercise to take one’s mind off has also common influencers motivating people which include money, power, recognition, achievement andbelief in a cause.
The Ninth Chapter, “Managing Change and Pace”,
draws reader’s attention to the current age of
In Chapter Five, an entire chapter on “Commitment-
microchips, oven chips and computer chips; ocean The Key to Success”, awaits the reader to plough
waves, microwaves and radio waves; floppy disks, through. The chapter has a worthy start with words compact disks and computer disks where the whole by Brenda Good- “On the road to life there are many world seems to be moving at breakneck speed. The paths…some twist, some turn, some dip, some curve.
authors have stressed the need for discussing change As long as you keep your focus, your destination is management because Research had shown that, obtainable.” Inspirational examples of famous compared to 50 years ago, managers today- personalities like Walt Disney, Henry Ford, HelenKeller and many others very well drives home the idea that Commitment + Hard Work + Perseverance The Sixth Chapter titled “Gaining Confidence”
wonderfully explains CONFIDENCE through an
anagram where ‘C’ stands for Courage and Conviction, ‘O’ means ownership, ‘N’ conveys Nobleness of One must learn to relax and enjoy life. In order to character, ‘F’ depicts Flexibility, ‘I’ expresses live fully we must divert our attention to other aspects Innovativeness and Integrity, ‘D’ says Diversity and of life like, adequate rest and sleep, traveling, Drive, ‘E’ claims Energy, ‘N’ denotes Neutral, ‘C’ socializing , reading, continuous learning and concurs Clarity and Creativity and ‘E’ manifests intoEnthusiasm.
Everything is not rosy. Issues such as depression, stress, In Tenth Chapter, “Health and Well-being in The
and change affect the managers. In Part-III, Lessons
Workplace”, The authors have further highlighted
on Managing Depression, Stress, Crisis and
that health which is a composite sum of exercise, rest Change, the authors give valuable insight into these
and proper diet is as important as performance at the issues and provide real life helpful tips to tide over workplace. For enhanced efficiency one must maintain a clean office, watch the seating posture,keep the computer screen at eye level, exercise In Chapter Seven “High Achievers and Twisted
regularly, avoid smoking and drinking at the work- Thinking” the beginning is marked with a quote by
place, drink plenty of water, climb the stairs frequently John Ruskin “The highest reward for a person’s toil is not what they get for it but what they become by it.”With aid of achievers examples like, George Burns Part-IV talks about Lessons on Honesty,
who won his first Oscar at eighty, or Charlie Chaplin Communicating, Negotiating, Interviewing, People
who was still directing movies at seventy-six, or at Management, The practical Aspect of Dressing and
the age of ninety-four, George Bernard Shaw Entertaining at Home. Then there are the questions
produced a new play it is boldly explained that of honesty and this vital to sound business. So is the achievements are an outcome of belief in oneself, In Twelve Chapter, “The First Few Steps in Being A
goals. One must take a look at this book and glean the Good Communicator”, the authors provide seven
wisdom offered therein. The book’s chief attraction steps to become an effective and impressive stems from the finesse with which highly relevant communicator and these really help. Being relevant, issues of stress and everyday challenges of work life simple, inspiring and speaking with authority, integrity are handled in four lucid sections incorporating many with a dash of humour are few of them.
Chapter Thirteen dissects “The Art of Negotiating”.
We found the book to the point, easy read and With pearls of wisdom by Mother Teresa “Kind words enjoyable. With its powerful, thought provoking can be short and easy to speak but their echoes are contents it compels the reader to have some soul truly endless” the chapter begins on a humble note.
searching and self introspection. A must read for the As per the writers the move to achieve a win-win situation can happen if one works upon the ABC of This book is packed with simple, powerful ideas
negotiation where, A signifies Attitude, B denotes that corporate executives can put to immediate
Behaviour and C depicts Competency. The hallmarks use. Following are few of them:
of successful negotiation are- empathy and respectfor the person we are negotiating with, faith in one’s Whatever you do, do it to the best of your own negotiating power, a flexible attitude, clear Strive always, for goals and targets that are In Fourteenth Chapter, “Lessons in Interviewing”,
just on the borderline of being unreachable.
the art of interviewing is dissected wherein, one Have confidence in yourself. If you don’t must test the candidate for his intelligence, ability, already have it, start building it up.
Success in management is a people related job. If you cannot get along and grow with people you are lost. Chapter Fifteenth discusses “Thriving with
honestly the issues you do not understand.
People”. With an aim to have people’s co-operation
and support one must watch his temper, tongue and body Language. If you really want to win over people’sheart and mind then practice politeness at all Never be afraid to work an extra hour, that occasions. Chapter Sixteenth “Be Motivated-
extra day with the extra effort to complete Dressing Well Can Help” covers a few practical,
useful tips on dress code. Chapter Seventeen “The
Commit yourself to finishing what you have Practical Side of Formal ‘Home Entertainment’”
started. Don’t let anyone or anything move reveals guidelines on being a perfect host and completes the book. The book concludes with few recommended reading of the authors favourite books.
attitude and life style needed for success.
Conclusion
We must communicate to transform lives and With a title such as this, the reader is just swept away with a promise of fulfillment. The book does not In the end, we can say that the book is an excellent disappoint. The authors have culled together their guide to improving productivity at the workplace and is collective experience, put across their native wisdom filled with action words, relevant tips and practical tools and offered a book that helps you get going to your that can help everyone to follow the road to success.
Pr o j e c t M a n a g e m e n t f o r I T R e l at e d Managing an IT project is a difficult task. the instructor branch of the Royal Navy. HisInformation technology management is particularly uncertain because IT is always moving, changing, adapting and challenging development in the Joint Services IT Training System Analysis and Design, Brian West has business needs and demanding stakeholders.
It is therefore necessary to study IT project domains. Norman Smith has spent more than British Computer Society (BCS) have hence practitioner, consultant and trainer in Project designed industry oriented courses that aim worked in senior roles for various international competitive edge to organizations in terms experience of developing a wide variety of computer systems includingtelecommunications systems, naval weapon Project Management for IT Related Projects systems, computer aided design systems and has been specifically designed to support candidates who wish to take examinationleading to the Information Systems The book has eight chapters. Chapters 1 and Chapters 2 and 6 by Bob Hughes, Chapter 3 by Roger Ireland, Chapter 5 by Brian West, Chapter 7 by David Shepherd and Chapter 8 approach to Project Management not only for has been written jointly by Ireland and West.
those who are to take on project management Chapter One, the introductory chapter,
responsibilities but also for users and potential Projects and Project Work, defines ‘project’
and establishes the need for project planning The book has been written by the team that and control. The reader is introduced to project is actively involved in the course development life cycles and project management stages.
Variations on the conventional project life cycle Management Certification course. The editor models are also discussed. The author then of the text, Bob Hughes has many years of describes the utility of the key document of experience of implementing IT projects, in any project, the’ business case report; which needs to be set out before the detailed planning government sectors. Roger Ireland, one of of a project starts. Project implementation the authors, has beem a lecturer in further strategies are described with their procedures education, including teaching Mathematics and problems. The author winds up the chapter with an overview of the Post Implementation Gloucester Technical College he was therein In Chapter Two, Project Planning, the
during the project life cycle, implementation author descibes the main steps in producing of quality procedures, entry, process and exit an initial plan for a project. The project-based requirements are discussed in this text. West and activity based approaches to planning are discussed with work and product breakdowns, followed by testing and evaluating methods.
and the relationship between product andactiities in a project. Resource allocation is a The reader is also introducet to the principles critical success factor for any project, Hughes of the ISO 9001:2000 standards for quality identifies the types of resources required for an IT project. He illustrates the process of Estimating, we have Bob Hughes exploring
introduced in Chapter 2, can be produced.
histograms, work schedules and Gantt charts.
He describes the Top down and bottom upapproaches to estimating. The parametric Chapter Three, Monitoring and Control,
approach and the analogy based approach for explores the means by which the plan for a estimation have been discussed. The author project is monitored and controlled so that it largely fulfils its plan. The sequence of steps discussing effort drivers productivity rates, in the project control life cycle used for activity durations and the effects of over and monitoring and control is discussed. Inputs under estimating. The author states that the best people to estimate effort one those who information effectively are provided. The are experts in the area and discusses that chapter also examines how corrective action can be applied in a considered controlled way.
judgement. The Delphi approact to improvethe quality of expert judgement is also Change Control, the Fourth Chapter of the
book, deals with the reasons for change andchange control procedures. People (roles and Chapter Seven, Risk, begins with description
responsibilities), procedures, process and data of origin, causes and effects of risks. The author then describes the risk management specifically and also generically by Smith. The identification, assessment, prioritization and monitoring and control of risks. Under Risk Assessment, the author describes the three components of the project are modified to criteria on which risk evaluation is done, the probability & impact of risk & proximity i.e.
the time period in which the risk may occure.
The Fifth Chapter, Quality, defines quality
and then describes the characteristics and the
Need for a contingency plan for the projects criteria for building a quality product. The are also discussed as a intigating action.
author explains the difference betweenQuality Control and Quality Assurance using a simple example. How to identify defects structured risk management apporach within overall project planning to ensure that risks c h a p t e r i n c l u d e s a l i s t o f l e a r n i n goutcomes, activities, and self-assessment The last chapter, Project Communications,
helps the readers in knowing how to identifystakeholders and their concerns. The chapter has inputs on the constitution of the project o r i s i n t h e e a r l y y e a r s o f p r o j e c t useful for users or potential users of IT management. The text ends with a discussion s y s t e m s w h o a r e i n v o l v e d i n on criticality of communication, its methods, place of work. It aims at facilitating ani n s i g h t i n t o p r o j e c t m a n a g e m e n t Conclusion
capabilities and raising awareness of the The authors have followed a simple, to-the- roles various parts of an organization play point and consistent approach to explain the

Source: http://www.iisjaipur.org/iiim-current-08/OORJA_Jan_April.08/05Probe.pdf