How does information technology (IT) project management interface with the broader organizational environment, as well as with the traditional topics of finance, analytics, and the supply chain? This book, rather than being about how to create a corporation or raise venture capital, addresses that question. Project managers and technology professionals will have an improved practical awareness of the answers to that question after studying these timely and uniquely presented materials.

The book’s writing style is conversational, with easily understood points and examples. Each chapter is broken down into clearly headed topics, and typically contains a representative case study and a summary. The book includes a very good index, so that the reader may rapidly find and digest a section of special interest. The book also offers selected references and items for additional reading, with an emphasis on practice-oriented materials.

Eight chapters are devoted to operational issues, and eight chapters are devoted to business issues. An informative appendix, “What Managers Are Discussing,” contains a number of interesting questions and answers--for example, “How do you manage communications in an onsite/offshore team?” The book simply and meaningfully discusses these questions.

A chapter addressing pre-sales and bid management is one of the most useful discussions in Part 1 (“IT Operational Issues”). The case study tracks the bidding cycle for a multimillion-dollar IT outsourcing deal and is very hands on.

In Part 2 (“IT Business Issues”), a chapter discusses “strategic thinking and the evolution of information systems.” The case study of a foundry walks the reader through the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) process, and the ultimate strategy recommendations.

The IT-educated project leader will gain insight into the overall business process and environment by spending some time digesting the concepts that this book presents. This is an excellent introductory overview at the project level. It does not discuss broader issues such as intellectual property or marketing, but will prepare one to be more effective when moving into a project leadership role.