Ed Yourdon is nothing if not a catchy phraseologist. A “death march project” is one whose “schedules, estimations, budgets, and resources are so constrained or skewed that participants can hardly survive, much less succeed.” All of us, I suspect, feel like our lives are a death march at times.

After introducing the concept of a project designed for failure, the author uses subsequent chapters to cover politics, negotiations, people, and processes. The basic material is wide ranging, and easy to read and absorb. The references are dated and generally unhelpful; a few newer ones are thrown in, seemingly randomly. Years of Yourdon consulting experiences, and war stories from the cubicles, shine through the advice and recitation in the text. One yearns for the names behind the narratives! I would also hope that those new to the workplace be careful before following literal advice in a book such as this, lest their march lead right out the door. That being said, newbies would benefit by a review of the material herein, too often ignored in academia. Older hands won’t find much they don’t already know.

The book claims to cover “the entire project lifecycle, systematically addressing every key issue participants face.” Unfortunately, no book could really live up to this claim. While short on technical detail, the book is long on motivation and humanism. For those who need such motivation, this book may lead them back to life.