Two weeks ago, I took a course taught by Alex Walton called "Effective Project Management" (http://ls.berkeley.edu/mail/webnet/2006/0021.html). The course was sponsored by the Technology Program Office on campus. I found the course immensely rewarding and useful. Even though I knew a lot about the theory of project management and have managed many projects on a more informal scale, I felt empowered by the practical tips that were taught. I was reminded once again about how important it is to be part of a community that learns together to construct a common language and way of working. When I read about project management in the past and applied those practices in isolation from my immediate coworkers, I found it difficult to sustain those practices. My hope is that those of us on campus who have gone through the training can now help each other and our colleagues who have not been through the course to better manage our projects. Perhaps the Business Process Analysis Working Group will provide the much needed vehicle for long term sustainability of good project management at Berkeley.

While I figure out whether and how to share the course materials and know-how with colleagues, I'm looking at other books that might be helpful. I just bought a used copy of Project Management: The Essential Guide to Thinking and Working Smarter (Self-Development for Success), a book that I had borrowed from interlibrary loan on a recommendation for a short book on project management Scott Berkun. (I can't find the reference to that recommendation, though.) Berkun himself just wrote the (generally) acclaimed The art of project management, which is available in electronic from to UC Berkeley folks at http://proquest.safaribooksonline.com/0596007868