New Book Tells “Accidental Project Managers” How to Save Their Jobs

Frequently, a senior programmer will be promoted and these “accidental project managers” stumble through their first assignments with little or no project management training and mentoring, says Bas De Baar, author of the new book "Surprise! Now You're a Software Project Manager."

Oshawa, ON (PRWEB) August 3, 2006 -- Reports by consulting firm The Standish Group show that the majority of information technology projects are over budget and completed past their deadlines. One reason behind this, say some industry experts, is the lack of experienced project managers to lead these projects.

Frequently, a senior programmer will be promoted to the job of project manager – the person who is responsible for overseeing a software development project. These “accidental project managers” stumble through their first assignments with little or no project management training and mentoring, says Dutch author Bas De Baar, editor of www.SoftwareProjects.org, a popular web site for new software project managers.

In his latest book, "Surprise! Now You’re a Software Project Manager," De Baar attempts to increase the odds of success for these new managers, by providing them with a crash course in software project management. De Baar notes that “New managers don’t want to get caught up in all of the project management theory and history; rather, they want to know what they can do today to improve their odds of success.”     His new book does just that: it cuts through the jargon and provides readers with clear, practical advice on where to start, what they should focus on, and where they can cut some corners.

With his years of experience as a practicing software project manager in Europe, as well as a Masters degree in Business Informatics, De Baar knows the ins and outs of the software development world. He has distilled his extensive knowledge and the advice of many other experts, whom he cites in the book, to create a valuable handbook for new project managers.

This is one book that should be read by all new software project managers. It could save their projects… and their jobs.

"Surprise! Now You're a Software Project Manager" by Bas De Baar (Multi-Media Publications Inc., ISBN 1895186757) $29.95 US/$34.25 CDN, 252 pages, paperback.

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