The sequels are getting longer and longer and finally there comes the finale. I really can’t wait longer ... I definitely will get one on the very first days when it gets to the market.

Oh! This time remember not to read any news from July 21th until you finish reading it. Last year it was too late when I realized I knew the ending before I even got the book. I just can’t get why people would like to know who gets killed and what the ending is on the very first day the book is published (from newspaper!!). Sham on you whoever wrote that on paper!

Have you heard of PMP? Probably you have, I guess.

My feeling about PMP (or any other certificate) has always been somewhat in line with Scott Berkun: License to manage?. Certificates are nice to have, but not requirements.

Most certificates today have specialized learning guide for you to quickly grasp everything you need to get those certificates. I do admit the acquiring a certificate itself does add some value in learning a topic. It gives you a goal and some study area (most of the time with a truly excellent study guide). I do tend to acquire certificates as bonus for learning a new topic (if I don’t need to pay for them). It might not be useful, but certainly not harmful.

Well, PMP is by far the most painful one I’ve ever tried (and probably the most valuable one). Naturally there’s an excellent study guide for it:

PMP Exam Prep, Fifth Edition: Rita’s Course in a Book for Passing the PMP Exam
by Rita Mulcahy

I would say the book itself (along with its simulation software) should be enough for you to pass the exam. I have read it thoroughly for 3 times and have done 4 simulations (all with scores much higher than the passing criteria).

BTW, I did take several project management courses during the last few years. So my experience might not be a perfect match for you.

Waltzing with Bears - Managing Risk on Software Projects
by Tom Demarco & Timothy Lister

The business of believing only what you have a right to believe is called risk management. Say you have a schedule set for the project and you believe that it is reasonable. But do you have the right to believe that? You can’t just say “yeah, I believe I can do it!” and just hope the result will be what you want. You have to do you best to make sure that what you want will be the result. That’s “risk management”.

If a project has no risks, don’t do it. If you do it, you have to manage the risks of it. There are 4 main tasks in risk management:

• Create a risk list and assess the risks on it. You have to determine the impact and probability of the risk materialization, its exposure, contingency and mitigation actions for it. Keep refining the list should be a continuing part of the project.
• Create risk diagrams to express the uncertainty. This book provides a tool for doing that.
• Create an incremental delivery plan and an earned value running diagram. This is used to track the progress of the project.
• Monitor all risks for materialization or expiration and EVR diagram for any deviation.

This book provides detailed steps in risk management. It tells you what you should do but not how to do it. To learn how, you have to practice in your projects.

A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative
by Roger von Oech

This book teaches how to be more creative by telling what are the reasons caused us being uncreative. It lists ten mental locks, which are our own attitudes got in the way when we need to be creative.

1. The Right Answer
2. That’s Not Logical
3. Follow the Rules
4. Be Practical
5. Play Is Frivolous
6. That’s Not My Area
7. Don’t Be Foolish
8. Avoid Ambiguity
9. To Err Is Wrong
10. I’m Not Creative

The approach taken by the author does not provide any specific magic of how to have creative mind. However, it shows some answers to why we are not creative enough. By reading it, we could exam our own thinking process and try to be more creative by unlocking our mental locks.

It’s a light book with many great points that can really whack your mind.

Pragmatic Unit Testing in Java with JUnit

by Andy Hunt, Dave Thomas

If you have not yet been a fan of JUnit, you need this book. This book provides a tutorial and is extremely well written. This book also provides a systematic structure for writing unit tests. It could be valuable for those who have been writing unit tests for a while but need a guide along the way to write better test code.

Pragmatic Project Automation: How to Build, Deploy, and Monitor JavaApps

by Mike Clark

I really like this book. It is small and very easy to read. The very fundamental idea is to absolutely automate everything so that we human beings won’t have any chance to have an excuse. The idea is not totally new, but it does make me try to find every possibility of automation.