Every so often, I stumble across a book that is a lot more interesting than I had expected. Less often still, I find a book full of useful information I didn't even know I needed to know. The name doesn't give an adequate impression of the scope of this book which has more information on the planning side of project management than most managers know exists.

I don't intend to manage any large scale projects myself, but the book seems to fit any size project. Plenty of space is given to modern styles in the agile vein as well as the more traditional planned styles for government-size projects. The layout is clear and logical so the reader can concentrate on the sections relevant to them without missing anything. The internal and external references are comprehensive and appear just where you might need them. The book can be used to learn about estimation techniques, as a detailed reference for practitioners or even as a step-by-step guide (seriously useful).

The scope is staggering. From the ever popular Price-to-Win method (ignore the facts and quote based on what the customer wants to pay) to complex parametric feedback-led estimation techniques, it should be easy to find a model to fit. What makes this book so attractive is that it also serves as an impartial overview of project management styles. Even requirements specification is covered. Basically, anything that can affect estimation is included. If you think about it, that's a large field. I doubt I shall ever look at software metrics as an imposition again.