Published in 2012, Managing Web Projects does exactly what it says on the tin.
The copy we own in the office has become warn and tattered since I added it to the bookshelf, often surreptitiously vanishing, before magically returning to it's rightful place. But what is it's rightful place? We have it on the bookshelf, not because it tells us what to do, but because it has reaffirmed why we do what we do. We use it to question our assumptions, but equally to question assumptions in the book in order that we come to a more efficient solution.
Ultimately, this is one of the defining features of the web: efficiency. One word really does encapsulate every area that we work in. We want to work smarter ourselves but so too should our systems and hardware. It is all about maximing timeframes, be that project delivery, or server latency.
Even then though, we still want to maintain efficiency for the user, in the information we deliver to them and how we can present them with what they are looking for. The efficiency gain in web projects then, is almost endless, but with the right focus upfront, any inefficiencies can be overcome by maintaining the correct process front the beginning that focuses on solving issues without having to think about them.
Every project needs to be managed, but managing it towards its ultimate goal is what is important, and this book helps focus on defining and refining that goal. Having put the book down after the first time I read it, I was pleased that our approach had been affirmed.