Books by David L. Olson

This book addresses project management in the context of general project management.An introductory chapter discusses project features in general. Part I of the book focuses attention on the important human element in project management. Part II discusses two processes involved in the initial project definition stage, as well as covering estimation. Part III involves planning and project risk and implementation.A feature of the book is an effort to tie content to that of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). Each chapter includes reference to how each chapter relates to the PMBOK structure, and relationship to the 2020 PMP Exam Outline.

This book addresses the use of quantitative tools to support general project management.Part I of the book deals with critical path modeling. Part II discusses risk modeling tools to include Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT), critical chain modeling, and agile/scrum approaches. Project control through earned value analysis is also covered. Part III is a Microsoft Project orientation. A feature of the book is an effort to tie content to that of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK).Each chapter includes reference to how each chapter relates to the PMBOK structure and its relationship to the 2020 Project Management Professional (PMP) Exam Outline.

Further, it examines models related to pandemic planning, such as evaluation of financial contagion, debt risk analysis, and health system efficiency performance, and addresses specific models of pandemic parameters. The book demonstrates various tools using available data on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

This book reviews forecasting data mining models, from basic tools for stable data through causal models, to more advanced models using trends and cycles. These models are demonstrated on the basis of business-related data, including stock indices, crude oil prices, and the price of gold.

Chapter 2 covers data visualization, including directions for accessing R open source software (described through Rattle). Chapter 7 goes on to describe link analysis, social network metrics, and open source NodeXL software, and demonstrates link analysis application using PolyAnalyst output.