Having read a general project management book not too long ago, I was left wanting something more specific to IT projects. Martin Bauer's Managing eZ Publish Web Content Management Projects book fits the bill well. It covers general PM principles, introduces the eZ Publish CMS, and is full of practical examples and tips specific to content management in general and with eZ Publish. You can tell that Bauer has experience in PM and content management generally and with eZ Publish specifically.

Although the book focuses on eZ Publish projects, much of it applies to any content management project. Appropriately, it is not too technical, leaving it up to other sources to provide deep technical detail. As a result, it is a great read for project managers, content managers and webmasters.

The first few chapters introduce the types of content management projects and the different components of such projects. Bauer roughly follows the traditional PM life cycle; as he points out, many of the PM principles still apply in content management. Contrary to some other approaches, the book does not preach one best way to support each of the steps in the life cycle, and provides options and suggestions for the variety of project sizes and scope. Bauer spends extra time on the specification and scope topics to delve into what is needed for content management projects, giving relevant example specifications documents. There is some good information about ranges for time and budget estimates, but I would have liked to see some external references to help derive the initial time estimates.

One problem that affects the entire book is the lack of visual organization. By this, I mean that the heading and sub-heading styles are too similar and the sections aren't numbered. Therefore, I was prone to lose sight of the bigger picture at times.

Chapter 3, which is exclusively about the technical features of eZ Publish, might be too rushed for readers who are new to eZ Publish. It covers many eZ Publish features, but only skims through each of them. Bauer is aware of the limitations of having everything in a single chapter, and repeatedly states that one must take the time to learn the system. Interested readers should definitely look at the eZ Press books eZ Publish Content Management Basics and eZ Publish Basics, and should consult the ez.no website.

The material in Chapter 5 about content modeling is particularly handy, with many diagrams and page mockups. Bauer stresses the importance of a good site structure, as it not only affects the visitor's user experience but also affects the ability of content managers to efficiently create content. For example, it is better to have a dedicated container for news items than to have multiple, general folders under which to put news. The dedicated news container can help the content manager to be better organized and to consider the context of the content being created.

The book picks up momentum from Chapters 8 through to the end (Chapter 13), going from risk management (including types of risks and their impact on the business) through to testing, training and maintenance. Bauer shares many real-life observations about technical training, enhancement mini-projects, and more.

Chapter 9, Open Project Management, is possibly the best chapter, giving a refreshing look at the meat of the management process in PM. It provides tips about communication, team dynamics, reporting, and ensuring that projects run as smoothly as possible. The customer is considered a key part of the PM team throughout the entire process, and Bauer first and foremost emphasizes collaborative attitudes and techniques. For example, he cautions about hostile reactions to problems, and the tendency for customers to want to "shoot the messenger". In some cases, it is most helpful to let the customer brainstorm possible solutions. This keeps them involved and enables them to fully understand the problem.

As a whole, Managing eZ Publish Web Content Management Projects is an in-depth look where Martin Bauer shares his years of knowledge and experience. People working with eZ Publish and other content management systems will find that it is a handy reference for existing projects, and it will also be appreciated by new project managers and project managers new to content management systems.