I write nonfiction about all aspects of managing product development. I've recently branched out into fiction. Since I like to read most of the genres, I write across genres.
I now have a shop! As I load all the books, you can find them all here: Johanna Rothman's Books and Merchandise. (See each book's page for its specific links.)
Nonfiction Books
I write about management, product development, and personal development. Click on the link next to each cover to see the details for that book.
Management
Modern Management Made Easy (a triad of management books), 2021. (See each link in this list to go to each book's page.)
- Practical Ways to Manage Yourself (book 1)
- Practical Ways to Lead & Serve (Manage) Others (book 2)
- Practical Ways to Lead an Innovative Organization (book 3)
Hiring Geeks That Fit, 2012. What you need to know about a congruent way to hire and what to do when you “can't find” anyone. (Manage the portfolio!)
(Hiring the Best Knowledge Workers, Techies & Nerds: The Secrets and Science of Hiring Technical People, 2004. (I think you can still find the paper version of this book. Hiring Geeks That Fit is more recent and better, although I titled it wrong. Sigh.)
Behind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management, 2005. A classic in the management field. Watch what happens as an experienced manager moves through a week, resolving issues and supporting the people he leads and serves.
Product Development
Project Lifecycles: How to Reduce Risks, Release Successful Products, and Increase Agility, 2023. “Agile” is not the point. Agility is. Learn to see your feedback/learning cycles and decide what you can do to reduce those feedback loops (if you want to.)
From Chaos to Successful Distributed Agile Teams: Collaborate to Deliver, 2019. Now, a classic about distributed agile teams. If you want agility and your team is not collocated, read this book.
Create Your Successful Agile Project: Collaborate, Measure, Estimate, Deliver, 2017. How you can learn to create your successful agile project and not fall into the various framework traps.
Manage Your Project Portfolio: Increase Your Capacity and Finish More Projects, 2nd edition, 2016. If you have more work than time to do it, this is the book you need.
Agile and Lean Program Management: Scaling Collaboration Across the Organization, 2016. Want to “scale” agility but not incur bloat? This is the book you need.
Predicting the Unpredictable: Pragmatic Approaches to Estimating Cost or Schedule, 2015. How to think about estimation and then estimate with your team.
Diving For Hidden Treasures: Uncovering the Cost of Delay in Your Project Portfolio, 2016. If you can see all your costs of delay, you can make even better choices for your project portfolio.
Project Portfolio Tips: Twelve Ideas for Focusing on the Work You Need to Start and Finish, 2014. A dozen tips that make sense.
Manage It! Your Guide to Modern, Pragmatic Project Management, 2007. This Jolt Award-winning book shows you how to manage projects. No Gantt Charts. No fuzzy scheduling or estimation. How to work with the team to use rolling wave deliverable-based plans. And be aware of all the schedule games that trip up project managers and teams.
Corrective Action for the Software Industry, 2003. If you struggle with ISO for your software product, you need this book.
Amplifying Your Effectiveness (I have two essays in this book)
Personal Development
(I think of these as you, the product. I realize that's kinda geeky. That's me.)
Effective Public Speaking: How to Use Content Marketing With Stories to Show Your Value, 2025. Do you want to raise your profile? Build your brand? While I focused this book on how writers and consultants can find their ideal audiences with effective public speaking, you can use this book even if you never want to leave your “day” job.
Learn how to design and deliver presentations that resonate with the people you want to influence.
Successful Independent Consulting: Relationships That Focus on Mutual Benefit, 2023. Learn everything I've learned to be a successful consultant. How to build your consulting “engine,” and use systems to succeed.
Free Your Inner Nonfiction Writer: Educate, Influence, and Entertain Your Readers, 2022. Nonfiction writers think and learn as they write. You can learn how to write with ease and confidence.
Write a Conference Proposal the Conference Wants and Accepts, 2021. Do you need to write a conference proposal? This book explains how, from soup to nuts.
Manage Your Job Search, 2014. A job search is an emergent project. Learn to organize it and find a job that works for you.
Fiction (Longer Works & Books):
2022:
- The Bargain Spot Chronicles: An Original Urban Fantasy Collection of Five Short Stories. (Urban Fantasy)
- Corporate Spies on the Inside: An Original Collection of Five Short Stories (Crime with spies)
2021:
- Lights, Cookies, Fruitcake! Five Original Short Christmas Stories (Fall holidays, mostly crime)
- Boston Guardians: An Original Short Story Collection (urban fantasy)
- Cybercrime Mysteries: An Amanda Scott, PI, Short Story Collection (Contemporary cybercrime)
- From Angels to Justice: A Heroines Short Story Collection (crime)
- Surprising Doorways: A Portal Short Story Collection (portal fantasy)
2016:
- Sometime in Winter (a short romantic suspense novella)
For my short fiction appearances in anthologies and magazines, see Johanna's Fiction