Massimo Pica graduated in Chemical Engineering at 'Sapienza' University in Rome, Italy. He retired from active service with the rank of Brigadier General in the Corps of Professional Engineers of the Italian Army. Throughout his career Gen. Pica built up significant experience in Project Management, and especially Project Cost Management, as he participated in a number of NATO and international programs for the design, development and production of advanced defence systems. His current activities are in the area of specialist training on Project Management and Economic Engineering. He is a member of European Council of Construction Economics and of International Cost Estimating and Analysis Association.
’A very valuable body of knowledge covering best practice and established theory for those involved with the long term cost appraisal of complex engineering projects. The first part of the book provides a thorough and essential grounding in the basic concepts of systems life cycle and related economics. The second part of the book, with its coverage of a wide range of practical engineering applications, will afford an essential reference for practitioners conducting analysis, estimation and managing the life cycle costs of complex systems as well as for students of life cycle cost estimation and evaluation.’ A.J. Barltrop, President, Association of Cost Engineers, UK ’The book takes the reader through all of the stages of systems design through to procurement and also stresses the importance of considering the cost of replacement. The writer makes some very interesting observations along the way and some very useful check-lists are included in the text...Those managers now seeking to gain a cost or efficiency advantage via the use of new systems will find this an indispensable text book.’ Chartered Management Institute (CMI) ’As a guide to life-cycle costing from a purely Systems Engineering perspective it is certainly a resource to add to a Systems Engineer's library.’ International Centre for Complex Project Management (ICCPM)