Customer Reviews

The Project Management Advisor: 18 Major Project Screw-Ups, and How to Cut Them off at the Pass

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The Project Manager Advisor: 18 Major Project Screw-ups and How to Cut Them Off at the Pass is an excellent read for both new and experienced project managers alike. Pacelli shares his experiences gained from a combined 20+ years at two premier, project-oriented organizations; Accenture and Microsoft. Although geared more toward technology-oriented projects, Pacelli provides examples outside of technology including his own prepared food service business and the lessons learned from these experiences can be applied to almost any type or size of project.

If you are about to initiate a project and are lucky enough to be the designated project lead or are just a team member the title alone entices you to find out what you can do to avoid the most common pitfalls. Alternatively, if you are currently knee-deep in a program curiosity begs you to check your own project for what Pacelli calls the "warning signs". He takes a potentially dry topic and makes it engaging and light to read.

New project managers will find the Advisor easy to navigate making it easy to refer to again and again. The "screw-ups" profiled loosely follow the chronology of a typical project life-cycle from not "addressing the right problem" through not "reporting project progress" to "tripping at the finish line". Each of the 18 chapters highlights a different screw-up and gives the reader ways to identify the traps, how to read the warning signs and what to do to turn it around. The key takeaways are conveniently summarized at the end of each chapter. This organization makes it a great airplane read which is where I initially read the book.

Most of the big failure traps are covered such as lack of sponsorship, scope creep, limited user involvement, project cost, poor communication and inadequate testing. Less attributed traps, but sometimes just as inevitable, are also covered including poor teaming, inadequate risk management, ineffective customer training and no contingency. Even the topic of "pulling the plug" on your project is addressed... one of hardest to actually execute. Many of these issues will be familiar to experienced project managers. But what's different about this guide from the generic, theoretical, "Project Management 101" handbooks is that Pacelli describes his real-world experiences of the subtle warning signs (or obvious ones as the in the case of the project sponsor that doesn't return phone calls) that are often overlooked when you are in the "heat of battle". He combines these warning signs with innovative, but practical, techniques for mitigating these issues. For example, to address the issue of "designing the wrong thing" he suggests clearly defining scope along multiple dimensions (functional, geographic and organizational) including defining exceptions to scope.

I was intrigued with the description of getting the right Sponsorship where Pacelli suggests continuously clarifying expectations, right-sizing your time with the project sponsor, and being explicit on what you need from the sponsor are all ways to help ensure your sponsor is engaged. It resonated as one of the toughest areas to address and Pacelli covers off on the topic with easy-to-follow, common sense approaches. Another chapter I found especially insightful was Screw-Up #10 "The project cost much more than expected" which doesn't focus on cost management techniques but probably more important techniques in managing through the problems including use of contingency fund, tradeoffs on remaining work and requesting additional funding.

Seasoned project managers will sympathize with Pacelli as he chronicles some of his own "failures" and war stories including poking fun at himself in the role of the "overzealous project manager". Pacelli carries the "have some fun" theme throughout the book especially in his chapter on "The team didn't gel" which includes the advice of playing the occasional practical joke and "Go out for a milkshake".

Sprinkled throughout the Advisor are also some sample deliverables that he has used and refined in his own experience running projects as consultant, project manager and business owner. Readers will find excellent updated versions of the standard "project progress report" and "communication plan" that have more relevance in today's corporate environment where competition is keen for management attention but yet so critical for success.

Although it's great flight-time reading, I found myself continually coming back to the Advisor reflecting on my own projects. At a minimum, this book is an excellent quick-reference prior to beginning a project as well as a periodic refresher during the project. However, many readers will find the Advisor a required checklist and invaluable practical, experienced-based resource to organize a project for success.

Pacelli also offers up additional resources and templates for project success that will be maintained on his website to supplement the book. Pacelli also gives an opportunity to share your own "screw-ups". I'm looking forward to this supplement to the Advisor.

So, before you start your project be sure to pick up a copy of The Project Manager Advisor: 18 Major Project Screw-ups and How to Cut Them Off at the Pass. You will certainly learn about what to avoid. And it's a fun read.

...boy was I surprised.

I was the first reviewer of Lonnie's book and when he gave me chapters I planned to read a couple of chapters and give him some feedback. I kept reading right through to the end and so will you.

Lonnie has a very engaging authoring style and a lot of real world experience that he shares in a meaningful way with many practical "take aways". This book will save you a lot of pain or at least remind you of some key things that are essential to getting the job done right. This is a valuable read if you're managing projects of any size.

You'll love Lonnie's humanistic approach to sharing his knowledge too...this is not your typical project management book!

I thoroughly loved the writing style and content of this book. The content is geared toward anyone managing a project and what pitfalls to avoid along the way--I saw many of my past mistakes in this book and then wished I had this earlier so I didn't have to learn the lessons the hard way.

This book is a must have for anyone managing a project, large or small.

Regardless of whether you're managing your first project, or have the battle scars from many, this excellent book will be an invaluable resource.

For the new PM the 18 "Screw-ups" cited will give you ample warning about the most common pitfalls encountered in any project. Note that this book is more slanted towards software development projects, but the 18 pitfalls apply to any project type.

Seasoned project managers will recognize every one of the pitfalls cited. Even though this readership may have developed techniques to prevent them after years of experience, many will find the list to be an excellent review before initiating any project. One of the best uses of this book for seasoned (and even new) PMs is to share copies of this book with key project team members and all major stakeholders before the project is initiated. This will communicate awareness of the most likely things that can go wrong, as well as build a collaborative environment.

I particularly like the format used to present each "screw-up" - "How it happens", "Warning signs", "Turning it around" and "Takeaways". This format casts each of the 18 "screw-ups" as a pattern of sorts, and presents each in a consistent manner. I also liked some of the artifacts depicted in the book, such as the example progress report. This (and additional material) can be downloaded from the site supporting the book (paste the ASIN - B00061GLJ2 - into the search box on this page, select All Products, and click the Go button).

The wisdom contained in this excellent, easy-to-read compendium is invaluable. I personally love the book and highly recommend it.

This book is remarkably concise and meaty. It highlights trouble spots that occur again, and again, and again, in project management. Each chapter is about a 5- to 10-minute read, but impart years of wisdom.

What's the $6K? That's the raise that I got because this book gave me the answers that I needed in a tight spot! Thank you, Mr. Pacelli!

It took me a while to get into Lonnie's book. The book will be of most use to seasoned PMs and of incremental value over time to new PMs. The information Lonnie puts rings a bell in project situations you have been through and fosters thinking in those you have not been through. Lonnie did put a lot of effort in making the book as amenable as possible and he's done a very good job indeed. The apparently light-read has profound implications very appreciable if you have been there. Each topic evokes in me a lot of additional thoughts.

I recommend the following way of reading the book:

1) Select a chapter (any one)
2) Read all the headings
3) Make yourself a mental picture of the following:
3.1 - what you would put under the heading
3.2 - what headings Lonnie may be missing that you would add
4) Read the text for specific headings you want to drill-in further.

All in all this book is very good as an aide-memoire as well as fostering thinking in situations you have not been through.