Project Management That Works: Real-World Advice on Communicating, Problem-Solving, and Everything Else You Need to Know to Get the Job Done [Hardcover]

Rick A. Morris (Author), Brette McWhorter Sember (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 18, 2008

Project management is one of the fastest-growing occupations in the world. The Project Management Institute (PMI) has seen membership growth of more than 1000 per cent in the last ten years, with members in 157 countries. But while many of these managers know how to plan a successful project in theory, very few have the practical tools they need to navigate the politics of today's corporate world. Project managers need more than just good technical skills; they need the right communication skills to succeed. "Project Management Strategy" helps readers deal with the reality of unreasonable deadlines and difficult projects and shows them how to accomplish their goals without alienating their executive sponsors or the team working under them. Filled with real-world examples based on the author's ten years of project management experience in Fortune 500 companies, this book gives readers the tools they need to handle even the most challenging situations. The only book to address the real challenges project managers face today, this is an accessible and invaluable tool that will show readers how to accomplish their mission - no matter what the obstacles.

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

Project management is one of the fastest-growing occupations in the world. The Project Management Institute has seen membership growth of more than 1000% in the last 10 years. But while many of these managers know how to plan a successful project in theory, very few have the practical tools needed to navigate the politics of today’s corporate world. Project managers need more than just technical skills; they need the right communication skills to succeed. Filled with real-world examples, Project Management That Works gives readers the tools they need to:

communicate with their team as well as stakeholders • get their teams to function well • run fewer and more productive meetings • turn around failing projects • utilize data properly to make emotional conversations unemotional • know when a project is really done

The only book that addresses the real challenges project managers face today, this is an accessible and invaluable tool that will show every reader how to accomplish his mission—no matter the obstacles.

From the Inside Flap

There is a noticeable and growing problem in project management—a huge and disturbing gap has emerged between project management theory and its application. Project managers know how to run a risk meeting, but not how to negotiate the upper levels of power in their corporations. If you’re a new project manager, you may know how to plan a project, but not how to negotiate dates with your sponsors. You may understand the principles, but not how to apply them in the real world in effective ways. What you need is a guide that will give you the tools to work effectively within any corporate culture and accomplish goals in a timely and productive manner.

Project Management That Works helps you deal with the reality of unreasonable deadlines and difficult projects and shows you how to accomplish their goals without alienating your executive sponsors or the team working under you. Author Rick Morris has more than 10 years of project management experience in Fortune 500 companies, holds the PMP®, and is also a sought-after speaker at PMI® chapters. Here, he and Brette McWhorter Sember teach managers how to have a conversation with key project team members. While many books will teach the theory or discuss ideas, very few combine theory with practical data gathering and teach how to turn the data into real results. This book will show you how to get the appropriate data and use it to support everything you know is supposed to happen, but can’t see how to get done. Through the authors’ seasoned guidance, you will learn the fundamentals of good project management, including how to:

• Understand yourself

• Communicate on all levels

• Be trustworthy and give good information

• Turn around failing projects

• Really know when a project is done

• Apply the iron triangle (triple constraint)

• Apply the PERT methodology in project planning

• Never lose sight of the customer

• Avoid sacrificing your team at any cost

• Understand myths about status meetings

• Understand patriots and scuds

• Perform a real risk assessment

• Put risk in a project plan

• Use project management to make positive change to your corporate culture

This is a true insider’s guide that will teach you the skills you really need on the job that often aren’t part of the project management curriculum. It will enable you to make positive change—no matter how insurmountable the challenges seem.

Rick A. Morris is a project manager for several Fortune 500 companies and is a sought-after public speaker on project management. Brette McWhorter Sember is an attorney who has written more than 30 books including The Essential Supervisor’s Handbook.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 17 and up
  
• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: AMACOM (August 18, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814409881
• ISBN-13: 978-0814409886
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #640,697 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical advice for any project managers, October 14, 2008

By 

M Rodriguez (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Project Management That Works: Real-World Advice on Communicating, Problem-Solving, and Everything Else You Need to Know to Get the Job Done (Hardcover)

True to its title, this book delivers practical real-world advice. It is definitely not your typical PM textbook, filled with theories that have no reflection on the day-to-day life of a project manager.

The author was on point when he addressed the soft and hard skills required to succeed as a project manager. Difficult concepts are made simple to understand. Supported by real-life examples, the suggestions are easy to apply.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book from cover to cover. It was refreshing to find such a useful guide in a compact and easy-to-read book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insanely Useful, June 25, 2009

By 

Jason E. Smith "Impatient Reader" (Maryland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Project Management That Works: Real-World Advice on Communicating, Problem-Solving, and Everything Else You Need to Know to Get the Job Done (Hardcover)

In a sea of overcrowded books filled with project management THEORY, 'Project Management That Works' is a standout read that focuses instead on real-world application and examples. As Morris writes:

"There is a significant gap between the principles of project management and the application of project management in many corporate environments. I often compare it to taking a driving test. We were all taught that your hands should be kept at 10 and 2 on the steering wheel, to signal a certain distance from a turn, and how to properly merge. Yet, almost all of us will break many of those rules when we get behind the wheel of a car. Trained project managers learn the principles and reasons for running a successful project. However, when it comes to running the project, we tend to selectively decide what we will and will not do."

With that in mind, Morris does not disappoint. Chapters on communicating better, negotiating with sponsors, earning trust, turning around late projects, problems with status meetings, protecting your team, how to avoid being sabotaged, how to put risk in a project plan, how to change your corporate culture, and much more -- show you how to cut through the theoretical fluff and gets down to business with key insights into what's worth doing, what isn't, and how to execute the former. Over and over again, Morris offers historical examples, analyzes what went wrong, and explains how it might have been handled more effectively.

Well written and useful to PMs all along the spectrum (junior to senior), I simply cannot recommend it enough. Exceptionally good reading! 220pp

-Jason S, PMP

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars How to Fill In the Significant Gap Existing between Project Management Principles and Their Application in the Corporate World, September 14, 2009

By 

Serge J. Van Steenkiste (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Project Management That Works: Real-World Advice on Communicating, Problem-Solving, and Everything Else You Need to Know to Get the Job Done (Hardcover)

To his credit, Rick Morris with the assistance of Brette McWhorter Sember does not put his readership to sleep with project management theories that have no bearing on the practice of project managers. Instead, Morris peppers his text with many practical tips for the successful management of projects. Although it may be difficult to accept it, success in project management is somewhat elusive when one considers the propensity for project failures. Generally, accepted failure rates vary between 59 percent and 94 percent. Miscommunication plays a key role in this abysmal performance when one keeps in mind that communication represents over 90 percent of a project manager's job. Communication covers areas such as documentation, meetings, one-to-one conversations, or phone calls. As a side note, Morris could add a CD-ROM to a second edition of his text with what he considers the best templates in the area of project management. Sometimes, Morris refers his readers to the Web to find templates on their own. In conclusion, Morris shares with his audience actionable tips which will hopefully boost the project success rates.