The Project Management Advisor: 18 Major Project Screw-ups, and How to Cut Them off at the Pass (Paperback)

by Lonnie Pacelli (Author) "Virtually every (rational) project has at its core a need to solve some problem that is perceived by someone..." (more)
Key Phrases: completion variance, critical path chain, current variance, Bonnie Dentz, World Series (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This is your complete, hands-on guide to saving projects in trouble.

Drawing on 20 years of frontline project management experience, Lonnie Pacelli identifies the 18 most pervasive causes of project failure: their causes, early warning signs, and how to fix them before it's too late.

Here's just some of what you'll learn...

• ...how to focus on the right problem, find and keep the right sponsors, realistically determine scope, uncover hidden risks, write more effective project plans...
• ...involve the right people, get your whole team on the same page...
• ...deal with vendors who don't deliver... manage and minimize cost overruns...
• ...communicate more effectively...test right, train right...
• ...streamline that last, endless 10% and finish strong...
• ...and more...
• ...a whole lot more.

If you're a working project manager, consultant, or team leader, this book is your secret weapon. It's fast. Relevant. Practical. Easy to read. Easy to use. Above all: it works.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

From the Back Cover

This is your complete, hands-on guide to saving projects in trouble.

Drawing on 20 years of frontline project management experience, Lonnie Pacelli identifies the 18 most pervasive causes of project failure: their causes, early warning signs, and how to fix them before it’s too late.

Here’s just some of what you’ll learn...

...how to focus on the right problem, find and keep the right sponsors, realistically determine scope,uncover hidden risks, write more effective project plans...

...involve the right people, get your whole team on the same page...

...deal with vendors who don’t deliver... manage and minimize cost overruns...

...communicate more effectively...test right, train right...

...streamline that last, endless 10% and finish strong...

...and more...

...a whole lot more.

If you’re a working project manager, consultant, or team leader, this book is your secret weapon. It’s fast. Relevant. Practical. Easy to read. Easy to use. Above all: it works.

 

 

Running a project? Smell trouble? Get this book.

Here are specific, practical, immediate solutions for all 18 key causes of project failure.

Here’s how to diagnose problems before they get out of control. And fix them.

Here’s how to keep any project on track. And any career.

 

What to do when you’re...

 

·   Addressing the wrong problem	·   Running over budget
·   Designing the wrong solution	·   Missing key project risks
·   Using the wrong technology	·   Trying to do too much
·   Working from an inadequate plan	·   Not doing enough testing
·   Missing the right sponsorship	·   Not doing enough training
·   Managing a team that won’t gel	·   Relying on vendors who aren’t delivering
·   Not involving the right people	·   Working without a fallback position
·   Failing to communicate	·   Coming up short at the finish line
·   Skidding away from the project plan	·   Deciding whether to pull the plug

 

 

Companion Web site

A complete library of practical project management resources:

sample status reports, communications plans, project health checklists, and more

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 1 edition (September 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0131490478
• ISBN-13: 978-0131490475
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #609,729 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Accenture and Microsoft project mgmt experience in one book, September 12, 2004

By	Michael Van Fossen (Alamo, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I thought this would be a dry read..., September 9, 2004

By	David "David" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

...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!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is not your typical project management book... , September 10, 2004

By	Suzanne Lessard (Redmond, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.