Creating the Project Office: A Manager's Guide to Leading Organizational Change (Jossey Bass Business and Management Series) (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Robert Graham (Author), Paul C. Dinsmore (Author) "We write this book from the point of view of advising a small group of people, call them change agents, who are attempting to implement..." (more)
Key Phrases: strategic project office, project office services, project office movement, Goodman Fielder, Air Force, Group Program Office (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The authors have produced another thought provoking, next generation look at the project based organization, change, politics, and role of the project office. The journey they depict expands and challenges the status quo and gives them a prominent place as thought leaders on the future of project management. This book's premise, that projects are vehicles of change and change is the life blood of world-class companies, makes it a must read for project managers, program managers, and portfolio managers."
— Dalton Weekley, President, Human Systems Knowledge Networks, Inc.

"These authors have scored again with the latest evolution of their collective insight. This text will serve a broad audience spanning both academic and industry needs— anyone seeking a solid framework for launching project management initiatives now has a new, valuable reference and implementation guide."
— Ray M. Haynes, director, University Alliances Technology Development, office of the chief engineer, TRW Space Electronics, and retired professor of engineering management, Cal Poly University

"If you are a practicing project or program manager faced with the challenge of driving a multi-organizational complex project, this book is for you. While not providing exactly a how-to recipe, Englund and his colleagues describe from personal experience what works and what remarkable results can be achieved with passion, persistence and good upper management sponsorship."
— Peter Rosenbladt, Hewlett-Packard R&D; Manager (retired)

"What's a project office and why do you want one? Different organizations are at different points along a continuum on the use and acceptance of project offices. While there is no simple or secret answer to creating a project office and leading organizational change, Englund, Graham, and Dinsmore construct a compelling case that the process of implementing a project office will, itself, be a catalyst for organizational change."
— Arnold M. Epstein, Office of Project Management and Engineering Support, United States National Nuclear Security Administration

Product Description

Creating the Project Office is written for managers who are searching for ways to transform their organizations into more effective and efficient project-based workplaces. As this important book reveals, there is no more effective way to make that change than to create a project office tailored to the needs of the organization. While a project office model leads to better products from projects, it is also a vehicle for generating overall organizational change— by transforming the organization from function-based to project-based. This model incorporates projects into the very fabric of the organizational strategy and revitalizes organizations, creates competitive advantage, and increases shareholder value.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (February 10, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787963984
• ISBN-13: 978-0787963989
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #257,764 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unusually rich, March 25, 2003

By A Customer

This book takes the leading thinking in implementing organizational change and applies it directly to the challenge of implementing project management. The authors then advance the art through the application of their extensive experience and original thought that leaves the reader-practitioner with a step-by-step guide to implementing a project management office.

The major strength of this manuscript is its revelation of the organizational challenges in creating a project office, their causes, and straightforward advice on navigating the pitfalls. The knowledge and experience of the authors comes through with `been there, done that' credibility. The reader leaves with a deeper understanding of their organization and the means for achieving their goal of implementing a project office.

I thought Part One was one of the best discussions I have seen of the organizational change factors involved in implementing a project office. It provided thorough overall coverage on the existing body of work in organizational change and provided an application to project management. The author's contribution of speaking truth to power is valuable.

I found the manuscript replete with illustrative material. I particularly liked the anecdotes from Greek mythology and literature. This book is unusually rich in supporting the principles advocated with clear `how-to' instructions. As a practitioner reading the book, I found myself saying: "Yes, that works," "I wish I had thought of that sooner," and "I am going to use that tomorrow." - a manuscript reviewer

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Common sense applied to change management, wrapped in a bow!, December 1, 2004

By	Dean McRobie "ex-scifi reader" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I purchased this book on recommendation from a previous reviewer and was amazed by the breadth, depth, and more importantly pace of the book. The book moves quickly and does not spend a lot of time on theory, more time on examples (drawn mainly from Englund's work at HP).

The high level process applies as a general change management agenda, but applied through the lense of a PMO or project office. The annecdotes and lessons learnt provide an excellent framework for either internal "change agents" or external consultants to structure a successful organizational change and increase in proejct delivery quality.

The examples and frameworks in the book are easily understood and presented in a way that they can be reused or applied to many different project management challenges. I highly recommend this book to program managers or IT consultants who are intereste in affecting change in any organization.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great guide for PMO builders, December 24, 2008

By	Joaquin Peña Fernandez "book reader" (Spain) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Hello,

I have read about 50% of the book and it's helping me a lot with the building of the PMO in my site.

It helps you on how to face this process focusing on the intagibles, not on the process.