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Scrappy Project Management: The 12 Predictable and Avoidable Pitfalls Every Project Faces (Paperback)

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Key Phrases: team org chart, triple constraint, Scrappy Project Management, Scrappy Project Managers, The Others (more...)
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  • This item: Scrappy Project Management: The 12 Predictable and Avoidable Pitfalls Every Project Faces by Kimberly Wiefling

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Projects are MESSY! From the minute the project begins, all manner of changes, surprises and disasters befall them. Unfortunately most of these are PREDICTABLE and AVOIDABLE.

Tact and diplomacy can only get you so far in the wild and wacky world of project work. A combination of outrageous creativity, sheer bravado and nerves of steel will serve you far better than any fancy-schmancy Microsoft Project Gantt chart!

'Scrappy Project Management' is about what REALLY happens in the project environment, how to survive it, and how to make sure that your team avoids the predictable and avoidable pitfalls that every project faces.



From the Back Cover

"Put this spine on your bookshelf, or in your survival kit. This is THE resource for the power starved PMs who need to learn how to street fight for resources, deal with customer insanity, and dodge the falling rocks as you stay on top of everything. A fighting spirit and a confident strategy is the RETURN ON THIS INVESTMENT."
Michele Jackman, Michele Jackman Enterprises and Adventures, co-author of Star Teams, Players.

"If you want to build energy, velocity, and momentum toward an outrageous goal, Kimberly's Scrappy Project Management is just what you've been waiting for to help you get those results with more pleasant surprises and fewer disappointing shocks along the way."
Christine Comaford-Lynch, CEO of Mighty Ventures, author of Rules for Renegades

"This book unabashedly puts forward a new, unambiguous, non-shrinking, and ultimately empowering view of what we all as project managers should commit to be and do every day in our project roles."
Cinda Voegtli, CEO of Emprend, Inc. and President of ProjectConnections.com

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

  • Paperback: 154 pages
  • Publisher: Happy About; 1st edition (September 2, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1600050514
  • ISBN-13: 978-1600050510
  • Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #20,075 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #15 in  Books > Business & Investing > Management & Leadership > Project Management
    #95 in  Books > Business & Investing > Management & Leadership > Motivational

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More About the Author

Kimberly Wiefling
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
team org chart, triple constraint
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Scrappy Project Management, Scrappy Project Managers, The Others, Let's Just Get Moving, Didn't You Get Your Pay Check, We've Got Real Work To Dol, Fuzzy Wuzzy, Lessons Not Learned, New York, Winston Churchill, Microsoft Project
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Customer Reviews

35 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (35 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Valuable insights, effectively delivered!, December 8, 2007
By Berkeley Tom (California USA) - See all my reviews
Unlike other project management books which I left largely unread on my bookshelf, I enjoyed going through this book from cover to cover. It provided very practical advice that are compact and to the point: focus on the customer, plan, communicate widely and often, prioritize, celebrate success, ...

What's great about this book is the style in which it's delivered. The real world stories, annecdotes, famous quotes and the author's unique sense of humor to illustrate the points and make them more memorable. E.g., on the need for clear goals: "When I was young, I always wanted to BE somebody when I grew up. I just wish I'd been more specific." (Lily Tomlin); on the need to prioritize: "What to do if you must choose between your heart, your lungs, and your kidneys?"; on the gap between knowledge and action: "Common Sense is NOT common practice"; and on keeping a positive attitude: "Success consists of going from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." (Winston Churchill).

The book also provides a set of checklists, sample diagrams and templates to be used in managing the project and communicating with the team and executives. I find the use of ranges for time estimates particularly useful, since it reflects the uncertain nature of project estimates a bit more accurately than a single number.

While this book isn't the most comprehensive project management book, it does cover the major points to help achieve success. If you're a team lead, project or functional manager, this book will arm you with valuable insights and motivate you to avoid common and deadly project pitfalls. I only wished I had followed many of the advice in the book. It's too late for me, but you can still save yourself by reading and following it :-).
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Handbook for Fearless Leadership, October 13, 2007
By A. Burdette (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Kimberly Wiefling's Scrappy Project Management isn't just a text with a list of must-dos for project methodology; it's a blueprint for high-end corporate capital-L Leadership. I don't know if it's her knowledge of the scientific method (Wiefling is a trained physicist), her unflinching honesty, or her sense of humor, but she combines relevant and powerful insights about fearless project leadership that even a seasoned--or world weary--project manager needs.

Unlike most project management books, Scrappy Project Management is immensely readable. It's funny and edgy; more than one analogy made me literally laugh aloud. It's concise and easy to read, but not fluffy. More importantly, though, Wiefling's methods are supported by numerous concrete examples, not just vague buzzwords or motivational clichés like we've all heard before. There's solid irrefutable documentation of her assertions about marketing, product development, science, engineering, and organizational psychology.

You certainly don't need an MBA to understand or glean important concepts from Scrappy Project Management, but it's easy to see how formal business training would be acutely enhanced by certain chapters, specifically the ones on risk management, shareholder expectations, and project changes.

Wiefling's unabashed honesty doesn't sugarcoat perhaps the most important fact that I've never seen in any other book: "the role of a project leader cannot be successfully filled by anyone who can't put his or her job on the line in pursuit of doing the right thing." Notice that she doesn't say "in pursuit of getting the product shipped". Wiefling is focusing on the quality and effectiveness of project work, a complete and unrepentant "obsession" with the customer, and creating a motivational framework for both the organization and the consumer--practices that are both essential and profitable. This type of determined focus can apply to any type of organization or product, and in the age of mass global competition, is absolutely necessary for survival.

From a subjective, occasionally more social-science perspective, Scrappy Project Management addresses self-imposed limitations, assumptions, and employee appreciation. Wiefling's chapter "Lessons Not Learned" where she says "Learn from experience...make new and more exciting mistakes each time" turns what appears to be a tongue-in-cheek suggestion into an unflinching and blunt observation about project calamity: "Whatever the cause, allowing your team to fail for entirely predictable reasons is inexcusable."

Happily surprising and informative was the chapter on communication. On the second page, I immediately identified a problem I've had as a PM with organizations ranging from small non-profits to the world's largest software company--sending a critical project document as an email attachment (or putting it on a network share) to solicit feedback and receiving none. Wiefling accurately pinpoints our over-reliance on certain forms of electronic communication and offers up several creative and (empirically proven) successful alternatives for attention-grabbing communication, even with co-located teams. Specific examples for clever communication emphasize principles of viral marketing from the restroom to your computer's screensaver. It's bold, it's innovative, it's guerrilla--and people pay attention.

If I were to change anything about Wiefling's work, I'd ask for more information about ensuring project success as an individual contributor; the book appears aimed at senior managers and decision makers. Though the principles of customer devotion and "doing the right thing" can be adapted for all team members, a lower-level employee or team member may feel hesitant about incorporating such bold actions into their work life. (I'd love to see this sort of Scrappy Guide aimed at fresh college grads.) Another interesting addition would be the inclusion of certain types of team dysfunctions that are especially hard to overcome like ageism, sexism, and broken management structures. Most of all, I wish the book had an index--the chapters have so much information that it would be nice to be able to look for a specific topic or cross-reference topics from multiple chapters.

It's apparent Wiefling is passionate about her work and she makes it abundantly clear that project management is not for the faint of heart or the apathetic team leader. She's unapologetic about expectations, leadership, and making tough decisions about priorities. She's inspiring and realistic; it'll be hard, but it's worth the price.

This is a book for professionals who want to achieve greatness and demonstrate fearless leadership: for their companies, for their customers, for their teams, and for themselves.



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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A powerful real-world reference you'll laugh your way through, November 15, 2007
By KK (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews
I had the pleasure of working with Kimberly for about a year and a half. She was my project management mentor, and I miss her guidance and inspiration dearly. This book is the next best thing - a dose of Kimberly in my pocket. I pull it out when I need a shot of reality fed to me with a healthy helping of humor, and it gets me back in the game.

My copy of this book is underlined and highlighted, the corners are folded down, and I have post it notes sticking out every which way. For a short book, it sure has a lot packed into it, and surprise, surprise - it's information I can actually use! I suppose that's why it's sitting on my desk next to my computer, and not sleeping on my shelf. Thanks Kimberly!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical, common sense advice for maintaining sanity on your projects
Scrappy Project Management is a great primer, reference, and common-sense sanity check for beginners and veterans alike. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Stephen McGrath

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Lessons Learned
This is a great lessons learned summary from an experienced project manager. Funny and candid writing, and the illustrations add tremendously as they go beyond the standard... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Josh D. Nankivel

5.0 out of 5 stars Gold Standard in Project Management!
As a Senior Technology and Management Consultant in Silicon Valley, CA with 32 years of experience, I found this book to be perfectly consistent with all my professional "Lessons... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Bruce B. Razban

5.0 out of 5 stars Pithy and pertinent even for those with decades of PM experience!
I've been involved with software product development for almost 30 years, and in various aspects of running such projects for at least 80+% of that time. Read more
Published 6 months ago by S. Hahn

5.0 out of 5 stars Experienced Project Managers know what is in this book!
Scrappy Project Management - The 12 Predictable Pitfalls Every Project Faces is worthy of being on every project managers bookshelf. Read more
Published 6 months ago by J. Brown

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-read for Every Project Manager
Kimberly Wiefling's Scrappy Project Management has truly changed my life and my perspective on the Project Management profession as a whole. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Lisa Winter

5.0 out of 5 stars The Dream Maker
http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/1600050514/

Scrappy Project managment is one of the best books I have read on the subject. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Shampa Banerjee

4.0 out of 5 stars Full of street smart !!
Kimberly points out the pitfalls that most Project Leaders will be likely to overlook. I am glad that I select this book to read after I got my PMP in last August. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Dagung Chyou

4.0 out of 5 stars Practical best describes this book
I have read this book a couple of times. This book is a good practical guide to project management. It is by no means a complete guide to project management and should only be... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Ray V

5.0 out of 5 stars The best 'real world' PM guidelines
This book had me nodding my head and laughing all the way thru it. The first page grabbed me with "Project management is one of the most hair-raising jobs in the world" and at... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Rhonda Hoskins

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