The Rational Project Manager: A Thinking Team's Guide to Getting Work Done - Hardcover

A. Longman; Jim Mullins

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0471721468 ISBN 13: 9780471721468

Publisher: Wiley, 2005

Synopsis

This comprehensive exploration of the project management processpresents the tools, steps, and processes of project management anduncovers the critical thinking -- the why -- vital to projectmanagement excellence. Incorporating Kepner-Tregoe?s renowned andeffective problem-solving and decision-making processes, the bookguides you through the core activities of projectmanagement?planning, solving problems, making decisions, andassessing risk. It positions projects within an organization?s"performance environment," an understanding of which is essentialfor effective team performance and alignment. Offering acombination of overarching insights into organizational dynamics,as well as specific processes and practices for effectivemanagement, this is a resource no project leader -- and no projectteam member -- should be without.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

The Rational Project Manager

"Change for business today is not a spectator sport. Translatingstrategic vision into bottom-line results requires discipline,execution, and participation—a theme that resonates throughoutThe Rational Project Manager. Longman and Mullins present acommonsense approach to executing against opportunities that isgrounded in logic and resourcefulness."
—George W. Buckley Chairman and Chief Executive OfficerBrunswick Corporation

"The Rational Project Manager provides much-needed insights andtools for leaders at all levels. The bane of any leader's worklifeis those initiatives that lack focus, engender poor decisionmaking, and are misaligned with organizational culture and goals.Given the ambiguity, complexity, and change that are the newbaseline assumptions in the workplace, The Rational ProjectManager's simple, flexible approach fills an important gapoverlooked by most books on the subject."
—Steve Schloss Vice President, Human Resources Time Inc.

"The Rational Project Manager does a terrific job of dealingwith both the art and discipline of project management. It focuseson the critical thinking that is essential to project success andalso provides a wide array of tools and techniques for driving upperformance."
—John Case President and Chief Executive Officer ElectroluxHome Care Products North America

"Significant projects frequently are planned and executed bycross-functional teams of people who don't normally work together.For a project to be completed successfully, the team and each teammember must quickly develop both goal and role clarity.Kepner-Tregoe's rational process tools, including the projectmanagement tools well described in this book, have been critical toimproving my organization's ability to execute projects and havebecome a core part of our culture."
—Ray Baxter President and Chief Executive Officer InterbakeFoods LLC

"Half the trouble in modern life comes from ambitious projectsgone awry. Some were not thought-through before they were embarkedon. Others started with good intentions but fell apart when theirleaders could not adapt to changing circumstances or keep theirteam moving toward the proper goal. The sensible principles laidout in this clear and useful book would go a long way toward makingboth public and private organizations more effective. Personally,I'd start by passing out copies throughout the U.S.government."
—James Fallows National Correspondent The Atlantic Monthly

From the Inside Flap:

In today's increasingly complex business environment, more and moreof the work companies do is done in the form of projects. To beprofitable and successful, an organization's projects must becompleted on time and on budget, while also meeting its goals. As aresult, the art of project management has become increasingly vitalto businesses everywhere.

In the tradition of the phenomenal business bestseller TheRational Manager, this comprehensive guide explores and explainsthe rationale, processes, and tools of successful projectmanagement. While The Rational Project Manager covers the nuts andbolts of the discipline, it also offers a unique concentration onthe logic and thought processes necessary for successful projectcompletion.

Senior consultants from Kepner-Tregoe, the consultancy whosefounders revolutionized organizational problem solving and decisionmaking in The Rational Manager, authors Andrew Longman and JimMullins provide one-of-a-kind guidance on problem solving anddecision making in project management. Contrary to the litany ofexcuses heard when projects fail—from "we didn't have enoughtime," to "we didn't have good enough people"—the majority offailed projects are the result of poor planning and poor criticalthinking. That's why this book provides such a heavy focus on thevital skills of communication and problem solving.

The authors divide project management into threestages—definition, planning, and implementation—exploringeach stage in depth and showing project managers and contributorshow to apply concepts and avoid common mistakes. Setting asidetheoretical exploration, complex formulas, and software-as-saviorcure-alls, The Rational Project Manager focuses on the fundamentalsof why projects fail and offers a proven methodology for makingsure they don't.

Practical, straightforward, and comprehensive, thisone-of-a-kind resource is the bible for project managerseverywhere. Offering unsurpassed insight on the methodology andcritical-thinking skills that form the cornerstone of anysuccessful project, The Rational Project Manager helps get workdone.

About this edition

• Publisher: Wiley
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0471721468
• ISBN 13: 9780471721468
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240