How to Build an Ark: Project Leadership in the 21st Century
Language: English
Published by Ark Project Leadership Ltd, 2011
- Softcover
- Used
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Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. An apparently unread copy in perfect condition. Dust cover is intact with no nicks or tears. Spine has no signs of creasing. Pages are clean and not marred by notes or folds of any kind.
Seller Inventory # rev2718002230
- Title
- How to Build an Ark: Project Leadership in the 21st Century
- Author
- Crump, Martin
- Publisher
- Ark Project Leadership Ltd
- Publication year
- 2011
- Condition
- Like New
- Binding
- paperback
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 0956976700
- ISBN 13
- 9780956976703
- Item weight
- 160 grams
"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
The field of project management is considered by many to be a maturing discipline. There are several professional organisations around the world that have developed detailed methodologies to manage projects along with certification programmes for their use. The number of books written on the subject would fill many, many book shelves, mainly focussing on the technical aspects. There are conferences, webinars, journals, industry interest groups and numerous training courses available for the interested person.
More and more, the projects we all work on involve several organisations. There is an accompanying increase in the reliance on external partners (or suppliers) for expertise and knowledge that isn't available within the company initiating the project. In tandem with this changing landscape, there is pressure to "get more out" of suppliers, for lower investment (financial, resource and technical). This is the case for organisations small and large, public and private sector. The need for strong, honest relationships has never been more acute, yet the drive to reduce costs and "manage the supply chain" pushes us towards lowest up front cost solutions and neglects the human element that is vital to any business relationship.
When you're in the thick of it, working across departments and organisations, how often has someone said to you that a document must be completed, but they can't tell you what purpose that document really serves? Do projects feel to rush headlong into "doing something, anything" maybe even taking extreme tactics to avoid thinking and talking about what the project is there to do, and how you could sensibly deliver it? Do you feel a push back from suppliers (or clients) to skip over these "soft" steps? Are documents being written because the process you're following says they're needed, but it's not clear how they help you deliver what's been asked for. Are they thought of as an end in themselves? Do you sense there's a missing link?
There is often a focus, some might say over-reliance, on sticking to the letter of methodologies. Certainly these have their place as a framework around which to build an approach to delivering a particular project. But, and this is a big but, they aren't the be all and end all of delivering a successful project.
The entrenched way of managing a project is one that emphasises command and control, policing and punishment. This way of working typically involves a maze of measures (KPIs), progress reports, Gantt charts, documents. It is all too easy to lose sight of what the project is there to achieve, getting sucked down into the details of navigating the project processes, playing the system. Much energy is devoted to checking up on what has (or hasn't) been done, beating people up for missing often arbitrary dates. Is it surprising that people are motivated to meet KPI targets, leaving little space for getting on with the people they're working with, and even (dare we say it) having fun?
Why do projects fail?
So, given the environment in which projects live and breathe, what is it that leads 83% of them to fail in delivering expectations, budget and/or on time? We were curious to pull the covers off this topic, so invited more than 20 organisations to take part in research to establish the common themes of project failure.
"About the title" may belong to another edition of this title.
WeBuyBooks
Rossendale, LANCS, United Kingdom
AbeBooks seller since November 14, 2005
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