Archive for October, 2011

Eddie Obeng: All Change! The Project Leader’s Secret Handbook

This article is getting popular – so I have decided to extend the review with additional material… see below.

(Disclaimer – I’ve provided you with a link to Amazon for this book in case you want to buy, it has a 5* review status there so I am not the only one who likes it. I get a very small commission from Amazon if you do buy after linking from this site.)

I like Eddie’s books – as they are easy to get through and thought-provoking. I have re-read most of them 3 or more times, each time through getting something back, or reminding myself of some interesting insight. In this one he takes a look at project management – of business change. This particular book is difficult to put down once started! And having read the book you’ll be motivated to manage your own project.

This book is great if you have been given a new project to run in your organisation. More formal project management books launch off into management processes, roles and bureaucracy; Eddie takes a softer, people-oriented view at how to manage project success criteria – and explains some useful techniques on problem analysis, planning, co-ordination, communication and leadership. And as all experienced project managers know – it is poor people handling that kills a project rather than administrative incompetence. The book will change your mindset, improve your effectiveness, and (most importantly) help you deal with project sponsors in an adult way.

As usual, he splits the book into two – one part as a short business novel, explaining how a project manager learns to deliver a business change project through various trials and tribulations (we quite like these stories, just don’t look for literary merit); and the second part (turn the book upside down and read in from the back/front cover) explaining the various rules and tools introduced in the story.

Eddie challenges traditional thinking, and the philosophy behind the toolset is based on systems thinking.

If you like this book – try Putting Strategy to Work (setting up change programmes), New Rules for the New World (attitudes needed to work in a leaner, more agile organisation), and the Money Making Machine (I’ve discussed ideas from this book to clients who see Eddie’s insight as a complete revelation in thinking about how their business works).

Peter Scholtes; The Team Handbook
recommended

As a consultancy business, we have built a library containing hundreds of books – allowing us to keep up to date with the latest business management ideas, tools and techniques and providing us with useful reference sources for use in our day-to-day work.

Many of our clients have asked us to recommend books for their own use – so we’ve decided to publish a list of those books we’ve found most useful, and we include more detailed reviews of some of our favourites.

We can guarantee that between us we’ve read all of them – so our recommendations are based on personal knowledge of the books in question. For your benefit, we’ve provided links to Amazon for each book. If you’re interested in purchasing any then click-through from this page to see the Kindle version – and as a disclaimer, we will receive a small commission if you decide to buy.

What this book is about

The Team Handbook explains how to run a business improvement project – using cross-functional teams and the kind of factual, measurement-based approach to improvement favoured by Lean Thinking.

The book is structured for practical use. A novice team can work through an entire project, step by step, following the exercises recommended in each chapter. There is enough of an introduction and discussion given in each chapter to brief the team and prepare it for the work it has to carry out.

How we use the book

We ask new project team members to read the book to provide background information on what goes on during a business improvement project.

We have given copies of the book to client project teams to help them run their own improvement projects.

We use the book for reference purposes – as it contains numerous worked examples and templates that can be adapted for use on any improvement project.

What the book does not cover

Actually, very little is left out. We’d add further details on stakeholder management, benefit management and risk management, particularly for the kinds of project we carry out – however the contents are pretty comprehensive.

General

This book is excellent, well-written, and instructive.

At over 400 pages it is detailed enough to coach new project team members and there is always something new to learn or remind yourself of each time you read it.

Highly recommended. Buy one for each member of your performance improvement teams.