The Project Manager's Desk Reference
by James P. Lewis
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Book Summary Information
Author: James P. LewisEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1999-11-17
ISBN: 007134750X
Number of pages: 546
Publisher: McGraw-Hill
Book Reviews of The Project Manager's Desk Reference
Book Review: good discussion of fundamentals
Summary: 4 Stars
I have always considered Lewis one of the founding fathers of the modern profession. His short "Fundamentals of Project Management" book published by the American Management Association is one of the first project management books I read. That book provided a brief overview, while "The Project Manager's Desk Reference" expands into all the elements of the project management discipline.
Lewis covers the entire project lifecycle. He begins with a concept overview and his "Lewis Method of Project Management". He discusses initiation and requirements, paying particular attention to problem definition and articulating the mission. He makes it clear that many projects build solutions to the wrong problems. Lewis spends a few chapters on implementation planning, providing good coverage of the WBS - "there is no project that won't benefit from doing a WBS", critical path, estimating, etc.
He spends several chapters on controls, which appear to be an area of specialization. I would have liked to see more on tools and techniques, but there's a very good presentation on concepts and strategies. There are some good sound bytes that speak volumes:
* "A control system is designed to cope with the routine; exceptions must be given special handling."
* "The important should be controlled. However, what is controlled tends to become important."
* "If control data does not result in action, then the system is ineffective."
I also appreciate the explicit mention of feedback loops and third order systems. Finally, there's the obligatory section on earned value, which I skipped.
There are a couple of chapters on defining and avoiding project failure, which is very appropriate for a PM book. He makes an important point on perceptions, and perceived successes and failures. He stresses the importance of establishing a mutual agreement on criteria of success with the stakeholders in order to prevent a perceived failure. Conversely, "if the right people consider the project a success, it is, for all practical purposes." While scope, costs, and schedule may be a source of pressure during the project, "once the job is complete, if it satisfies the needs of a lot of key people, the missed cost and schedule targets become less important" (This fact sometimes escapes analytical project managers). Lewis then proceeds to quantify 13 common causes of project failure and then transitions into risk management, which I found lacking in applied tools. I expected a little more on risk management given the energy spent on defining success and failure in the previous chapters.
Lewis provided some chapters on systems theory and decision and problem solving theory at the end of the book. Most of this was cursory, but there are some practical inclusions, such as the is/is-not matrix and stratification. I was glad to see this as these subjects are too often absent from such books.
Early on the author states "Dealing with people is a major function that a project manager must perform" and later presents secionts on communications skills including insightful concepts like self-discovery via the Johari Window, interpersonal skills, and B2B communications.
Lewis brought in guest authors for several chapters. While a good idea, I personally didn't particularly like the selections and felt the subject matter did not belong.
The Desk Reference does not focus on any particular industry and should be relevant to all project managers. Accordingly, there aren't many case studies.
In his preface, Lewis says of handbooks, "there is the knowledge that I could find almost anything I need to know in those great, massive books". He says of his book, "I believe it covers the core knowledge you must have to be successful as a project manager". Lewis does indeed touch on everything you need to know, but while it has the breadth, it lacks the depth in several areas. "Handbook", and definitely "desk reference", in my opinion, imply breadth *and* depth. I learned from, enjoyed, and recommend "The Project Manager's Desk Reference", but would rather see it take the title of his earlier "Fundamentals" book.
Summary of The Project Manager's Desk Reference
Move step-by-step through proven solutions guaranteed to keep all your projects on track. The Project ManagerĘs Desk Reference, Second Edition, by James P. Lewis, gives you a template for managing projects of any size from start to finish, a 16-step process for planning, monitoring, and controlling any project. As you explore specific situations taken from today's fast-moving business environment, the author's easy-to-understand approach shows you how to confidently put together a project plan using Work Breakdown Structures, PERT, CPM, and Gantt schedules. You learn how to conduct risk analysis, and assemble and manage a problem-solving team to eliminate potential stumbling blocks and complete the project on time and within budget. In the second edition of this hands-on toolbox, you get updated examples, illustrations and figures, checklists for every stage, plus lists of associations and powerful websites.Management Books
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