Preface

Successful projects don’t just happen—they are made to happen. This book goes beyond the basics of project management and reveals the best practices that make the difference between leading consistently successful projects and playing the victim with troubled projects.

There are plenty of books on the market that do commendable jobs of presenting the basics of project management. As Paul Harvey, popular American radio personality, would say, this book offers “the rest of the story.”

What makes this book different? I have written this book in response to being asked questions like this many, many times over the years:

Neal, can you help me? I know you have been in the business of project management for over 30 years. I know you have captured a wealth of information on what to do and what not to do. I need the wisdom you have acquired, but don’t want the personal scars you have picked up along the way. Can you help me leverage your knowledge, experience, and skills into leading consistently successful projects?

This is the book that I wish I’d had when I was a rookie project manager—or a seasoned project manager. It shares my favorite best practices for many different situations that fall into the general categories of:

Leadership

Soft skills

Roles and responsibilities

Project initiation

Project planning

Project execution and control

Project closeout

Promoting the advancement of project management beyond your projects.

This book is not about theories or history. Rather, it is my best shot at giving project managers the answers they want and need. It is a how-to, real-world, no-nonsense, no-fluff or beating-around-the-bush practical guide to leading consistently successful projects.

Some of the ideas and actions presented go against conventional wisdom, but may become mainstream over the coming years. Many ideas will appear to be common sense—once you understand them. But certainly many are not commonly practiced, although they should be.

This book is specifically targeted to project managers, but can be invaluable to anyone in a leadership position, from the troops on the ground to senior managers and executives. It is for newbies as well as old-timers in the project management profession.

This book offers you insights from a veteran project management practitioner, mentor, author, speaker, and instructor. It collects the experiences and wisdom of thousands of people from across hundreds of companies and projects. The lessons learned are reduced to a simple format for ease in learning and applying them to your projects. The lessons will give you a decisive competitive edge in leading projects and working with stakeholders.

Many people who attend my workshops, which revolve around these leading-edge best practices, remark that the workshops are like a gate. Once you open the gate and pass through—that is, once you are acquainted with the lessons and learn how to apply them—you cannot go back to your old ways. You cannot plead ignorance of what to do or what caused your project to suffer. You will know better.

It is my hope that this book will likewise serve as a gate. Once you have studied the collection of best practices in this book—and taken a personal position within your belief system on each—your behavior, decisions, and actions will become more deliberate, effortless, and natural as you lead your project team.

If you are already a highly effective project manager, this book can serve as a reminder—a great booster shot—that encourages you to continue to make a difference. If you are among the majority of project managers who are striving to become more effective, this book can help you reach your goals. I wish you the best.

Now, go make a difference!

Neal Whitten