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Book review, Project Management Books

Book Review – One Project Too Many for APM Project Magazine

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Book Review – One Project Too Many for APM Project Magazine March 2013

Another book review by Nicola at The CV Righter appears in March’s edition of the APM Project Magazine – here is the full review:

Book Review

Book Title: One Project Too Many

Authors Name:  Geoff Reiss & Geoff Leigh

Publisher:  Project Manager Today Publications

List Price: £7.99

ISBN: 1-900391-12-0

 

One project too many

Introduction to the Book

This book is split into two sections – the first covers a newly appointed CEO to a supermarket chain, it is written in a novel format as opposed to a text book and talks through the discovery of the business current project portfolio. It is quickly ascertained that there are a lot of project which have no control and even no budgetary monitoring. Some of the projects benefits counter attack each other which leads the CEO to bring in an outside source to speak with the board and gain some buy-in to make significant changes without stepping on too many toes.The story continues with the consultant being employed at the company as a more cost effective move and then the business managers begin a new learning curve. As the book progresses it talks through structuring programmes of work and how to effectively put together a project team and using methods derived from OGC. The second half of the book runs through what is called “Anna’s files” – these are various pieces of documentation used throughout the first section of the book and run into further detail about the need and function of them.

Overview of Book’s Structure

The book is structured into two sections and nine chapters – the chapters are the first section of the book and the last section is not chaptered.

Highlights

The book is written in a real life situation format which is a refreshing change from the usual text book clinical approach. Steering clear of the formal approach and combining the novel style with case studies lends to a more relaxed but easily more informative read – often faced with stuffy text I can start to bore of the repetitive and sometimes obvious, skipping sections just to be able to keep myself awake and actually drive something useful and unique. This book is engaging and amusing too, putting the methods into practice and actually demonstrating how it can or might not work really helps the reader get a grasp of the realities of managing projects rather than pure theory.I particularly like the part where it is suggested that some projects should be closed – the response being that they have already poured money into them, but it is quickly established that the benefits would no longer be realised. Something which a great deal of organisations and project managers need to embrace – the emphasis, quite rightly was refocused on what they hope to achieve rather than just carrying on for the sake of it. The second section which addresses the files introduced throughout the process such as structuring and PIDs etc gives a deeper insight into why they are required and again because they are referring to the scenario in the first section they are easy to understand and contextualise.

Shortfalls

There wasn’t a great deal missing at all – in fact it reads really clearly and as such is difficult to put down; however some of the additional text which makes the book more novel like did begin to get a little boring and could have been reduced as the book progressed.

Who might benefit from the Book

Everyone will benefit from this book, whether you think you don’t need to know anymore about how to manage projects (this is covered in the book) to the beginner who may find the PM terminology a little hard to grasp initially as the book really gets to the roots of what, why, where, how.

Conclusion

This book appears to be aimed at those new to project management – however once you read it you may recognise some behaviours from your own business in there, especially as they originally thought they were doing really well. They were making money so what was the problem? It quickly transpired that the business was losing a lot of money on projects, but addressed this in a step by step manner – something all businesses could learn from. Therefore I believe it is relevant to all levels of experience and is certainly a step away from all the other books out there.If you have a list of books to read, this should be on it. It is something which can be read on the tube and is certainly one I would recommend for reference libraries in the office. Taking a fresh approach to a case study and giving that extra background really adds to reinforcing the need for structure in programmes and projects, even the very experienced will learn something, especially on the softer skills side of things.

CV Tips, CV Writing, PMO CV, Project management CV, project management resume

Tweaking your CV for project management jobs

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If you have a good, strong CV then you are in a great position to apply for new roles – however there is such a solid emphasis placed on matching candidates up for jobs with a requirement of 90%+ ticking of boxes. As your CV shouldn’t exceed 3 pages, it can be difficult to be able to place all your experience in there. This is where tweaking comes in, now it is not about drawing out a tiny fraction of your experience for a role which is predominantly looking for someone with a clear focus on something. For example if the role is a project manager for implementation of desk top rolls outs and your core experience is new product development but you have a small amount of exposure in a previous life to desk top roll outs. As clearly there are people with the right experience level who can fit the bill.

Tweaking is about highlighting specific areas deemed as most important to the hiring manager – such as stringent reporting, you may have covered this lightly in your CV but if it is listed high up in the job description then this skill is clearly an area which the employer deems are very important to that role – therefore you should look to draw out detail about your reporting in your CV. Looking at what kind of reports you generate, who you present them to, how often, and in what format these take.

Choosing the right combination to create the best picture
Choosing the right combination to create the best picture

Achievements are another area which can be tweaked for applications, again focussing on particular examples which may be relevant to the position – this is where you can be a little clever too. By researching a business (this only tends to work for direct employer roles as recruiters aren’t keen to divulge enough information on businesses to be able to know who they are) and looking at what else they are doing such as major change, and incorporating an achievement relevant to their change. Although not directly relevant to the role you are applying for it can highlight your exposure to specific scenarios which the business is currently undergoing. If the project management function is undergoing changes such as new structures or implementing a PMO then you may have some exposure to working with PMOs / heads of projects to support implementation. Something which you haven’t necessarily covered in your CV as you are focusing on delivery – it’s these little extra pieces of information which can really set you apart from your peers and put you in a shortlist for interview.

Always scrutinise the job description / advert and see where the emphasis lays with competencies; they are usually in order of importance. Make sure you read through the list of requirements and can tick the boxes, then put your CV next to the description and make sure your CV have the required emphasis on each competency. Clear communication is the order of the day and let’s face it – that is the key to effective project management, demonstrating what you say you are good at from the first point in the application process will stand you in good stead.

CV Tips, No, Project Management Events

Project Challenge Spring 2013 – free event

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Project Challenge is back with it’s bi-annual event at Olympia, London.

This event is a great opportunity for project management professionals to take part in discussions, watch presentations and see what is new in the PM domain – from training / courses, software, recruitment to new practices.

Spread over two days 13th & 14th March – it is a must, certainly for those in the area, as you can just pop in.

1projchal

 

Location: Olympia, London

Full details can be found here.

Hiring Manager, Project Management Certification, Transferable Skills

Project Management Frustrations – PINO

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An interesting and often frustrating subject when carrying out project management recruitment has to be buzzwords – over the years I have discussed employers’ requirements for project management jobs and been asked the dreaded qualifications question. Now I believe in a balanced and proactive approach to gaining experience and qualifications in project management. After all, a true professional should be keeping abreast of effective methods and as part of their continuous professional development (CPD) training and studying is expected. However in most organisations, a pragmatic approach to implementing and following PM structures is common place – which is how the methods are anticipated for use by the authors and bodies. There are many PM badges available and those who are successful in the PM field tend to dip in and out of a number of methods for delivery and supporting project delivery.

When an employer is looking for a new project management professional they will usually create a job description which includes a number of core competencies and required experience – however for years now a great deal of these employers will ask for PRINCE2. When asked if they use this structure they often say no, but they want someone who has the certification as this means they are qualified. I have pushed back on this preconception dozens of times and only on a few occasional have the hiring managers or HR actually understood that experience counts for more than just a certificate. I have dealt with hundreds of candidates who have no PM experience but have taken their PRINCE2 qualification in the hope of getting a job in project management. Equally I have spoken with hundreds of project professionals who have a great deal of demonstrable experience in delivering / supporting often complex projects and programmes but have no PM related qualifications. I know which I would rather have responsible for my expensive projects.

Don't follow sheepWhy is PRINCE2 so commonly asked for from employers who do not use the method?

Because it is a buzzword – PRINCE2 has been very well marketed over the years, and as such it has gained popularity within the PM field. Just like MP3 players are referred to as iPods, not all are actually the genuine article but the fantastic marketing of Apple has ensured iPod is a household name for personal music playing devices. Therefore if you look up project management on search engines – you guessed it, PRINCE2 pops up straight away. I can understand to a point why employers will then assume that this is the standard for PM professionals but more education is required for the hiring managers to ensure they are not losing out on exceptional candidates just because they don’t tick that box. The use of PINO (Prince In Name Only) needs to be addressed after years of use and a better understanding of what structures are used (and required) still needs clarifying when writing job descriptions.

There are a number of project management specific recruitment agencies available in the UK – if you are an employer who is looking for a new project management professional to join the team, it is well worth talking to one or more as a sounding board and to assist you in understanding your actual needs.