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The people side of project management
International Journal of Project Management
1994 12 (2) 125-126
Book Reviews The People Side of Project Management R L Kliem and I Ludin Gower UK (1992) 190 pp X25 (hardback) ISBN 0 566 076363 3 The increasing popularity in the use of project-management approaches within organizations has led to a number of books on the subject appearing on the market. While many such publications focus mainly on the technical aspects of the discipline, The People Side of Project Management looks at some of the interpersonal problems that emerge when managing projects. Unlike some publications in this area, the authors do not limit the focus of their discussion to those people directly associated with the project, that is the project manager and the project team. They also include clients and senior management, who often have a significant influence over project success. The book is separated into three main and within each section the sections, authors deal with a broad range of topics in a clear, easy-to-assimilate manner. The first section puts the people side of project management into context through initially considering the key responsibilities, personal interests and objectives of the major stakeholders. They then discuss the interpersonal implications of the project process in relation to systems theory, project lifecycles and the main project phases. The second section looks at key project activities such as planning, estimating, scheduling and budgeting. The authors identify some common problems that may emerge as various stakeholders interact during the execution of each activity. This discussion highlights how different stakeholder interests and objectives often conflict, and the authors suggest ways in which such conflicts and their consequences can be managed more effectively by the project manager. The second part of the second section discusses the notion of change, and outlines some of the basic approaches that can be used to manage resistance to change and to gain acceptance of the change process. The importance of communication and general guidelines for effective meetings are also covered. The final part of this section considers two of perhaps the most 0263.7863/94/020125-020
Butterworth-Heinemann
difficult issues that can impact on the project effectiveness: the political manager’s dimensions of managing projects within organizations, and quality issues which may conflict with time and cost pressures. In keeping with the rest of the book, these issues are broken down logically and simply so that the key issues that emerge from each of the main stakeholder perspectives can be considered. The potential tactics that are identified by the authors for overcoming political problems that emerge during the project process should be of particular value to project managers. For students of project management and those with limited experience of the discipline, this section is likely to give a particularly useful insight into the reality of managing projects and some of the key issues that influence and affect project success. Those who have greater experience of working on projects are also likely to find this section useful, partly as a review of the problems and issues that they encounter during the course of their work, but also as a source of potential strategies that can be used to overcome such problems. The third section of The People Side of Project Management begins by considering how organizational structures may impact on projects and their overall success. Suggestions are also made about how potential problems can be overcome by assembling teams that are appropriate to the needs of the project, but also counter some of the constraints of prevailing structures. The next chapter considers how project managers can lead projects more effectively by choosing and managing individuals in the project team appropriately, ensuring they are motivated to perform, particularly through the encouragement of individual creativity, using delegation skills effectively, and developing individuals through adequate training. The authors also offer suggestions on how to deal with difficult people in the team who often undermine team development and project success. Chapters 12, 13 and 14 take an in-depth look at the key project stakeholders, who provide a focus for the book. The authors begin by looking at team performance, and they highlight Ltd
factors such as team disunity, team motivation and poor commitment which can lead teams to underperform, and offer suggestions on how to overcome such problems. They then go on to consider client expectations and senior-management expectations of the project manager and team, as well as considering what the project manager should expect from them. It is clear from the discussion in these chapters that significant gaps between the perspectives of each stakeholder group exist, and that these gaps lead to many of the problems encountered during a project’s progress. Kliem and Ludin not only highlight many of these problems, but also suggest ways in which project managers can overcome them. The epilogue considers the skills required of project managers. The authors classify these skills as hard skills, soft skills, and personal characteristics, and discuss the main disadvantages that emerge when such skills are not effectively developed and utilized. This chapter is likely to prove useful to both experienced and potential project managers, not least because it may help them to identify areas for personal development. It may also be of value to senior management and clients, who can use the skills highlighted as a checklist when selecting potential project managers or when considering the training needs of individual managers. The People Side of Project Management deals with the issues discussed clearly and succinctly, making good use of a range of easy-to-assimilate figures and diagrams. However, in some respects, the approach taken by the authors of breaking the issues down to a simple basic level may be seen as a weakness rather than a strength. Such an approach can, and indeed does at times, lead the authors to ignore some of the more dynamic and complex aspects of managing people. It also encourages prescriptive one-dimensional solutions to problems or issues, and indeed the authors often rely on the use of what may be regarded as more functional tools and techniques rather than people-based strategies to deal with the problems discussed. Further, throughout the book, the authors tend to place their 125
Book reviews emphasis on tangible projects such as product development rather than on morecomplex, less easily defined projects such as change management. Despite such criticism, The People Side of Project Management can be regarded as a useful addition to the project-management literature, although the hardback price may be regarded by some, particularly experienced project managers, as a little expensive when they weigh up the benefits that they are likely to gain from such a book. However, as the authors suggest, many practising project managers, senior managers and potential clients are likely to benefit from reading The People Side of Project Management, as will students of project management and others who wish to gain a flavour of the problems of managing projects in organizations. Lynn i%urloway Henley Management College UK
Engineering Management - Managing Effectively In Technology-Based Organizations H J Thamhain Wiley Inter-science USA (1992) 574 pp f76 ISBN 0 471 82801 7 This book is aimed at professionals and managers in engineering as well as students on college courses in technology and engineering management, and it should provide a valuable perspective for both sets of readers. It correctly asserts that managing teams effectively in today’s dynamic and unstructured environment requires an understanding of the interaction of organizational, technical and behavioural variables.
126
Although the book purports to cover R&D, engineering, manufacturing and field services, it essentially focuses on the management of design and development. However, the approach taken, using projectmanagement tools and techniques, is equally applicable to all areas of managing technological change. The importance of competence in project-management skills for those involved in managing technology is also underlined by this treatment, since the leadership, technical and administrative skills of engineering managers identified by the author are essentially those required for project managers. Just under half of the book is devoted to the organizational and behavioural aspects of management, relating the theory to practical applications in engineering management. The topics of organization, organizational development, planning, management information systems, interfaces with marketing, motivation and leadership, team building, managing conflict and change, and career development are presented, with their theoretical principles being related directly to engineering issues, so that the theories are seen in context. Much of the material is supported by US research findings, and each chapter has an extensive and relatively upto-date bibliography to help readers who want to pursue some topics in more depth. The remainder of the book covers the application of project-management techniques to engineering, with supporting checklists and tables to summarize some of the key aspects, which should prove useful for both practitioners and students. Engineering project planning, project tools and techniques, controlling and measuring work and bid proposal development are presented in a way which clearly illustrates their key role in the management of engi-
neering projects. Exercises at the end of each chapter should reinforce key points, and they would have been even more valuable for students if model or possible answers were provided where appropriate. An appendix encourages the reader to test his/her aptitude for engineering management, compare it with that of the general (US) population, and develop an action plan to become an engineering manager. This is a rather superficial but nevertheless thoughtprovoking exercise, even for practising managers! Case studies at the end of the book provide interesting material on which to base group assignments, but they would have been even more valuable if possible solutions had been developed as for the final case. If the words ‘engineering management’ had been replaced in the text by ‘project management’, and the scope had been increased to include examples of manufacturing and other types of project, this book could have been a foundation projectmanagement text. As it is, it should nevertheless be seen as a valuable addition to project and engineering managers’ bookshelves, because of the emphasis placed on the importance of the people aspects of getting the job done. A key criterion for success is stated by the author to be a person’s desire to become a manager. If such a desire is combined with a good understanding and application of the principles and techniques covered in this book, then the reader should be well on the road to becoming an effective engineering manager. Lee R Balthazor Procurement Management Group Portsmouth Business School UK
International Journal of Project Management
1994 Volume 12 Number 2
1994 12 (2) 125-126
Book Reviews The People Side of Project Management R L Kliem and I Ludin Gower UK (1992) 190 pp X25 (hardback) ISBN 0 566 076363 3 The increasing popularity in the use of project-management approaches within organizations has led to a number of books on the subject appearing on the market. While many such publications focus mainly on the technical aspects of the discipline, The People Side of Project Management looks at some of the interpersonal problems that emerge when managing projects. Unlike some publications in this area, the authors do not limit the focus of their discussion to those people directly associated with the project, that is the project manager and the project team. They also include clients and senior management, who often have a significant influence over project success. The book is separated into three main and within each section the sections, authors deal with a broad range of topics in a clear, easy-to-assimilate manner. The first section puts the people side of project management into context through initially considering the key responsibilities, personal interests and objectives of the major stakeholders. They then discuss the interpersonal implications of the project process in relation to systems theory, project lifecycles and the main project phases. The second section looks at key project activities such as planning, estimating, scheduling and budgeting. The authors identify some common problems that may emerge as various stakeholders interact during the execution of each activity. This discussion highlights how different stakeholder interests and objectives often conflict, and the authors suggest ways in which such conflicts and their consequences can be managed more effectively by the project manager. The second part of the second section discusses the notion of change, and outlines some of the basic approaches that can be used to manage resistance to change and to gain acceptance of the change process. The importance of communication and general guidelines for effective meetings are also covered. The final part of this section considers two of perhaps the most 0263.7863/94/020125-020
Butterworth-Heinemann
difficult issues that can impact on the project effectiveness: the political manager’s dimensions of managing projects within organizations, and quality issues which may conflict with time and cost pressures. In keeping with the rest of the book, these issues are broken down logically and simply so that the key issues that emerge from each of the main stakeholder perspectives can be considered. The potential tactics that are identified by the authors for overcoming political problems that emerge during the project process should be of particular value to project managers. For students of project management and those with limited experience of the discipline, this section is likely to give a particularly useful insight into the reality of managing projects and some of the key issues that influence and affect project success. Those who have greater experience of working on projects are also likely to find this section useful, partly as a review of the problems and issues that they encounter during the course of their work, but also as a source of potential strategies that can be used to overcome such problems. The third section of The People Side of Project Management begins by considering how organizational structures may impact on projects and their overall success. Suggestions are also made about how potential problems can be overcome by assembling teams that are appropriate to the needs of the project, but also counter some of the constraints of prevailing structures. The next chapter considers how project managers can lead projects more effectively by choosing and managing individuals in the project team appropriately, ensuring they are motivated to perform, particularly through the encouragement of individual creativity, using delegation skills effectively, and developing individuals through adequate training. The authors also offer suggestions on how to deal with difficult people in the team who often undermine team development and project success. Chapters 12, 13 and 14 take an in-depth look at the key project stakeholders, who provide a focus for the book. The authors begin by looking at team performance, and they highlight Ltd
factors such as team disunity, team motivation and poor commitment which can lead teams to underperform, and offer suggestions on how to overcome such problems. They then go on to consider client expectations and senior-management expectations of the project manager and team, as well as considering what the project manager should expect from them. It is clear from the discussion in these chapters that significant gaps between the perspectives of each stakeholder group exist, and that these gaps lead to many of the problems encountered during a project’s progress. Kliem and Ludin not only highlight many of these problems, but also suggest ways in which project managers can overcome them. The epilogue considers the skills required of project managers. The authors classify these skills as hard skills, soft skills, and personal characteristics, and discuss the main disadvantages that emerge when such skills are not effectively developed and utilized. This chapter is likely to prove useful to both experienced and potential project managers, not least because it may help them to identify areas for personal development. It may also be of value to senior management and clients, who can use the skills highlighted as a checklist when selecting potential project managers or when considering the training needs of individual managers. The People Side of Project Management deals with the issues discussed clearly and succinctly, making good use of a range of easy-to-assimilate figures and diagrams. However, in some respects, the approach taken by the authors of breaking the issues down to a simple basic level may be seen as a weakness rather than a strength. Such an approach can, and indeed does at times, lead the authors to ignore some of the more dynamic and complex aspects of managing people. It also encourages prescriptive one-dimensional solutions to problems or issues, and indeed the authors often rely on the use of what may be regarded as more functional tools and techniques rather than people-based strategies to deal with the problems discussed. Further, throughout the book, the authors tend to place their 125
Book reviews emphasis on tangible projects such as product development rather than on morecomplex, less easily defined projects such as change management. Despite such criticism, The People Side of Project Management can be regarded as a useful addition to the project-management literature, although the hardback price may be regarded by some, particularly experienced project managers, as a little expensive when they weigh up the benefits that they are likely to gain from such a book. However, as the authors suggest, many practising project managers, senior managers and potential clients are likely to benefit from reading The People Side of Project Management, as will students of project management and others who wish to gain a flavour of the problems of managing projects in organizations. Lynn i%urloway Henley Management College UK
Engineering Management - Managing Effectively In Technology-Based Organizations H J Thamhain Wiley Inter-science USA (1992) 574 pp f76 ISBN 0 471 82801 7 This book is aimed at professionals and managers in engineering as well as students on college courses in technology and engineering management, and it should provide a valuable perspective for both sets of readers. It correctly asserts that managing teams effectively in today’s dynamic and unstructured environment requires an understanding of the interaction of organizational, technical and behavioural variables.
126
Although the book purports to cover R&D, engineering, manufacturing and field services, it essentially focuses on the management of design and development. However, the approach taken, using projectmanagement tools and techniques, is equally applicable to all areas of managing technological change. The importance of competence in project-management skills for those involved in managing technology is also underlined by this treatment, since the leadership, technical and administrative skills of engineering managers identified by the author are essentially those required for project managers. Just under half of the book is devoted to the organizational and behavioural aspects of management, relating the theory to practical applications in engineering management. The topics of organization, organizational development, planning, management information systems, interfaces with marketing, motivation and leadership, team building, managing conflict and change, and career development are presented, with their theoretical principles being related directly to engineering issues, so that the theories are seen in context. Much of the material is supported by US research findings, and each chapter has an extensive and relatively upto-date bibliography to help readers who want to pursue some topics in more depth. The remainder of the book covers the application of project-management techniques to engineering, with supporting checklists and tables to summarize some of the key aspects, which should prove useful for both practitioners and students. Engineering project planning, project tools and techniques, controlling and measuring work and bid proposal development are presented in a way which clearly illustrates their key role in the management of engi-
neering projects. Exercises at the end of each chapter should reinforce key points, and they would have been even more valuable for students if model or possible answers were provided where appropriate. An appendix encourages the reader to test his/her aptitude for engineering management, compare it with that of the general (US) population, and develop an action plan to become an engineering manager. This is a rather superficial but nevertheless thoughtprovoking exercise, even for practising managers! Case studies at the end of the book provide interesting material on which to base group assignments, but they would have been even more valuable if possible solutions had been developed as for the final case. If the words ‘engineering management’ had been replaced in the text by ‘project management’, and the scope had been increased to include examples of manufacturing and other types of project, this book could have been a foundation projectmanagement text. As it is, it should nevertheless be seen as a valuable addition to project and engineering managers’ bookshelves, because of the emphasis placed on the importance of the people aspects of getting the job done. A key criterion for success is stated by the author to be a person’s desire to become a manager. If such a desire is combined with a good understanding and application of the principles and techniques covered in this book, then the reader should be well on the road to becoming an effective engineering manager. Lee R Balthazor Procurement Management Group Portsmouth Business School UK
International Journal of Project Management
1994 Volume 12 Number 2