Product Description

Projects are MESSY! From the minute the project begins, all manner of changes, surprises and disasters befall them. Unfortunately most of these are PREDICTABLE and AVOIDABLE.

Tact and diplomacy can only get you so far in the wild and wacky world of project work. A combination of outrageous creativity, sheer bravado and nerves of steel will serve you far better than any fancy-schmancy Microsoft Project Gantt chart!

'Scrappy Project Management' is about what REALLY happens in the project environment, how to survive it, and how to make sure that your team avoids the predictable and avoidable pitfalls that every project faces.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #55313 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 154 pages

From the Back Cover
"Put this spine on your bookshelf, or in your survival kit. This is THE resource for the power starved PMs who need to learn how to street fight for resources, deal with customer insanity, and dodge the falling rocks as you stay on top of everything. A fighting spirit and a confident strategy is the RETURN ON THIS INVESTMENT."
Michele Jackman, Michele Jackman Enterprises and Adventures, co-author of Star Teams, Players.

"If you want to build energy, velocity, and momentum toward an outrageous goal, Kimberly's Scrappy Project Management is just what you've been waiting for to help you get those results with more pleasant surprises and fewer disappointing shocks along the way."
Christine Comaford-Lynch, CEO of Mighty Ventures, author of Rules for Renegades

"This book unabashedly puts forward a new, unambiguous, non-shrinking, and ultimately empowering view of what we all as project managers should commit to be and do every day in our project roles."
Cinda Voegtli, CEO of Emprend, Inc. and President of ProjectConnections.com

About the Author
Kimberly Wiefling is the founder of Wiefling Consulting, LLC, a scrappy enterprise enabling individuals, teams and organizations to achieve results that seem out of reach or nearly impossible through leadership and project management excellence. A physicist by education, she spent 10 years at HP in technical leadership and project management roles, then 5 years in the wild and crazy world of Silicon Valley start-ups before leading one to a glorious defeat during the dotcom bust of 2001. Vigorously scrappy, she reemerged, consulting on leadership and project management worldwide - from Armenia, to Tokyo, to the Silicon Valley. Kimberly is the executive editor of The Scrappy Guides(tm), a regular contributor to the "Project Connections" newsletter, (70,000+ subscribers weekly), and her radio show, "The Scrappy Dialogues(tm)", airs occasionally on Wiefling.com, and she is the lead blogger at SVProjectManagement.net.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
The Scrappy Guides are books with ATTITUDE! They are your edge in accomplishing what seems impossible, but is actually just real hard. These are real books for real people living in the real world. They are your secret weapon in creating courage and commitment to your goals even when there is no evidence that you will succeed. They are your shield against the inevitable critics who will try to undermine you, and your comfort in the inevitable failures that accompany any worthy pursuit.

Scrappy means not relying on a title to be a leader, being willing to take chances, take risks, put yourself out there in order to do the right thing. Scrappy means having the steely resolve of a street-fighter when necessary, being willing to be scared while sticking to your guns, being committed beyond confidence and ability, committed to making a difference. Scrappy means focusing on creating something extraordinary more than worrying about social acceptance and the approval of others. Scrappy is EDGY!

Scrappy Project Managers know that the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) is a sanitized version of the world of projects. The Scrappy Project Manager wants to succeed. They want their team to be successful. They know their team DESERVES to win, and they know that the PMBOK is just the beginning of what it takes to deliver success in the higgly-piggly world where real projects live. Scrappy Project Managers don't let reality limit them. They either find a way or they make one! This book contains guidelines on how to get stuff done when the odds are against you, historical evidence says it can't be done, and the majority doesn't think it is possible. It's for people who aren't bound by convention, assumptions or self-limiting beliefs. It's for people who can be counted upon to get the job done. Are you ready to get scrappy?

Welcome to our Scrappy World!

Fearless Project Management: Welcome to Hell

Project management is one of the most demanding jobs I have ever experienced. Typically no one reports to the project manager. The project manager rarely has access to budget or staff of their own. And yet they are almost completely responsible for the success of a project. If a project is a failure, the project manager is usually blamed. If it is a success, my experience is that the project manager may not be able to benefit from the very success that she helped create. Project managers make clear what needs to be done, who is supposed to do it, and hold people accountable for following through on their commitments. They may have to tell executives things that they prefer not to hear, and even confront them with extremely negative news. This takes courage and conviction, and it is not necessarily appreciated for the valuable contribution that it is. Like a Mafia hit man, the same person that is so handy when you need someone killed may be an unwelcome guest at dinner. If you are going to be a great project manager you'd better keep your backbone in tact and be prepared to be respected, but not necessarily liked. And keep your resume up to date! You won't be effective as a leader if you can't put your job on the line to do the right thing. Leadership is not for the faint of heart. There are many people passing themselves off as leaders, but there are merely occupying the seat, not taking the stand. If you want to be the kind of leader that inspires commitment from your team, hope from your stakeholders and the admiration of your colleagues, these common sense guidelines for project management excellence will serve you well.

Customer Reviews

Valuable insights, effectively delivered!
Unlike other project management books which I left largely unread on my bookshelf, I enjoyed going through this book from cover to cover. It provided very practical advice that are compact and to the point: focus on the customer, plan, communicate widely and often, prioritize, celebrate success, ...

What's great about this book is the style in which it's delivered. The real world stories, annecdotes, famous quotes and the author's unique sense of humor to illustrate the points and make them more memorable. E.g., on the need for clear goals: "When I was young, I always wanted to BE somebody when I grew up. I just wish I'd been more specific." (Lily Tomlin); on the need to prioritize: "What to do if you must choose between your heart, your lungs, and your kidneys?"; on the gap between knowledge and action: "Common Sense is NOT common practice"; and on keeping a positive attitude: "Success consists of going from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." (Winston Churchill).

The book also provides a set of checklists, sample diagrams and templates to be used in managing the project and communicating with the team and executives. I find the use of ranges for time estimates particularly useful, since it reflects the uncertain nature of project estimates a bit more accurately than a single number.

While this book isn't the most comprehensive project management book, it does cover the major points to help achieve success. If you're a team lead, project or functional manager, this book will arm you with valuable insights and motivate you to avoid common and deadly project pitfalls. I only wished I had followed many of the advice in the book. It's too late for me, but you can still save yourself by reading and following it :-).

A Handbook for Fearless Leadership
Kimberly Wiefling's Scrappy Project Management isn't just a text with a list of must-dos for project methodology; it's a blueprint for high-end corporate capital-L Leadership. I don't know if it's her knowledge of the scientific method (Wiefling is a trained physicist), her unflinching honesty, or her sense of humor, but she combines relevant and powerful insights about fearless project leadership that even a seasoned--or world weary--project manager needs.

Unlike most project management books, Scrappy Project Management is immensely readable. It's funny and edgy; more than one analogy made me literally laugh aloud. It's concise and easy to read, but not fluffy. More importantly, though, Wiefling's methods are supported by numerous concrete examples, not just vague buzzwords or motivational clichés like we've all heard before. There's solid irrefutable documentation of her assertions about marketing, product development, science, engineering, and organizational psychology.

You certainly don't need an MBA to understand or glean important concepts from Scrappy Project Management, but it's easy to see how formal business training would be acutely enhanced by certain chapters, specifically the ones on risk management, shareholder expectations, and project changes.

Wiefling's unabashed honesty doesn't sugarcoat perhaps the most important fact that I've never seen in any other book: "the role of a project leader cannot be successfully filled by anyone who can't put his or her job on the line in pursuit of doing the right thing." Notice that she doesn't say "in pursuit of getting the product shipped". Wiefling is focusing on the quality and effectiveness of project work, a complete and unrepentant "obsession" with the customer, and creating a motivational framework for both the organization and the consumer--practices that are both essential and profitable. This type of determined focus can apply to any type of organization or product, and in the age of mass global competition, is absolutely necessary for survival.

From a subjective, occasionally more social-science perspective, Scrappy Project Management addresses self-imposed limitations, assumptions, and employee appreciation. Wiefling's chapter "Lessons Not Learned" where she says "Learn from experience...make new and more exciting mistakes each time" turns what appears to be a tongue-in-cheek suggestion into an unflinching and blunt observation about project calamity: "Whatever the cause, allowing your team to fail for entirely predictable reasons is inexcusable."

Happily surprising and informative was the chapter on communication. On the second page, I immediately identified a problem I've had as a PM with organizations ranging from small non-profits to the world's largest software company--sending a critical project document as an email attachment (or putting it on a network share) to solicit feedback and receiving none. Wiefling accurately pinpoints our over-reliance on certain forms of electronic communication and offers up several creative and (empirically proven) successful alternatives for attention-grabbing communication, even with co-located teams. Specific examples for clever communication emphasize principles of viral marketing from the restroom to your computer's screensaver. It's bold, it's innovative, it's guerrilla--and people pay attention.

If I were to change anything about Wiefling's work, I'd ask for more information about ensuring project success as an individual contributor; the book appears aimed at senior managers and decision makers. Though the principles of customer devotion and "doing the right thing" can be adapted for all team members, a lower-level employee or team member may feel hesitant about incorporating such bold actions into their work life. (I'd love to see this sort of Scrappy Guide aimed at fresh college grads.) Another interesting addition would be the inclusion of certain types of team dysfunctions that are especially hard to overcome like ageism, sexism, and broken management structures. Most of all, I wish the book had an index--the chapters have so much information that it would be nice to be able to look for a specific topic or cross-reference topics from multiple chapters.

It's apparent Wiefling is passionate about her work and she makes it abundantly clear that project management is not for the faint of heart or the apathetic team leader. She's unapologetic about expectations, leadership, and making tough decisions about priorities. She's inspiring and realistic; it'll be hard, but it's worth the price.

This is a book for professionals who want to achieve greatness and demonstrate fearless leadership: for their companies, for their customers, for their teams, and for themselves.

A powerful real-world reference you'll laugh your way through
I had the pleasure of working with Kimberly for about a year and a half. She was my project management mentor, and I miss her guidance and inspiration dearly. This book is the next best thing - a dose of Kimberly in my pocket. I pull it out when I need a shot of reality fed to me with a healthy helping of humor, and it gets me back in the game.

My copy of this book is underlined and highlighted, the corners are folded down, and I have post it notes sticking out every which way. For a short book, it sure has a lot packed into it, and surprise, surprise - it's information I can actually use! I suppose that's why it's sitting on my desk next to my computer, and not sleeping on my shelf. Thanks Kimberly!