From BBC Books, Deborah Tom tackles the daunting task of everyday management of everyday life. The book helps people from all walks of professional stature find time for personal or family commitments, and working long hours can result in decreased performance and stress-related illness.
With extensive experience of working with multi-national companies and organisations, Tom offers business skills and strategies that she regularly uses with individuals at all levels in organisations. The guiding principles are Self Perception, Making The Change, and Maintaining The Balance.
An interesting book that
makes a valuable contribution to ensuring that PRINCE2 remains a
practical tool for the project manager.
ISBN: 1900391112
Prince 2 - A Practical Handbook - Bentley
A firm favourite at Arras People and a book which has been
well thumbed during our own careers as Project Managers.
A good size which covers the essentials of PRINCE 2 and
a good alternative buy to the large course issued versions.
ISBN: 0750653302
PRINCE2 collection
Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2
(PRINCE Guidance) from the OGC. The official guide to PRINCE 2
- these books are part of the official training courses. Available from the TSO
See the
OGC website for more information from the official PRINCE2
organisation
The Tailoring PRINCE2 book seems like a natural progression, how many organisations can say hand on heart that their projects "strictly" follow the PRINCE2 method? The book includes guides on how to tailor the method to suit needs through illustrated examples and importantly how to bridge the gaps.
People Issues and PRINCE2 - hurrah! Acknowledgement of that great variable on projects - people! A guide for Project Managers on the people issues in the project environment
Passing the PRINCE2 examinations book has helped many who were unable to find the funds for the full foundation course, you are now able to just sit the examination after home study and this book is invaluable for that - there is also an interactive CD to accompany the book. Contact Arras People for recommendations on exam only training providers.
Project Change Management - H James
Harrington McGraw Hill
In your projects have you ever been
faced with resistance to change?
Interesting book to have to hand and dip
into when stuck or want to see other ideas at whatever stage
of the project you are at. A must read If you are involved
in project management and want to understand how change
management ideas might compliment what you as a project
manager are trying to achieve. A handy
CD ROM is available with some versions
ISBN: 007027104
A bold statement, but it's refreshing
to see a book written by people who are actual "do-ers"
rather than academics. Some real life examples also help the
book along
No you really don't have to apply
all of PRINCE2 to that tiny project of yours
ISBN: 1900391090
All Change!: Project Leader's
Secret Handbook (Financial Times) Eddie Obeng. Eddie also
has a column in the Project Manager Today magazine - an excellent
read
"Are
leaders born or made? This handbook aims to show clearly how
everyone can learn to exercise leadership by identifying the
seven "I"s of leadership: insight; initiative; inspiration;
involvement; improvisation; individuality; implementation."
An excellent book that addresses the basic points of
leadership based on observing the best practice of natural
leaders An area which we think figures very highly in the
Project Manager role. A must for any aspiring PM!
ISBN: 0099406225
Previous book
of the month - December 2004 - An excellent book by J. Rodney
Turner who was Director of Project Management at Henley Management
College (UK), where he used to run an MBA programme for project-based
management. Don't take our word for it - it also has excellent
reviews from Amazon Readers too
ISBN: 0077091612
The Idiots Guide - again a good book
that goes over the basics, there's not much in it between this
and the Dummies Guide
ISBN: 0028639200
A good series of books anyway the "Dummies" series and
the project management one is no exception - good high level stuff
that's easily understood.
ISBN: 076455283X
Now this one we loved! Tiny book, 106 pages, the first 65 are
planning - excellent! This is a good book to have on any project
team whether you're a seasoned pro or new to the game. Full of
all those little tools; SWOT, SMART, 5 M Analysis etc. Good for
working with project teams that may not know some of the principles
ISBN: 1870471636
Not
strictly a book but very useful as a reference guide all the
same. This PRINCE2 wallchart is a bargain at under £4
A book that seems to come very highly recommended indeed - check out the reviews on Amazon. The Project Manager - Mastering the Art of Delivery comes recommended due to its focus on project delivery, good real life examples and a book that will appeal to both new and old pros
ISBN: 0273701738
The know--how
people need to pass the Project Management Professional (PMP)
exam. Quick Assessment questions at the beginning and Prep
Tests at the end of each chapter enhance the reader's
understanding of the material
ISBN: 0764524518
Forget what you have learnt at business school - this is the
stark reality!
Management Stripped Bare is a refreshingly honest guide to
what management is really all about
ISBN: 0749436972
The whole spectrum from the Capital Expenditure Budgeting
Process through to Commissioning and
Beneficial Use is covered in this detailed guide to project
managing multiple different projects
More
than twenty-five project management experts provide guidance
that is both accessible to novices and rich with new
insights for seasoned professionals looking to improve their
project management processes
ISBN: 0787940135
The
Management of Projects examines the experience gained and
lessons learned from the management of projects over the
past 50 years
ISBN: 0727725939
All Change looks at change management from the project leader's perspective. Written in an entertaining style, the book is designed to help project managers manage change in busy situations.
ISBN: 0273622218
Business Benefits through Programme and Project Management is a best practice guidance for senior managers that reveals how to to delegate, yet retain control of the big picture.
People Issues and Prince 2 details how to achieve successful projects in terms of processes, documentation and organization, it also identifies where people issues are most prone to arise in projects..
Written for the project professional and day-to-day practitioner, this book provides the policies, methods, and tools to make good project management decisions.
Expertly build your skills with Microsoft Office Project 2003. Work at your own pace through this easy-to-follow guide taking just the lessons you require or working from cover to cover.
Discover how you can really put your project management skills to work!! This extremely well thought-out reference has all the information you need to master every major tool, task, and enhancement in Project 2003
The Advice Busininess reveals the art, the practice, and the problems that consultants face.
This important new book explores the relationship between top management consultant teams and their clients.
Through a series of case studies it presents best practice in consulting at the sharp end of contemporary management across all disciplines.
Teamwork, projects, collaborative problem solving, innovation, and creativity are central to success in engineering, especially in the increasingly global economy. The overall goal of "Teamwork and Project Management, Third Edition" is to prepare you for these aspects of professional practice in engineering.
Demonstrates a selection of project management case studies documenting successful implementation of project management by real companies.
Whether you are a project manager, senior manager, team member, consultant, trainer or student, you will be able to use this book to improve the way in which you manage projects.
Each year, thousands of Project Management Professionals enroll in the American Management Association's project management seminars. Individuals and companies recognise the value of these courses: up-to-date, repeatable project initiatives that they can implement throughout their own organisations to improve processes, streamline productivity, and drastically reduce costs.
This book includes 100 logic problems tailored for project managers. It also includes a problem solving framework, hints for solving the puzzles and solutions.
Learn how to plan, manage and lead projects in this personal account of hard lessons learned over a decade of work in the industry. Complex concepts and challenges are distilled into practical nuggets of useful advice
Recommended and reviewed by Arras candidate - Ben Jeffs
Kotter draws the distinction between management and leadership. He emphasises that management is really a a product of the last 100 years brought about by the need to control ever more complex organisations. Management focuses on: planning & budgeting, organising and staffing, controlling and problem solving and predictability and order. Where as leadership focuses on: establishing direction, aligning people, motivating and inspiring, change and competitive advantage. Kotter highlights that organisations need a blend of both sets of skills to be successful.
In a study of 25 firms he found:
LEADERSHIP
Strong
Nearly half say they have “too few” people like this
Virtually all report “Too few” people in this quadrant.
Weak
Half say that they have “too many” people like this.
Nearly two-thirds report “too many” people here.
Weak
Strong
MANAGEMENT
The missing ingredient, more often than not, is Leadership. Kotter observes that where firms have strong management but insufficient leadership it is logical to expect that you could see:an emphasis on shorter time frames, details and eliminating risks, a focus on specialisation, fitting people to jobs and compliance, a focus on containment, control and predictability. He concludes that it is likely to produce a firm that is rigid, lacks innovation and is incapable of dealing with important changes in its external competitive environment. The primary function of leadership is to produce change
A project is never without risks. An unforeseen problem or requirement can delay the whole process, causing havoc for everyone involved.
Risk management is a structured form of risk control that unearths possible bottlenecks early and thus ensures that a project is both better managed and controlled.
Project Risk Management is a practical and concise book that outlines a tried and tested approach that has been used successfully on a number of large projects
Examines the causes of project management failures and what can be learnt from them. This book focuses on risk management - identifying risks and strategies to deal with them; how to support and lead project teams when things go wrong; how to turn a disaster into something positive; and guidance on what not to do.
To move from intermediate to advanced project management, a project manager must understand not only the project itself, but the overall needs of the company. This book explains the necessary skills, setting out the processes, methods and tools which enable the management of complex projects.
The reason this book is useful is that it connects tactical processes with strategy through the Balanced Scorecard. The traditional approach to project management starts with a set of processes - defined in PMBOK for example - and applies these processes to the project in the hope that their use will improve the success probability of the project.
Previous book of the month - This groundbreaking book addresses a widespread but poorly understood problem - project managers answer to the strategists and decision-makers who decide to initiate and fund their projects, but these senior executives often know little about the project management discipline and process.
Recently published book which specifically concentrates on HR / human resources projects. Specifically targetted at operational professionals within HR who are often tasked with managing projects as part of their business as usual job. A good guide - pitched at the right level and combines the necessary processes / tools to do the project management as well as specific examples.
We've recently seen another human resources specific project management book from the CIPD too - will we see other specific project management books aimed at particular business functions and indistry sectors?
The NHS IT Project examines the past, present and possible future of managing patient data. The reader is introduced to the layers of computing that will fit together to create a single patient record. Patient security and confidentiality are discussed, along with the practical issues surrounding the introduction of the programme
Free e-book from Methods 1-2-3 - a good generic overview of Project Management.
We read a lot about
projects going wrong, in fact that’s nearly all the headlines in
recent years in relation to projects and project management.
This book looks at mistakes from a corporate perspective – an
intelligent and entertaining read.
This is perhaps the best (and easiest to read) book on change management that has ever been written.
Kotter sets out an eight stage process that organisations need to follow to reap the benefits of transformational change:
1. Establishing a Sense of Urgency
2. Creating the Guiding Coalition
3. Developing a Vision and Strategy
4. Communicating the Change Vision
5. Empowering Broad-Based Action
6. Generating Short-Term Wins
7. Consolidating Change and Producing More Change
8. Anchoring New Approaches in the Culture
Read the rest of the review of the book from one of our candidates - Ben Jeff <Lead Change>
Microsoft® Office Excel® 2007 for Project Managers
by Kim Heldman and William Heldman
After attending the PPSOSIG conference on Tools, Techniques and Approaches, one of the presenters mentioned this book. Having never seen it before we wanted to share it with others. One of the outcomes of the conference was the importance of MS Excel in project management today.
Programme Management Demystified offers a well structured guidance for project managers and consultants on how to manage multiple projects.
With examples from an assortment of projects, the techniques of budgetary and cost control, project planning and matrix management are explained in an entertaining and spirited style.
The Managing Successful Programmes course uses this book as its main guide
The Programme Management - Management Guide.
A Macro view to dip into!
The Management of Risk: Guidance for Practitioners - the MoR course uses this book as its main guide
Conflicting views on this book - depends on what kind of information you're specifically looking for.
A collection of books all focused on project portfolio management (PPM)
Read further information from the OGC on Portfolio Management including the downloadable guide
A difficult book to get hold of
and recently updated in 2002, good to see books in this area.
Many of our candidates have read the book in response to the
changes they've experiencing as they move from project management
to programmes
Additional book to the one above,
concentrating on the practical approach to risk management
in programmes
Business Consulting - A guide to how it works and how to
make it work
Gilbert Toppin and Fiona Czerniawska
The ultimate guide for those using or planning
to use business consultants – and for consultants themselves
In the last three decades of the 20th century the management
consultancy industry grew at a cracking pace but increased
scepticism about the value that consultants genuinely add,
combined with the economic slowdown, has made life much
tougher for the consulting industry. As firms have cut back
on consulting services and begun to review the way they
use consultants, consulting firms themselves are looking
at how they need to change. People are now talking about
business consulting rather than management consulting.
Project and Programme Accounting: A Practical Guide for Professional Service Organisations and IT
by John Chapman
Designing Your PPM CoE - A Strategic Guide by David Marsh and David Wilkin
Order from Arras People today!
The book can be obtained from Arras People directly - just complete the form and fax (01706-366544) or email to us. Call us to order over the phone on 01706-366444
The new book from David Marsh and David Wilkin looks at the concepts of the Project and Programme Management Centre Of Excellence, together with the the strategic positioning and methods for its effective business use.
The purpose of the book is to re-invigorate the attention given by senior managers to the design and creation of a PPM COE for their organisation and to position the PPM COE right at the heart of strategic business management, not an adjunct to existing Project Support functions which, in many organisations, are seen as more administrational than guiding and shaping the business in its activities to secure competitive advantage or the implementation of Policy.
This book will be followed up by a second volume “Implementing Your PPM COE – An Operational Guide”.Additionally, there is a new course being developed, based on the books.
An overview of the book:
• What is a PPM COE and why do you need one?
• Designing a PPM COE – The Business Case and Terms of Reference
• Doing the right Programmes and Projects
• Assurance of Programmes and Projects
• Effective development, deployment and operation of Programme Management.
Conclusions from the book "In the end, it comes down to the Business Case for the PPM COE. Organisations needs to ensure two key things through its PPM COE
• That it is doing the right Programmes and Projects
• That those Programmes and Projects are done right.
Without the former, the latter means nothing. This is where the PPM COE justifies its existence.
The book can be obtained from Arras People directly - just complete the form and fax (01706-366544) or email to us. Call us to order over the phone on 01706-366444
The Project Office - Block & Frame
A small book but gives a straight forward
view on
how to implement a project office within an organisation.
A great book for junior project support as it gives a good
overview of each element of a project office. Not so good
if you need indepth information
Included this on the project office
side because this is an excellent book to introduce project
support to the science that is project planning!
A good book for PMO Managers,
if not only for the distinct lack of good books in the area
of project offices
Managing Successful Programmes provides clear, practical guidance for delivering business benefits and managing change.
Project Management Jobs and Careers
A book recommended by one our candidates. If you're faced with the dreaded statement "... and the interview will also include some testing - verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning...", this the handy tool to turn to. Organisations use the testers SHL and luckily this book has "37 genuine management-level practice psychometric tests from SHL Group plc".
There are some practice tests on their website but this book enables you to get straight to the ones you're going to be facing at the interview stage.
A brilliant book which sits on
our bookshelf here at Arras People - and yes we have been
known to ask the odd question in candidate interviews
Along the same lines as "Brilliant
Answers.." with additional material and notes on telephone
interviews. A good 2nd buy if you want to become totally interview
savvy
Sister book to "Brilliant
answers.." concentrating on CV's and how to write them.
Don't just take a recruitment consultants word for it - write
your own brilliant CV
Smart have a whole series of books
on different subjects - all well written and informative.
This book looks at change - in organisations and in individuals
In our June edition of Tipoffs
we looked at different approaches for gaining new jobs - marketing
yourself and contacting organisations directly can be successful
if you communicate well enough
Recommended in a recent article in the Times - some good advice on CV creation
Again from our June edition of
Tipoffs, recommendations on some of the different ways of
selling yourself in the job market. This American book works
well for the UK market too.
The final book in our recommendations
for looking for alternative ways to market yourself and find
your ideal role.
An American Headhunter from Silicon
Valley, Nick Corcodilos shares his success with both potential
jobseekers and employers. This book is particularly interesting
due to challenging the status quo as far as the convential
interview goes - how to control the interview and get the
job without the aggression.
Thinking Differently
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
by Malcolm Gladwell
Not a new book (published in 2002), I only came across it while browsing for a good read at the airport but I'm glad I did. A different read for the beach! If you enjoy psychology you'll enjoy this book - there are hundreds of reviews out there but the parts I particularly enjoyed are the types of people - are you a connector, maven or salesman? You'll be surprised just how it makes you think about yourself and other people you know
The Jelly Effect: How to Make Your Communications Stick
by Andy Bounds
Just like the reviews from numerous readers The Jelly Effect is a good book if you're looking for a quick read on how to improve your business communications skills. It's refreshing, vibrant and an easy read. The Jelly Effect is explained "the way many people communicate is like filling a bucket with jelly, flinging it at the audience , and hoping some of it sticks. The book covers the main business communication areas - networking, presentations, referrals and the ultimate - how to sell more. The scene setter for the book is interesting - just why Andy Bounds is the kind of man you'd want to take advice from in communication techniques. Whether you're the kind of person to look at business books or not, I would recommend this book over the others for the sheer fact its such an easy read - well written - to the point - easily accessible (which surely is one of the main factors for picking a book up like this)
Teach Yourself to Think provides a clear five-stage structure as a framework for thinking, it aims to broaden the ability to respond to and cope with a vast range of situations
NLP or “Neuro Linguistic Programming” – what’s it all about? More and more people are attending courses and adding new skills and techniques which are being used in their project management or consultancy careers. All three books are designed as an introduction to NLP, so make your mind up about it.
Edward De Bono's ideas on lateral thinking are world-wide now, so it's only fitting we include one of his most famous and still very popular books. A great book to read when encouraging your project team to contribute great ideas during brainstorming sessions.
And to compliment the Edward De Bono's Lateral Thinking - a nifty book full of puzzles. Great little book where some of the puzzles could be introduced as ice-breakers in long meetings.
Learn how to keep a clear head,
relax, organise your thoughts and revolutionise the way you
work!
Whether you're into swimming or
not, "Swimming slower to swim faster", an interesting
book never the less.
An
entertaining read. "Rules for Revolutionaries" by
Guy Kawasaki. Read the April edition of Project Management
Tip-Offs for Guy's Mensch
Aptitude Test (GMAT).
A view of the world in starting
a business for online funeral services. With an interesting
twist relevant to the magic 3 constraints in projects; time,
quality and money
Why Business People Speak Like Idiots exposes four traps that change us from funny, honest and engaging weekend people into boring business stiffs:
The Obscurity Trap, The Anonymity Trap, The Hard-Sell Trap and The Tedium Trap.............
Fearless Consulting clearly reveals that consultants can approach their profession and clients fearlessly – a range of philosophical inspirations for readers as well as specific intervention models and practical methodologies.
This book describes a powerful way to improve the consultancy process, from selling the service to delivering the engagement, through a concept called cultural intelligence - the missing dimension of effective consultancy.
Take Control of Your Career is a practical guide to developing the best career plan for you. John Lees draws on the experience of high performers showing readers how to overcome physical and mental barriers. Find how to make the best visible impact, negotiate your job content, career advancement and pay.
The Leadership Wheel offers an original approach for today’s swiftly changing business world -
Sidles dynamic plan begins with a look into the inner work of leaders, the work of personal development and then it turns to external trials of developing healthy relationships, teams, and organisations.
We all seem to be obsessed with advantage and disadvantage, fairness and the level playing field, without realising that in life, the ability to overcome obstacles is a key part of any success strategy - as is our inner drive and motivation. This book investigates the research on this subject - and comes to some surprising conclusions!!
Whatever your position, occupation or current situation, this work should give you tips, tools and techniques all designed to help you go to work on your career and make a difference, whether you are stuck in a rut, or at a career crossroads
In the 7 Habits series, bestselling author Stephen Covey showed us how to become as effective as it is possible to be. In his new book, The 8th Habit, he opens up an entirely new dimension of human potential and shows us how to achieve greatness in any position and any venue - A new leadership model designed for today's world of rapid change
A handy guide for managers which brings together tools and theories in all areas of management. Some interesting areas include business process re-engineering, managing change and business strategies.
Project Toolkit
Project Management Toolkits - Essential Tools We Recommend To Get The Job Done
Project Management Templates from Method 1-2-3. Individual templates or entire kits to assist in project delivery
These memory sticks were a god
send in one of the projects we were involved with - how many
times do we need to swap files, get formatting done and laugh
out loud at how useless floppy discs are in comparsion
Everyone knows you're not supposed
to tinker with the PC yourself but try telling us that when
the proposal needs to get out of the door and the printers
jammed :(
We don't know what we would have
done without this - it's so easy and inexpensive to ensure
you communicate well across different sites and when working
at home
This portable drive makes transferring and sharing documents, presentations, photos or music easy and fast.
Voted Best New Toy for Project Meetings
Last seen on Dragon's Den, this puzzle is the new project meeting talking point, buy a couple for intermal project meetings when you need to get your team working together and collaborating. Alternatively a brilliant present for a puzzle addicted team member
Voted Best New Tool for Tinkerers
Specifically designed Swiss Army Knife for the computer age and a godsend in an office or project environment
Love 'em or hate them - icebreakers, motivational games and teambuilding exercises
Some people are naturals at getting a group of people - in a workshop, meeting or class - highly motivated and ready to get involved and contribute. Some of us, however, need a little bit of inspiration!
He argues that these activities should be carried out in sequence and states that many companies focus only on steps 5, 6 & 7 to the exclusion of (or rapidly skipping over) the others. He attributes this to the apparent simplicity of a structural change (e.g. reorganisation, divestment, acquisition or downsizing) which managers see as being relatively straight forward to implement. He warns, however, that steps 1-4 establish a firm base from which to proceed and step 8 is critical to making the changes stick.
The book sets out the key principles and some practical advice to underpin each of the stages e.g.
“Establishing a Sense of Urgency” involves overcoming the complacency that exists in many large organisations. It requires leadership and risk taking to create a burning platform for action. This might take the form of painting a picture of how the market or competition might evolve; setting stringent performance goals in terms of quality, productivity or profitability that need to be met; pairing the organisation down to the bare minimum; or by appointing / promoting key personnel and giving them a hefty incentive to deliver results.
“Creating the Guiding Coalition” involves putting together a group with enough power to direct, lead and sustain the change. These people are then aligned into a team focused on delivering a common goal (i.e. one that is sensible to the head / appealing to the heart). These people need to have high credibility, broad expertise, a position of power and the right leadership and management skills to drive the organisation through the transformation.
“Developing a Vision and Strategy” involves synthesising complex data into a picture of the future, with an explicit or implicit commentary on why people should strive to create that future. The vision should clarify the general direction for change, be motivational and help to align people to the future without the need for micro management.
“Communicating the Change Vision” involves unleashing the real power of the vision to ensure that everyone in the organisation has a common understanding of its goals and direction. Kotter states that many managers under-communicate the vision or send inconsistent messages. Effectively communicating the visions means: simplifying it; reinforcing the message over and over again; Walking the talk; explicitly dealing with inconsistencies; using metaphors, analogies and examples; using as many forums as possible to get the message across; and listening and being listened to (seeing communication as a two way process).
“Empowering Broad-Based Action” involves removing structural barriers (such as functional silos); training (to support people in being able to work differently and adapt their attitudes/behaviours); aligning systems to the vision (a fundamental root and branch review of everything e.g. HR systems such as pay and reward); taking issue with supervisors who don’t walk the talk.
“Generating Short-Term Wins” involves providing evidence that sacrifices are worth it; recognition and building morale; provide evidence of success and allow for retuning; undermine cynics; keep key stakeholders on board; and build momentum.
“Consolidating Change and Producing More Change” involves recognising that resistance to change never goes away. It also involves recognising that the level of interdependence within any organisation means that a transformation may touch every part of the organisation. This could result in the need for: more change, not less; more help (internally & externally); leadership from senior management; leadership at lower levels in the organisation; and eliminate unnecessary interdependencies. It can be a long road.
Anchoring New Approaches in the Culture” involves recognising that there are “Norms of Behaviour” and shared values in groups of people and that recruitment processes reinforce this by generally selecting people who are likely to fit in. The result is that at the end of any transformation process, attention needs to be given to embedding the change in the culture of the organisation. The result will very much depend on the success of the outcome and how much time is devoted to reinforcing the benefits of the new way of working and may involve a turnover in staff (those who refuse to accept).
This isa book for anyone embarking on a major change initiative or Programme Directors or Project managers who are locked into the traditional project management approach and wondering why it is not working.
Read this book and you will not look at another change project or programme in the same way, ever again
Arras People's 
