Publisher: Vermillion
Size: 288 pages
Just Another Self-Help Book?
A big resounding No! A brilliant book that aims to “Change the Way You Work Forever” by imparting cute sound bites, words of wisdom and short advice pieces from the Basecamp creators (the project management software company). This book really does give an insight into how a modern small business can compete with the big brands and how owners can operate a business in an innovative, cost effective, common sense and dare I say it, fun way.
I wish I’d picked up this book eight years ago when starting Arras People; I’m happy to say that a lot of what is covered in Rework actually does ring true and the different approaches to creating and managing a business that are available in this book, if you just open your mind a little, are actually very achievable. In fact I feel happy that Arras runs in a similar way and I’ve definitely made a note of some other things I’ve not thought about before. It’s a book that delivers straight down the line; it’s neat, to the point, laid back in its use of language, quite pop culture in its references and takes about two hours to read. In fact, now the government want to do away with Business Link, the government business quango, they’ll do well just to hand out a copy of this book to any new start ups.
The book has several chapters focused on different parts of business; starting up, making progress, productivity, hiring etc. Within each chapter there is a page of advice – written in a laid back, chatty style.
There is one concern I have; would a new business start up buy this book? It’s a difficult one, most businesses in the early days are driven, passionate, keen to crack on and make the first million. Most new business owners are keen to test their own ideas and approaches, after all, for many, this is the opportunity of a lifetime and one they have been dreaming of for a while. They’re keen to do things their own way, however this book could save them some pain and ultimately help them to avoid the common pitfalls that many succumbed to.
So apart from the business owner or those thinking about starting a business; what is in it for the project management professional? Well, if you think about the project (or programme) being the business and the project manager as the MD / CEO, this book makes perfect sense to the project management professional too. Here’s a few little nuggets: “Commit to making decisions – When you put off decisions, they pile up, and piles end up ignored, dealt with in haste, or thrown out. As a result, the individual problems in those piles stay unresolved” and, “Your estimates suck – We’re all terrible estimators. We think we can guess how long something will take, when we really have no idea. We see everything going according to a best-case scenario without the delays that inevitably pop up. Reality never sticks to best-case scenarios.”
Of course there are solutions to these situations but I’m not going to tell you them because you shouldn’t ignore this book; buy it at the airport and you’ll have finished it before you touch down. With a head full of unforgettable ways to change the work you work, mull them over while you holiday and you’ll be raring to go when you arrive back home.
This book was first reviewed in the June 2010 edition of Project Management Tipoffs, the project management & recruitment newsletter from Arras People. Subscribe to Tipoffs today!
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Though I found some topics were over simplifed I found the book spot on. Many of the ideas expessed in the book I could closely relate to as I felt the sameway.This book will completely change the way you approach work, projects, people and information.