PMFORUM Breaking News
Breaking News in the Project Management World
Thursday, July 10, 2008
OGC's Focus Series -New Project & Programme Management books by Franklin and Tuttle unveiled in London
Reported by Miles Shepherd in UK
The Focus Series by Melanie Franklin and Susan Tuttle of Maven Training has been written specifically for people working in programme and project environments. Comprising three books, the series focuses on the skills required for successful project delivery: communication, leadership and team management.
"70% of businesses fail to achieve their desired goals and the causes for failure are usually lack of strong leadership, lack of team skills, and lack of stakeholder engagement." author Melanie Franklin (pictured at right) said. "Project managers face unique challenges because they don’t have structural controls like line managers. They need to motivate staff in a more creative way."
The books provide practical advice and real world examples, highlighting the more subtle skills programme and project managers need in order to be effective.
Co-author Susan Tuttle says, "As trainers Melanie and I have found that even though our delegates work in different sectors, and a wide range of organisations, they face very similar issues. The issues around leadership, communication and teamwork come up frequently. These books address the softer skills within the context of programme and project management."
One of the most interesting aspects of project management, Susan says, is the dynamic of having to influence people who do not report directly to you. "Getting people to make the work you need done a priority is challenging when they have other things to do. Understanding the dynamics of what motivates people is very important for programme and project managers."
Melanie agrees: "Effective management is not just about being able to apply budgetary constraints or running projects to time. There are more subtle skills which can have a huge effect on successful outcomes. The books have been written with programme and project managers in mind, to enable them to better understand the issues surrounding these important skills."
The books are called:
Melanie says: "Getting communication right requires effort and patience, but it is not difficult if we follow some simple principles. This book gives an overview of these basic ‘rules’ of communication and shows how these can be applied to typical project situations."
The information is structured around a common project lifecycle and examines the different relationships and communication priorities of the main players in any project, including the sponsor, the project manager, the project team, the users, the suppliers and the audit or assurance function.
Leadership skills for project and programme managers - This book describes situations where the need for leadership manifests itself within a project or programme, and uses examples to illustrate how effective leadership within this environment can be demonstrated.
Melanie says: "Leadership is an intangible human quality that inspires us to follow the direction set by someone else. It entails moving people towards a vision of the future, trying to make sure that everyone is moving towards the same vision at roughly the same time. This involves encouragement, motivation of others, resolving disagreements and overcoming resistance."
Within a project or programme environment, leadership means influencing, persuading and controlling resources that have multiple reporting lines and varying levels of commitment to the projects.
Whilst project management techniques provide a structure for planning, monitoring and controlling projects, little is offered in terms of people management and the experiences associated with the type of matrix management that is common within projects. The book looks at how leadership activities can provide help in addressing these complex issues, using examples and anecdotes covering the full project lifecycle.
Susan says: "This book is for those responsible for persuading, motivating and energising their colleagues to get started on a piece of work, convince them that they are heading in the right direction, or encourage them to see how their work fits into the bigger picture. It’s written for managers who wish to enhance their skills set and develop confidence to effectively deal with the increasing interpersonal and communication demands that arise through the organisation of work into projects and programmes."
Team management skills for project and programme managers - Anyone working on a project will know the excitement of working together to achieve a common goal, but will also have been frustrated by the myriad of problems that can result from working with colleagues drawn from across the host organisation and any supplier organisations. Too often, project staff are given no training in team management because they do not have formal line management responsibilities and do not have teams reporting to them on the organisation chart. However, it could be argued that the team management responsibilities of project and programme managers or sponsors are so much greater than a standard management role.
Melanie says: "This book is for anyone involved in team management within projects and programmes. It explores how the management of these teams is reliant on the power of the relationships that are established between the leader of the team and the team members, and the relationships that operate between the team members independently of the relationship with the team leader."
The book explores how team management is reliant on the power of the relationships established between the leader of the team and the team members, and the relationships operating between the team members independently of the relationship with the team leader. The factors that affect these relationships are explored, including the values, behaviours and motivations of the team leader and the team members.
This is a practical guide, and whilst it is not possible to definitively state how a team will behave at any point in the project lifecycle, it is possible to identify the key activities that a team leader must address. These activities are illustrated using an example project.
The books were unveiled at the Best Practice Showcase in London on 24 June 2008. The Focus Series is priced at £60 (separately, the books are £25 each). For further information, visit www.mavenbookshop.co.uk.
The Focus Series by Melanie Franklin and Susan Tuttle of Maven Training has been written specifically for people working in programme and project environments. Comprising three books, the series focuses on the skills required for successful project delivery: communication, leadership and team management.
The books provide practical advice and real world examples, highlighting the more subtle skills programme and project managers need in order to be effective.
Co-author Susan Tuttle says, "As trainers Melanie and I have found that even though our delegates work in different sectors, and a wide range of organisations, they face very similar issues. The issues around leadership, communication and teamwork come up frequently. These books address the softer skills within the context of programme and project management."
One of the most interesting aspects of project management, Susan says, is the dynamic of having to influence people who do not report directly to you. "Getting people to make the work you need done a priority is challenging when they have other things to do. Understanding the dynamics of what motivates people is very important for programme and project managers."
Melanie agrees: "Effective management is not just about being able to apply budgetary constraints or running projects to time. There are more subtle skills which can have a huge effect on successful outcomes. The books have been written with programme and project managers in mind, to enable them to better understand the issues surrounding these important skills."
The books are called:
- Communication skills for project and programme managers
- Leadership skills for project and programme managers
- Team management skills for project and programme managers
Melanie says: "Getting communication right requires effort and patience, but it is not difficult if we follow some simple principles. This book gives an overview of these basic ‘rules’ of communication and shows how these can be applied to typical project situations."
The information is structured around a common project lifecycle and examines the different relationships and communication priorities of the main players in any project, including the sponsor, the project manager, the project team, the users, the suppliers and the audit or assurance function.
Melanie says: "Leadership is an intangible human quality that inspires us to follow the direction set by someone else. It entails moving people towards a vision of the future, trying to make sure that everyone is moving towards the same vision at roughly the same time. This involves encouragement, motivation of others, resolving disagreements and overcoming resistance."
Within a project or programme environment, leadership means influencing, persuading and controlling resources that have multiple reporting lines and varying levels of commitment to the projects.
Whilst project management techniques provide a structure for planning, monitoring and controlling projects, little is offered in terms of people management and the experiences associated with the type of matrix management that is common within projects. The book looks at how leadership activities can provide help in addressing these complex issues, using examples and anecdotes covering the full project lifecycle.
Susan says: "This book is for those responsible for persuading, motivating and energising their colleagues to get started on a piece of work, convince them that they are heading in the right direction, or encourage them to see how their work fits into the bigger picture. It’s written for managers who wish to enhance their skills set and develop confidence to effectively deal with the increasing interpersonal and communication demands that arise through the organisation of work into projects and programmes."
Team management skills for project and programme managers - Anyone working on a project will know the excitement of working together to achieve a common goal, but will also have been frustrated by the myriad of problems that can result from working with colleagues drawn from across the host organisation and any supplier organisations. Too often, project staff are given no training in team management because they do not have formal line management responsibilities and do not have teams reporting to them on the organisation chart. However, it could be argued that the team management responsibilities of project and programme managers or sponsors are so much greater than a standard management role.
Melanie says: "This book is for anyone involved in team management within projects and programmes. It explores how the management of these teams is reliant on the power of the relationships that are established between the leader of the team and the team members, and the relationships that operate between the team members independently of the relationship with the team leader."
This is a practical guide, and whilst it is not possible to definitively state how a team will behave at any point in the project lifecycle, it is possible to identify the key activities that a team leader must address. These activities are illustrated using an example project.
The books were unveiled at the Best Practice Showcase in London on 24 June 2008. The Focus Series is priced at £60 (separately, the books are £25 each). For further information, visit www.mavenbookshop.co.uk.
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