Review: The Art of Project Management 12 Jun, 2005
I was about to order this book
(The Art of Project Management) last week for the office when I was offered
a review copy from O’Reilly. Therefore, I feel the disclaimer that the book
was given to me should apply. I think the review remains unbiased, but
I want to have that out in the open just in case.
The first thought I had opening the package was that although this is an O’Reilly book, there is no animal on the front. I suppose putting an animal on every book would dilute their recognition (e.g. hawk vs raven) but I would have much preferred being able to tell people to read “The muskrat book” rather than “The gray and white book with a pair of shoes hanging from a telephone line.” I suppose there’s a reason for this choice, but I don’t know what it is (maybe only books about programming languages have animals?).
Who is it for?
I read the book from the perspective of a small team member, not really a manager in title, but certainly a tiebreaker when it comes to decisions. My boss owns 51% of the voting stock, and I wanted to end up with a book he could benefit from too. The book is very broad, and I think it would be reasonably useful for people involved in any team project situation, whether they’re a manager or a player.
However, toward this goal, it’s a bit overly broad. I’m a fan of small books which can be read in an afternoon, like Don’t Make Me Think and Defensive Design for the Web, because they don’t require conscious blocking of time to read, and are well-organized for picking up again later. For someone with a function like mine — the programmer trying to be a better follower and gain some managerial advice at the same time, I’d rather it be pared down a bit.
Overall feel
The type is a little small and difficult to read in a moving vehicle. I don’t specifically recognize the font, but the words flow together after a while. I don’t think it was designed for reading on the go.
I love the diagrams. They all have a hand-drawn feel to them, but have just enough “fun” to them that I enjoy reading them. Quotes are plentiful, but a bit awkward (I believe) since the book can’t decide whether it’s for managers or peons. This book is not about Getting Things Done and it’s not about processes to become more effective. It’s much more about experiences of what worked and what didn’t. I expect to refer back to it a lot, but it’s a lot of information to finish at once.
Recommendation
If there was a special edition with only chapters 5 (Where Ideas Come From), 6 (What to Do With Ideas Once You Have Them), 13 (How to Make Things Happen), and perhaps 15 (End-Game Strategy), I would wholeheartedly recommend that edition to everyone. As it sits, it’s a bit wordy and more story/scenario-based than targeting specific things which can be worked on (alá GTD).
If you like a book to read in pieces over a period of time and want to keep it at the library in your office, this is a pretty interesting book. However, if you’re like me and contiguous blocks of time are hard to come by when you’re not in a moving vehicle, pass on this one.
I’m going to see what my boss has to say about how it appeals to him and edit this entry as appropriate, so we can see how it speaks to members on opposite sides of the managing fence.