Freeze! Are You Violating the 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing? (Book Review)
The best thing you can be in marketing is first. 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing cites the examples of Gillette and IBM, which paved the way for their respective industries. If you're in an already-developed arena, find an undiscovered space to be innovative.
You Won't Be Able to Put Down 'Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products' (Book Review)
Learn more about how Eyal's ideas became one of the most-read online marketing books. Keep reading for: a summary and book review of Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products, and key takeaways from the best-seller.
Are You a Purple Cow? Find Out Why it Matters (Book Review)
This is the secret to successful marketing strategies, according to best-selling author Seth Godin. Marketing works to generate interest and be remembered. Run-of-the-mill tactics simply won't cut it in this endeavor. Companies must be a purple cow, able to make folks do a double take and rise ahead of competitors.
R.I.P., Stephen Covey. A Legacy of Productivity Secrets
The sad news of this week is that Dr. Stephen R. Covey, author of the productivity best-seller "7 Habits of Highly Effective People," passed away this Monday at the age of 79. The book that brought him global recognition was first published in 1989. No wonder that Forbes honored it as one of top 10 business management books. Even 23 years later, it’s still popular, and what’s most important, the topic is just as hot. Probably even hotter in today’s fast-paced, multi-tasking world than it was back then. Covey’s most famous book shares some very valuable thoughts on delegation, management and leadership. Overall, these are not rules, but rather concepts that you can develop further, based on your own needs, experience and work style. For instance, one of Covey’s “Habits” is synergy. To put it simply, two heads are better than one. Covey explained why several people working as a team can achieve better results than if they work separately. Delegating wisely and achieving great results through teamwork – those are two of the most important things that Wrike aims to help you with. If you glance at the book reviews on Amazon, you might notice that Covey’s ideas inspired many people to come up with their own productivity techniques. We on the Wrike team have a similar story, too. Some time ago, when we were preparing some time-saving tips to share with you, Covey’s methods were an important source of inspiration for us. In case you haven't seen the final result yet, you can take a look at our time management infographic. Stephen Covey has left a really impressive legacy, and his motivating advice will live long after him, inciting a new breed of success and productivity secrets.
What Project Management Books Should You Read?
People often ask me to advise them on the best resources that will help them deepen their project management knowledge or start their own project management journey. One of Wrike’s clients recently asked me: “I’ve been given the green light to seek out any useful resources in the field of Project Management to further my professional development. I’ve Googled a few things, but can’t really decipher what would be beneficial vs. a waste. I was wondering if you might be able to point me in the right direction and recommend particular books or seminars that I could look into?” I thought that it would be better to post my reply here, so that more people could take advantage of the advice. When you look for information on project management, the first thing you’ll find will be resources affiliated with the Project Management Institute (PMI). PMI is a very influential organization in the project management world and offers a lot of materials and training. It can give you a good overview of the fundamentals (“old school”). So PMI courses might be your first choice when you start educating yourself in project management. As for me, I am familiar with Project Management Body Of Knowledge (PMBOK) and walked through that river, but at the end of the day, my project management philosophy was much more influenced by the following themes: • Jim Collins’ works on leadership. I recently posted my ideas on how his Level 5 leadership concept is aligned with Project Management 2.0; • Agile project management methods: they are close to Lean practices. Besides, there’s a SCRUM methodology, which I posted on in my blog; • Enterprise 2.0 principles (one of the best readings here is Wikinomics). It’s interesting that all of the three above mentioned points come from different backgrounds, yet they have lots of commonalities. Also, I recommend you take a look at works by David Allen and Stephen Covey. They are not related to project management in general, but they might help you improve your personal and team productivity. What do you read to improve your project management skills? What did you like and recommend to others? Do you know courses in your area that you could recommend? Leave a comment below and share your wisdom with other readers.
Peter Taylor’s New Book, Sponsored by Wrike, Looks at Humor as Key to Project Success
Have you ever noticed how a good laugh at work improves the mood and team spirit, boosts your energy, and defuses tension? According to our survey with 2,000+ respondents from different industries, a good mood helps 56.9% of employees to be more efficient. Last week marked the release of a whole book devoted to the importance of fun and humor in project management. Since Wrike always strives to make your work process as efficient and stress-free as possible, we liked the book’s idea so much and supported the publication with pleasure. Have you ever noticed how a good laugh at work improves the mood and team spirit, boosts your energy, and defuses tension? According to our survey with 2,000+ respondents from different industries, a good mood helps 56.9% of employees to be more efficient. Last week marked the release of a whole book devoted to the importance of fun and humor in project management. Since Wrike always strives to make your work process as efficient and stress-free as possible, we liked the book’s idea so much and supported the publication with pleasure. The author’s name should sound familiar to many of you. Yes, it is that guy who shared the secrets of getting more done by working less in “The Lazy Project Manager,” the book that we included in our top five favorite PM books. With more than 30 years of project management experience behind him, Peter Taylor knows how to find creative, non-conventional ways to achieve project success. In “The Project Manager Who Smiled,” he talks about a witty approach to improve project performance. It is humor, and that is not a joke : ) The core idea of the book is that a sense of humor and some fun can help workers cope with tight deadlines and budgets, schedule conflicts, and other professional challenges. “The Project Manager Who Smiled” contains a whole bunch of sparkling professional jokes, inspirational quotes and anecdotes. For instance, have you heard that “if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail?” But even more interesting, in addition to raising your spirits, this book also is a great source of practical project ideas. Various project managers contributed real-life stories from their own experience, explaining how their organizations and projects benefited from injecting some humor into their work. Surprise, surprise! Win a free e-copy of the book! How does humor help you and your team at work? Do you have some favorite joke or your own story of leveraging humor for project success? Share them with us in the comments, make us smile, and we will make you smile in return. The authors of the best stories will get free e-copies of “The Project Manager Who Smiled.”
5 Inspiring Productivity Tips from the Book <i>Manage Your Day-to-Day</i>
With so many productivity books around and so many authors proclaiming themselves productivity experts, it's rare to find a book that dishes out really useful advice and inspires you to change for the better. The book Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, and Sharpen Your Creative Mind (The 99U Book Series) is a collection of essays written by an array of thought leaders and productivity authors. Each section is a treasure trove of wisdom written as short, easily digestible blog posts (they all originally appeared as posts on 99U's website) or brief Q&A interviews. The book allows you to pick and choose topics that interest you, so there's no need to read it in chronological order — just pick a section and go. Note that this book was published in 2013, which may put off those of you looking for the latest greatest self-help tome. But trust me: the productivity tips and strategies laid out here are timeless. And the benefits are priceless for anyone willing to work more meaningfully in this world of information overload and constant distraction. Here are the top 5 productivity tips I feel are the most helpful from the massive amount of advice the book gives you: 1. Productivity Happens First Thing Both Mark McGuinness and Tony Schwartz suggest you do the most important things — the activities that add the most long-term value — during the first part of your work day. The first 60-90 minutes is especially crucial as this is when your energy is high and your mind fresh. Do all reactive work second, when your creative energy has been depleted and the ideas aren't flying as quickly. In my work as a copywriter, this translates to writing new articles in the morning and going through the editing jobs assigned to me in the afternoon. But if you're a nocturnal musician this might mean writing songs when you wake up at noon and answering email in the evenings. 2. Use Progression Markers to Display Productivity Dan Ariely presents the idea of using progression markers to list work that's been done. Especially for knowledge work where there is rarely any tangible evidence that you've done much, keeping a daily log or past iterations of your work is a great way to track all the tasks you've completed. A similar idea is the Anti-ToDo List, or what one of our readers calls his Ta Da List, where instead of listing todos, you list everything you got done that day. 3. Alternate Connecting and Unplugging Scott Belsky passionately advocates for balancing your life between being connected or "plugged in" to the deluge of information — our work emails, our Twitter stream, our Wrike notifications — and unplugging in order to be "more present." These windows of non-stimulation allow us to think, digest, plan, and create. It may sound fairly logical on the surface, but any modern knowledge worker knows how easy it is to lose yourself in the addiction to constant alerts, pings, and updates. This is why Cal Newport suggests you defend your creative time by blocking it out on your calendar just like a meeting. People are less likely to disturb you if you're booked, and you carve out a productive time for yourself. 4. Be Conscientious About Tech Habits Linda Stone argues that information overload isn't due to the availability of information. It's our fault for over-consuming! This overconsumption is leading to a host of very real, very physical effects: sedentary lifestyles, chronic stress, overconsumption of food, even screen apnea — the temporary cessation of breath when in front of a screen. We have to be conscious of the physiology of technology so that it doesn't negatively impact our bodies and our ability to be productive. And we have to work at being more active away from all our various screens. In a similar vein, James Victore says we're losing the capability to distinguish between urgent and important. By prioritizing all the external pings of unread emails or Facebook messages, we are choosing others' needs over our own. Plus we're leashing ourselves to our electronic devices, always at their beck and call. The solution is really to take ownership of our time and to better choose where we direct our attention. 5. Engage in "Unnecessary Creation" Possibly the most important tip of these five, Todd Henry advises that we engage in "unnecessary creation" — personal time to explore possibilities, accomplish side projects, learn new skills, and pursue experiments for the sake of self-expression. This isn't a suggestion either. It's a serious requirement for all knowledge workers and those who depend on creativity for their livelihood. Why? It allows you to find your voice and develop yourself. It also allows you to do risky projects that may not have an avenue within your workplace. And it fills up your well of creative energy so you can face your daily work tasks with renewed vigor. Start by writing "morning pages"— three pages of handwritten, stream-of-consciousness style journalling upon waking up. This technique, developed by writer and creativity coach Julia Cameron, allows you to do a brain dump and clear your mind of all its concerns so you can face the day fresh. It also allows you to play with new ideas. A good next step is to block out time on your calendar for quiet, creative time where you can engage in some unnecessary creation. What's on Your Reading List? Have you read any inspiring books on creativity and productivity recently? Tell us about it in the comments. Read next: 44 Productivity Hacks to Turn Procrastination Into Action How to Increase Productivity at Work: 6 Mind-Switching Hacks Creative Block? 5 Surprising Ways to Spark Creativity
Peter Taylor on Overcoming 7 Top Project Management Challenges (Book Review)
We’ve collected seven of Taylor’s tips for project managers to give you a peek at what lies between the pages of Real Project Management: Challenge 1: Poor Communication Good communication has always been a sticking point for project managers, but it's getting even trickier to get right. Thanks to always-on technology and social media, an endless stream of messages are coming in from a multitude of channels. Which communication tools should you use, when, and for what purpose? Taylor's Tip: Good communication means the right message, at the right time, in the right format. Consider all three aspects when you have something important to say. But before you hit send, also consider whether your message really needs to be communicated at all. Eliminating unnecessary or distracting communication will help make sure important messages are received loud and clear. Challenge 2: Virtual Nature of Projects With remote teams on the rise, it's important for project managers to understand that who you're communicating to is just as important as the message itself. We must always remember to take cultural differences into account, but great project managers also factor in the loss of other communication cues like tone of voice and body language. They consider how their messages could be read, not just how they intend them to be read. The use of emoticons and other informal language is becoming a common way to eliminate misunderstandings and foster good working relationships. Taylor's Tip: Cultural differences go far beyond language barriers; they affect how people approach their work and what they value. That's why good people skills are needed now more than ever — not only to manage distributed teams, but also to effectively argue why you need certain resources, why particular tasks should be prioritized, demonstrate business justification, and so on. So don't neglect your soft skills! Challenge 3: Constant Time Pressures For project managers, the clock is always ticking. Time to deadline, time to market, time to achieving a certain ROI — all are expected to be fast, fast, and faster. Taylor sees expectation management as the key to success, since mismatched expectations mean wasted time. You need to thoroughly understand what it is you're expected to deliver in order to plan the most efficient path to delivering it. Taylor's Tip: There's a difference between working hard and being effective. Don't create extra work for yourself by needlessly involving yourself in decisions, communications, or processes that don't really need your input. It's not only a poor use of your time and energy, it slows down your team! Challenge 4: Executive Support Taylor sees a lack of committed project sponsors as a major challenge facing today's project managers. But a big part of the problem is this: while 99.5% of organizations surveyed said they believe good project sponsorship is essential to project success, 83% admitted they do nothing to develop, train, or support project sponsors within their companies. Taylor's Tip: Until organizations start properly supporting project sponsors, project managers will need to take it upon themselves to communicate their needs to their sponsors. Make sure your project sponsor understands how crucial they are to the project's success, what their role is, and what's expected of them. Challenge 5: Strategic Connection It's not enough to successfully manage your projects; you need to understand the overall business strategy connecting them all (what Taylor calls "strategic connection"). One-off or "orphan" projects only drain company resources, so overall business strategy should be something that's well understood throughout the company, not just at the executive level. Every project manager (and their team members) should be free to question whether or how the project they're working on contributes to larger business objectives. And if the connection can't be proven, the project should be halted. Taylor's Tip: Project managers must move beyond the tactical approach of managing budgets, project scope, and everyday processes to a more strategic view, where they focus on how their project can deliver the most business value. Challenge 6: Increased Complexity Projects are becoming more and more complex. Taylor defines a complex project as one that has some degree of uncertainty either surrounding its process or its purpose: perhaps there are unclear goals, various political factors or influences, or the tools and processes being used are new to the team. Whatever the root cause, complexity often means increased risk, and unprepared project managers may be in for a struggle. Taylor's Tip: Junior and mid-level project managers should seek out opportunities to work on more complex projects under senior project managers, learning all they can from the experience so they can confidently manage complexity in future work. Challenge 7: Lessons Learned Although each project manager and team member has personal takeaways from each project, they're too likely to internalize them and not share them with their colleagues. Even teams that actually have an internal knowledge base are often unsure what is (or isn't) helpful advice, a valuable template, a best practice, and so on. Plus, there's always pressure to start work on the next project as soon as the first is finished, skipping or rushing the process of reflecting, recording, and sharing potentially valuable information. Taylor's Tip: Instead of trying to record all lessons learned from a project, ask your colleagues what information they would find most helpful. Do they want to know what risks others encountered & overcame? Start a knowledge base just for people to record the risks they experienced and their advice. Whether it's useful templates, effective processes, or project planning tips, find out what your team wants and focus on that. More Tips for Today's Project Managers Check out our interview with Peter Taylor to learn the new definition of project success, which types of projects are most costly for organizations, and much more — straight from the man himself. Read Next: 9 Podcasts for Project Managers On the Go 5 Must-Have Skills for the Project Manager Resume in 2015 7 Keys to Project Stakeholder Management from the #PMChat Community
An Easy Way to Skyrocket Wrike's Speed
Wrike’s project management software works in any popular web browser, be it Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome or Safari. But just as the engine from a Fiat can slow down a Ferrari, the older versions of these browsers rob Wrike of its natural power. That’s why, in case you prefer Internet Explorer, we recommend you use IE version 9 or higher. And the same goes for the other browsers – the newer, the better! You’ll notice how much faster Wrike and your other favorite online apps become and how much more enjoyable it is to work with them. Some of our customers find Google Chrome the most comfortable option for using Wrike. “I knew from prior communications with the Customer Care team that Wrike performed well in Google Chrome, but I simply had no idea how much faster it is. I never thought to try a different browser. Now I know it makes a huge difference,” says Tom Day from CBIA, a long-standing Wrike customer. In case you don’t want to permanently switch to Google Chrome, but still want use some of its benefits, try out its plug-in for Internet Explorer. So update your browser to the latest version and don’t deny yourself Wrike’s full productivity power!
How to Leverage New Technologies for the Success of Your Business: Win a Book and Find out!
, a recognized technology expert, about his book, “The Next Wave of Technologies." However rapid technology development is, Phil does a great job in keeping up with its pace and considering all the latest trends in his works. In his third book, which was published a couple of months ago, Phil took a look at the emerging technologies from the small business perspective. The title speaks for itself: “The New Small: How a New Breed of Small Businesses Is Harnessing the Power of Emerging Technologies.” What are “the new small businesses” and how do they leverage the opportunities brought by new technologies? Phil shared his point of view on these questions when we met to discuss his new book. Read our conversation to learn more. Phil, congratulations on the release of “The New Small”! According to the subheading, the book is focused on “the new breed” of small businesses that successfully leverage the new technologies. What exactly is this “new breed”? This new breed of small businesses is open, experimental and curious. They are constantly pushing the envelope and refuse to manage by routine. You’ll never hear “that’s not the way we do things here.” They’re a dynamic bunch of companies that, as you see in the book, are doing some amazing things. The owners of these companies inspired me a great deal. They weren’t afraid to break away from old tools and techniques that have worked for them and taken them to a certain point. In the first chapter of the book, which is available for free preview at your Web site, you call the present situation “the era of constant technological change.” In your opinion, is there a difference between the way large enterprises and smaller companies respond to it? If so, what are the main challenges that small businesses face? For political, legal and financial reasons, big companies often cannot get away from technologies that no longer work for them. Small companies don’t have that problem. The world is their oyster. Yet that very freedom can easily become chaos. Fortunately, the New Small is able to strike a balance, getting the benefits of amazing new technologies in the process. What about globalization – is it a threat or an opportunity for the New Small? Both. If you think that you’re safe as “the local provider of X” services, unless you’re a plumber, you’re in for a rude awakening. Why do you think the emerging technologies, such as social media or cloud computing, are a perfect match for the needs of small businesses? Can you share a specific example of successfully harnessed new technologies? For one, the advantage of new technologies is that they scale quite easily. No longer does a business need to predict “just how much” technology it will need. Second, success begets success. You can dip your toe in the pool before you jump in. Finally, with the freemium model, you can test-drive technologies before making the jump. There are many case studies that prove all this. For instance, I can think of Skjold-Barthel, the law firm that threw all of its data and apps into the cloud, reducing its IT costs by 75 percent. That’s just one example, but the book is rife with them. I can’t agree more with you regarding the significance of scalability. In my opinion, it is one of the key things that decide whether a solution is efficient for a company or not. Teams grow, and they have more and more data to organize. The system they use should be able to accommodate as much data as needed and still remain productive and comfortable to use, kind of like the social networks that we use daily. What advice would you give to entrepreneurs who have just started or are planning to start their own business? The impact of new technologies isn’t necessarily the same across the board. Different companies still have different needs; one size certainly doesn’t fit all. So don’t be afraid to experiment or fail. Einstein said something along the lines of, “If you want to increase your success rate, fail more often.” This couldn’t be truer today, particularly with respect to small businesses. Also, get away from technologies that no longer meet your needs. Whether it’s ERP, CRM, a content management system (CMS) or whatever, see if there’s something better out there. Then try it out! Do you have any tips for managing projects in the New Small? Yes, and the main one is – go agile. The companies that inspired me do not use Waterfall-based methods. They can’t wait a year to see if something is conceptually sound. Throw something against the wall and see what you like and what you don’t. Also, don’t reinvent the wheel. See what open source and off-the-shelf tools exist. Use existing APIs and modules to extend functionality. Thank you, Phil. It was really nice talking to you. Some good news for my readers – if you have enjoyed this interview just as much as I did and wish to know more about “the new breed” of small businesses, you have a chance to get Phil’s book for free! Share your point of view in the comments to this post. The author of the most interesting comment will win a copy of “The New Small.”
What Can We Learn from Project Failure? 5 Lessons from Project Management Experts
When you run a project, there are a lot of components that need to be managed together: information, people, time, as well as specific challenges and threats. Speaking of threats – even if you’re a seasoned professional with extensive experience, you’re never immune to the smaller or bigger dangers of project failure. If you browse blogs and online communities, as well as glance at the agenda of offline events, you’ll see what a stirring discussion it brings up in the PM space. It’s usually analyzed from the “why” side – i.e., what are the reasons for project failure? But there is another equally important question that seems to be rarely discussed: How do we learn from it? When you run a project, there are a lot of components that need to be managed together: information, people, time, as well as specific challenges and threats. Speaking of threats – even if you’re a seasoned professional with extensive experience, you’re never immune to the smaller or bigger dangers of project failure. If you browse blogs and online communities, as well as glance at the agenda of offline events, you’ll see what a stirring discussion it brings up in the PM space. It’s usually analyzed from the “why” side – i.e., what are the reasons for project failure? But there is another equally important question that seems to be rarely discussed: How do we learn from it? Back in the 19th century, a Scottish reformer named Samuel Smiles said something that still holds true: “We learn wisdom from failure much more than from success. We often discover what will do by finding out what will not do; and probably he who never made a mistake never made a discovery.” So, what discoveries should we make, and what’s the wisdom in project failure? To find the answers, I invited fellow project managers to outline one key practical lesson they’d recommend taking from such a situation. Lesson 1: Understand your stakeholders Bob Tarne, the voice behind the “Zen, Project Management and Life” blog and currently executive project manager at IBM, shared a valuable lesson on avoiding failure caused by misunderstandings with project stakeholders: “I thought of an example where I didn't take the impact of change on my stakeholders and ran into a roadblock. My project had executive support, so I was moving forward with the implementation. However, one stakeholder group wasn't on board. At first, I didn't take the time to understand their concerns... I tried to push the work through, but they kept resisting. I finally took the time to understand their particular concerns and was able to work out a way to meet their specific needs. So the lesson was that, even when you have executive support, you still need to take the time to understand all of your stakeholders.” Lesson 2: Ensure constant communication The lesson from Terri Griffith, Professor of Management and the author of “The Plugged-in Manager,” covered the communicative risks that may lead to project failure: “My key lesson is – ensure constant communication to avoid poor situational awareness. People want to do a good job and sync with other aspects of their project, but if they don't have situational awareness, then those good intentions are just intentions. At extremes, the lack of communication then results in misinterpretations of why things aren't syncing – Psych 101 teaches that if something is going wrong, it's the other person's fault; if it's going well, it's to my credit. With poor communication, root causes can be misunderstood, adding to a downward spiral.” Lesson 3: Share Elizabeth Harrin, who regularly shares her PM wisdom in A Girl’s Guide to Project Management, highlights how important your experience might be for fellow project managers: “My lesson would be: share. There is no point in not sharing. It is better for everyone if you are honest about the failure and what happened, and tell as many people as you can. Often we don't institutionalize lessons about project failure, and the same mistakes are made time and time again.” Lesson 4: There should be no project failure As for Peter Taylor, best known for his bestseller “The Lazy Project Manager,” the advice dives deeper into organizational reasons of project failure and gives a good deal of motivation: “I think the one, big lesson we should all learn from project failure is that there should be no such thing as project failure! Projects should deliver. Now they may not deliver what was intended originally, but they should follow one of three clear paths: Deliver the expected business benefits, Be adjusted to deliver some business benefits, or Be stopped because they are not expected to deliver the business benefits originally intended, at any level of success, or they are focused on business benefits that are no longer relevant. So project failure has nothing to do with individual projects not delivering, but more an indictment of the organization that allows such projects to ‘just keep going until the bitter end’ for some business reason.” Lesson 5: Discussion -> Root causes -> Actions -> Codification When I asked the question myself – there is something to learn in any failure. There are actions to take to prevent it from happening again, and as Terri and Elizabeth brought up, there’s a lot to communicate. Here’s how I’d put it into a simple, four-step process: Have an open and constructive discussion within the team about the failure. That serves both to communicate the lessons and leverage their collective intelligence. Analyze root causes together. Work out an immediate action plan to minimize the impact of the project failure. Codify the lessons learned into processes and practices: “The next time this happens, we do that.” This could be viewed as a long-term form of communication. We could call it DRAC for fun. :-) Discuss – Root causes – Actions – Codify. If you’re in the mood for creating acronyms, feel free to come up with your own. If you thoroughly analyze the mistakes, make conclusions and take lessons for your onward journey, a failure in one project might become a step toward much better results on your next one. Project failure is an abundant source of professional wisdom, albeit an expensive one. You can get a good discount on that price, if you carefully manage your risks through prototyping, pilot projects, smaller iterations, and studies specifically built to prove or disprove your key assumptions. Something that is a failure if it breaks an operational assumption of a big project instead becomes a data point if it’s an experiment by design. To wind it up with another great quote: Malcolm Forbes wisely noted that “Failure is success if we learn from it.” Big thanks to Elizabeth, Terri, Bob and Peter for sharing their great lessons.
23 Project Management Books for All Experience Levels
You only have so many hours in the day, and precious few of them are your free time. So while you want to learn more about project management — either to pick up new skills or sharpen the ones you’ve already developed — you don’t have unlimited hours to read every book on the subject. Which project management books are best for your experience level? Which are actually relevant to the work you do every day? And most importantly, will they put you to sleep mid-sentence? While we posted some of our team’s must-read project management books in this article, we’ve since expanded our library with a few new favorites. From project management software professional services to team leadership, take a look and pick up a few to add to your work bookshelf. 23 Project Management Books for All Levels Beginners & Accidental Project Managers 1. The Project Management Answer Book - Jeff Furman, PMPThis quick reference guide is in question-and-answer format, so you can easily look up solutions to common problems and find the full answers you need right when you need them. This book is also useful as a supplement to formal PMP exam prep. 2. Project Management for Non-Project Managers - Jack FerraroThis book decodes project management terminology and techniques to make the topic accessible to complete beginners — useful even to experienced managers who simply don’t have formal training in project management and need an intro to the language and theory. 3. The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management - Eric VerzuhProject management is a broad field with many different approaches and applications. If you're looking for a thorough yet high-level overview of the discipline, pick up a copy of "The Fast Foward MBA in Project Management." It's used in many graduate-level courses and within larger corporations to train project managers internally. 4. Project Management Absolute Beginner's Guide (3rd Edition) - Greg HorineCovers every aspect of project management, from the responsibilities of project managers to planning and executing the project itself. You'll learn about Work Breakdown Structures, defining a project schedule and budget, controlling deliverables, managing issues and risks, leadership and communication skills, working with stakeholders, and more. 5. Project Management JumpStart - Kim HeldmanFor beginners just getting their feet wet (or getting thrown straight into the deep end) this book explains core project management principles in the context of typical issues and real-world scenarios. It also contains an overview of PMBOK, the bible of project management. 6. Project Management Lite: Just Enough to Get the Job Done...Nothing More - Juana Clark CraigWant a no-frills introduction to basic project management? This book presents the foundation of the field in plain English for those who just want a quick primer before learning more. Advanced & Experienced Project Managers 1. Strategic Project Management Made Simple: Practical Tools for Leaders and Teams - Terry SchmidtProjects fail all the time, whether due to faulty strategies or uncontrollable circumstances. Use the strategies in this book to build a strong project plan that sets your team up for success. You'll start by asking four questions: What are we trying to accomplish and why? How will we measure success? What other conditions must exist? How do we get there? 2. Neal Whitten's No-Nonsense Advice For Successful Projects - Neal WhittenPacked with useful insights, tips, and best practices, Whitten encourages readers to take ownership of their projects in order to distinguish themselves as capable and reliable project managers. Take advantage of Whitten's 30 years of experience to set yourself apart and accelerate your career. 3. The Deadline: A Novel About Project Management - Tom DeMarcoLearn about project management and enjoy a fun read with this fast-paced novel. Follow the story of Tompkins, a project manager who’s kidnapped and presented with an impossible deadline. His solution is unconventional: with a huge staff of software developers at his disposal, he splits them into eighteen teams. Each team uses a different method, testing different project management assumptions and approaches. Pick up tips to effectively manage your projects while enjoying an entertaining page-turner. 4. The Lazy Project Manager: How to be Twice as Productive and Still Leave the Office Early - Peter TaylorLaziness is a virtue? Peter Taylor shows how laziness can translate into greater efficiency, increased focus, and better project outcomes. Apply the Pareto principle to find out which 20% of your workday really matters, and learn how to work smarter to achieve sustainable work/life balance and optimum productivity. 5. Rescue the Problem Project: A Complete Guide to Identifying, Preventing, and Recovering from Project Failure - Todd C. Williams, PMPAt some point in your career, you’ll find yourself managing a project that’s floundering. Whether or not you’re able to pull it out of a tailspin is one thing, but learning from what went wrong — and learning from others’ mistakes — is the key to continuous improvement and future success. When you’re in crisis mode, reach for this book to assess the core problems and create an action plan. 6. Project Retrospectives: A Handbook for Team Reviews - Norman L. KerthThe best project managers make constant improvement a top priority, conducting retrospectives at the end of each project to identify lessons learned. Follow the roadmap Kerth outlines to identify what went well and what you can improve to make your processes and teams even stronger. 7. Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling (11th Edition) - Harold R. KerznerAt 1,200 pages, this is not a book you’ll read in one sitting or casually peruse during a quick work break. But it is recognized as an in-depth, go-to reference for all things project management, from measuring project ROI, establishing business justification, managing project sponsorship, and more. 25 case studies in a variety of industries illustrate the principles in real-world situations. When you’re in the middle of a project and a problem arises, reach for this book to find a diagnosis and possible solution. 8. Death March (2nd Edition) - Edward YourdonAt some point in your career, you’ll be tasked with a “Death March” project: an initiative that's sorely understaffed and underfunded, with unrealistic deadlines. While you won’t be able to completely avoid these types of projects, this book will help you survive them with your sanity intact. By understanding the underlying factors, you can find ways to address the root issues, manage expectations, and alleviate pressure on your team. Although it’s written with IT projects in mind, the principles are invaluable for anyone involved in a “Mission Impossible" project. Managing IT & Software Development Projects 1. Rapid Development: Taming Wild Software Schedules - Steve McConnellDon't be fooled by the title: this book isn't about churning out more lines of code each day. It's about finding best practices for your project to achieve faster results. You'll learn how to avoid common mistakes, wrangle project schedules to make them predictable, and achieve greater control over projects. The last section of the book outlines best practices, along with the risks and benefits of each one, so you can pick and choose which are best suited for your specific situation. 2. The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering, Anniversary Edition (2nd Edition) - Frederick P. Brooks, Jr.Author Frederick Brooks Jr. draws from his experience as a project manager at IBM to offer wisdom for leading huge projects and large teams. Although first written in 1975, this newer, expanded version is still considered a classic must-read for anyone managing large projects, especially in IT and software. While the technology Brooks references is outdated, the underlying insights into the common pitfalls of software development and project management remain as relevant as ever. 3. Waltzing With Bears: Managing Risk on Software Projects - Tom DeMarco & Timothy ListerNot all risks are bad! Sometimes bigger risks mean greater rewards, and playing it too conservatively means you could be left behind by bolder competitors. On the other hand, being reckless or ignoring possible consequences can mean failure for your project — and your business. This book shows how to identify and take advantage of worthwhile opportunities, recognize common risks, and determine your acceptable level of risk. 4. Managing the Unmanageable: Rules, Tools, and Insights for Managing Software People and Teams - Mickey W. Mantle & Ron LichtySoftware developers have a reputation as a quirky bunch, and Mantle and Lichty explain which management strategies will work with developers and why. They'll teach you their tested techniques for managing high-performance and distributed software teams at some of the largest companies in the nation and share what worked and what didn't. Leadership & Management Techniques 1. Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams (3rd Edition) - Tom DeMarco & Tim ListerWith a perceptive look into the how and why behind personal motivation, DeMarco and Lister share tips for assembling a great team and making the most of their time and talents. Rather than defining managers as overseers, DeMarco and Lister stress that a successful manager's main job is removing barriers to productivity so their teams can excel. 2. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable - Patrick LencioniTelling the story of a newly-appointed startup CEO and her troubled executive team, this book outlines 5 common disruptive team dynamics: Absence of Trust, Fear of Conflict, Lack of Commitment, Avoidance of Accountability, and Inattention to Results. You’ll probably recognize bits of yourself and your team in the story, and you’ll find steps and strategies for improving your teamwork. 3. The Essential Drucker: In One Volume the Best of Sixty Years of Peter Drucker's Essential Writings on Management - Peter F. DruckerNearly ten years after his passing, Peter Drucker is still famous as a leading management expert. This title collects what the man himself considered his essential teachings. Get Drucker’s take on making good management decisions, the difference between efficiency and effectiveness, focusing on contributions over results, and more classic leadership advice. 4. Berkshire Beyond Buffett: The Enduring Value of Values - Lawrence A. CunninghamHow do you become a great leader and establish a company culture where success is sustainable? This book looks at Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffet’s $300 billion conglomerate, to show how managers can generate real economic worth from abstract values like frugality, integrity, drive, and independence. 5. Crystal Clear: A Human-Powered Methodology for Small Teams - Alistair CockburnAuthor Alistair Cockburn understands that successful projects come primarily from people, not methodologies or tools. Although the book is on Crystal Clear, a lightweight software development methodology, this book also focuses on how to set up and support your team so they can do their best work. In addition to providing an Agile roadmap, this book will teach you how to free your projects from heavy processes that slow you down and ransack your budget. What's on your bookshelf? Share the titles you've found most valuable in your project management career in the comments! Tip: If Amazon happens to be your bookseller of choice, try ordering your new books through Amazon Smile. Amazon will donate a portion of the price of your items to a charity of your choice. 6 Best Books for New Project Managers Read next:5 Best Project Management Books for Beginners and Accidental PMs15 Books Every Manager Should ReadThe Ultimate Guide to Project Management Credit: Image at top designed by Freepik.
Top 10 Blogs for Project Management Innovators: Reader's Choice
The voting for your favorite blogs about project management, innovation and 2.0 is finally over. I received over 230 votes, and it took quite a while to summarize the results. Now that the top 10 list of blogs for project management innovators is ready, I’m happy to share it with you. 1. PMPodcast 2. PM Student 3. Project Shrink 4. Daniel H. Pink 5. Andrew McAfee’s Blog 6. Bertrand Duperrin's Notepad 7. TED 8. Voices on Project Management 9. A Girl’s Guide to Project Management 10. Portals and KM Congratulations to all the top 10 bloggers! I also would love to thank all of you who commented on my posts about the best blogs, voted for your faves and suggested other valuable resources.
11 Quora Questions on Team, Product, and Project Management to Put on Your Must-Read List
In addition to learning from your own experience, it’s often useful to know how other professionals in your field coped with particular management questions and challenges. That’s when Quora, the popular Q&A service, comes in handy. From its massive knowledge base, we made a selection of threads with the most stirring and insightful discussions on project, product and team management. Check them out – maybe you’ll find the answer to the question that stole your sleep! And don’t be too shy to contribute your own thoughts and earn some karma points from the fellow Quorians ;-) 1. What are common mistakes that new or inexperienced managers make? Doing your homework about others’ mistakes might save you from bigger or smaller failures in your own experience. Read this thread to know what organizational, communicative and other traps a beginner manager needs to avoid, such as, for example, taking the credit and forwarding the blame. Some of the answers might interest management pros, as well. 2. What questions should one ask oneself on a regular basis to make one's product better? When you’re working hard to improve your product, adjusting your course could be easier if you had some check list at hand. Discover what questions and check points product managers came up with to create a precise product development compass. 3. What is the single most important aspect in creating and managing a high-performing team? The biggest number of votes here belongs to Dave Carvajal, a popular business consultant and advisor to top VC firms, who said that the only way to get people to do something well is to get them to want to do it. Check out the thread for more details on how to make it happen, as well as some other interesting opinions. 4. What should a product management team do to share best practices and learn? As one of the commenters mentions, sharing best practices is something that any team larger than two people should be concerned about. See which of the suggested conventional and creative methods of knowledge exchange would work best for your team. 5. What are the best ways to get a stagnated project going again? Suggested solutions range from just re-naming the project to completely abandoning it. But, as product management veteran Cliff Gilley emphasized, the first thing you have to do is figure out why the project got stagnated in the first place. What’s your remedy against project stagnation? 6. How long is your backlog? It’s a touchy question for all of us involved in product development. As you can learn from the commenters’ experience, prioritization is not enough to keep your backlog under control. Peek in the thread for more solutions. 7. What are the three qualities you liked most about the best manager you ever had? At first glance, this thread might seem like a Hall of Honor for people’s favorite bosses. But if you look closer, you may see it as a source of some tips on earning your team’s love and respect. After all, we bet most managers, secretly or not, long for their team’s appreciation. 8. What are some good tips for 1:1's with your employees? One-on-one meetings with your employees are not just helpful for resolving work issues. Apart from that, they might be a good way to increase your employee’s engagement. The thread revolves around various ideas on making such meetings work best for both parties. 9. How can I delegate efficiently? Delegation is one of the most important (if not mission-critical) skills for a manager. However, according to our recent survey on working habits, more than 50% of managers either have trouble sharing work or prefer doing everything by themselves. If this seems to be the case for you, too, don’t miss this thread. 10. How can you run a great meeting? 37 answers – looks like there are plenty of examples and recommendations to learn from! For instance, one of the tips from the top-rated answer is to start every meeting by tackling short and easy topics. 11. What are some creative ways to recognize employee performance? Sometimes just saying “thank you” is not enough, and giving a cash bonus might be beyond your authority. But as you can see from Quorians’ answers here, you just need some imagination to come up with cool new ways to appreciate your workers. And as a bonus… Of course, Quora isn’t only about work. It has lots of threads that are just fun to read while you’re having your morning coffee. For example, here’s a discussion that made us smile: What does it feel like to be a project manager on the Death Star construction site? Did you come across any other inspiring threads or feel like an important management aspect got left out? Don’t hesitate to add to the list!
14 Essential Books for Content Marketers
Whether you’re just starting out in content marketing, or you're a veteran looking for a few new tricks, add these 14 titles to your bookshelf for a shot of inspiration, a review of the fundamentals or some information on marketing tools to add to your arsenal. Content Marketing Basics 1. Epic Content Marketing: How to Tell a Different Story, Break through the Clutter, and Win More Customers by Marketing Less (2013)From Joe Pulizzi, head of Content Marketing Institute, this book is the perfect primer on all things content marketing. Pulizzi explains why good content is essential for attracting customers, and takes readers through the process of curating and creating effective content. 2. Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, eBooks, Webinars (and More) That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business (2012)CCO at MarketingProfs, Entrepreneur columnist, and keynote speaker Ann Handley offers tips to find your company’s unique voice, discover which topics resonate with your customers, and get the most out of social media. She covers all kinds of content, from podcasts and webinars to eBooks and blog posts, and presents concrete strategies for producing each. 3. The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use Social Media, Online Video, Mobile Applications, Blogs, News Releases, and Viral Marketing to Reach Buyers Directly (4th ed., 2013)Online Marketing strategist David Meerman Scott wrote nearly 400 pages of advice on developing your brand's reputation and authority online. He covers case studies and real-world examples of companies with successful content marketing strategies (and a few examples of what not to do), plus platform-specific tips for social media sites like Google Plus, Instagram, and LinkedIn. 4. Managing Content Marketing: The Real-World Guide for Creating Passionate Subscribers to Your Brand (2011)“Be a publisher.” “Engage your customers.” You may know the core principles of content marketing, but how do you actually do them? Robert Rose and Joe Pulizzi (again!) offer a practical 12-step guide to building a content engine, from developing a personal strategy to finding the right distribution channels. Writing Tips 5. Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content (2014)Another bestseller from Ann Handley, this book includes best practices, tips for reluctant writers, and a “Things Marketers Write” section with guidance on 17 kinds of content that marketers are most often asked to create. 6. How to Write Short: Word Craft for Fast Times (2013)In the age of microblogs, Tweets, and status updates, marketers need to be convincing and concise. Pick up a copy of writing professor Roy Peter Clark's book for a guide to crafting compelling headlines, Tweets, blog posts, and more. Social & SEO 7. Social Media Explained: Untangling the World’s Most Misunderstood Business Trend (2014)Social media consultant Mark Schaefer dives into the psychology and sociology behind social media. He not only explains why you should be doing social media marketing, he helps you formulate a real plan of attack. Each chapter ends with a series of questions to help you apply the book’s principles and create your own social media strategy. 8. Big Book of Content Marketing: Use Strategies and SEO Tactics to Build Return-Oriented KPIs for Your Brand's Content (2013)SEO pro Andreas Ramos teaches readers how to boost content marketing results with effective SEO strategies. He also covers a range of distribution strategies, and outlines key metrics to analyze your success and make improvements. 9. Optimize: How to Attract and Engage More Customers by Integrating SEO, Social Media, and Content Marketing (2012)Lee Odden gives his top tips on how to combine SEO and social media with content marketing to make your content marketing efforts more effective. Learn how to plan a content strategy that will get the best results for your company, and measure the business value of every effort. Getting Your Content to Stand Out 10. Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World (2013)It’s not enough to develop high-quality content — it must be placed in the right context in order to grab your target audience’s attention and spread to new potential customers. Social media and brand building expert Gary Vaynerchuk teaches you how to create content tailored to succeed on social media. If a “jab” is a touchpoint, and a “right hook” is the knockout punch that’s sure to convert, Vaynerchuk shows the best combination of jabs and hooks to nurture leads and win new business. 11. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (2006)This classic from renowned psychologist Dr. Robert Cialdini gives a peek into the psychology of persuasion. Learn what drives people to say “yes” — and how to use principles like social proof and perceived scarcity to create effective CTAs that get audiences to take the next step. Absolutely essential for email marketers! 12. The Fortune Cookie Principle: The 20 Keys to a Great Brand Story and Why Your Business Needs One (2013)Brand strategist and award-winning business blogger Bernadette Jiwa explains how to tell your brand’s story and establish powerful emotional connections with your target audience. Pick up a copy to learn how to differentiate your brand from competitors and earn the loyalty of your customers. Creating Visual Content 13. The Power of Visual Storytelling: How to Use Visuals, Videos, and Social Media to Market Your Brand (2014)As the average attention span continues to shrink, visual content is becoming more and more important for grabbing and holding your customers’ attention. Ekaterina Walter and Jessica Giolio outline strategies for the best marketing videos, infographics, Slideshare presentations, and other visual media. 14. Blah Blah Blah: What To Do When Words Don't Work (2011)Sometimes words just aren’t enough. Explaining complex concepts, making ideas memorable, and snagging your audience’s attention needs the perfect visual. Dan Roam's book shows you how to liven up your content and engage your audience through visual media. What are your content marketing must-reads? Even in an industry that changes quicker than you can turn the page, these books will keep your marketing skills sharp! What content marketing books have you read? Share your recommendations in the comments! And if you're looking for more great reads, check out these 5 Best Project Management Books for Beginners and Accidental Project Managers and 15 Books Every Manager Should Read.