It’s that time of the year again – children are getting ready to go back to school and parents are driving crazy to buy all the stationary that is needed (or not really needed but you can’t say ‘no’, can you?); or you may be one of the lucky ones that still has annual leave days to take; or just returning back to work after a nice and relaxing summer break. Regardless of your situation, I’m sure you’d agree that September is a month that inspires new beginnings.
With that in mind, I’d like to share with you a list of fine recommendations of project management books to buy and read soon. They are definitely on my list!
‘Project Management Next Generation: The Pillars for Organizational Excellence’
by H. Kerzner, A. Zeitoun, and R. Vargas.
The book promises to explore 10 pillars of project management that will be critical for companies in the coming decade and offers a wide selection of practical case studies that can guide anyone new in project management or just with an interest to know the authors’ views on what the future holds for the project space. Having been written by people that I consider fundamental to the advancement of project management in recent years, I can only expect an insightful reading.
‘HBR Project Management Handbook’
by A. Nieto-Rodriguez.
To be honest, I haven’t read the ‘The Project Revolution’ yet, from the same author, and one that got my attention immediately. However, this one also looks so interesting and complete, that I had to include it. It is announced to be ‘the one primer you need to launch, lead, and sponsor successful projects.’ If you are just starting in project management or want a modern and refreshing view on what it means to manage and sponsor projects nowadays, look no further.
‘How Big Things Get Done: The Surprising Factors That Determine the Fate of Every Project, from Home Renovations to Space Exploration and Everything In Between’
by B. Flyvbjerg.
The world-acclaimed leading specialist in megaprojects released his new book and I couldn’t be more excited about it. I’ve always loved the writing style of Flyvbjerg and how he deconstructs difficult concepts into easy-to-understand ideas. Even if you are not managing a megaproject, I’m sure there are learnings to all on this book!
‘Managing Multiple Projects: How Project Managers Can Balance Priorities, Manage Expectations and Increase Productivity’,
by E. Harrin
I don’t know about you but I rarely have just one project to manage at a time (it sounds so lovely!). Often, I’m juggling multiple projects and in search of time to be ensure that I’m on top of everything that’s going on. If you are in this same situation, I bring you one more priority to consider: let’s read this book.
‘Bedtime Stories for Project Managers’
by yours truly, M. Silva (aka me)
Yes, this is a little book that I wrote years ago and of course I’m biased to write about it, however, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to mention it either because, trust me, it’s a light and insightful reading. It appeals to the power of storytelling as a communication tool when managing projects by combining project management concepts and practices with traditional fairy tales’ stories. It has the little red riding hood story and the emperor’s clothes one – how can you even resist to read it?
Enjoy the reading and let us know what you think. If you have other suggestions you’d like to share, let us know too! We’d love to hear from you.
