Cambridge Business Association
Fast Projects
Book

Fast Projects

Project Management When Time Is Short

Fergus O'Connell
Pearson Education Limited, 2009
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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

Why do so many grandiose projects fail so miserably? In 2001, Kmart canceled its supply chain management system after $130 million in project expenses. In 2004, Ford Motor Company retired its purchasing setup not long after spending $400 million to develop it. These projects from hell, alas, are not aberrations. Indeed, many projects become utter disasters, with missed deadlines, mangled goals and monster cost overruns. Thus the idea that you can bring your projects in under budget and ahead of schedule while meeting all your quality goals sounds absurdly naive. Not according to Fergus O’Connell, a delightfully witty Irish project management expert. His entertaining, easy-to-read, informative book shows you how to plan, execute and finish any project at top speed – and how to determine whether you should take it on in the first place. getAbstract recommends O’Connell’s efficient game plan to anyone with projects to complete.

Summary

“Say, ‘We’ll Take a Look at It’”

Far too many projects take much longer than anticipated, but they don’t have to end up late. Projects you plan and execute systematically can come in on time or even ahead of schedule, within budget and at top quality. “Fast projects” are eminently doable if you refuse – from the start – to accept any stipulation (time, personnel, budget or some wild card) until you check every detail. That sounds simple, but many project managers blithely accept whatever demands project sponsors request and later repent amid great expense and delay.

Beware of the typical sponsor who tries to hand a project to you while saying something like, “We don’t know much about this project, but it has to be done by this date...with the team you’ve got, and the budget is fixed.” Such a statement is utterly unrealistic. Who else operates that way? Your auto mechanic would never agree to fix your car by an arbitrary date, for an arbitrary cost, without looking under the hood. Don’t let any project sponsor shove a project and its specs down your throat. Failure to check the details carefully before starting is a recipe for project disaster.

“The Goal of Your...

About the Author

Fergus O’Connell founded ETP, Ireland’s largest project management company.

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