Scott Berkun - Making Things Happen: Mastering Project Management (Theory in Practice)

Copyright 2008 Scott Berkun

1. The Department of Homeland Security discovered a terrorist threat in the old title.

2. Tim O'Reilly realized his media empire could achieve instant world domination if he could just get owners of the first book to buy it a second time, under the ruse of a title change.

• The text is revised for clarity and concision. It's a more confident, fluff-free book.

• The addition of more than 120 thought-provoking exercises, appearing at the end of every chapter.

• By popular demand, endnotes were promoted to footnotes, appearing within the chapter texts.

• There is a new discussion guide to help you form groups to keep learning.

My favorite word in the English language is how. How does this work? How was this made? How did they do this? Whenever I see something interesting happen, I'm filled with questions that involve this small but powerful little word. And most of the answers I find center on how people apply their own intelligence and wisdom, rather than their knowledge of specific technologies or theories.

Over years of building things and comparing my experiences to those of other managers, programmers, and designers, I've learned how to manage projects well. This book is a summation of those ideas. It includes approaches for leading teams, working with ideas, organizing projects, managing schedules, dealing with politics, and making things happeneven in the face of great challenges and unfair situations.

Despite the broad title of this book, most of my working experience comes from the tech sector, and in particular, Microsoft Corporation. I worked there from 1994 to 2003, leading teams of people on projects such as Internet Explorer, Microsoft Windows, and MSN. For a few years I worked in Microsoft's engineering excellence group. While there, I was responsible for teaching and consulting with teams across the company, and was often asked to lecture at public conferences, corporations, and universities. Most of the advice, lessons, and stories in this book come from those experiences.

Although I come from a software and web development background, I've written this book broadly and inclusively, calling on references and techniques from outside the engineering and management domains. There is great value here for people in the general business world. I'm convinced that the challenges of organizing, leading, designing, and delivering work have much in common, regardless of the domain. The processes involved in making toaster ovens, skyscrapers, automobiles, web sites, and software products share many of the same challenges, and this book is primarily about overcoming those challenges.

Unlike some other books on how to lead projects, this book doesn't ascribe to any grand theory or presumptively innovative philosophy. Instead, I've placed my bet on practicality and diversity. Projects result in good things when the right combination of people, skills, attitudes, and tactics is applied, regardless of their origin or (lack of) pedigree. The structure of this book is the most sensible one I found: focus on the core situations and provide advice on how to handle them well. I've wagered heavily on picking the right topics and giving good advice over all other considerations. I hope you find that I've made the right choice.