Category: news

Are you looking for project management books to read on vacation?

You are in the right place!

Summer is a great time to relax, replenish your energy, and read.

If you are passionate about project management or wish to improve your skills in this domain, there is no better time to dive into inspiring books.

This article will introduce you to 7 project management books that will provide new perspectives, strategies, and valuable tips for successfully tackling your professional projects.

7 project management books to read on vacation

1. The Lean Startup

If you want to explore new approaches to managing projects and starting new entrepreneurial ventures, “The Lean Startup” by Eric Ries is an excellent choice.

This international bestseller offers a revolutionary methodology for launching new businesses efficiently and with minimal waste of resources.

In his book, Ries explains the idea of “Lean Startup,” where the principles of Lean thinking and Agile methodology are applied in the business world.

Through successful examples and real stories, the author explains how to quickly validate business hypotheses, gather customer feedback, and iterate continuously to develop successful products or services.

“The Lean Startup” offers an alternative to the traditional approach of detailed planning and long-term development, instead promoting speed and adaptability. This book is precious for those entrepreneurs and project managers working in uncertain and volatile environments, providing tools and strategies to manage and mitigate risks.

This book will inspire you to think innovatively, experience, and learn quickly from the market. You will be able to adapt to ever-changing customer needs with Lean startup principles and develop successful business projects.

2.Project Management for Dummies

One of the most popular and valuable books for project management newbies is “Project Management for Dummies” by Stanley E. Portny.

This practical and user-friendly guide offers a comprehensive introduction to project management, explaining the basic principles and best practices in a simple and understandable way.

Through real-world examples and practical advice, the book will help you master essential project management skills such as planning, executing, and controlling projects.

3. Getting Things Done

One of the most common challenges in project management is effectively managing time and tasks. “Getting Things Done” by David Allen is a book that offers a proven system for organizing work and maximizing productivity.

The GTD (Getting Things Done) method is based on principles such as accurate information gathering, clear action definition, and priority planning.

This book will guide you through implementing the GTD system, helping you create an organized environment and effectively manage your personal and business-related activities.

By creating action lists, managing projects, and adopting productive habits, you can overcome daily challenges with greater efficiency and peace of mind.

It is also helpful for those wishing to develop more efficient work habits and reduce stress from poor time management.

4. Crucial Conversations

Difficult conversations are inevitable in a project management environment.

“Crucial Conversations” by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler is a must-have guide to dealing with critical discussions constructively and effectively.

By reading this book, you will gain access to practical tools that will help you effectively manage conflict, solve problems, and communicate clearly and empathetically.

Additionally, you will learn how to establish an open and conducive environment for dialogue and maintain a level head even in the most intricate of situations.

5. The Mythical Man-Month

“The Mythical Man-Month” by Frederick P. Brooks Jr. is aproject management classic that addresses the challenges of coordinating and managing resources in complex projects.

This iconic book provides a deep understanding of the problems that occur in large projects and presents Brooks’ laws and the concept of “adding people to a late project.”

By reading this book, you will acquire a unique standpoint on managing complex projects and the dynamics that can affect them.

6. Fiabe della buona notte per Project Manager

If you want a more casual yet entertaining and thought-provoking read, “Fiabe della buona notte per Project Manager” by Luigi Russo is the perfect book.

In this original book, Russo uses the format of fairy tales to present typical project management situations and dynamics allegorically.

Each fairy tale offers a valuable lesson and clever humor to make reading more enjoyable. This book is an excellent choice for relaxing under the umbrella, chuckling, and, at the same time, contemplating the challenges of project management.

Remember that reading does not always have to be serious and challenging, and this book perfectly demonstrates how you can learn while having fun.

7. Project & Process Management

If you are looking for a comprehensive project and process management guide, you cannot miss “Project & Process Management” by Stefano Setti.

This book provides an integrated view of both disciplines, offering a broad overview of fundamental principles, methodologies, and tools for project and business process management.

Thanks to his extensive experience in this area, Setti provides practical approaches and best practices for planning, executing, and controlling projects and designing, optimizing, and monitoring business processes.

Through concrete examples and case studies, the book will guide you in understanding the interactions between projects and processes and provide tools to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of business activities.

“Project & Process Management” is an in-depth yet user-friendly text aimed at professionals who wish to gain a holistic and integrated view of project and process management.

Whether you are a project manager or a process manager, this book will provide you with a solid foundation of knowledge to meet the corporate world’s challenges.

From the introduction to fundamental concepts to managing critical conversations and time management, these books will provide valuable knowledge to tackle your professional projects successfully.

Enjoy your reading!

Team Performance Domain is one of the 8 Project Performance Domains introduced in PMBOK’s seventh edition.

These replaced the 10 Knowledge Areas featured in the previous Project Management Body of Knowledge edition.

This article will explore what this is all about and what this change implies for project management.

Project Performance Domain: what are they?

As mentioned above, the 10 Knowledge Areas of the former PMBOK have been replaced in the seventh edition by the 8 Project Performance Domains.

These are referred to as groups of interrelated activities critical to the effective implementation of a project.

As opposed to the knowledge areas of the sixth edition, performance domains are designed to span the entire life cycle of a project and focus less on rigid processes and more on the practices and behaviors that lead to desired outcomes.

The 8 project performance domains were developed to ensure project success and include:

1. Stakeholder
2. Team
3. Development Approach & Life Cycle
4. Planning
5. Project Work
6. Delivery
7. Measurement
8. Uncertainty

Therefore, they encompass all aspects of the project, from team management to planning, process control, and stakeholder management.

The most significant difference between  PMBOK’s sixth and seventh editions is that the focus has shifted from technical processes and tools to more general principles.

The seventh edition focuses more on the fundamental concepts of project management instead of focusing only on specific technical processes and tools.

This makes the guide more accessible and usable to a broader audience, including those without technical or specialized training.

Team Performance Domain: what is it about?

Now let’s take a look specifically at the Team Performance Domain, or team performance domain, a segment of the PMBOK.

In particular, three main aspects are covered within this domain:

1. Project team and how it works

2. Team Management

3. Leadership skills

The Team Performance Domain is about the support, organization, management, leadership, and culture of the individuals responsible for producing project results.

This entails defining the culture and environment that enable a diverse mix of individuals to evolve into a high-performance project team.

This includes identifying the activities necessary to promote the development of the project team and fostering leadership behaviors by all team members.

The project team generates value for the organization by producing project deliverables.

As we discussed earlier, performance domains are a new concept introduced by PMBOK 7 to replace knowledge areas.

Likewise, process groups have been replaced by project management principles.

The Team Performance Domain focuses on creating a high-performance team, effective team coaching, raising the level of operations, creating collaborative team spaces, and monitoring and measuring their performance.

Certain processes and actions are put in place to achieve the planned goals of this performance domain.

In PMBOK 7, it is assumed that if a team leader successfully executes all the activities of the performance domain according to the principles outlined here, the result will be a high-performing team.

Among some factors that contribute to an effective team are:

• Open communication: an open environment fosters productive meetings, problem-solving, the birth of new ideas, etc.;
• Shared understanding: what the project will create is clear to everyone
• Shared ownership: the more invested team members feel in the project results, the more motivated they will be in their work;
• Trust: employees who trust each other work together more effectively;
• Collaboration: collaborative teams generate more innovative ideas;
• Adaptability: a better-performing team can adapt to different environments and situations;
• Resilience: in the event of a problem, the team can recover quickly and continue their work;
• Empowerment: those who can make decisions independently without being micro-managed all the time achieve better results;
• Recognition: recognizing a job well done motivates team members to keep performance high.

The project manager must keep a respectful, collaborative, and non-judgmental environment that allows the team to thrive and achieve maximum return on performance.

Expected results of the Performance Domain Team

Historically, responsibility for a project was always assigned to a single person, typically the project manager, who was in charge of the project’s success (or failure).

In contrast, the project team leader can delegate responsibility to team members and be held accountable for the work.

However, when we look at how some organizations have been structured in recent decades, sometimes, responsibility for a project, product, or service has been assigned to more than one person.

The PMBOK, in its chapter on the Team Performance Domain, refers to this as shared ownership.

This means there are contexts in which work results are assigned to more than one person or team.

This may be the case with a high-performance team that is stable, empowered, and self-organized.

Stable teams become a high-performance teams by progressing through four stages:

• Training: team members work together and begin to get to know each other,
• Assault: conflict and stress resolution,
• Standards: at this stage, employees begin to understand their colleagues’ strengths and can support each other,
• Exhibition: When the team reaches its peak performance.

The time for team growth in the performance stage may depend on different variables and cannot be predetermined.

However, when such a high-performing team is achieved, an organization can assign employees to a project and let them self-organize to decide their way of working.

They will be free to choose and evolve their processes and practices to implement within their project and set up operations based on the organization’s policy.

To put it another way, the organization can enable a high-performing team to be responsible for the work and own the organization’s results.

The self-organization of the high-performance team improves the efficiency and effectiveness of the work accomplished and the satisfaction of team members. They feel valued and involved in the project, thus increasing their sense of ownership and long-term involvement with the organization.

Twproject helps teams achieve the best possible results by providing them with the right tools to manage work in an agile and productive way.

My fellow Project Managers, welcome to the mightiest match of this century: PMBoK 7 vs. PMBoK 6!

Jokes aside, the world of project management is constantly evolving, and as professionals in the field, it is paramount to stay up-to-date on the latest trends and methodologies.

In this article, we will explore the differences between PMBoK 6 and PMBoK 7, highlighting the evolutions and new challenges that Project Managers face given these changes.

Before we begin, here’s a joke: “The project manager is like a juggler who must keep time, cost, and quality in the air. But! All balls are made of rubber, except for the quality ball, which is made of glass!”

Now that we’ve eased the mood let’s cut to the chase.

PMBoK 7 vs. PMBoK 6: introduction to the differences

1. Basic principles

PMBoK 6 is based on 10 knowledge areas and 49 processes, constituting a fairly prescriptive and linear approach to project management. This approach worked for many years but showed its limitations when applied to complex and adaptive projects.

PMBoK 7 introduces a more flexible and agile approach based on 12 core principles.

These principles, which apply to any type of project and industry, help project managers better adapt to the challenges and changes during project development.

2. Performance Domains

While PMBoK 6 focuses on knowledge areas, PMBoK 7 introduces the concept of Performance Domains, namely 8 performance areas that cover the different dimensions of a project. These domains are:

• Team
• Stakeholders
• Life Cycle
• Planning
• Project work
• Delivery
• Measurement
• Uncertainty

These Performance Domains cover critical aspects of project management, offering a more holistic and integrated view of the project management process. As a result, project managers can focus on value creation and adaptability rather than following a strict, prescriptive approach.

3. Hybrid and agile approaches

PMBoK 6 introduced a few Agile concepts, but PMBoK 7 takes it further, stressing the importance of hybrid and Agile approaches in modern project management.

This reflects the growing need for flexibility and adaptability in organizations that manage increasingly complex and uncertain projects.

Project Manager Challenges in Consideration of PMBoK 7

1. Adapting to a more flexible and agile approach

One of the main challenges for project managers in the transition from PMBoK 6 to PMBoK 7 is adapting to a more flexible and agile approach to project management.

This requires shifting away from old habits and prescriptive ways of working to embrace new techniques and tools that promote adaptability and speed in response to change.

2. Managing stakeholder expectations

As Performance Domains are introduced, project managers must be able to communicate effectively with stakeholders and manage their expectations throughout the project life cycle.

This can be challenging, as different stakeholders may have other goals and priorities. It is, therefore, essential to establish open and constructive communication with all stakeholders to ensure project success.

3. Focusing on value creation

PMBoK 7 emphasizes value creation more than PMBoK 6. Project managers must focus on the project’s value to the business, stakeholders, and customers rather than merely completing tasks according to a set plan.

This requires a results-oriented mindset and continuous watch for opportunities to improve and optimize resources.

4. Managing uncertainty and risk

PMBoK 7 acknowledges the importance of managing uncertainty and risk in projects. Project managers must be prepared to address unexpected challenges and adapt their plans accordingly.

This requires a proactive approach to risk management, early identification of threats and opportunities, and the skill to make quick and informed decisions to mitigate negative impacts.

5. Developing personal skills and leadership

Shifting to PMBoK 7 also requires the development of  project managers’ personal and leadership skills. Besides technical skills, professionals must hone their communication, negotiation, time management, and conflict resolution skills.

Also, they must be able to motivate and lead project teams toward achieving goals by leveraging team members’ diverse skills and strengths.

5 practical tips for tackling new challenges in Project Management

Now that we’ve outlined some of the major challenges facing project managers as they transition from PMBoK 6 to PMBoK 7, here are some practical tips to help you overcome them:

1. Regular training

Keeping your skills up-to-date is critical to facing new challenges in project management.

Attend training, seminars, and workshops, and strive to learn from peers and industry leaders. Also, it is important to keep abreast of the latest trends, tools, and best practices through blogs, podcasts, books, and articles.

2. Networking and collaboration

Nurture your professional networks by attending industry events, conferences, and online forums.

Sharing experiences and knowledge with other project managers can be precious and will help you better understand how to apply PMBoK 7 in your day-to-day work.

3. Adopting an experimental approach

Feel free to test new methods and techniques in your work. Adopting PMBoK 7 requires a degree of openness to change and experimentation.

Bear in mind not all solutions work for every project or scenario. Be ready to test different strategies and adapt them to your project’s needs.

4. Reflecting and learning from experience

Learning from past experiences and using these lessons to improve your project management skills and processes is crucial. Take some time to reflect on your experiences and what you learned during your transition from PMBoK 6 to PMBoK 7.

Examine what worked and could be improved, and use this information to guide your future decisions.

5. Balancing strictness and flexibility

Lastly, finding the right balance between sticking to PMBoK 7 principles and practices and being flexible enough to manage complex and dynamic projects is essential.

Keep sight of your primary goal: to create value for stakeholders and the organization through effective and adaptable project management.

The transition from PMBoK 6 to PMBoK 7 brings a significant challenge for project managers, but it also brings an opportunity to improve and innovate in how we manage projects.

By adopting a more flexible, agile, and value-driven approach, project management professionals can successfully meet the challenges of our ever-changing world.

Bear in mind, however, that a good project manager is always open to some ironic joke: “ If project management were a game, it would be the game of musical chairs–where everyone tries to find their place before the music stops!“

Now that you know the differences between PMBoK 6 and PMBoK 7 and are aware of the challenges ahead, you are ready to conquer the world of project management and guide your projects to success.

Godspeed, and may the power of PMBoK be with you!