E-Book Overview
Today’s new breed, eXtreme projects are different. They feature high speed, high change, high complexity, high risk, and high stress. While traditional projects follow the classic model of ready, aim, fire, eXtreme project managers succeed by shooting the gun and then redirecting the bullet while not loosing sight of their moving target. eXtreme Project Management provides a practical guide for leaders working under high risk and high pressure while producing the desired bottom-line results. Based on Doug DeCarlo’s extensive experience in working with more than 250 project teams, his eXtreme project management model is built around an integrated set of principles, values, skills, tools, and practices proven to consistently work under conditions of rapid change and uncertainty. eXtreme project management is based on the premise that you don’t manage the unknown the same way you manage the known. It’s a people-centric approach to high performance that makes quality of life a fundamental part of the project venture.
E-Book Content
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eXtreme Project Management Using Leadership, Principles, and Tools to Deliver Value in the Face of Volatility Doug DeCarlo Foreword by James P. Lewis Afterword by Robert K. Wysocki
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Praise for eXtreme Project Management “Revolutionary. Doug DeCarlo’s eXtreme project management framework shows project managers and sponsors how to succeed where they might typically fail. Finally, a refreshing and practical approach for today’s extreme projects.” —Ravi Mohan, principal, ProjectScape “Agile, extreme, and adaptive are words that identify a significant new trend in project management. These approaches to project management, such as Doug DeCarlo describes in eXtreme Project Management, need to contain three vital parts—mind-set, a framework, and specific practices. Doug’s book succeeds in all three areas. His description of quantum and Newtonian mind-sets establishes the critical difference between traditional and extreme project management values. His Flexible Project Model, from Visionate to Disseminate, defines a process framework that embodies the quantum mind-set. Finally, specific practices such as the Project Prospectus and 3-sentence Project Skinny will help teams deliver project results with minimal overhead. Great job.” —Jim Highsmith, director, Agile Project Management Practice, Cutter Consortium; and author, Agile Project Management: Creating Innovative Products “If change is a constant in your life and on your projects then this book is a must-read. Doug DeCarlo, a veteran of the leading edge, turns standard project management conventions upside down by revealing new insights into the realities of successfully delivering today’s projects.” —Steven Weidner, PMP, president, Program Navigators, Inc. “Doug has nailed my world with a practical, insightful book that is also a fun and invigorating read. Project managers frustrated by traditional methods that don’t work on their crazy, people-dominated projects will recognize in eXtreme Project Management a new approach that absolutely resonates with their reality; and like me, they’ll walk away with tools for putting the new mind-set into action.” —Cinda Voegtli, president, ProjectConnections.com
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“All projects I meet today fit Doug’s description of eXtreme. This book is something that we all need to face the current environment with a realistic mind-set and real tools to be successful.” —K. C. Yelin, Yelin Associates “Perfect for the project manager looking for alternatives to processheavy, bureaucratic management. Doug opens the door for new management s