Summary
As author Jason Charvat notes in the introduction to his book, there are not many
publications that address project methodologies and templates. And more's the pity
because, as he also notes, every project undertaken requires a common structure or
framework in which to start.[14] You would
think that the issue of a suitable framework would have received much greater attention
and research by the academic community. Especially considering that the design of
the project life span is the single most important differentiator between projects
and non-projects. Jason's book is therefore a very welcome addition to the ever-growing
list of project management literature.
The book gives a good introduction and overview of a variety of different project
methodologies. It stresses that it is very important to get the selection right for
the given organization and the particular project circumstances. Failure to match
these correctly may well result in disaster. And here, Jason makes another very important
point. The methodology for managing the project, which we would call the design of
the project life span, is not the same thing as a methodology for managing the technology
- though obviously the two must be closely integrated.
That is no doubt why smart organizations team together project managers and project
technical managers to get the job done. This is to ensure not only meeting the project
goals of "on time and on budget" but also the technical goals of scope, quality and
customer satisfaction as well. Together these are the marks of a truly successfully
project!
This is a valuable book for the insight it provides into a variety of methodologies
for those contemplating corporate project processes, or even evaluating the suitability
of their existing methodologies for their current projects.
R. Max Wideman
Fellow, PMI
14. Ibid, p xiii
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Downside