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The Blind Men and the Elephant: Mastering Project Work
by David Schmaltz

The Blind Men and the Elephant: Mastering Project Work Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Using the "blind men and the elephant" metaphor, this useful guide explains how a "follow the leader" approach creates troubled projects by pulling attention from the real source of power and authority - the individual. Using real-world stories, it shows how anyone can transform a fuzzy project assignment into a meaningful, satisfying experience. Author David A. Schmaltz7-- creator of True North's Mastering Projects Workshop and Sun Microsystems Inc.'s Project Sun Workshop — reframes the root cause of difficulties in project work, singling out "incoherence" (the inability of people to make common meaning from their common experience) as the main obstacle, and presents a set of simple, easily available techniques to increase a project's coherence and its participants' enjoyment of the process.

Book News Annotation:

A wry, cheerful prod to action by the founder of a project management consulting firm in which he offers a set of simple project-coherence-building techniques based on real-world stories. He examines the degree to which individuals involved in the project can exert control and explores the excuses that can keep people trapped in meaningless work. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Synopsis:

Includes bibliographical references (p. 131-136) and index.

Synopsis:

Using a familiar metaphor, the creator of True North's Mastering Projects Workshop and Sun Microsystems Inc.'s Project Sun Workshop shows readers how anyone can transform a fuzzy project assignment into a meaningful, satisfying experience.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
Dan Starr, August 14, 2007 (view all comments by Dan Starr)
If you're looking for step-by-step instructions for managing projects, this book will probably disappoint you. Matter of fact, if you're looking for a textbook that'll help you prepare for your PMP certification, you'll still probably be disappointed. This book isn't about charts and schedules and tools; it's about people--how we see (and often miss) things that are going on around us, and how we decide what, if anything, we're going to do about what we see. It's more a series of autobiographical stories, interpreted to find lessons about life (not just managing projects). As such, it may be more valuable than a shelf full of books about charting and planning and tracking--at least as long as we insist on employing human beings in our projects.

(Full disclosure: David Schmaltz is a friend of mine, and I reviewed his draft of this book before it was published. However, he didn't ask me to write this review, and in fact he doesn't have the slightest idea what I'm writing here. My opinions are my own.)
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Product Details

ISBN:
9781576752531
Subtitle:
Mastering Project Work
Author:
Schmaltz, David
Author:
Schmaltz, David A.
Publisher:
Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Location:
San Francisco
Subject:
Management
Subject:
Entrepreneurship
Subject:
Project management
Subject:
Management - General
Edition Number:
1st ed.
Series Volume:
02-6
Publication Date:
April 2003
Binding:
Paperback
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Yes
Pages:
144
Dimensions:
9.02x6.06x.49 in. .53 lbs.
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