ASSOCIATES (vol. 7, no. 1, July 2000) - associates.ucr.edu
No Surprises Project Management
Author: Timm J. Esque
Mill Valley, CA: ACT Publishing
1999
1-882939-05-0 (Hard) 1-882939-04-2 (Paper)
$44.95 (Hard) $34.95 (Paper)
A Review
by
Dr. Bob Farnsworth
Serials Department
University of North Florida Library
bfarnsw@unf.edu
"Oh, no! Another team and another project! I wouldn't mind, but they end up being a waste of time, and people are at each other's throats before the project is finished!"
Sound familiar? Well, a small consolation is that you are not alone. Those words are not unfamiliar for many in the Library setting. All too often, projects are begun with teams who have the best interests of the Library and each other at heart. Then....well...things happen!
To help alleviate the problems of project teams, Timm J. Esque has written No Surprises Project Management: A Proven Early Warning System for Staying on Track.
Mr. Esque has consulted with many organizations and project teams to help them achieve productivity and success. He spent 15 years working to develop project implementation at IntelCorporation--serving as consultant to more than 30 project teams. He has also helped the University of Phoenix develop its first Masters of Technology Management curriculum.
And those of us who work in libraries can value the clear-cut organization of this tome. The Table of Contents is quite detailed--as is the Index. Both are excellent sources of information. Along with the text are various step-by-step guides and templates—further illustrating the systems and points mentioned by Mr. Esque in his chapters.
As a former teacher, I was truly impressed with the systematic approach (almost "lesson plan-like" setup) that Mr. Esque uses to present his ideas. Generally, chapters begin with a case study from a "real life real world" situation in which a team was set up to meet a specific goal.
After the narrative, we are shown what went wrong--and how to avoid falling into the same trap. We are also shown what went right--and how to imitate it. Many suggestions are given--with no "fluff" at all. We are shown graphs, checklists, and pertinent explanatory illustrations. Then each chapter ends with a summary of important points.
If you want a practical book for staying on track with your projects, I couldn't recommend a better one than No Surprises Project Management.
And if you need to add a book for patrons who are working on business projects--add this one to your collection!
