This chapter, from the book, The Art of Project Management,
By Scott Berkuns is a Category C (formerly) 2 SDL opportunity.

This chapter is titled “How to Make Things Happen” and is an excerpt from Scott Berkun’s book The Art of Project Management. In this book, Scott provides lessons from his experience as a project manager at Microsoft. The second edition of this book was renamed to Making Things Happen: Mastering Project Management. Both editions cover project management topics organized into three sections – Plans, Skills and Management.

In the 16 pages of this chapter, Scott gives practical advice on Management and How to Make Things Happen.

Contents of this chapter include:

1. Priorities Make Things Happen
   • Priority 1 versus everything else
   • Priorities are power
   • Be a prioritization machine
2. Things Happen When You Say No
   • Master the many ways to say no
3. Keeping It Real
4. Know the Critical Path
5. Be Relentless
6. Be Savvy
   • Guerilla tactics

“Of the 3 sections of this book – Plans, Skills and Management – I found Scott’s insight into Management issues the most useful. Scott describes the building and losing of trust.This book helped shape my focus on trust, transparency and accountability. I have seen too many teams of smart people falter when the project manager or other teams members couldn’t be trusted to complete their commitments.” EdmontonPM

Summary

• Everything can be represented in an ordered list. Most of the work of project management is correctly prioritizing things and leading the team in carrying them out.
• The three most basic ordered lists are: project goals (vision), list of features, and list of work items. They should always be in sync with each other. Each work item contributes to a feature, and each feature contributes to a goal.
• There is a bright yellow line between priority 1 work and everything else.
• Things happen when you say no. If you can’t say no, you effectively have no priorities
• The PM has to keep the team honest and keep them close to reality.
• Knowing the critical path in engineering and team processes enables efficiency.
• You must be both relentless and savvy to make things happen.

This book is 400 pages. Reading this book would qualify for up to 15 Category C Self Directed Learning PDUs (formerly Category 2 SDL PDUs).

The NEW Category C increases the limit of PDUs allowed in a recertification cycle to 30 from the previous level of 15. Category C PDUs are an excellent way to Increase your Knowledge and Skills as a PM in your time frame.

As a Category C ‘Self Directed Learning Activity’ remember to document your learning experience and its relationship to project management for your ‘PDU Audit Trail Folder’

(PDF) Book Review of The Art of Project Management by Craig Murphy
(11 Pages) Book receives 5 Of 5 stars – A MUST READ.

Purchase this book from Amazon Canada – Making Things Happen: Mastering Project Management

Purchase this book from Amazon USA – Making Things Happen: Mastering Project Management (Theory in Practice)

CLICK HERE for the CHAPTER of the book The Art Of Project Management

This Chapter is 18 pages. Reading this Chapter would qualify for up to 1 Category C Self Directed Learning PDUs (formerly Category 2 SDL PDUs).