The Art of Project Management by Scott Berkun

Finally, there is a project management book that manages to capture all the major skills and activities needed to complete successful projects, while not ignoring the real world. The reason that this book is so good is Berkun understands and articulates the real paradoxes of project management. For example, project managers are expected to tolerate abiguity but pursue perfection. We are also required to be both believers and skeptics, autocrats and delegators, leaders and managers. We must also know when to be which.

Using succinct concepts and even laughably simple diagrams, the author leads readers through three major areas: Plans, Skills and Management. There is a lot of straight talk about what things will and won’t work, why project managers are so busy and how navigating politics and relationships can sometimes be the most difficult part of the job. Two sections that should be recommended reading for anyone who works with other humans (which is pretty much all of us) are: How to make good decisions and How not to annoy people.

This book is especially helpful if you work on projects with creative or technical people. Berkun gives some excellent advice for dealing with the abiguity of simultaneously designing and building innovative products.

If you need an meaningful and entertaining book about project management, this is the one. Every word is worthwhile, even the footnotes.

For more about Scott Berkum and this book see http://www.scottberkun.com/