BOOK REVIEW
Book Title: Project Management for Healthcare, 2nd Ed.
Author: David Shirley
Publisher: CRC Press
List Price: $63.96
Format: Hard cover, 254 pages
Publication Date: February 2020
ISBN: 9780367252014
Reviewer: Sheila Jackson, PMP
Review Date: May 2020
Introduction
In Project Management for Healthcare Shirley provides a blueprint for the application and formalization of project management methodologies in United States healthcare settings. As the author points out early on, project management in the U.S. healthcare environment is unique from project management in other industries in several ways.
Foremost, the skill set of the practitioners, the people skills and bedside manner required, which Shirley generalizes as, “healthcare professionals are in the ‘people’ business.” Thusly, Shirley explains that most healthcare workers fall into the personality category of guardian, protecting those with whom they interact, and tend to be procedure oriented and follow processes. Additionally, the types of projects that take place in healthcare settings are unique in that often some aspect of life and death are involved. Shirley’s understanding, definition, and instruction from these distinctions are the strength of this book.
Overview of Book’s Structure
Shirley has organized the book for active and ongoing use throughout the project lifecycle, as situations arise and as the need for methodologies emerges. Though there are sections written in narrative style, the instructional, textbook structure lends itself well to being used as a manual or guidebook in real time. Key review questions and endnotes extend the use of the content for further reading and development.
Shirley shares his views and experiences while including brief case studies that support before/after examples of application. This book would be an ideal job aid.
There are some sections that are repetitive of content in most any project management or business leadership book, and yet what makes this book stand out is the extension of this content into the healthcare environment and how one would apply it in particular.
Highlights
Project Management for Healthcare is an inside look at environmental processes, including the industry’s own set of challenges and opportunities for the project manager. Shirley references the interrelated secondary and tertiary influences (which are many) and stakeholders (again, many) that impact project delivery in healthcare. The book is divided into seven parts: Definition, The Details, Management Skills as a Necessity, Beyond Project Management, Intersection of Healthcare and Manufacturing, Greening Healthcare, and Healthcare Agility. Several chapters include charts and graphs. He covers reporting, problem solving, documentation, conflict resolution, and the emotional intelligence skills required to succeed in an industry held to high customer service standards…
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About the Reviewer
Sheila Jackson
North Texas, USA
Sheila Jackson, PMP, MBA, PSM1 has more than seventeen years of project management experience, in multiple industries and settings, including healthcare. Sheila serves as Sr. Program Manager, Lifelong Learning, at the American Heart Association. Sheila has an MBA from University of North Texas and a BA in Psychology from Baylor University.
Editor’s note: This book review was the result of a partnership between the publisher, PM World and the PMI Dallas Chapter. Authors and publishers provide the books to PM World; books are delivered to the PMI Dallas Chapter, where they are offered free to PMI members to review; book reviews are published in the PM World Journal and PM World Library. PMI Dallas Chapter members can keep the books as well as claim PDUs for PMP recertification when their reviews are published. Chapter members are generally mid-career professionals, the audience for most project management books. If you are an author or publisher of a project management-related book, and would like the book reviewed through this program, please contact editor@pmworldjournal.net.
