BOOK REVIEW
Book Title: PROJECT MANAGEMENT: Integrating Methodologies and Behaviors
Author: Marco Sampietro
Publisher: EGEA Spa – Bocconi University Press
List Price: $34.95
Format: Soft cover, 248 pages
Publication Date: August 2022 (1st edition)
ISBN: 9788831322553
Reviewer: Federico Minelle
Review Date: September 2022
Introduction
The book, written by an Italian academic and professional expert, operating in a worldwide context, has the main purpose to introduce “absolute beginners” to the project management discipline, always blending the classic rationally-based engineering techniques (hard skills) with a sound taste of emotional-based mindset (soft skills), to improve team leadership and effective communication with project stakeholders. Main advices are spelled out, too, when you have to work in a multi-projects environment.
Overview of Book’s Structure
After an opening which explains what now is the significance of the so-called “project economy” (vs. the previous century “process economy”), the book’s first chapters are focused on project anatomy: environment and key players, planning and controlling, scope breakdown, resources definition and allocation, time/cost/risk/change management: at a first glance it is the traditional approach, but now heavily focused on benefits, via the full utilization of proper critical success factors.
Furthermore, in addition to several hints previously inserted, a broad chapter is fully dedicated to communication management, including internal and external stakeholders: for large projects, a lot of people, requiring a significant effort by the project manager and his team, including PMO.
An extra-large chapter explains the Agile approach, which includes a detailed and very keen analysis about when it is applicable out of the original context: ICT projects.
A final checklist will help readers in evaluating their own project robustness.
Highlights: What I liked!
The focus on benefits generation, which are the very reason for the project endeavour, is all over the book the key of the proposed project management approach and relevant portrayed practices. Main valuable items are:
- As already mentioned, the proper blend of hard skills and soft skills in the various chapters are extremely positive, in order they can be beneficial both to any traditional grown-up project manager and to STEM/BA graduates, who likely are the target readers of the book.
- Real-life stories or academic research findings are inserted in many boxes, which effectively show the impact of project management practices (either applied or not) on project success or failure.
More…
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How to cite this review: Minelle, F. (2022). PROJECT MANAGEMENT Integrating Methodologies and Behaviors, book review, PM World Journal, Vol. XI, Issue IX, September. Available online at https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/pmwj121-Sep2022-Minelle-Project-Management-Sampietro-book-review.pdf
About the Reviewer
Federico Minelle
Rome, Italy
Federico Minelle graduated in Physics at “Sapienza” – Rome University, presenting a Master’s degree thesis on Artificial Intelligence (AI) research. Afterwards, for more than 40 years he consulted in Business Organization, Information Systems and Project Management.
Previously as a partner at Accenture and then as senior partner of Italian consultancy firm PRS – Planning, Ricerche e Studi, he managed and monitored significant projects in several industries, mainly in Engineering and Construction (e.g. manufacturing and nuclear power plants, transportation infrastructures) and in Government (ICT and process innovation).
He taught for more than 20 years Business Information Systems in the Computer Science Dept. of “Sapienza” – Rome University, becoming also leader of the Project Management & ICT topic for the academic Master’s Degree in ICT Governance and Audit. At the same time, he taught similar topics to Government officers attending SNA (National Public Administration School) courses.
He was Editorial Director of the Italian journal “Il Project Manager”, where he writes editorial notes, papers and book reviews, developing a fruitful cooperation with the PM World Journal. Federico has authored several papers and seminars on Cost/Benefit analysis for ICT Government projects and on PMO functions in ICT organizations.
In the early 1990s he co-authored two books on strategies and management of Engineering & Construction business, edited by the relevant Industry Associations, while more recently he contributed to the “Guidelines for Quality ICT Procurement”, edited by the Italian Government Agency for ICT, and to the book “Project Life Cycle Economics”, edited by M. Pica (Gower, 2015).
Since 2018, Federico has been an International Editorial Advisor and executive team member for the PM World Journal, and by extension for the PM World Library. He is an honorary member of ISIPM (Italian Institute for Project Management). Federico can be contacted at minelle@di.uniroma1.it
