BOOK REVIEW
Book Title: The Human Factor in Project Management
Author: Denise Thompson
Publisher: CRC Press
List Price: $74.95
Format: Hardcover, 180 pages
Publication Date: 2019
ISBN: 978-1138064195
Reviewer: Leticia Peevy, PMP
Review Date: February 2020
Introduction
This book is less about project management and more about behaviors and relationships. It focuses on the relationships among all members of a project, from the project manager to the team members to the stakeholders, as well as the relationship of the project manager with themselves. It yearns the reader to look inward and dig deep to understand themselves first, in order to interact and understand others.
The book also provides numerous examples and stories that all weave back into the central theme that tools and processes help one understand project status, but don’t control it. People and behaviors are the true controllers of project outcomes.
Overview of Book’s Structure
This book consists of 10 chapters with 180 pages. The book has both an index and a references section at the end. The structure of the book feels more like a textbook than a reading book. The chapters are also organized in work breakdown structure format, with Chapter 1 having its sub-sections numbered 1.1, 1.2, and so on.
The font used in the book is small, and there is a lot of information provided, so this is not a quick read. There are several multi-day case scenarios that are used to lead up to a point and provide thorough background for the reader to ponder and relate to real life scenarios.
Highlights
The book has many great points and references several relevant events in modern society and ties those back to the human factors at play on projects. What is our commonality? We are human! And there is a universal set of principles that work on us all. Understanding what those principals are and how we can use those to work for us instead of against us is the big highlight of this book.
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About the Reviewer
Leticia Peevy
Texas, USA
Leticia Peevy, PMP, is a Project Manager Specialist with 22+ years’ experience managing development, implementation, upgrade and conversion IT software projects. The bulk of her experience is with large projects including bank conversions, application upgrades and development. Leticia is a certified JMT member and enjoys conducting leadership training and consulting. She is also a co-founder of “Connective Journey”, which hosts emersion and masterclass courses as well as overnight retreats.
Leticia can be contacted at info@leticiapeevy.com
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