Making It Happen: A Non-Technical Guide to Project Management

by Mackenzie Kyle

Book Overview

Making It Happen: A Non-Technical Guide to ProjectManagement provides a fresh and clear approach to projectmanagement. Written in the form of a novel, it covers the basics ofproject management in a friendly, interesting, and memorable way. Will Campbell, a reasonably competent middle manager, issuddenly thrust into managing a high-profile project that couldmake or break his career. With no project management experience, and armed only with the guidance of his eccentric menror, Martha, Will learns the hard way. As Will navigates the rough seas ofcompany politics, treacherous competition, and a project swirlingout of control, he narrowly evades many pitfalls, and masters someindispensable project management tools along the way. Against the backdrop of this personal drama, a simple, rationalapproach to project management unfolds. Will's ability to graspthese principles is the key to his survival, and could be the keyto yours. Making It Happen enables the reader to transformrisky, real-life situations into success. * Provides a simple, non-technical approach, useful to anybusiness person involved in teams or managing projects * Offers practical tools and principles that will make anyproject a success: from office moves to product roll-outs, systemsimplementations to training program delivery, and everything inbetween * Boxes, definitions, and charts highlight key points andpractical project management tips.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0471642347
• ISBN13: 9780471642343
• Release Date: May 1998
• Publisher: Wiley
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.83 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.1" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Real Help. Great Read.

I learned of MacKenzie Kyle's excellent book while reading "Love is the Killer App" by Tim Sanders and immediately went online to purchase it. As a graphic design manager for a courseware development firm, I was looking for a cut-through-the-clutter explanation of project management. This book, which teaches project management principles under the guise of a novel, was just the ticket.

Great book

100% agree with the other post. I would recommend this book to anyone who has the responsibility of managing projects. It is very easy and enjoyable reading. It's a great investment and reference book to keep around. Go ahead and buy it, you won't be sorryJames W.

Dull Topic Entertaining

I could win awards for being a slow reader. Putting a book down is easy for me. By contrast, I was captivated by this one such that I had difficulty making myself stop reading to eat. While participating in the three-day Priority Project Management Breakthroughs training, our first night's homework assignment was to read the first 30 pages. Long before page 30 I was hooked. Mr. Kyle took an otherwise dull topic and brought it to life with such wit and wisdom that not only did I complete the book before the class ended (a personal record), but I understood Project Management so well that I felt like an expert upon its conclusion. This book makes the complicated art of project management a simple and humorous study in common sense and logic. It is so well written that I tend to think Mr. Kyle ought to quit his day-job and become a full-time author.

An Insightful Book On Project Management--Finally

I really enjoyed reading this book. It has managed to make the dull and often linear undertaking of Project Management into a highly dynamic, thoughtful process to follow when managing projects.Ostensibly this book deals with the business environment, but its lessons can easily be applied to other contexts that require a systematic but flexible way to deliver the goods. The book uses a case-study approach through a well-written story that illustrates what a "typical" non-typical project can look like. We gain insight into the topic as the main character goes through the process and learns how to do it at the same time. An excellent book!

Readable, useful, enjoyable.

Making It Happen is a super book. Delivered in a narrative style, it easily brings the reader through the essentials of project management, with numerous practical examples. MacKenzie Kyle has made a potentially dry subject come alive.