1st Edition

Bridging the Business-Project Divide Techniques for Reconciling Business-as-Usual and Project Cultures

By John Brinkworth Copyright 2014

    In organizations these days, there are two cultures, two sets of expectations, two languages; that of the business-as-usual organization and separately that of projects. These cultures need to work together effectively. Unfortunately, the natural side-effect of two such different perspectives is misunderstanding, mutual incomprehension, and despite good intentions on both sides, failure to deliver desired benefits. In Bridging the Business-Project Divide John Brinkworth tackles these issues by examining: ·

    Chapter 1 Introduction; Part I The Project Lifecycle; Chapter 2 Identifying a Project; Chapter 3 Justification and Approval for a Project; Chapter 4 Getting Started; Chapter 5 Requirements; Chapter 6 Design; Chapter 7 Build; Chapter 8 Validation and Test; Chapter 9 Going Live; Chapter 10 Post-Live Realisation of Changes; Part II Common Strands; Chapter 11 Quality; Chapter 12 Planning and Execution; Chapter 13 HR; Chapter 14 Finance; Chapter 15 Reporting; Chapter 16 Benefits; Chapter 17 Conclusions;

    Biography

    John Brinkworth is a management consultant who assists clients to improve their processes for project and programme management. He is also part of the associate faculty at Henley Business School. He is a Member of the Institute of Directors (IoD), a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute, a Certified Management Consultant (CMC®), a Chartered IT Professional and an Associate of the Chartered Quality Institute. He has previously published a book on Software Quality Management and articles in Conspectus and Project Manager Today. For the then UK Office of Government Commerce (OGC) he has also served on their review team for their publications relating to programme and project management. His focus is on identifying pragmatic solutions that can increase the chances of project success.

    "The language of the book is very accessible. There are clear chapter headings and the ability to dip into pages as the reader prefers is supported both by the style of writing and structure of the book, He [the author] ably explains the value in communication, seeking understanding and genuinely listening to the perspectives of other colleagues' Therefore, this book is of value to both experienced and new project managers"
     -  Sheilina Somani, Project Magazine

    "This book covers the territory very thoroughly, throughout a project's life span and beyond, with the objective of uncovering the inter-cultural challenges, and then offering ways in which to overcome them. While the book will be of especial interest to those involved with in-house projects such as IT and similar, it also covers many aspects that are generally applicable to projects undertaken under contract, such as in the construction industry."
     -
    Max Wideman