A Novel Approach


Home  >  Articles  > 
A Novel Approach

Paul Harder

May 7, 2001





I've been asked many times by people who are new to project management just how to get started. I point them to various web sites or management books as introductory resources. The new managers visit these sites or read these books and quickly become lost in all the new terms and ideas. Eager to succeed, they plow forward with plans and charts and graphs, forgetting what is important about a project--completing the job. By the time these managers come up for air, their project is off track, their team is demoralized, and their customer is ready to leave. 

I began looking for a new way to approach project management, hoping to find a simpler way to explain this to new PMs, when I stumbled across a vast resource of information previously untapped. These resources touch the very heart of creativity, address inner motivations and help people overcome the most difficult of tasks. What resources? Why, the whole "how to write a novel" industry! 

As a frustrated writer, I often turn to various books titled such things as "How to Write a Novel in Under Five Weeks" for ideas on how to approach such a daunting task.



Please login/register to read the entire article.





sponsored announcements and special offers
CA Technologies' Innovation Management survey is a study into the barriers to innovation success and the measures companies are taking to improve performance. Each survey respondent will receive a complimentary copy of the report containing the survey's results. Please participate now!

Build and deploy interactive reports and dashboards — without any hidden costs. Our in-the-cloud free trial lets you see for yourself — no download required. SAP Crystal Reports Server 60-day Free Trial

Enable Agile Process; Support Agile Teams
CollabNet announces ScrumWorks Pro 4.4. As intuitive as Scrum itself, this version offers improvements in estimation and integration to CollabNet TeamForge. Improve your Scrum team's performance, enable tracking, view reports instantly, and effectively manage your Agile projects. Request a Trial

Enterprise hardware and software evolve faster than your customers can consume new versions and features. Overcome this gap: learn how professional services can boost product consumption and speed repurchasing in TSIA/Compuware white paper. Read now

Packaged Services Success: Join us on Sept 8 for this Free Webinar as RTM Consulting and Tenrox discuss the competitive and financial benefits of Leveraging Automation to meet the Rising Demand for Productized Professional Services. EARN 1 PDU. Register Here Today to receive a Free White Paper.



"Man is the only animal that blushes. Or needs to."
- Mark Twain