"...a novelty in helping non-project managers understand what a project is and, above all, the art and science of project management. Easy to read, it captures an approach I would recommend to anyone."
― Dr. Calin Popescu, Professor of Engineering and Project Management, University of Texas at Austin
"[Mackenzie Kyle has] put a proven process for planning and managing projects into a great read."
― Richard Pearson, Managing Director, Priority Management Hong Kong
"Making It Happen is not only an easy read, laying out the fundamentals of organizing projects, but also brings to life the concepts."
― Gary Hamer, BC Gas
From the Author
A Brief Description of the Origins of the Book
Writing and publishing fiction has long been an objective of mine. And for quite some time I've been successful with the writing part. Getting published has been an entirely different matter.
Like most writers, I have a day job, and for several years mine required me to think hard about how people handle these complicated things called projects. In company after company, my colleagues and I would see project managers facing very similar difficulties. The solutions that we could provide had consistently similar elements, and while the concept that there are some fundamental principles that apply to projects of all types is certainly not new, this is not an easy message to get across to people mired in the detail of one particular project. Consulting is one way to do it. Training is another, and I've done a lot of both over the last ten years.
Eventually, slow thinker that I am, it occurred to me to write a story about a project manager, cleverly disguising a work of fiction as one that might have some practical value in the working world. This would satisfy both my need to express some project management concepts in a different form, and my ongoing desire to entertain. I planned to create a protagonist whose cynical viewpoint would challenge this approach to project management at every turn, and lead him through a believable process of discovery, one that mirrored my own, and that of others applying these principles.
The end result was much longer and much more like an actual novel than what was finally printed. The fiction writer in me couldn't resist creating details and characters that added nothing to the practical value of the ideas, but seemed quite entertaining (at least to me). Fortunately, the publisher was keener to balance the two. I hope the final result is both entertaining and easy to read, and that is provides you with some practical ideas about how to get through your next project.
From the Inside Flap
Making It Happen: A Non-Technical Guide to Project Management provides a fresh and clear approach to project management. Written in the form of a novel, it covers the basics of project management in a friendly, interesting, and memorable way.
Will Campbell, a reasonably competent middle manager, is suddenly thrust into managing a high-profile project that could make 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 of company politics, treacherous competition, and a project swirling out of control, he narrowly evades many pitfalls, and masters some indispensable project management tools along the way.
Against the backdrop of this personal drama, a simple, rational approach to project management unfolds. Will's ability to grasp these principles is the key to his survival, and could be the key to yours. Making It Happen enables the reader to transform risky, real-life situations into success.
- Provides a simple, non-technical approach, useful to any business person involved in teams or managing projects
- Offers practical tools and principles that will make any project a success: from office moves to product roll-outs, systems implementations to training program delivery, and everything in between
- Boxes, definitions, and charts highlight key points and practical project management tips.
From the Back Cover
Making It Happen: A Non-Technical Guide to Project Management provides a fresh and clear approach to project management. Written in the form of a novel, it covers the basics of project management in a friendly, interesting, and memorable way.
Will Campbell, a reasonably competent middle manager, is suddenly thrust into managing a high-profile project that could make 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 of company politics, treacherous competition, and a project swirling out of control, he narrowly evades many pitfalls, and masters some indispensable project management tools along the way.
Against the backdrop of this personal drama, a simple, rational approach to project management unfolds. Will's ability to grasp these principles is the key to his survival, and could be the key to yours. Making It Happen enables the reader to transform risky, real-life situations into success.
- Provides a simple, non-technical approach, useful to any business person involved in teams or managing projects
- Offers practical tools and principles that will make any project a success: from office moves to product roll-outs, systems implementations to training program delivery, and everything in between
- Boxes, definitions, and charts highlight key points and practical project management tips.
About the Author
Mackenzie Kyle is the Principle of the Beringer Group and an associate at Manageering, a firm specializing in project management consulting and training. He has spent the last 15 years working on a variety of project management related assignments at organizations in Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia.
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