Harvard Business Review Project Management Handbook

The one primer you need to launch, lead, and sponsor successful projects.

We're now living in the project economy. The number of projects initiated in all sectors has skyrocketed, and project management skills have become essential for every leader and manager. Still, project failure rates remain extremely high. Why? Leaders oversee too many projects and have too little visibility into them. Project managers struggle to translate their hands-on, technical knowledge up to senior management. The result? Worthy projects are starved of time and resources and fail to deliver benefits, while too much investment goes into the wrong projects. To compete in the project economy, you need to close this gap. The HBR Project Management Handbook shows you how.

In this comprehensive guide, project management expert Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez presents a new and simple framework that will increase any project's likelihood of success. Packed with case studies from many industries worldwide, it will teach you how to manage your organization's projects, strategic programs, and agile initiatives more effectively and push the best ones ahead to completion. Timeless yet forward-looking, this book will help you win in the project-driven world.

In the HBR Project Management Handbook you'll find:

• Everything you need to know about project management in practical, nontechnical language
• A definitive taxonomy of project types, from product launches to digital transformations to megaprojects
• A road map for becoming an effective project leader and executive sponsor
• A new, simple, and universal project framework, the Project Canvas, that breaks down any project into essential building blocks that can be easily understood by all project stakeholders
• Original concepts and exclusive case studies from public- and private-sector organizations worldwide

You'll learn:

• A common language for project managers and executives to run successful projects across your organization
• When to use agile, traditional, or hybrid methods in your projects
• The twelve principles of successful projects, including purpose, agility, and a focus on outcomes
• Techniques for selecting and advancing the best projects and managing a strategic and balanced project portfolio
• How today's projects will help address some of the most pressing global trends, including automation, sustainability, diversity, and crisis management
• Why project management needed to be reinvented and what the future holds

HBR Handbooks provide ambitious professionals with the frameworks, advice, and tools they need to excel in their careers. With step-by-step guidance, time-honed best practices, and real-life stories, each comprehensive volume helps you to stand out from the pack-whatever your role.

“Winner of the 2022 PMI David I. Cleland Project Management Literature Award Advance Praise for the Harvard Business Review Project Management Handbook : "Who better than Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez to write this thought-provoking and refreshing eye-opener that brings readers a completely renewed vision of project management!" -- Yves Pigneur, coauthor, Business Model Generation "It is long past the time to close the gap between strategy development and delivery, and it begins by recognizing all strategic change happens through projects and programs. The HBR Project Management Handbook is a critical resource for the delivery of strategic change." -- Mark Langley, former President and CEO, Project Management Institute "Every leader needs to read this handbook! Nieto-Rodriguez''s expert knowledge of project management is displayed in this insightful and practical book. Learn the foundations of projects and how to successfully execute them to improve your organization and yourself as a leader." -- Marshall Goldsmith, New York Times bestselling author, Triggers and What Got You Here Won''t Get You There "The project management book for the boardroom. Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez explains why poor project delivery is simply no longer tenable. To compete in the future, senior managers will need project management skills, and this should be their go-to book." -- Richard Pharro, founder and CEO, APMG International "Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez is the godfather of modern project management. Rich in real-life examples and cutting-edge ideas, this indispensable book provides you with the tools, insights, and wisdom required to succeed with projects today." &8212 Stuart Crainer, cofounder, Thinkers50 "First there was paint-by-numbers, now there''s project-by-numbers. Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez''s Project Canvas is pragmatic, evidence- and experience-based, distilled. If you want to get something done--anything done--the HBR Project Management Handbook is your go-to guide." -- Whitney Johnson, bestselling author, Build an A-Team "The emergence of projects as the economic engine of our time is silent but incredibly disruptive. Nieto-Rodriguez''s frameworks and stories ensure that board members, executives, and managers feel prepared--and excited--about starting and leading strategic and transformative projects successfully." -- Jim Citrin, leader of Spencer Stuart''s North American CEO Practice; coauthor, Leading at a Distance "This book is a must for anyone who wishes to find tools and strategies to weave passion with purpose--both at an individual and an organizational level." -- Kiran Bir Sethi, founder, The Riverside School (India) and Design for Change "The Project Canvas is an inspiring vehicle for project teams to capture value and identify risk and return. This tool offers leaders everywhere practical applications of key best practices." -- Sandy Ogg, founder, CEO.works "In the modern business world, everything is a project--so we''d better learn how to manage them successfully. Nieto-Rodriguez''s brilliant new book gives every professional a framework to accomplish more, work smarter, and succeed in our fast-changing world." -- Dorie Clark, author, Reinventing You and Entrepreneurial You ; executive education faculty, Duke University Fuqua School of Business "I count having met Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez among the highest fortunes I''ve had in my working life. His vision and insight in the HBR Project Management Handbook is incredible--it should be required reading for anyone thinking about embarking on project management." -- Martin Lindstrom, founder and Chairman, Lindstrom Company; author, Buyology and The Ministry of Common Sense "The HBR Project Management Handbook is a call to rethink why and how we do projects. This practical and actionable guide is a must-read for anyone striving for inspiration and extraordinary results." -- Tasha Eurich, organizational psychologist; New York Times bestselling author, Insight and Bankable Leadership "As the issues that organizations are addressing grow more complex and involve more stakeholders, the toolkit and frameworks that Nieto-Rodriguez shares will only grow in importance." -- Deepa Prahalad, coauthor, Predictable Magic "In this era of exponential change, Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez gives us a simple framework for launching and sustaining successful projects. You need this handbook in your personal library!" -- Sanyin Siang, professor, Duke University; author, The Launch Book "The HBR Project Management Handbook presents a fresh view that is easily applicable both for senior leaders and project managers. The book''s concepts and pragmatism are right in line with the fast pace of change that requires a higher focus on value and agile practices." -- Pamay Bassey, president, The Pamay Group, LLC "The HBR Project Management Handbook cuts through the jargon of business to provide a practical guide to everyone who wants to be more effective in their work and in their lives by running more successful projects." -- Alisa Cohn, author, From Start-Up to Grown-Up”

Winner of the 2022 PMI David I. Cleland Project Management Literature Award

Advance Praise for the Harvard Business Review Project Management Handbook:

"Who better than Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez to write this thought-provoking and refreshing eye-opener that brings readers a completely renewed vision of project management!" — Yves Pigneur, coauthor, Business Model Generation

"It is long past the time to close the gap between strategy development and delivery, and it begins by recognizing all strategic change happens through projects and programs. The HBR Project Management Handbook is a critical resource for the delivery of strategic change." — Mark Langley, former President and CEO, Project Management Institute

"Every leader needs to read this handbook! Nieto-Rodriguez's expert knowledge of project management is displayed in this insightful and practical book. Learn the foundations of projects and how to successfully execute them to improve your organization and yourself as a leader." — Marshall Goldsmith, New York Times bestselling author, Triggers and What Got You Here Won't Get You There

"The project management book for the boardroom. Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez explains why poor project delivery is simply no longer tenable. To compete in the future, senior managers will need project management skills, and this should be their go-to book." — Richard Pharro, founder and CEO, APMG International

"Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez is the godfather of modern project management. Rich in real-life examples and cutting-edge ideas, this indispensable book provides you with the tools, insights, and wisdom required to succeed with projects today." &8212 Stuart Crainer, cofounder, Thinkers50

"First there was paint-by-numbers, now there's project-by-numbers. Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez's Project Canvas is pragmatic, evidence- and experience-based, distilled. If you want to get something done—anything done—the HBR Project Management Handbook is your go-to guide." — Whitney Johnson, bestselling author, Build an A-Team

"The emergence of projects as the economic engine of our time is silent but incredibly disruptive. Nieto-Rodriguez's frameworks and stories ensure that board members, executives, and managers feel prepared—and excited—about starting and leading strategic and transformative projects successfully." — Jim Citrin, leader of Spencer Stuart's North American CEO Practice; coauthor, Leading at a Distance

"This book is a must for anyone who wishes to find tools and strategies to weave passion with purpose—both at an individual and an organizational level." — Kiran Bir Sethi, founder, The Riverside School (India) and Design for Change

"The Project Canvas is an inspiring vehicle for project teams to capture value and identify risk and return. This tool offers leaders everywhere practical applications of key best practices." — Sandy Ogg, founder, CEO.works

"In the modern business world, everything is a project—so we'd better learn how to manage them successfully. Nieto-Rodriguez's brilliant new book gives every professional a framework to accomplish more, work smarter, and succeed in our fast-changing world." — Dorie Clark, author, Reinventing You and Entrepreneurial You; executive education faculty, Duke University Fuqua School of Business

"I count having met Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez among the highest fortunes I've had in my working life. His vision and insight in the HBR Project Management Handbook is incredible—it should be required reading for anyone thinking about embarking on project management." — Martin Lindstrom, founder and Chairman, Lindstrom Company; author, Buyology and The Ministry of Common Sense

"The HBR Project Management Handbook is a call to rethink why and how we do projects. This practical and actionable guide is a must-read for anyone striving for inspiration and extraordinary results." — Tasha Eurich, organizational psychologist; New York Times bestselling author, Insight and Bankable Leadership

"As the issues that organizations are addressing grow more complex and involve more stakeholders, the toolkit and frameworks that Nieto-Rodriguez shares will only grow in importance." — Deepa Prahalad, coauthor, Predictable Magic

"In this era of exponential change, Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez gives us a simple framework for launching and sustaining successful projects. You need this handbook in your personal library!" — Sanyin Siang, professor, Duke University; author, The Launch Book

"The HBR Project Management Handbook presents a fresh view that is easily applicable both for senior leaders and project managers. The book's concepts and pragmatism are right in line with the fast pace of change that requires a higher focus on value and agile practices." — Pamay Bassey, president, The Pamay Group, LLC

"The HBR Project Management Handbook cuts through the jargon of business to provide a practical guide to everyone who wants to be more effective in their work and in their lives by running more successful projects." — Alisa Cohn, author, From Start-Up to Grown-Up

Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez is an author, practitioner, and consultant who teaches strategy and project implementation to senior leaders. He is a visiting professor and a frequent guest speaker at business schools and project management events around the world. He has held leadership positions at PricewaterhouseCoopers, BNP Paribas Fortis, and GlaxoSmithKline. His research has been recognized by Thinkers50 with its prestigious "Ideas into Practice" award, and he is featured in the 2020 Global Gurus Top 30 list of management professionals. He served as chairman of the global Project Management Institute, and in that role he launched the Brightline Initiative. He is also the founder of Projects & Co, cofounder of the Strategy Implementation Institute, and a member of the Marshall Goldsmith 100 Coaches group. He is the author of three books, The Project Revolution, Lead Successful Projects, and The Focused Organization.

For more information, follow him on LinkedIn or on Twitter @ANietoRodriguez or visit antonionietorodriguez.com.

The one primer you need to launch, lead, and sponsor successful projects. We're now living in the project economy. The number of projects initiated in all sectors has skyrocketed, and project management skills have become essential for every leader and manager. Still, project failure rates remain extremely high. Why? Leaders oversee too many projects and have too little visibility into them. Project managers struggle to translate their hands-on, technical knowledge up to senior management. The result? Worthy projects are starved of time and resources and fail to deliver benefits, while too much investment goes into the wrong projects. To compete in the project economy, you need to close this gap. The HBR Project Management Handbook shows you how. In this comprehensive guide, project management expert Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez presents a new and simple framework that will increase any project's likelihood of success. Packed with case studies from many industries worldwide, it will teach you how to manage your organization's projects, strategic programs, and agile initiatives more effectively and push the best ones ahead to completion. Timeless yet forward-looking, this book will help you win in the project-driven world. In the HBR Project Management Handbook you'll find: Everything you need to know about project management in practical, nontechnical language A definitive taxonomy of project types, from product launches to digital transformations to megaprojects A road map for becoming an effective project leader and executive sponsor A new, simple, and universal project framework, the Project Canvas, that breaks down any project into essential building blocks that can be easily understood by all project stakeholders Original concepts and exclusive case studies from public- and private-sector organizations worldwide You'll learn: A common language for project managers and executives to run successful projects across your organization When to use agile, traditional, or hybrid methods in your projects The twelve principles of successful projects, including purpose, agility, and a focus on outcomes Techniques for selecting and advancing the best projects and managing a strategic and balanced project portfolio How today's projects will help address some of the most pressing global trends, including automation, sustainability, diversity, and crisis management Why project management needed to be reinvented and what the future holds HBR Handbooks provide ambitious professionals with the frameworks, advice, and tools they need to excel in their careers. With step-by-step guidance, time-honed best practices, and real-life stories, each comprehensive volume helps you to stand out from the pack--whatever your role.

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