BOOK REVIEW:

Book Title: Facilitating Project Performance Management
Authors: Jerry Julian
Publisher:American Management Association
List Price: $29.95
Publication Date: 2010
ISBN-13: 978-0-8144-1532-0
Reviewer: Janet Flowers
Review Date:May 2010

Introduction to the Book

The book is a systematic method of improving project performance. The author introduces a concept of improving performance “in flight”. The fact is that doing “lessons learned” at the end of the project is simply too late. The author suggests that a method called “multi-level learning” is a strategy that will facilitate substantial performance improvement during the project process.

The basis of “multi-level learning”, according to the author, is three tiered:

• The project team
• Project Managers
• Senior Management

The strategy is a decidedly simple one: After a given phase of activity, the project team will stop, reflect, and assess the outcome. The assessment would be similar to a “lessons learned” session, but in a much smaller framework, and while the project is still ongoing. The author presented an example of this process being used by the U.S. Army. In this scenario, troops will engage in battle simulation exercises. After each exercise, the participants will stop, assess, and reflect on what worked and what did not. With this method, the troops are able to perform at a higher level on the next exercise. The results of this learning can then be published and disseminated to other groups…

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About the Reviewer: Janet Flowers Janet Flowers works as the Project Administrator for a construction company. She holds an undergraduate degree in Business Education, and is currently enrolled in the graduate Project Management Program at The University of Texas at Dallas.  She has worked in a variety of business disciplines including, finance and education on administrative and supervisory levels.