"This is the project management book I've been waiting a decade for! . . . The new world is the Project World, and this book gloriously shows the way."-Tom Peters How to get beyond the formulas and succeed in real-world project management Project Management Success Stories begins where most books on project management leave off-with the real-world experiences of professional project managers working without a net. From these stories and the lessons they teach, project managers emerge not as bureaucrats or technicians clinging to rules and formulas but as champions who challenge the status quo, set goals that extend the limits of their teams' capabilities, rely more on judgment and intuition than calculation, and are not afraid to take risks when necessary. Based on a comprehensive, NASA-sponsored research project, this practical guide takes readers beyond textbook management systems and articulates the field-proven tacit knowledge that these veteran leaders have accumulated through years of experience under fire. These stories contain lessons that extend far beyond the field of engineering; they apply in any environment, from the government task force to the corporate boardroom to the shop floor. This remarkably unconventional how-to book: * Features 70 firsthand project management success stories * Presents actionable lessons demonstrated by these success stories * Inspires and energizes readers to reach new heights in their own performance * Conveys leadership principles and intangibles in a simple, nontechnical format * Provides resources for creating success stories within any organization * Includes profiles of five "star" project managers Project management is not just for engineers anymore, and Project Management Success Stories is for anyone-engineer or generalist, project manager or team member-who wants to turn the tacit knowledge of proven professionals into hands-on solutions to the recurring challenges of a dynamic and constantly changing business and technological environment.

ALEXANDER LAUFER, PhD, is Visiting Professor at the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Maryland. EDWARD J. HOFFMAN, PhD, manages NASAs Academy of Program and Project Leadership, which supports and trains NASAs project management community.

Introduction Are Successful Projects Managed or Led?

xi

Adopt a Will to Win

1

(28)

Denial Is Not a River in Egypt

7

(1)

Charlie Pellerin

The Difference Between Winning and Not Losing

8

(2)

Terry Little

How NASA Turned Me into Oprah

10

(3)

Sherry Buschmann

The Old Tired Dog

13

(2)

Rex Geveden

Launch Window

15

(3)

Cheryl Yuhas

We Were Ready for Just About Anything, Almost

18

(2)

Lisa K. Westerback

A Leaky Gasket

20

(2)

Jerry Madden

Hang In There

22

(2)

David Lehman

Everyone Is Entitled to His Own Illusions

24

(5)

Alexander Laufer

Challenge the Status Quo

29

(30)

Faster Prototyping---From the Virtual to the Physical

30

(2)

Matthew Zimmeran

Mission Impossible

32

(3)

Elizabeth Citrin

Richard Day

XTE---Xtra Team Effort

35

(3)

Richard Day

Getting Down to Business

38

(3)

Judy A. Stokley

Culture Shock

41

(2)

Col. Jeanne Sutton

Make Common Systems More Common

43

(3)

Don Margolies

They Didn't Know They Couldn't Do It, So They Did It

46

(3)

Roger Snyder

Thorough Planning is Not Enough

49

(2)

Roger Snyder

No Time for the Paper-Wait

51

(3)

Jo Gunderson

Lori Lindholm

Hurry to the Classroom, Your Instructor Just Died!

54

(5)

Edward J. Hoffman

Take Measured Risks

59

(16)

Move It Yourself

60

(2)

Earl Roberts

Only One Vendor in Town

62

(3)

Eric C. Smith

Weapon System Competitive ``Shoot-Off''

65

(3)

Matthew Zimmerman

Twenty-Six Votes

68

(2)

Charlie Pellerin

Money Doesn't Grow on Trees

70

(2)

Thomas LaVigna

Cheryl Yuhas

Creating Work History

72

(3)

Robert Goehle

Foster Flexible Systems and Behavior

75

(28)

Meeting a Tight Project Schedule without a Comprehensive Network

76

(3)

LCDR Jim Wink

Improvisation is Alive and Well

79

(3)

Rex Geveden

Simple Solutions Surpass Sophistication

82

(4)

Les Shepherd

You Can't Take Anything for Granted

86

(3)

Jerry Madden

Repairing the Falcon's Nest

89

(2)

Robert A. Biedermann

There's More than One Way

91

(2)

Debra Carraway

``That's a Clue There's a Problem''

93

(2)

Earl Roberts

Streamlining the United States Coast Guard Infrastructure

95

(8)

Cpt. Craig Schnappinger

Lt. Sue Subocz

Legitimize Judgment-Based Decisions

103

(16)

Changing Horses

104

(2)

Jerry Madden

The Cartoon Book

106

(3)

Charlie Pellerin

Judgment Call

109

(2)

Col. Jenne Sutton

Nobody's Puppet

111

(2)

Col. Jeanne Sutton

Evening Jitters

113

(2)

Stanley Farkas

Poor Performance

115

(4)

Terry Little

Create and Maintain a Focus

119

(16)

The Goal

120

(2)

Terry Little

Unrelenting Focus

122

(2)

Thomas B. Coughlin

``It Shouldn't Take Us More Than 15 Minutes''

124

(3)

Robert J. Shaw

Launching a Project is Also a Project

127

(4)

Jody Kusek

Keep Your Eye on the Ball

131

(4)

David Panhorst

Involve the Customer

135

(22)

Opportunity Knocks

136

(6)

LCDR Jim Wink

Get the Customers in Early

142

(2)

George R. Hurt

On Deadlines and Responsiveness

144

(3)

Lt. Sue Subocz

The Gazebo

147

(2)

Lt. Sue Subocz

The Customer is Always Right, Right?

149

(3)

Robert Goehle

Efficiency is Not Always Effectiveness

152

(2)

Lisa K. Westerback

Virtually a Continent Away

154

(3)

David Panhorst

Develop Teamwork

157

(30)

Teaming to Make a Routine of the Impossible

158

(5)

Linda F. Abbott

Teaming With Tinker Toys

163

(2)

Matthew Zimmerman

Filtering Lasers for Eye Protection

165

(3)

Robert T. Volz

Made with Pride

168

(3)

Richard Day

We are Not Accustomed to Failure

171

(4)

Richard Day

Bagel Holes

175

(2)

Stanley Farkas

What a Little Barbecue Sauce Will Do

177

(2)

Jerry Madden

The Case of the Missing Site

179

(2)

Lisa K. Westerback

Collaboration is the Confluence of Effort

181

(3)

Robert Goehle

Sherry's Day Care

184

(3)

Sherry Buschmann

Build Trust

187

(22)

Trust is Money

188

(3)

Judy A. Stokley

Please Leave a Brief Message

191

(2)

Sherry Buschmann

Trust in, Micromanagement Out

193

(2)

Thomas B. Coughlin

Space Station Boarding Party

195

(3)

Jon N. Cowart

``And I'll Have a Vodka''?

198

(2)

Debra Carraway

Start Off on the Right Foot

200

(3)

Earl Roberts

The Poisoned Well

203

(2)

Earl Roberts

Two Ways to Break an Impasse

205

(2)

Terry Little

Butterflies in My Stomach

207

(2)

Terry Little

Profiles of Successful Project Leaders

209

(24)

Appendix A How to Write a Story

233

(2)

Appendix B Storyteller Profiles

235

(10)

Acknowledgments

245

(4)

Index

249

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