There is more than a touch of 'The Emperor's New Clothes' in the way many organizations approach project management and the consequences are all too clear: project methodology inappropriately applied; little or no consideration of complexity or ambiguity; alienation of the stakeholders and a statistically poor record of performance for major business or infrastructure projects.

Charles Smith's groundbreaking book Making Sense of Project Realities offers convincing explanations as to why project management theory and practice have become disconnected and describes the kind of complex, human skills that are required to deliver successful projects.

The text draws heavily on the experiences of practising project and programme managers from across private and public sector organizations, many of whose stories were shared and analysed during the two-year research network 'Rethinking Project Management', which brought together thought leaders on project management from consultancy, industry and academia.

The result is a highly readable, very credible and imaginative exploration of the nature of projects and programmes that will strike a chord with every project practitioner; a book that offers a realistic set of ideas for developing creative and effective project players, who understand the purpose of what they are doing, the context within which they are working, and the people with whom they need to engage.

Update: Several MBA Courses use this book and the tutor feedback is encouragingly positive, including: "can be used from day one to change the mindset of the students concerning projects and their management."

Contents: ; Projects – the opportunities and shortfalls; Making sense of projects; Projects and complexity; Tribalism and rituals; The tyranny of projects; Managing multiple projects; Fraudulent projects; The language of projects; Creating project sense; Personal engagement; Delivering value; Business transformation; Dealing with uncertainty; Quests for value and accountability; ProjectCraft; The business of project management; Index.

About the Author: Charles Smith runs Charles Smith Consulting and has over 30 years' industry experience, holding management and consulting positions in engineering, structural dynamics, safety and risk management, project management, business improvement and organisation change. Charles was recently coordinator for the EPSRC funded network Rethinking Project Management. Originally qualifying in engineering, Charles also has a degree in psychology and is a Founder Member of the Association of Business Psychologists.

Reviews: 'This is a book for those who are working with projects and are wondering why their project management isn't working. Charles Smith's insights are profound and are presented in a convincing sequence of observations strongly supported with quotations and anecdotes. ...
The book is well presented and easy to read in a literal sense. But the reader's thoughts about project management are challenged on every page so it is not a book than can be read quickly if you want to get the most out of it.' John Glanville, Executive Director, The Major Projects Association

'The drawing together of practitioner and academic content is very well done and it is refreshing to see an author, who believes that both sides can learn from each other. ...In summary, the book provides insight and guidance on how to implement project management in complex
organisations. If this is an environment you need to understand more clearly then this book is worth reading.' International Journal of Managing Projects in Business

'The author makes good progress in presenting the subject. He introduces a new vocabulary and a new structure to the subject. He writes as a practitioner from a practical point of view and remains firmly grounded. ' OrganisationsEntwicklung

Charles Smith runs The ProjectCraft website

Extracts from this title are available to view:

Full contents list, list of figures and list of tables

Chapter 1 - Projects: the opportunities and shortfalls