What IT Pros (AND C-levels) Should be Reading
I read the summer reading guide for IT pros on CIO Insight. It reminded me of the days I worked for AT&T Solutions, an “insightful” consulting firm within AT&T that picked “futurizing” as it’s mantra. We couldn’t get out of the starting blocks because of all the “ideating” that was going on. We read ALL the books but they were about as bad, in terms of practical action, as the organization I was a part of.
One book CIO Insight missed, which has completely changed my thinking about the highest impact actions a company can take, is Advanced Project Portfolio Management and the PMO by Gerald Kendall and Steven Rollins. My brief conversations with Mr. Kendall reveal him to be the real deal with excellent experiences and success. His use of Goldratt’s Theory of Constraints as it applies to governance models and PMOs is groundbreaking and should be considered by every company, large and small. Gaining control of selecting, eliminating, and prioritizing projects along with aligning them with company strategies, using the approaches in the book, WILL make an impact no matter what kind of organization you belong to; this is evidenced by the numerous case studies from organizations as diverse as manufacturers and counties.
Much of my writings stem from seeds planted by that book- check out my Choosing the Right PMO Vision series. There you will see how to establish an approach and criteria for selecting a PMO vision that can change your company. Keep in mind that a PMO can be very small depending on the need. So, you smaller companies can also benefit from how to connect your strategies to the projects you do!
This is a MUST READ for all IT AND C-level executives.
Have you got a book that has changed your business life? How about your personal life? I just about recommended Henry Kissinger’s Diplomacy because of it’s excellent, practical applications to business.
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