Past News 

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PMI Durham Highlands Chapter

December 13th, 2007. Last event of the year with my home chapter in Peterborough, ON. Many questions on Bushell's role in Great Escape. 

Tenth Article in

December 11th, 2007. Churchill's Decision-Making Environment published in DM Direct Newsletter. article examines how Churchill set up a governance framework to transform the UK and support the solution as shown in Figure 1. The term governance as used in industry (especially in the IT sector) describes the processes that need to exist for a successful project.

PMI Kentuckiana Chapter Dinner Meeting

December 3rd, 2007 - A sizeable audience of about 80 assembled for a seasonal dinner and a presentation on Titanic lessons for IT, in Louisville, KY. 

PMI Mass Bay  Chapter Dinner Meeting

November 15th, 2007 - A sizeable audience of about 100 assembled for dinner and a presentation on Project lessons from the Great Escape, in Boston, MA. 

Gantthead.com - Churchill: The Agile PM (Part 21) 

November 17th, 2007 - This article looks at the fourth area of the overall project--Storey's Gate, Churchill's headquarters.

PMI Minnesota PDD Symposium

October 30th, 2007 - An audience of about 25 assembled for a full day workshop on Titanic lessons for IT, just North of Indianapolis, IN. 

PMI WorldWide Global Congress

October 9th, 2007 - An audience of about 140 assembled for an extended presentation on Titanic lessons for IT, in Atlanta, GA.  Questions about the retrofit to the Olympic, in other words were lessons learned applied to future project iterations.

Gantthead.com - Churchill: The Agile PM (Part 20) 

October 17th, 2007 - This article looks at at the third area of the overall project--the Bentley Priory and the RAF Fighter Command Headquarters.. 

PMI Central Indiana Chapter Dinner Meeting

September 20th, 2007 - A sizeable audience of about 130 assembled for dinner and a presentation on Titanic lessons for IT, just North of Indianapolis, IN. Some discussion on whether brittle steel played a role, typically not as all ships at the time had the same quality of steel.

PMI SW OHIO Dinner Meeting

September 19th, 2007 - A sizeable audience of about 140 assembled for dinner and a presentation on Titanic lessons for IT, just North of Cincinnati, OH.  Some interesting questions related to the the inquiries recommendations changing the approach to ship design.

APICS Rock Valley Chapter

September 18th, 2007 - An audience of about 25 assembled for the meeting and the presentation on Titanic lessons for IT, in Rockford, IL.

Gantthead.com - Churchill: The Agile PM (Part 19) 

September 17th, 2007 - This article looks at at the second area of the overall project--the mechanization and automation of the production of intelligence. 

PMI Huron Valley Chapter at Ann Arbor, MI

September 17th, 2007 - An enthusiastic audience of about 35 assembled for Project Lessons from the Great Escape. This was a third lessons-from-history presentation with this chapter.

PMI Rochester NY Dinner Meeting

September 12th, 2007 - A fourth visit to this nearby chapter in NY (home from home). A fair size audience of  60 PMs came for the presentation of Project Lessons from the Great Escape. Some interesting questions explored areas of the project like why did the escape cause so much commotion in Germany at the time, and the importance of Big X's role (Roger Bushell).

Project Management Symposium Plano Center . Plano . Texas . USA

August 6th, 2007 - An audience of about 35 assembled from the symposium for the 50 minute presentation on Titanic lessons for IT. This was followed by a book signing session over lunch.

New Book Review of Churchill's Adaptive Enterprise

August 2nd, 2007 - By Charles Ashbacher. "There is a great deal of business management knowledge that can be learned from this book. It has been said many times that the modern global business competition is just the next generation of warfare. While that is certainly debatable, the points of the debate are not about the fact, just about how far the analogy can be extended. As can be seen here, there are many similarities between modern total war between nations and competition between businesses." Follow this link to Amazon.

Press Release Article on the Great Escape

August 2nd, 2007 - As more soldiers are kidnapped in Iraq this article states there are important lessons to be learned from the lives of Allied prisoners of war (POWs) from the Second World War; especially, their state of mind, spirit, and resilience.

Center for the Management of Information Technology Activities

July 13th, 2007 - An audience of about 30 assembled from the University of Virginia, McIntire School of Commerce (Leesburg, Va) for a 2 hour workshop on Titanic lessons for IT. Great discussion related to Titanic's business case, and the relevance of calculating and measuring the business value of a project to an organization.

Ninth Article in

July 10th, 2007 - Churchill's Decision-Making Environment published in DM Direct Newsletter. This ninth lesson-from-history article examines more closely how the solution was tested to the breaking point and put into operation as a "sense and respond" or adaptive solution in readiness for the forthcoming air battle.

Gantthead.com - Churchill: The Agile PM (Part 18) 

July 9th, 2007 - This article looks at how Lord Beaverbrook focused on the problems of fighter production and took an unorthodox approach that brought in ideas and best practices from other industries.

PM World Today - Project Lessons from the Great Escape

July 4th, 2007- This article puts forward the notion of the Great Escape as a project in its own right, simply on the risks that were taken, the management of risk, and the lessons learned. How often do you come across a project were you are putting your life on the line with the outcome of a project? 

Article in the National Post Financial Magazine

 

Tuesday, July 3rd, 2007. This article by Cooper Langford, highlights how the Great Escape was a primer on the many hallmarks of great project management. Specifically, LEADERSHIP, TACTICAL SAVVY, RESOURCEFULNESS, ADAPTABILITY and ABILITY TO LEARN.

Press Release Article on the Great Escape

July 2nd, 2007 - As more soldiers are kidnapped in Iraq this article states there are important lessons to be learned from the lives of Allied prisoners of war (POWs) from the Second World War; especially, their state of mind, spirit, and resilience.

PMI Keystone - Harrisburg, PA

June 13th, 2007 - An audience of about 50 assembled for a presentation of Titanic. Lots of question at end mainly related to executive sponsors and projects.

PMI WestLake Erie Chapter - Toledo, OH

June 12th, 2007 - An audience of about 30 assembled for a presentation of Titanic.

Gantthead.com - Churchill: The Agile PM (Part 17) 

June 4th, 2007 - This article looks at how Lord Beaverbrook and his leadership style made an immediate impact at the Ministry of Aircraft Production (MAP).

Fourth Article in Supply & Demand Chain Executive Magazine

June 1st, 2007 - Guest Column: Winston Churchill's Supply Chain
This article further explores the sense and control (adaptive) system that was created by the Royal Air Force (RAF) Fighter Command.

PMI Madison Chapter - Madison, WI,

May 17th, 2007 - An audience of about 50 assembled for a presentation of Titanic.

PMI NorthEast Winsconsin Chapter - Green Bay, WI

May 15th, 2007 - An audience of about 50 assembled for a joint presentation of Churchill followed by Titanic.

Eric Hoffer Book Award Winners - Business 2007 

May 10th, 2007 - Notables: Churchill’s Adaptive Enterprise: Lessons for Business Today, Mark Kozak-Holland, Multi-Media Publications . 

PMI North Alberta Conference

May 8th, 2007 - An audience of about 110 assembled for a presentation of the Great Escape. Many questions related to all aspects of the project and discussion of how ex-PoWs contributed to the presentation and the book. See The Great Escape Memorial Project. In the afternoon an audience of about 50 assembled for a Titanic part II presentation with a focus on Risk Management. Good questions on Ismay post disaster.

Gantthead.com - Churchill: The Agile PM (Part 16) 

May 7th, 2007- This article switches gears and looks at how Churchill’s organization prepared itself for the air battle to meet his short-term objectives of staving off the invasion. 

Eighth Article in

April 27th, 2007 - Churchill's Decision-Making Environment published in DM Direct Newsletter. This eighth lesson-from-history article examines more closely the interfaces for information exchange and how the solution was integrated and prepared for testing and operation, in readiness for the forthcoming air battle.

PMI Manitoba - Conference

April 25th, 2007 - The first workshop was Project Lessons from Titanic (3.5 hours). This was followed in the afternoon by Churchill the Agile PM workshop (3.5 hours).

PMI Ocean State Chapter Dinner Meeting

April 12th, 2007 - An audience of about 60 assembled for a presentation of Project Lessons from Titanic. Good questions on comparing Titanic to the Challenger shuttle disaster and design flaws that crept in through the O rings.

PMI Long Island Chapter Dinner Meeting

April 11th, 2007 - An audience of about 60 assembled for a presentation of Project Lessons from Titanic. Interesting debate on Ismay and how you would convince him to change his outlook, a tall order. 

Gantthead.com - Churchill: The Agile PM (Part 15) 

April 9th, 2007- With an invasion imminent, this article discusses how Winston Churchill stiffened resolve, took the offense with decisive action and focused on the moral dimension of events. 

Third Article in Supply & Demand Chain Executive Magazine

April 7th, 2007 - Guest Column: Winston Churchill's Supply Chain
This article looks at the demand side of the Supply Chain, namely where the fighters were directed to: Royal Air Force (RAF) Fighter Command.

Seventh Article in

March 30th, 2007 - Churchill's Decision-Making Environment published in DM Direct Newsletter. This seventh lesson-from-history article examines how the basic components of the solution came together and were integrated into a complex sense-and-respond solution.

Project World Canada - Toronto, ON 

March 29th, 2007 - An audience of about 60 assembled. Preceded by an excellent presentation by Bruce Anderson - "The Mulberry Artificial Harbour Project - D-Day Lessons in Project Risk." Potentially another great lesson from history.

PMI DVC - Philadelphia Dinner Meeting

March 15th, 2007 - An audience of about 100 assembled in a great location overlooking Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. Great questions related to getting the executive to recognize the value of non-functional requirements.

CSCMP, ASTL, APICS - Washington DC

March 14th, 2007 - An audience of supply chain specialists gathered to hear about Churchill's Supply Chain, and how Lord Beaverbrook turned fighter production around. Interesting questions on the pull model (supply and demand).

Nobilis - Washington DC

March 14th, 2007 - Lunch session broadcast to several locations. Great questions on controlling Bruce Ismay.

Gantthead.com - Churchill: The Agile PM (Part 14) 

March 5th, 2007- This article discusses how Winston Churchill personally communicated using both verbal and non-verbal communication to fight the mood of defeatism, build confidence and get buy-in into his plan.   

PMI Binghamton - New York Dinner Meeting

February 22nd, 2007 - One of the most picturesque locations for an event related to Titanic. Great questions related to non-functional requirements and command and control.

PMI New York City Dinner Meeting

February 21st, 2007 - In the heart of Manhattan a large audience of about 150 assembled to hear about Titanic. Post presentation questions focused on leadership and the actions on the ship.

Sixth Article in

February 13th, 2007 - Churchill's Decision-Making Environment published in DM Direct Newsletter. This sixth lesson-from-history article examines in more detail Storey's Gate, Churchill's Bunker and the Cabinet War Rooms, a collaborative environment for decision-making, and its relationship to the Map Room.

Second Article in Supply & Demand Chain Executive Magazine

February 11th, 2007 - Guest Column: Winston Churchill's Supply Chain
This second lesson-from-history article looks at the RAF's WWII supply chain in more detail at how this was done and the key leaders involved, namely Lord Beaverbrook. Churchill appointed Beaverbrook as its minister, a close confident he had known since they both served in the First World War cabinet of Lloyd George. Churchill could trust him and gave him a clear mandate to transform fighter production. Beaverbrook, a newspaper magnate, was a no-nonsense man who could cut through the red tape of government bureaucracy. He was an outsider who would take a very different approach to accelerate production, lock-stepping the supply chain to the daily demands of RAF Fighter Command. 

Gantthead.com - Churchill: The Agile PM (Part 13) 

January 24th, 2007- This article looks at how Churchill put in place a communication plan to bolster morale in the government, media and public.  

Fifth Article in

January 22nd, 2007 - Churchill's Decision-Making Environment published in DM Direct Newsletter. This fifth lesson-from-history article examines article examines in more detail Storey's Gate, or Churchill's Bunker, and the executive dashboard and decision-making environment, or Map Room.

PMI Northeast Wisconsin - Green Bay, WI - Dinner Meeting

January 12th, 2007 - Quite an eventful trip resulted in a 4 hour layover at Chicago Airport, meant a hour delay in the proceeding. A core group hung on and made the trip worth while. Back in May to present again.

Gantthead.com - Churchill: The Agile PM (Part 12) 

January 8th, 2007- This article discusses Churchill's background, and why he was so uniquely qualified. It also poses the question: What is a good background for a PM, what are the most desired traits and how important is previous project experience along with the battle scars? 

Gantthead.com - Churchill: The Agile PM (Part 11) 

December 27th, 2006 - This article discusses the tactical choices Churchill made to meet the short-term objectives of his project, and the initial designs of the solution.

Project Management University Atlanta Georgia

December 8th, 2006 - A back to back presentation with 10 question quiz, tried for the first time.

Gantthead.com - Churchill: The Agile PM (Part 10) 

November 27th, 2006 - This article looks at how Churchill sets up a governance framework to transform the United Kingdom. Churchill inherited a governance framework but knew it was flawed, as he faced insistent criticism that there was no central direction of the economic effort.

Fourth Article in DM Direct

November 22nd, 2006 - Churchill's Decision-Making Environment published in DM Direct Newsletter. This fourth lesson-from-history article examines article examines in more detail Bletchley Park, the role of intelligence and ultimately knowledge management.

Article on PRWeb

November 14th, 2006 - Designing Tall Buildings Post 9-11: Lessons from Titanic

As the construction of Freedom Tower proceeds at the site of the devastated World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan, it raises questions about the feasibility of rapid evacuation from a tall building in a disaster scenario. Over 95 years ago, similar questions were being considered on the construction project that produced the ill-fated ocean liner Titanic. In examining the Titanic project, there are a number of lessons from history that can be taken away and applied to the construction of today's skyscrapers.  

ICE 2006 Conference CIPS in Edmonton

November 7th, 2006 - ICE 2006 Conference brought together CIPS and the creative energies of Technology. Good discussion on risk management and how it related to Titanic each stage of the project life-cycle. Here is a review of the presentation by Basil Vandegriend.

Gantthead.com - Churchill: The Agile PM (Part 9) 

October 23, 2006 - This article looks at how Churchill laid out a strategy with short- and long-term objectives.

Article in Supply & Demand Chain Executive Magazine

October 18th, 2006 - Guest Column: Winston Churchill's Supply Chain
How the RAF's WWII supply chain is a model of excellence for today's businesses. Today's organizations are striving to move to a more effective demand-driven supply chain. Not only must it be more resilient and cost-effective but, also be able to respond directly to continually shifting customer needs, and be able to reduce lead times.  Here is a review of the article by Jason Busch

PMI Buffalo Professional Day 2006

October 18th, 2006 - Lots of discussion on Non-Functional requirements and how these need to be prioritized in comparison to Functional requirements. Also some questions related to whether the presentation was applicable to non-IT projects, like in the construction industry. In short, yes the characteristics are very similar. 

Goodyear Akron OH Breakfast Meeting

October 18th, 2006 - Despite a strike there was a high turn out of 65 participants. Much discussion on the role of Bruce Ismay or the project sponsor in projects today. For example, how do you offset executive pressures for meeting a delivery date when you know the scope can not be met.

PMI Michigan Capital Area Chapter MI Dinner Meeting

October 17th, 2006 - An enthusiastic group showed a lot of interest in the decision making process during the final hours of Titanic, and the strained brelationship between the project sponsor Bruce Ismay and Captain EJ Smith played a factor in this.

PMI Huron Valley MI Dinner Meeting

October 16th, 2006 - Despite a late start the presentation ended in a lengthy question period. Some interesting questions included: What mistakes/blunders did Churchill make in May to October 1940? What alternative strategy did Churchill have if the USA had not entered the war? Did Churchill get any push back on the team leaders that he brought in?Why was Churchill elected out of power in 1945?

Gantthead.com - Churchill: The Agile PM (Part 8) 

October 10th, 2006 - This article looks at how  Churchill’s position as PM was at considerable risk, and how he turned things around with the most significant speech of his career. Churchill later said “wars are not won by evacuations,” in all honesty to emphasize the point he knew the hard road ahead.

New Review of Titanic Lessons for IT Project

October 2006 - Book Review by Regan Windsor for Reader Views (9/06).

"Just as project management companies can gain valuable insight for future projects through the analysis of both successful and, more importantly, failed projects the project management world can benefit from an analysis of the failure of one of the world’s most famous failed projects. Not only does “Titanic Lessons for IT Projects” highlight the importance of testing, design, and ensuring the project does not become blinded by external agendas, it does so by providing real life analysis from an intriguing and thorough analysis of a historical legend. Full of fascinating facts and analysis it is easy to forget you are learning the facets of project management!"

PMI Rochester NY Dinner Meeting

September 26th, 2006 - A third visit to this nearby chapter in NY. A fair size audience of  45 PMs asked some good questions. One in particular related to controls around changes made to the initial design. For example, did the Architects go through a change mechanism when they compromised the bulkhead wall heights because of the First Class Dining room? The question really pertains to the fact that with a change order you would expect a risk assessment on the impact to the project. The answer is yes some risk analysis would have been done but not in a formal way as carried out today.

Gantthead.com - Churchill: The Agile PM (Part 7) 

September 23rd, 2006 - This article looks at how Churchill, faced with the destruction of the British Expeditionary Force, is left with no option but to evacuate straining the Allied relationship to breaking point as we turn gears to Dunkirk and the end of the Battle of France.

PMI Mass Bay MA Dinner Meeting

September 22nd, 2006 - A visit to the historic town of Portsmouth, NH, was followed by a short drive to Boston, MA. A large audience of 150 PMs provided some well thought out questions. One related to the argument whether today's rate of project failure was actually improving, it is according to Standish Group. Another question dwelled on the role of Bruce Ismay (Executive Sponsor) to the Architects, there was no project manager, so Thomas Andrews was the closest thing. Could the Architects simply have said no?  Here is a review of the presentation by Michelle Runge.

PMI NH Dinner Meeting

September 21st, 2006 - A long but very scenic drive to Manchester, NH. Some very interesting questions related to Titanic's sister ship Britannic, and how this ship's short career ended in disaster, by a sea-mine or torpedo, even though the builders Harland and Wolff had transferred lesson learned from Titanic.  

Gantthead.com - Churchill: The Agile PM (Part 6) 

September 5th 2006 - When we last left you, Churchill was thrust into the cauldron of war on May 10, 1940, and assessed problems ahead of him. This article looks at how the project went from bad to worse.

Third Article in

August 18th 2006 - Churchill's Decision-Making Environment published in DM Direct Newsletter. This third lesson-from-history article examines article examines in more detail the supply chain run by Whitehall. Within an incredibly short time frame, Whitehall revolutionized the fighter supply chain and turned it to a demand-driven model, driven by and synchronized closely to Bentley Prior. The example reveals how the concepts of supply chain visibility and agility, just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing and zero inventories were introduced to offset a pending disaster.

Gantthead.com - Churchill: The Agile PM (Part 5) 

August 14th 2006 - As our Lessons from History series continues, Churchill assesses the problems that could have catastrophic consequences. 

Lights Out at PMI CVC Dinner Meeting (Richmond West End)

July 20th, 2006 - Have you ever arrived at a speaking event and the local area is suffering a power outage. With stifling temperatures outside (100+) the room quickly warmed up and the presentation was going to be done with handouts to 70+ attendees (Kinkos to the rescue). Fortunately the power came back on with less than 5 minutes before the presentation start. The organizers handled the tough situation superbly.

Gantthead.com - Churchill: The Agile PM (Part 4) 

July 10th 2006 - Churchill becomes the PM, taking over an all-important project and taking steps to boost the confidence of British politicians.

PMI Washington DC

July 18th, 2006 - Another phenomenal turn out to the presentation of Churchill the Agile PM. The world’s largest PMI had over 350 attendees and interest was high with many veterans in the audience. President Andrew Anderson said "he will never look at Winston in the same way." The executive board have done a great job in growing this chapter in leaps and bounds, and there are many learning lessons to be had for other chapters. May be an idea for a white paper or even a book. Great question related to the presentation as to "why did British industry go down the toilet after the war?"

Workshop on Agile Project Management

June 13th, 2006 - Mark ran a 3 hour workshop on Agile PM which kicked off with the basic concepts. The workshop then introduced "Churchill the Agile PM" as a case study, to put forward some of the key practices of agility embodied by his leadership style, and characteristics of the project. The workshop concluded with a discussion on the degrees of agility a project can undertake.

Gantthead.com - Churchill: The Agile PM (Part 3) 

June 12th, 2006 - This article looks at the changing face of war from September 1939 to May 1940. Technology had changed war so that when it broke out, the Allies were grappling with how to respond, grounded in the mindset of the World War I.

North Alberta PMI Conference

June 2006 - Interesting discussion emerged after the Titanic presentation. Often mariners / sailors show up to the this presentation but this time it was an ex-submarine engineer for the Royal Canadian Navy. The discussion on functional versus non-functional requirements was of particular interest as on a submarine these are of paramount importance. In fact, most of the requirements gathered are non-functional. Taking this to a logical conclusion there are certain "mission critical" vehicles, submersibles, space craft, high altitude jets, that operate in a extremely hostile environment were this applies.

Second Article in DM Direct

May 19th, 2006 - Churchill's Decision-Making Environment published in DM Direct Newsletter. This second lesson-from-history article examines this decision-making environment at Bentley Prior more closely, how it was at the center of an integrated air defense system, and part of an overall sense-and-respond system used by RAF Fighter Command.

New Spin on Titanic

May 31st, 2006 PMI CTT  - A new presentation on Titanic that incorporated a Risk Analysis of all the stages of Titanic's construction project. Each stage was analyzed with a risk process which identified the risks, and a risk response plan. The outcome was interesting in that it further reinforced earlier conclusions on the sinking. The presentation also analyzed the story of Californian and Captain Lord who was blamed  by the British inquiry. Was he capable of launching a rescue and saving passengers?

Gantthead.com - Churchill: The Agile PM (Part 2) 

May 30th, 2006 - The second article in this series looks at the background to the "Project From Hell" that Churchill acquired, the events that led to it and how intransigence allowed problems to fester and get worse.

New Book

April 2006 - Author Jerry Manas, author of several brilliant series on lessons from Rome and Napoleon, has completed his first book Napoleon on Project Management. 

What is it about Napoleon Bonaparte that has led recognized modern-day leaders to study his principles—and countless books on management and leadership to quote his maxims? For one, Napoleon rose from relative obscurity to rule all of Western Europe in but a few years—something the Romans took centuries to accomplish. He brought order out of chaos. He crafted an administration and civil code that is still in use today. His troops adored him, and the people admired him. Even his arch rival, the Duke of Wellington said, "In this age, in past ages, in any age, Napoleon."

Website Award

April 2006 - The lessons-from-history has been awarded a prestigious Website award from MyShelf.Com a book-related site aimed at readers and writers. MyShelf surf a large percentage of publisher and author sites, and present this award for "contributions to the reading passion." The selection criteria for choosing a site were: Appearance (visibility, clarity), Surf-friendly, Bookaholic worthy.

Gantthead.com - Churchill: The Agile PM (Part 1) 

April 17th, 2006 - Move over, Titanic! There's a new Lesson From History series in gantthead town. This series is about the leadership of Winston Churchill the PM, Prime Minister--or better still, Project Manager--who came into office in a period of calamitous change and faced a potential disaster.

PMI NorthEast Ohio Chapter

March 15th, 2006 - Here is a review of the presentation in the NEO chapter update. 

PMI Great Lakes Chapter

March 14th, 2006 - A very high turn out in excess of 100.

New Review of Churchill's Adaptive Enterprise

January 2006 - Book Review  by Stacy Goff, PMP with a rating of (4.5/5).

First Article in DM Direct

November 11th, 2005 - Churchill's Decision-Making Environment published in DM Direct Newsletter. Today's organizations are faced with the problem of instilling improved decision-making with their employees at all levels. Some organizations have been able to achieve a leadership position through the use of tools like executive dashboards and real-time event models, and processes for institutionalized decision-making and competitive intelligence analysis. In the right combination, these can give employees an enterprise view of their business and the ability to engage in insightful customer dialogues based on meaningful intelligence.

Adapt to Change Tour

September/October 2005 - Churchill's Adaptive Enterprise is keynote. For CIOs in today’s fast-changing business climate, there’s a new reality: you’re no longer running an IT function; you’re driving a business.

Edmonton – September 21 Coast Edmonton Plaza Hotel; Vancouver – September 22 Four Seasons Hotel; Toronto – September 27 Metro Toronto Convention Centre; Calgary – September 28 Calgary Roundup Centre; Halifax – October 4 The Lord Nelson Hotel; Montreal – October 6 Montreal Marriott Chateau Champlain; Ottawa – October 12 Ottawa Marriott Hotel

Winston Churchill, the Agile Project Manager

October 2005 - Today’s pace of change has reached unprecedented levels only seen in times of war. As a result, project management has changed accordingly with the pressure to deliver and make things count quickly. This audiobook looks back at a period of incredible change and mines lessons that Project Managers can use today. Winston Churchill, one of the greatest leaders of the 20th century, was swept into power. With depleted forces and no organized defense, the situation required a near miracle. Churchill had to mobilize quickly and act with agility to assemble a defense. He had to make the right investment choices, pour resources in, and deliver a complete project in time to save his country. This audio looks at Churchill as an agile Project Manger, turning a disastrous situation into an unexpected victory.

Titanic Lessons for IT Project

September 2005 - Building upon the popularity of the first book in the Lessons from History series, this book presents lessons for IT project managers harvested from the project that designed, built, and launched the R.M.S. Titanic. Full of practical advice, this book builds on the most notorious "failed project" in recent memory, the sinking of an "unsinkable" ship.

Endorsements from PMI WDC

August 2005 - Washington DC, the world’s largest PMI presentation of "Titanic - Projects from hell." Photos from event.

Churchill's Adaptive Enterprise: Lessons for Business Today

July 2005 - This book analyzes a period of time from WW II when Winston Churchill faced near defeat for the British in the face of sustained German attacks. The book describes the strategies he took to overcome incredible odds and turn the tide on the impending invasion. The historical analysis is done through a modern business and information technology lens, describing Churchill's actions and strategy using modern business tools and techniques. Aimed at business executives, IT managers, and project managers, the book extracts learnings from Churchill's experiences that can be applied to business problems today. Particular themes in the book are knowledge management, information portals, adaptive enterprises, and organizational agility.

Testimonials and Track record

Taken from PMI chapters and event venues for presentations delivered from the lessons from history series.

New Publisher

July 2005 - Multi-Media Publications has agreed to publish new editions of the current titles in the series and to add new books. Multi-Media specialize in Project Management titles.

Article in the National Post

Monday, October 18th, 2004 Section: Financial Post: FP Edge Page: FE9 Byline: Mark Kozak-Holland. Plan for the unthinkable: Advanced Reading: There are business lessons to be learned from the mistakes made in building Titanic.

 

If you have any questions regarding these events please contact mark.kozak-holl@sympatico.ca   

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