Joe Palmucci EDT 500

Making It Happen 

I found Making It Happen: A Non-Technical Guide to Project Management by Kyle Mackenzie to be  a very interesting read.  The design and manufacturing process is something that I greatly enjoy, so I found the lessons that Mackenzie talked about to be of great value.  One of the most entertaining aspects of the book is how Campbell kept referring to Martha as his "consultant" and how his "assignment" team responded to that.  If he told his team that his consultant was an eccentric eighty-nine year old woman that sat in a rocking chair and smoked a pipe, than his team may have not responded to the plan he was trying to follow.  For example, the team was very accustomed to gantt charts.  Martha made some excellent points on how they were ultimately an ineffective tool and introduced him to dependency charts. After explaining how they worked and rereading that passage a few times, they seemed like a much more logical tool for the assignment that Campbell was working on.  His team was a bit hesitant at first, but since a so called consultant talked told him to use this strategy, their December 28th meeting was a success.  Ralph, the project sponsor, did not like the dependency chart and nearly blew his stack when Campbell didn't present him one, as well as detailed work breakdown structure.  Stu, the feasibility analyst and company VP, liked it, but reminded Campbell that you have to keep the sponsor happy since he controlled the cash flow. 

My favorite quote from the story was when Campbell said in reference to the dependency charts, "It always amazes me how people accept so-called expert opinions.  In the future, whenever I have a good idea, I'll just claim some consultant suggested it."  (Pg. 161)  I find this to be humorous because it is so true.  Whenever someone tells me that an expert has recommended something, than I am more likely to try it than if it is that individuals own idea.  This also works in relation to my students because when I tell them that the Principal said something than they are more likely to do what is expected.