The Noah Project: The Secrets of Practical Project Management

This book is a novelization of project management. The characters and events are fictitious; however the techniques, tools,and circumstances described in each chapter are real for just about every project in any environment, from technical to financial. The scenes explain project management from the vantage point of David Michaels, a young executive working for a private zoo. He must manage the dismantling of the zoo through to a successful conclusion. He has little idea how to go about such a task until he meets Noah ... David encounters common pitfalls such as failure to achieve targets on time, budgeting restrictions, an already unreasonable schedule cut back even further, and of course the inevitable staff conflict. In his moments of crisis Noah forces David to think for himself, thereby encouraging the reader to do the same.
The authors have chosen the setting intentionally to show how anyone in any organization can put the methods and concepts of project management to use. The book also includes a 'model' project manual which can be adapted easily to the reader's own projects. Anyone looking for an enjoyable introduction to the secrets of project management will find it in The Noah Project.

The authors, founders of a consulting firm, present a creatively written, nontraditional manual on project management. The fictional project requires the main character, David, to carry out the overwhelming task of dismantling, of all things, a zoo containing over 3000 animals of all types. David does not know where to begin, let alone finish. Enter Noah, the project management guru. What follows is an entertaining guide through the processes of planning, organizing, and carrying out the "project." The concepts put forth by the authors can be adapted to most projects of most magnitudes. The table of contents, which is a list of steps to follow, includes phrases/chapter titles such as "Proact, Not Act!" Much of what the authors present is common sense, and they have pulled it together in a charming and nonthreatening manner. After reading this book, one should certainly feel more confident about taking on projects, if not moving a zoo. For all types of libraries.
- Margaret B. Bartlett, Rochester Inst. of Technology, N.Y.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.