Book Club (South)

Business Acumen

Overview:

There are many ways to improve your professional knowledge and skills. One way is to increase your knowledge by reading current and relevant project management books. We've created book clubs that are designed to be small discussion groups led by a facilitator.

It's an informal group meeting for a Saturday morning where one person serves as the facilitator to guide and promote discussion. It is an excellent way to meet other chapter members and open a dialogue regarding trends and challenges experienced by those in project management roles.

And, earn PDUs!

Current Book:

Strategic Project Management Made Simple: Practical Tools for Leaders and Teams Hardcover – February 9, 2009

by Terry Schmidt  (Author)

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When Fortune Magazine estimated that 70% of all strategies fail, it also noted that most of these strategies were basically sound, but could not be executed. The central premise of Strategic Project Management Made Simple is that most projects and strategies never get off the ground because of adhoc, haphazard, and obsolete methods used to turn their ideas into coherent and actionable plans. Strategic Project Management Made Simple is the first book to couple a step-by-step process with an interactive thinking tool that takes a strategic approach to designing projects and action initiatives. Strategic Project Management Made Simple builds a solid platform upon four critical questions that are vital for teams to intelligently answer in order to create their own strong, strategic foundation. These questions are:

1. What are we trying to accomplish and why?

2. How will we measure success?

3. What other conditions must exist?

4. How do we get there?

This fresh approach begins with clearly understanding the what and why of a project - comprehending the bigger picture goals that are often given only lip service or cursory reviews. The second and third questions clarify success measures and identify the risky assumptions that can later cause pain if not spotted early. The how questions - what are the activities, budgets, and schedules - comes last in our four-question system. By contrast, most project approaches prematurely concentrate on the how without first adequately addressing the three other questions. These four questions guide readers into fleshing out a simple, yet sophisticated, mental workbench called "the Logical Framework" - a Systems Thinking paradigm that lays out one's own project strategy in an easily accessible, interactive 4x4 matrix. The inclusion of memorable features and concepts (four critical questions, LogFrame matrix, If-then thinking, and Implementation Equation) make this book unique.

 

Location:

la Madeleine French Bakery & Café

4626 SW Loop 820
Ft. Worth, TX 76109

Cost:

There is no cost to attend this event. Attendees will be responsible for acquiring the book.

Agenda:

The facilitator will open the session and handle the meeting logistics. Using a book discussion outline, the group will discuss the selected book and upon completion will rate the book. This information is then uploaded to the chapter website.
Other book club business includes:

  • Select future books by popular vote (see webpage for details)
  • Select the meeting facilitator for the next book (volunteer requested)
  • Request a volunteer to write a review for the current book to be posted on the chapter website

Want to learn more? See the Book Club webpage.

PDUs:

You can earn PDUs by simply reading the book. Under the new CCRS guidelines, reading is its own category ("Education - Read"). You can earn up to four (4) PDUs for reading the book selection. You will also earn two (2) "Informal Learning" PDUs for attending the meeting. One volunteer will earn an additional "Giving Back - Volunteering" PDU for writing a book review or (2) PDUs for facilitating the meeting.

The alignment to the Talent Triangle will vary based on the book selection. Please note that "Giving Back" PDUs has a maximum allowed per certification cycle.
Please note: Category limitations may apply.

Talent Triangle:

Strategy & Business

Questions:

If you have questions, please send an e-mail to the book club manager.

It is no longer possible to register for this event

It is no longer possible to register for this event

Information

Type of category: Book Club

Type of activity: Business Acumen

Date: June 11th, 2022

Hour: 8:30AM to 10:30AM

Number of PDUs: 2

Price

Members: Free

Non members: Free

Location

La Madeline (Fort Worth)

4626 SW Loop 820
Fort Worth, Texas, 76109

[Click here for Map and Directions]