The Project 50 (Reinventing Work): Fifty Ways to Transform Every "Task" into a Project That Matters!

by Tom Peters

The common denominator/bottom line for both the professional service firm/PSF and the individual/Brand You is: the project. And for the cool individual in the cool professional service firm there is only one answer: the cool project.
A seminar participant said: "Reward excellent failures. Punish mediocre successes." So, how many of you are at work -- right now -- on "mediocre successes"? At work on projects that won't be recalled, let alone recalled with fondness and glee, a year from now?

We don't study professional service firms. (Mistake.) And we don't study WOW Projects. (Worse mistake.) There is, of course, a project management literature. But it's awful. Or, at least, misleading. It focuses almost exclusively on the details of planning and tracking progress and totally ignores the important stuff like: Is it cool? Is it beautiful? Will it make a difference? My No.1 epithet: "On time . . . on budget . . . who cares?" I.e., does it matter? Will you be bragging about it two--or ten--years from now? Is it a WOW project?

So, then: Step #1 . . .the organization . . .the professional service firm/PSF 1.0. Step 2 . . .the individual . . .the pursuit of distinction/Brand You. And: Step #3 . . . the work itself . . . the memorable project/WOW Projects.

The Project50 is a simple and handy guide that provides 50 easy steps to help the modern businessperson choose the right project, find the right team, develop strategies for success, and ultimately know when it's time to move on.

See also the other 50List titles in the Reinventing Work series by Tom Peters -- The Brand You50 and The Professional Service Firm50 -- for additional information on how to make an impact in the professional world.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Management, Productivity, Business Leadership

224 pages, Hardcover

First published September 21, 1999

Reviews

[Lori Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

A should-read book on business life.

[Aizhan Kimanova · Rating 3 out of 5]

Название книги на русском языке - "Вау!-проекты: как превратить любую работу в проект, который имеет значение". Издательство "Манн, Иванов и Фербер" выпустили ее в 2013 году.
С самого начала чтения книга заряжает и вдохновляет на нестандартный подход к управлению проектами. Я сразу же начала примерять рекомендации автора на свои текущие проекты. Мне хотелось сделать их ВАУ!
Что такое ВАУ!-проекты в понимании Тома Питерса? Это круто! Это захватывает дух! Это ломает шаблоны! Это расширяет горизонты! Он говорит о том, что Вау!-проектом можно сделать что угодно, даже составление скучной формы.
Том Питерс заставил меня задуматься, а буду ли я помнить о своих проектах через год, 5 и 10 лет. Если нет, то стоит ли вообще заниматься этим проектом? Если же я хочу вести проект, я должна сделать его запоминающимся и выдающимся!
Например, Книжный вызов 2016 - это Вау!-проект для меня. Никогда раньше я не ставила себе целью прочитать 48 книг за год. Когда я выполню свою цель, я буду помнить об этом проекте всю жизнь. Возможно, он будет началом еще более крутых проектов.
Эту книгу я читала с 19 октября 2015 года, а закончила 15 января 2016 (3 месяца). Такие книги я читаю по утрам, когда пью стакан теплой воды перед завтраком. Поэтому их прочтение занимает у меня от 1 до 3 месяцев.
У автора необычный стиль. Он пишет на эмоциях - в книге очень много восклицательных знаков. Книга меня вдохновила, но для иногда мне не хватало конкретики. В таких книгах я ищу пошаговые инструкции, а не размытые идеи автора.
Если кто хочет почитать, у меня есть книга в твердой обложке.

[JP · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This is an awesome book. If you're involved in projects, I highly recommend it. If you aren't, yes you are - and so you should read it to find out why. This is a fast, fun-paced guide to making success out of projects by making them bigger, meaningful, important, and impassioned. Peters revs up his own energy and format, building his 50 tips around the stages of Create, Sell, Implement, and Exit. He includes lots of quotes and ideas from others ("Reward excellent failures; punish mediocre successes.") The successful project manager creates projects or re-frames them. They are endlessly curious. The success factor for a project, the constant criteria, is Wow! Using another criteria (paraphrasing from his recap of critic Claude Cernuschi's evaluation of art) set of 4 factors: Fashion (Was it cool?), Quality (Was it craft?), Originality (Is it novel?), and Influence (Was the path altered?). I've recommended this book numerous times since reading it.

[Dan Pfeiffer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent book with great ideas. Unfortunately you receive mostly hate from your peers when you begin implementing them. But hey, that means you're DOING IT RIGHT.

[Constantine · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a good motivational book about how to make anything you do into WOW!-project. There are plenty of great advises for you to start seeing things from another perspective. And how to be proud of your work. I really liked the idea. But, the way it's written.. oh my... Firstly, there are tons of word "WOW" (all caps). I get it, Mr. Peters wants us to make this word our mantra. But it really gets annoying after first 5 pages. Secondly - all those clarifications or whatever those (I highlighted with bold here) "Will you be bragging about it two—or ten—years from now?" are. Like, why? It's cool to use it once in 10-20 chapters. But ten times per page? Kill me.

So, it's 3 out of 5 thanks to styling. But the idea.. mm, that thing is good!

[Hajar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a very easy read. Inspirational, modern and offers great ideas. After reading it back and forth for more than one year. I sat with what've read after every two pages to really get the idea. would say it includes all the keywords needed to start a project or make one work. The auther believes in the effectiveness of note taking using bullet points. One of these 50 ways is summaring ideas in lists and to wite useful lists. This is why the book's been organized in lists under each one of these 50ways he's talking about. General ideas and sounds like someone is talking to you about what to do at this point in your work, and motivates you to give it 110% and go for whatever you're up to. Useful.

[James Pritchert · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the Tom Peters essential books that every manager should read. Tom advances us into the world of work as no one else can do.

[Beth Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is inspiring but feels over the top, although Peters' point is that there is no such thing because you are going after Wow!

I enjoy reading about where that kind of enthusiasm can take you. He uses great language and stories. I appreciate the core thought - that any task can be made into a meaningful chance to make a difference and matter at work. But not everything that needs to be done deserves this level of commitment and energy. Prioritizing is not really a topic he discusses because that's not his mission. It's just hard for me personally to read the book without the but..but..but.. part of my brain kicking in.

[Ramy Khodeir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most interesting thought was that every thing may be seen and approached as a project !

[Jorge DeFlon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short but delightful book about projects and project management in service companies


Un divertrido y util libro sobre como usar los proyectos en este mundo de servicios

[Jennifer Cloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read this for a class assignment and really enjoyed it.

[Paula Livia · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a motivational book which may stir anyone into action.