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Harvard Business Review Project Management Handbook: How to Launch, Lead, and Sponsor Successful Projects
The one primer you need to launch, lead, and sponsor successful projects.
We're now living in the project economy. The number of projects initiated in all sectors has skyrocketed, and project management skills have become essential for every leader and manager. Still, project failure rates remain extremely high. Why? Leaders oversee too many projects and have too little visibility into them. Project managers struggle to translate their hands-on, technical knowledge up to senior management. The result? Worthy projects are starved of time and resources and fail to deliver benefits, while too much investment goes into the wrong projects. To compete in the project economy, you need to close this gap. The HBR Project Management Handbook shows you how.
In this comprehensive guide, project management expert Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez presents a new and simple framework that will increase any project's likelihood of success. Packed with case studies from many industries worldwide, it will teach you how to manage your organization's projects, strategic programs, and agile initiatives more effectively and push the best ones ahead to completion. Timeless yet forward-looking, this book will help you win in the project-driven world.
In the HBR Project Management Handbook you'll
Everything you need to know about project management in practical, nontechnical languageA definitive taxonomy of project types, from product launches to digital transformations to megaprojectsA road map for becoming an effective project leader and executive sponsorA new, simple, and universal project framework, the Project Canvas, that breaks down any project into essential building blocks that can be easily understood by all project stakeholdersOriginal concepts and exclusive case studies from public- and private-sector organizations worldwide
You'll
A common language for project managers and executives to run successful projects across your organizationWhen to use agile, traditional, or hybrid methods in your projectsThe twelve principles of successful projects, including purpose, agility, and a focus on outcomesTechniques for selecting and advancing the best projects and managing a strategic and balanced project portfolioHow today's projects will help address some of the most pressing global trends, including automation, sustainability, diversity, and crisis managementWhy project management needed to be reinvented and what the future holds
HBR Handbooks provide ambitious professionals with the frameworks, advice, and tools they need to excel in their careers. With step-by-step guidance, time-honed best practices, and real-life stories, each comprehensive volume helps you to stand out from the pack—whatever your role.
We're now living in the project economy. The number of projects initiated in all sectors has skyrocketed, and project management skills have become essential for every leader and manager. Still, project failure rates remain extremely high. Why? Leaders oversee too many projects and have too little visibility into them. Project managers struggle to translate their hands-on, technical knowledge up to senior management. The result? Worthy projects are starved of time and resources and fail to deliver benefits, while too much investment goes into the wrong projects. To compete in the project economy, you need to close this gap. The HBR Project Management Handbook shows you how.
In this comprehensive guide, project management expert Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez presents a new and simple framework that will increase any project's likelihood of success. Packed with case studies from many industries worldwide, it will teach you how to manage your organization's projects, strategic programs, and agile initiatives more effectively and push the best ones ahead to completion. Timeless yet forward-looking, this book will help you win in the project-driven world.
In the HBR Project Management Handbook you'll
Everything you need to know about project management in practical, nontechnical languageA definitive taxonomy of project types, from product launches to digital transformations to megaprojectsA road map for becoming an effective project leader and executive sponsorA new, simple, and universal project framework, the Project Canvas, that breaks down any project into essential building blocks that can be easily understood by all project stakeholdersOriginal concepts and exclusive case studies from public- and private-sector organizations worldwide
You'll
A common language for project managers and executives to run successful projects across your organizationWhen to use agile, traditional, or hybrid methods in your projectsThe twelve principles of successful projects, including purpose, agility, and a focus on outcomesTechniques for selecting and advancing the best projects and managing a strategic and balanced project portfolioHow today's projects will help address some of the most pressing global trends, including automation, sustainability, diversity, and crisis managementWhy project management needed to be reinvented and what the future holds
HBR Handbooks provide ambitious professionals with the frameworks, advice, and tools they need to excel in their careers. With step-by-step guidance, time-honed best practices, and real-life stories, each comprehensive volume helps you to stand out from the pack—whatever your role.
416 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 19, 2021
331 people are currently reading
680 people want to read
About the author
Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez
11 books14 followersAntonio Nieto-Rodriguez is the head of Transversal Portfolio Management and in charge of the entire portfolio and project management practices at BNP Paribas Fortis. In addition to being member of the board of the London Business School Alumni in Belgium, he has been recently elected as member of the Board of Directors of the Project Management Institute, which is the largest association in project management with more than 800.000 members across 185 countries.
Prior of this, Mr. Nieto-Rodriguez was the head of post-merger integration at Fortis Bank, leading what was the largest takeover in the financial service history: the acquisition of ABN AMRO. Before that, he worked for 10 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers as a senior manager, becoming the global lead practitioner for project and change management.
The author of the book The Focused Organization (www.thefocusedorganization.com), Mr. Nieto-Rodriguez has been featured in several magazines, including PM Network®, Strategy Business Review and The Economist. He is also the author of the white paper Boosting Business Performance through Programme and Project Management, which was written after he conducted one of the first global project management maturity surveys. He is the founder of the largest LinkedIn group around strategy execution (StrateXecution) with more than 4.100 members worldwide.
Mr. Nieto-Rodriguez is a professor of project management and strategy execution for MBA students at several business schools, and is a regular keynote speaker at large international events where he speaks on the strategic value of project management; he is often voted as ‘best speaker’. Mr. Nieto-Rodriguez undertook undergraduate studies in Germany, Mexico, Italy and the United States and has a university degree in economics from the Universidad Complutense in Madrid. He has an MBA from London Business School and is fluent in Spanish, English, French, Dutch, Italian and German. As a hobby, Mr. Nieto-Rodriguez teaches business students and convinces senior leaders about the value of project management, positioning project management as a key management concept for executing organizations strategies.
Prior of this, Mr. Nieto-Rodriguez was the head of post-merger integration at Fortis Bank, leading what was the largest takeover in the financial service history: the acquisition of ABN AMRO. Before that, he worked for 10 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers as a senior manager, becoming the global lead practitioner for project and change management.
The author of the book The Focused Organization (www.thefocusedorganization.com), Mr. Nieto-Rodriguez has been featured in several magazines, including PM Network®, Strategy Business Review and The Economist. He is also the author of the white paper Boosting Business Performance through Programme and Project Management, which was written after he conducted one of the first global project management maturity surveys. He is the founder of the largest LinkedIn group around strategy execution (StrateXecution) with more than 4.100 members worldwide.
Mr. Nieto-Rodriguez is a professor of project management and strategy execution for MBA students at several business schools, and is a regular keynote speaker at large international events where he speaks on the strategic value of project management; he is often voted as ‘best speaker’. Mr. Nieto-Rodriguez undertook undergraduate studies in Germany, Mexico, Italy and the United States and has a university degree in economics from the Universidad Complutense in Madrid. He has an MBA from London Business School and is fluent in Spanish, English, French, Dutch, Italian and German. As a hobby, Mr. Nieto-Rodriguez teaches business students and convinces senior leaders about the value of project management, positioning project management as a key management concept for executing organizations strategies.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
February 26, 2023
Okay, so I wanted to read a book about good old project management, mainly to advise my mentees and students if needed. And I can do that now, with a couple of extra notes.
Despite the author claiming that the book works for people of all experience levels, I can't entirely agree with this statement. I find the book's content suitable for project managers with at least some experience. The reason is that some of the concepts can be ill-consumed; therefore, there is a need for the experience filter. Also, some statements are not accurate enough (a good example is mentioning a scrum master responsible for the delivery in an agile environment), which also requires a certain level of critical thinking.
The book's core concept is Project Canvas, a project charter with a pleasant visual. It can be appealing for newcomers indeed. For me, the form was less important than explaining how to make this information available to all stakeholders. In total, the book provides a solid overview of the profession.
Despite the author claiming that the book works for people of all experience levels, I can't entirely agree with this statement. I find the book's content suitable for project managers with at least some experience. The reason is that some of the concepts can be ill-consumed; therefore, there is a need for the experience filter. Also, some statements are not accurate enough (a good example is mentioning a scrum master responsible for the delivery in an agile environment), which also requires a certain level of critical thinking.
The book's core concept is Project Canvas, a project charter with a pleasant visual. It can be appealing for newcomers indeed. For me, the form was less important than explaining how to make this information available to all stakeholders. In total, the book provides a solid overview of the profession.
May 10, 2024
A great introductory book about project manage and the current issues around the job.
October 17, 2021
This book was Stevo's Business Book of the Week for the week of 10/17, as selected by Stevo's Book Reviews on the Internet and Stevo's Novel Ideas. In “The HBR Project Management Handbook” you'll find everything you need to know about project management in practical, nontechnical language. Nieto-Rodriguez brings a sense of excitement to the project management arc: getting others to invest in your idea, creating a project pipeline, assembling people to carry them out, identifying stakeholders, monitoring progress, and reviewing outcomes and results.
Find more Business Books of the Week on my Goodreads Listopia page at https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9..., and find many more recommended books on my Amazon Influencer page at https://www.amazon.com/shop/stevo4747 or by searching for me on Google.
Find more Business Books of the Week on my Goodreads Listopia page at https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9..., and find many more recommended books on my Amazon Influencer page at https://www.amazon.com/shop/stevo4747 or by searching for me on Google.
April 29, 2022
As I prepare to take on the biggest professional opportunity of my career, I have found this book to be invaluable. I tabbed multiple pages throughout the book as I know I will reference it often. Antonio provided so many resources and rich examples that inspired a lot of ideas for me. I appreciate his look back at how project mgt was handled and viewed in the past as a way to explain what needs to change in order for PM to be truly transformational. The sustainability program I will be managing absolutely needs to help our business transform. I’m grateful to Antonio for writing this book to help leaders like me become educated and prepared to truly implement successful and impactful transformation projects and programs.
November 7, 2024
sure it was beautiful, made me cry, changed my life...what do you want me to say?
January 21, 2024
A nice primer on tools and concepts in project management, but the writing is not good.
THE GOOD
- Project Canvas case studies. The central idea the author puts forward is the Project Canvas, a sort of dashboard to create at the outset of a project to help the team think about the key aspects of a project (purpose, deliverables, costs, etc). While the idea isn't groundbreaking--organizations will have all these concepts and figures housed in existing documents--putting everything in one place at the outset of a project can force good discussion and provide visibility of the key points. The concept is simple, but the chapter "Putting the Project Canvas into Practice" was one of the best chapters and provided some instructive case studies using the tool.
- Intro to methodologies and tools. The nice, abbreviated review of common project management methodologies: traditional vs. agile, megaprojects, agile tools such as Scrum and Kanban, lean startup. There isn't enough here on any of these methods for you to read this book and be ready to implement them, but the book serves its purpose on comparing and contrasting the basic ideas.
THE BAD
- Too much time on the fluff, too little on the concepts. Iterations of the phrase 'a project without adequate resources will fail' will forever be burned into my retinas. It's an important concept I agree, maybe the most important concept in project management, but without fail you will find a phrase to this effect every 1-2 pages. It's less obnoxious when it's just one phrase but can be distracting when the author spends time detailing the point. Where this becomes an issue is when less intuitive but still important concepts (impact estimation, financial tools, insightful case studies) get cut short or have only a brief description.
- Who edited this? What are some of these claims? Why are stats authoritatively stated as fact without a citation in sight? An example: "Ten times better sounds good until you learn that the highest-performing teams are two thousand times more efficient than the worst. [no citation]" Another example: "According to Gartner, 80 percent of project management tasks will be managed by AI by 2030. [no citation]". Another issue is the contradictions, sometimes in the span of a few pages. On one page (p.231) the author argues that you can't use a rigid methodology to prioritize projects "the ultimate decision has to make by the executives using their own human intelligence", but then four pages later laments that executives don't use a more rigid methodology to prioritize projects and instead rely on "capacity and gut feeling." This book probably would have been rejected from Wikipedia, I would expect Harvard Business Review to hold themselves to slightly higher standards.
Despite the issues, I would recommend this as a starting point for project managers or organizations sponsoring a project.
THE GOOD
- Project Canvas case studies. The central idea the author puts forward is the Project Canvas, a sort of dashboard to create at the outset of a project to help the team think about the key aspects of a project (purpose, deliverables, costs, etc). While the idea isn't groundbreaking--organizations will have all these concepts and figures housed in existing documents--putting everything in one place at the outset of a project can force good discussion and provide visibility of the key points. The concept is simple, but the chapter "Putting the Project Canvas into Practice" was one of the best chapters and provided some instructive case studies using the tool.
- Intro to methodologies and tools. The nice, abbreviated review of common project management methodologies: traditional vs. agile, megaprojects, agile tools such as Scrum and Kanban, lean startup. There isn't enough here on any of these methods for you to read this book and be ready to implement them, but the book serves its purpose on comparing and contrasting the basic ideas.
THE BAD
- Too much time on the fluff, too little on the concepts. Iterations of the phrase 'a project without adequate resources will fail' will forever be burned into my retinas. It's an important concept I agree, maybe the most important concept in project management, but without fail you will find a phrase to this effect every 1-2 pages. It's less obnoxious when it's just one phrase but can be distracting when the author spends time detailing the point. Where this becomes an issue is when less intuitive but still important concepts (impact estimation, financial tools, insightful case studies) get cut short or have only a brief description.
- Who edited this? What are some of these claims? Why are stats authoritatively stated as fact without a citation in sight? An example: "Ten times better sounds good until you learn that the highest-performing teams are two thousand times more efficient than the worst. [no citation]" Another example: "According to Gartner, 80 percent of project management tasks will be managed by AI by 2030. [no citation]". Another issue is the contradictions, sometimes in the span of a few pages. On one page (p.231) the author argues that you can't use a rigid methodology to prioritize projects "the ultimate decision has to make by the executives using their own human intelligence", but then four pages later laments that executives don't use a more rigid methodology to prioritize projects and instead rely on "capacity and gut feeling." This book probably would have been rejected from Wikipedia, I would expect Harvard Business Review to hold themselves to slightly higher standards.
Despite the issues, I would recommend this as a starting point for project managers or organizations sponsoring a project.
December 19, 2021
Decent look at project management. Feels like it tries to validate the project management profession a tad too much. I agree project management skills are required, like scrum master and engineering skills, but I disagree that it needs a profession. Usually I end up working with project managers that are spread too thin and switching context too often. If it is going to be a profession, it needs to be focused.
Also agree with innovation being project driven, but it has always been. Perhaps the point he’s trying to get at was that your career is now driven by the projects you’ve worked on more than where you’ve worked. I could see the case, but mostly it came off as an attempt to validate a profession.
Also agree with innovation being project driven, but it has always been. Perhaps the point he’s trying to get at was that your career is now driven by the projects you’ve worked on more than where you’ve worked. I could see the case, but mostly it came off as an attempt to validate a profession.
January 29, 2022
The Harvard Business Review Project Management Handbook: How to Launch, Lead, and Sponsor Successful Projects is a masterclass in how to make project management work in modern businesses. Written by past PMI Chair and PM champion Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez, the book’s goal is to elevate project management competencies to management levels.
The book starts with an effective and articulate explanation of why projects are required in a modern economy (the “project economy”) and why leaders can’t ignore the discipline any longer.
This is a timely, much-needed book that you can buy for your executive team and new starters to set the tone for how you want project-related work to happen in the organization. Many people who have been working in projects for years will be nodding along as they read it: the Handbook makes how we feel about project management transparent and elevates the day job into the domain of strategic influence – and yet you put the book down feeling like achieving that is totally manageable and realistic.
Nieto-Rodriguez has articulated where project management as a profession should be and where it’s going: with a seat (and a voice) firmly at the table.
For my full review of this great read, check out my blog post here: https://rebelsguidetopm.com/hbr-proje...
I received an ARC via NetGalley.
The book starts with an effective and articulate explanation of why projects are required in a modern economy (the “project economy”) and why leaders can’t ignore the discipline any longer.
This is a timely, much-needed book that you can buy for your executive team and new starters to set the tone for how you want project-related work to happen in the organization. Many people who have been working in projects for years will be nodding along as they read it: the Handbook makes how we feel about project management transparent and elevates the day job into the domain of strategic influence – and yet you put the book down feeling like achieving that is totally manageable and realistic.
Nieto-Rodriguez has articulated where project management as a profession should be and where it’s going: with a seat (and a voice) firmly at the table.
For my full review of this great read, check out my blog post here: https://rebelsguidetopm.com/hbr-proje...
I received an ARC via NetGalley.
October 6, 2023
Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez's "Project Management Handbook" begins with a lucid explanation of projects' significance in today's economy, stressing that leaders can no longer disregard their role as agents of permanent change.
This book delivers valuable insights for individuals engaged in projects, spanning from personal ventures to substantial organizational endeavors. It proves particularly advantageous for sponsors and those entrusted with guiding or supporting transformative initiatives.
The book maintains a reader-friendly approach, offering pragmatic ideas that can be readily implemented in one's own projects.
Furthermore, it furnishes compelling examples of the repercussions when we lose sight of these project management advantages.
Moreover, it illustrates that these 'building blocks' are universally applicable to projects of all scales and varieties, whether they adopt agile or predictive methodologies, in diverse fields.
In conclusion, this book comes highly recommended.
This book delivers valuable insights for individuals engaged in projects, spanning from personal ventures to substantial organizational endeavors. It proves particularly advantageous for sponsors and those entrusted with guiding or supporting transformative initiatives.
The book maintains a reader-friendly approach, offering pragmatic ideas that can be readily implemented in one's own projects.
Furthermore, it furnishes compelling examples of the repercussions when we lose sight of these project management advantages.
Moreover, it illustrates that these 'building blocks' are universally applicable to projects of all scales and varieties, whether they adopt agile or predictive methodologies, in diverse fields.
In conclusion, this book comes highly recommended.
September 2, 2022
This book helped me to understand the past, present and future of projects through the eyes of @Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez, who is an influencer in Progect Management world. The author contrived to open my mind and fill the blind spots with his up-to-date outlook as well as provide practical tools to make my project succeed. I highly recommend each and every to start (and continue) you learning of project management from reading exactly this state-of-art book.
June 23, 2024
Cenna pozycja. Mówiąc o „projektach” przez teorię trudno uniknąć dużego poziomu ogólności, a duży poziom ogólności trudniej przełożyć na własną sytuację. Książka by zyskała, gdyby przykładów było więcej.
Również dla małego biznesu znajdzie się tam kilka cennych lekcji między wierszami, ale przede wszystkim (w 80%) ten podręcznik jest skierowany do pracowników dużych firm i korporacji. Do działań (projektów) naprawdę licznych, złożonych i o dużej skali.
Również dla małego biznesu znajdzie się tam kilka cennych lekcji między wierszami, ale przede wszystkim (w 80%) ten podręcznik jest skierowany do pracowników dużych firm i korporacji. Do działań (projektów) naprawdę licznych, złożonych i o dużej skali.
January 19, 2022
Currently, my recommended book for entry level project managers as is an updated account of the fundamentals and elements of project management today; for mature project managers to update the mindsets, tools and frameworks used and proven in practice nowadays and executive management that need to be part of the project management world.
June 29, 2025
While parts of the book—especially Part Four on crisis management and sustainability in project management—were very strong, the author’s fundamental misunderstanding of Agile and dismissive tone toward its value were both disappointing and, frankly, infuriating, particularly in a book published by HBR.
April 24, 2022
Inspiring Thinking
Excellent treatment of project management to prepare for the next decade. From traditional waterfall thru Agile to the new Project Canvas tool, a great review and way forward.
Excellent treatment of project management to prepare for the next decade. From traditional waterfall thru Agile to the new Project Canvas tool, a great review and way forward.
December 8, 2021
Project management expert Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez presents a simple and intuitive framework that will increase any project's likelihood of success.
April 11, 2023
Great book from Antonio. A must read book for those in the PM Area.
December 29, 2023
A beautiful book that can be used as reference for project management. looking forward to apply it.
March 12, 2024
Uwielbiam teorię, bo nigdy nie jest w stanie przetrwać zderzenia z rzeczywistością. A szczególnie z "interesariuszami".
May 1, 2024
3.5 estrellas.
Empieza muy bien, y al final toca temas muy interesantes en los que quisiera que profundizara un poco más. Es la parte de en medio la que es repetitiva y pudo ser más concisa.
Empieza muy bien, y al final toca temas muy interesantes en los que quisiera que profundizara un poco más. Es la parte de en medio la que es repetitiva y pudo ser más concisa.
December 21, 2024
Great reminder of basic PMO principles and methods. Most was a reminder from business school but I did take away a few new concepts that I can apply to my projects.
April 7, 2025
Easy to read, straight to the point. Makes me want to work as a project manager, though for now im content with jsut a good grade on the class.
April 19, 2025
Quite abstract. Hard to transfer to roles that need project management tools while not being 100% focused on PM or outside of a corporate organisation
April 7, 2025
Informative if you are not a project manager and want to see how things work in a Waterfall environment. If you're already working as a PM, not much new info here. No focus on Agile which, as a software development PM, is essential.
January 29, 2022
There’s a new project management ‘bible’ in town and it could displace some of the weighty tomes you have on the shelf (Lock, I’m looking at you).
HBR Project Management Handbook cover
Get your copy
The Harvard Business Review Project Management Handbook: How to Launch, Lead, and Sponsor Successful Projects is a masterclass in how to make project management work in modern businesses. Written by past PMI Chair and PM champion Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez, the book’s goal is to elevate project management competencies to management levels.
The book starts with an effective and articulate explanation of why projects are required in a modern economy (the “project economy”) and why leaders can’t ignore the discipline any longer.
The Project Canvas
The Handbook introduces the idea of the Project Canvas, a simple way to build a common foundation for a project by linking the people with the way the work will be delivered, and matching that to the investment and benefits: kind of like a business case on a page. I love this idea and think it will help organizations adopting project portfolio management to identify and prioritize incoming ideas.
There are four parts to the book:
Project fundamentals for everybody, which looks at the context of project management and how it fits into the business.
The Project Canvas, which introduces the domains and building blocks of the tool that forms the framework for the book
Individual and organizational project competencies, which explores the skills and capabilities required to be successful
A better future through projects, which is about the intersection of project management and megatrends affecting business, creating opportunities and presenting challenges we can’t overlook.
While there is some context-setting and business theory, there is also a lot of practical content in this book. I liked the idea of matching implementation methods to project type and that’s explained really well. The graphics are good, relevant and help make the book easy to digest, even when the concepts may feel new or tricky.
There are some odd things that seem to have slipped through, like calling out IPMA and APM separately, given that APM is one of the membership organizations within IPMA and there are lots of other international bodies that are the national equivalents of APM that don’t get a mention. Maybe that’s a reflection on the likelihood that this book will mainly reach an English-speaking audience at this time? PRINCE2 is not spelled correctly in places (“Prince 2”) and while other certification bodies get a mention, AXELOS as the awarding body and ‘guardian’ of PRINCE2 doesn’t. But those are small things and don’t detract from the big messages in the book.
Bringing benefits into project management
I remember having a debate with someone many years ago who felt project benefits should not be part of project management, and that’s never sat well with me. I loved the fact that Nieto-Rodriguez doesn’t entertain the idea that benefits fall outside the project’s responsibility.
Benefits are very much part of the project lifecycle, and the way that’s explained in the book makes it clear why.
New thinking
The book also challenged my own assumptions and beliefs by including ‘run’ as part of the scope of the project lifecycle: I suppose how much you get involved with that depends on your role. As a program manager, the running was very much my responsibility when I look back, at least for the projects that had completed while the program was still going.
In the section on ‘what project management is now’ there are other moments that will make you go, ‘ah, yes!’ like the discussion on the new triple constraints. There is also a lot of helpful stuff on project prioritization and portfolio management – discussion points you can bring up with your exec team to help them see the value of not doing All. The. Things. at the same time.
A manifesto for a new way of project success
The final section of the book looks at the future of project management, including crisis management, diversity, the role of technology and sustainability: all topics we need to embrace and deal with in a project setting, probably more so than we are actively doing now.
The book ends with Nieto-Rodriguez’s manifesto to help organizations develop and cope with the level of project work required to succeed in today’s economy.
This is a timely, much-needed book that you can buy for your executive team. Many people who have been working in projects for years will be nodding along as they read it: the Handbook makes how we feel about project management transparent and elevates the day job into the domain of strategic influence – and yet you put the book down feeling like achieving that is totally manageable and realistic. Nieto-Rodriguez has articulated where project management as a profession should be and where it’s going: with a seat (and a voice) firmly at the table.
HBR Project Management Handbook cover
Get your copy
The Harvard Business Review Project Management Handbook: How to Launch, Lead, and Sponsor Successful Projects is a masterclass in how to make project management work in modern businesses. Written by past PMI Chair and PM champion Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez, the book’s goal is to elevate project management competencies to management levels.
The book starts with an effective and articulate explanation of why projects are required in a modern economy (the “project economy”) and why leaders can’t ignore the discipline any longer.
The Project Canvas
The Handbook introduces the idea of the Project Canvas, a simple way to build a common foundation for a project by linking the people with the way the work will be delivered, and matching that to the investment and benefits: kind of like a business case on a page. I love this idea and think it will help organizations adopting project portfolio management to identify and prioritize incoming ideas.
There are four parts to the book:
Project fundamentals for everybody, which looks at the context of project management and how it fits into the business.
The Project Canvas, which introduces the domains and building blocks of the tool that forms the framework for the book
Individual and organizational project competencies, which explores the skills and capabilities required to be successful
A better future through projects, which is about the intersection of project management and megatrends affecting business, creating opportunities and presenting challenges we can’t overlook.
While there is some context-setting and business theory, there is also a lot of practical content in this book. I liked the idea of matching implementation methods to project type and that’s explained really well. The graphics are good, relevant and help make the book easy to digest, even when the concepts may feel new or tricky.
There are some odd things that seem to have slipped through, like calling out IPMA and APM separately, given that APM is one of the membership organizations within IPMA and there are lots of other international bodies that are the national equivalents of APM that don’t get a mention. Maybe that’s a reflection on the likelihood that this book will mainly reach an English-speaking audience at this time? PRINCE2 is not spelled correctly in places (“Prince 2”) and while other certification bodies get a mention, AXELOS as the awarding body and ‘guardian’ of PRINCE2 doesn’t. But those are small things and don’t detract from the big messages in the book.
Bringing benefits into project management
I remember having a debate with someone many years ago who felt project benefits should not be part of project management, and that’s never sat well with me. I loved the fact that Nieto-Rodriguez doesn’t entertain the idea that benefits fall outside the project’s responsibility.
Benefits are very much part of the project lifecycle, and the way that’s explained in the book makes it clear why.
New thinking
The book also challenged my own assumptions and beliefs by including ‘run’ as part of the scope of the project lifecycle: I suppose how much you get involved with that depends on your role. As a program manager, the running was very much my responsibility when I look back, at least for the projects that had completed while the program was still going.
In the section on ‘what project management is now’ there are other moments that will make you go, ‘ah, yes!’ like the discussion on the new triple constraints. There is also a lot of helpful stuff on project prioritization and portfolio management – discussion points you can bring up with your exec team to help them see the value of not doing All. The. Things. at the same time.
A manifesto for a new way of project success
The final section of the book looks at the future of project management, including crisis management, diversity, the role of technology and sustainability: all topics we need to embrace and deal with in a project setting, probably more so than we are actively doing now.
The book ends with Nieto-Rodriguez’s manifesto to help organizations develop and cope with the level of project work required to succeed in today’s economy.
This is a timely, much-needed book that you can buy for your executive team. Many people who have been working in projects for years will be nodding along as they read it: the Handbook makes how we feel about project management transparent and elevates the day job into the domain of strategic influence – and yet you put the book down feeling like achieving that is totally manageable and realistic. Nieto-Rodriguez has articulated where project management as a profession should be and where it’s going: with a seat (and a voice) firmly at the table.
September 12, 2023
A very informative book that does a great job at breaking project management down into easily digestible, understandable and memorable components using the project canvas framework. While I'm sure there is much more to learn around managing projects, this feels like a great foundation of knowledge
June 1, 2022
An excellent text providing a large overview of Project Management from definitions to case studies the author Antionio Nieto-Rodriguez hand-picked to provide context to the management of projects at your organization.
The author introduces the reader to his methodology for project management oversight - The Project Canvas. The PMC provides a one-page summary of the key salient points of your project including the foundation, its people, why it was created, and more!
The text then covers the competencies required to become a good project manager, provides some frameworks and tools that can be used in managing your projects, speaks to agile project management, and closes with a healthy discussion on the future of project management. The text speaks to and how project management has been used recently in crisis management, speaks about the importance of diverse teams and diversity within a modern organization and glances on the topic of sustainability and green thinking.
The book concludes with the author's Project Manifesto and his encouragement and reinforces his enthusiasm for the topic of project management.
Where I think the book suffers is that it is trying quite hard to be all things to all people - and weighing in at over 300 pages the author has managed admirably.
Where I think the author has succeeded is through his use of case studies and a summary of best practices and tools and solutions for use by practitioners. This book would be a great text for an introductory under-grad course or graduate-level topical course on Project Management. It would also make an excellent reference guide for a practitioner to refer to its tools and frameworks. Finally, the Project Canvas provides a strong summarization tool for use in actual project management.
Thank you to Harvard Business Review, author Antionio Nieto-Rodriguez and Net Galley for making a copy available via adobe digital editions in return for my honest review. The review is my own opinion and is not influenced in any way.
The author introduces the reader to his methodology for project management oversight - The Project Canvas. The PMC provides a one-page summary of the key salient points of your project including the foundation, its people, why it was created, and more!
The text then covers the competencies required to become a good project manager, provides some frameworks and tools that can be used in managing your projects, speaks to agile project management, and closes with a healthy discussion on the future of project management. The text speaks to and how project management has been used recently in crisis management, speaks about the importance of diverse teams and diversity within a modern organization and glances on the topic of sustainability and green thinking.
The book concludes with the author's Project Manifesto and his encouragement and reinforces his enthusiasm for the topic of project management.
Where I think the book suffers is that it is trying quite hard to be all things to all people - and weighing in at over 300 pages the author has managed admirably.
Where I think the author has succeeded is through his use of case studies and a summary of best practices and tools and solutions for use by practitioners. This book would be a great text for an introductory under-grad course or graduate-level topical course on Project Management. It would also make an excellent reference guide for a practitioner to refer to its tools and frameworks. Finally, the Project Canvas provides a strong summarization tool for use in actual project management.
Thank you to Harvard Business Review, author Antionio Nieto-Rodriguez and Net Galley for making a copy available via adobe digital editions in return for my honest review. The review is my own opinion and is not influenced in any way.
September 1, 2021
I'm PMI/Scrum Master certified and appreciated how this book deals with the general picture and the different types of projects.
It's not a methodological guide but there's plenty of ideas and suggestions that can be useful regardless of the project methodology.
A useful and informative read for any type of stakeholder or pm.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
It's not a methodological guide but there's plenty of ideas and suggestions that can be useful regardless of the project methodology.
A useful and informative read for any type of stakeholder or pm.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
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June 10, 2025reading list - global professional practice
November 2, 2025
Good book focusing mostly on soft skills, giving new sense on PM - being a leader, not closing yourself in a world of budgets and schedules.
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