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The Smart Mission: NASA’s Lessons for Managing Knowledge, People, and Projects
Why human skills and expertise, not technical tools, are what make projects succeed.
The project is the basic unit of work in many industries. Software applications, antiviral vaccines, launch-ready spacecraft: all were produced by a team and managed as a project. Project management emphasizes control, processes, and tools--but, according to The Smart Mission, that is not the right way to run a project. Human skills and expertise, not technical tools, are what make projects successful. Projects run on knowledge. This paradigm-shifting book--by three project management experts, all of whom have decades of experience at NASA and elsewhere--challenges the conventional wisdom on project management, focusing on the human dimension: learning, collaboration, teaming, communication, and culture.
The authors emphasize three themes: projects are fundamentally about how teams work and learn together to get things done; the local level--not an organization's upper levels--is where the action happens; and projects don't operate in a vacuum but exist within organizations that are responsible to stakeholders. Drawing on examples and case studies from NASA and other organizations, the authors identify three project models--micro, macro, and global--and their different knowledge needs. Successful organizations have a knowledge-based culture. Successful project management guides the interplay of knowledge, projects, and people.
The project is the basic unit of work in many industries. Software applications, antiviral vaccines, launch-ready spacecraft: all were produced by a team and managed as a project. Project management emphasizes control, processes, and tools--but, according to The Smart Mission, that is not the right way to run a project. Human skills and expertise, not technical tools, are what make projects successful. Projects run on knowledge. This paradigm-shifting book--by three project management experts, all of whom have decades of experience at NASA and elsewhere--challenges the conventional wisdom on project management, focusing on the human dimension: learning, collaboration, teaming, communication, and culture.
The authors emphasize three themes: projects are fundamentally about how teams work and learn together to get things done; the local level--not an organization's upper levels--is where the action happens; and projects don't operate in a vacuum but exist within organizations that are responsible to stakeholders. Drawing on examples and case studies from NASA and other organizations, the authors identify three project models--micro, macro, and global--and their different knowledge needs. Successful organizations have a knowledge-based culture. Successful project management guides the interplay of knowledge, projects, and people.
- GenresBusiness
165 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 16, 2022
33 people are currently reading
1443 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 27, 2022
I have a Masters Degree in Organizational and Industrial Psychology; and have much work experience participating in and running projects, and I LOVE this book. Yes! It’s people who are needed to meet the project’s mission - not tools - people! The Smart Mission delivers realistic advice on knowledge, learning, teams, and culture for organizational leaders and anyone managing or associated with projects. Drawing on their vast experience working for NASA, the authors, in a very organized manner, layout how to successfully work and learn together.
I enjoyed the stories and appreciated the conversational tone throughout the book. I found myself being thoughtful of and inspired by the themes shared by the authors. This isn’t a book you read and just put on a shelf. There are discussions and deliberations to be had on how you can successfully deliver projects in your own organization.
I also appreciated the chapter on the International Space Station, not only for its guidance on extremely complex projects; but its relevance considering it is now in a transition phase. Imagine the challenging complexity of a project to retire and decommission a space station….
I enjoyed the stories and appreciated the conversational tone throughout the book. I found myself being thoughtful of and inspired by the themes shared by the authors. This isn’t a book you read and just put on a shelf. There are discussions and deliberations to be had on how you can successfully deliver projects in your own organization.
I also appreciated the chapter on the International Space Station, not only for its guidance on extremely complex projects; but its relevance considering it is now in a transition phase. Imagine the challenging complexity of a project to retire and decommission a space station….
November 27, 2024
Knowledge Management in a Nutshell
It's definitely a good read for people associated with software development and business that mostly rely on knowledge mining or its management.
The book goes through the topic smoothly with visibly experienced authors' stories in between. I love it. I plan to get back to it once I will need to refresh my memory, especially in knowledge sharing topics.
It's definitely a good read for people associated with software development and business that mostly rely on knowledge mining or its management.
The book goes through the topic smoothly with visibly experienced authors' stories in between. I love it. I plan to get back to it once I will need to refresh my memory, especially in knowledge sharing topics.
February 14, 2023
#goodreadsgiveaway
Unsure how to rate this book. It was a easy to understand read, however it took some time for me to get through it. The overall content was informative and well written and the case study at the conclusion was interesting.
Unsure how to rate this book. It was a easy to understand read, however it took some time for me to get through it. The overall content was informative and well written and the case study at the conclusion was interesting.
August 11, 2024
Ce livre est complètement inutile. Les auteurs expliquent que faire des projets, c'est apprendre. Et que pour mieux apprendre, il faut utiliser le storytelling. Vraiment inutile.
September 20, 2022
What can I say, I co-authored it (with Larry and Matt) and continue to read and reference it in our work. One of my favorites. 😀
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews