To read entire Book Review - Project Management World Journal

PM World Journal Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done Vol. II, Issue V – May 2013 Authors: Bossidy and Charan www.pmworldjournal.net Book Review

1 Reviewer: Jen Skrabak

Produced in cooperation between the PMI IS CoP and of 5 PM World Inc. PM World Library – www.pmworldlibrary.net

PMI IS COP BOOK REVIEW1

1 The book

Book Title: Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done

Authors: Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan

Publisher: Crown Business

List Price (Amazon): US$15.38

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 269

Publication Date: 2009

ISBN: 0609610570

Reviewer: Jen L Skrabak

Review Date: April 1, 2013

2 Review

Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done is a classic management book that continues to be a best seller 11 years after its initial publication in 2002. It was written by Larry Bossidy, the retired CEO of Honeywell and Ram Charan, an author and executive adviser. Bossidy has served on the boards of GE, Merck, and JPMorgan Chase, and Charan, is the author of a number of business books, including What the CEO Wants You to Know, and was a director of Tyco Electronics, Austin Industries, and Emaar MGF. The 2009 edition has been updated with an introduction that addresses the 2008 global financial and economic crisis with the position that we are experiencing a permanent “resetting” of the global business environment, with the following key principles:

Growth will be slower – however, the company that executes well will have the confidence, speed, and resources to move fast as new opportunities emerge

1 This book review was submitted by the Project Management Institute Information Systems Community of Practice

(PMI IS CoP), republished here based on a cooperative program with the PM World Journal established in March 2013. For information about the PMI IS CoP, go to http://is.vc.pmi.org/, @ISCoPPMI, #iscopbookclub

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Competition will be fiercer – companies searching for any possible advantage in every area, from products, technology, location, and management.

Government will take on new roles – some as partners to businesses, others imposing constraints.

Risk management – understanding and controlling risk at every level, including political and global economic risks is crucial; there is also the very real risk in “business as usual”

The book is divided into three parts:

Why Execution is Needed The Building Blocks of Execution – Leader’s Seven Essential Behaviors, Creating the

Framework for Cultural Change, and Having the Right People in the Right Place Core Processes of Execution - Strategy, People and Operations

Why Execution is Needed “Strategies most often fail because they aren’t executed well. Unless you translate big thoughts into concrete steps for action, they’re pointless,” writes Bossidy and Charan. Execution must be a rigorous discipline, the major job of a leader, and in the culture. These are fundamental points for consultants and project management professionals. Leader’s Seven Essential Behaviors

1. Know Your People and Know Your Business – domain knowledge is critical as well as listening to and learning from people.

2. Insist on Realism – maintain credibility as a leader by being realistic and not glossing over problems.

3. Identify Clear Goals and Priorities – this isn’t just identifying the right goals, but ones that your people can realistically achieve, as well as understanding and guarding against the risks.

4. Follow Through – establish closure for responsibilities, actions, milestones, and measurements.

5. Reward the Doers – Doers are people that get things done; it’s critical to establish the right measurements for both short term and long term.

6. Expand People’s Capabilities – find ways to coach and develop people, as well as test and stretch the next generation of leaders.

7. Know Thyself – need to have emotional fortitude (authenticity, self-awareness, self-mastery, and humility)

Creating the Framework for Cultural Change Creating the framework for change starts with operationalizing the culture, establishing






reward for performance, and leveraging the social software of execution, which includes values, beliefs, and norms of behavior where dialog takes place. Leaders get the behaviors they exhibit and tolerate. Having the Right People in the Right Place Spending the time to assess and hire the right people will pay dividends down the road. Bossidy relates how he spent up to 40% of his time in the first two years in the organization, and 20% after that on hiring and developing people. Core Processes of Execution - Strategy, People and Operations Strategy needs to account for the ever changing nature of the global business environment and be able to react quickly. Leaders must cultivate people for the jobs needed tomorrow, not today. To execute well, there must be accountability, clear goals, accurate performance measures, and right rewards for people who perform. The key is flexible operating plans that can adapt to changes. Conducting a strategy review is the key to Execution Overall, Execution is a good read with real life examples (both successes and failures) from AlliedSignal, Honeywell, GE, Xerox, AT&T, EDS, among others. Many principles may seem like Management 101, but how many times do we lose sight of them or fail to master them? The authors acknowledge that leading for execution is not rocket science, but actually very straightforward. The challenge is to translate these execution principles into results on our projects, programs, and portfolios. The writing style is like a long conversation with Bossidy and Ram recounting their experiences – with specific sections for each author’s viewpoint in the chapter. For those looking for a step-by-step guidebook or the ‘magic bullet,’ you may be disappointed. I think the best way to benefit from Execution is to list 2-3 things to start doing or do differently based on the tips and nuggets – it’s up to you to choose the one that applies the most and most importantly, change your behavior. Finally, Execution is more than just getting things done, “it’s a leader’s most important job.” The authors note that 20% of CEOs lose their jobs every year due to an inability to execute.






3 Score of the book

Review Form Information Systems, Community of Practice

Title: Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done

Year of publishing: 2009

Length of the book ( # of pages) 269

Subject of the document Best Practices

Type of source Known Publisher

Mark if true (x)

Has direct practical use x

Easy to Read x

Written by a highly recommended author x

Written by a community member

To the point x

.pdf free available

Sponsored

3.38 /5

4 /5 Personal score

7.38 / 10 Total score for the book

4 The Reviewer

Jen L. Skrabak, PMP, MBA

California, USA Ms. Jen Skrabak, MBA, PMP, is a senior level project executive,

leading high profile business transformation projects, programs, and portfolios. She currently serves as the committee chair for The Standard for Portfolio Management – Third Edition. She brings over 18 years of professional experience in project, program, and






portfolio management across broad industries such as healthcare, biotechnology, entertainment, and financial services. Her recent assignments include establishing a PMO Center of Excellence that includes both PMs and BAs, implementing a global $50 million (US) program across multiple sites and managing a $500 million (US) portfolio. Ms. Skrabak is a distinguished member of the project management community, having served three years as president of the PMI California Central Coast Chapter. In addition, Ms. Skrabak also served as the edit lead for PMI’s second edition of the Project Manager Competency Development Framework, and was a member of the UCLA Extension Project Management Advisory Board. [email protected]

Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done; by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan; Published by Crown Business; 2009; hardcover, 269 pages; ISBN: 0609610570; List Price: US$27.50; more about the book at http://www.randomhouse.com/book/16316/execution-by-larry-bossidy-ram-charan-and-charles-burck

Editor’s note: This book review was the result of cooperation between PM World and the Project Management Institute (PMI) Information Systems (IS) Community of Practice (CoP) (PMI IS CoP – http://is.vc.pmi.org/). The PMI IS CoP has established a members-based project management book club as a service to members who can receive PDUs for PMP recertification for authoring the reviews. Each book is reviewed and scored according to established criteria. The top scoring book reviews will be published in the PM World Journal. If you are a PMI member and in the IS, IT or other technology-related field, consider joining the PMI IS CoP and participating in this unique book review program. Information at http://is.vc.pmi.org/ or @ISCoPPMI, #iscopbookclub.



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