Tools for Project Management, Workshops and Consulting
A Must-Have Compendium of Essential Tools and TechniquesPreface by Dr. Ing Tom Sommerlatte
Prof. Dr. Ing Tom Sommerlatte is the vice president of the well-known international management consultantcy Arthur D Little and was recently nominated for the hall of fame of the US library of Congress. He holds a Ph.D. in physical chemistry and chemical engineering from the University of Paris, an MBA from INSEAD and an Honorary Professorship for Systems Sciences from the University of Kassel, Germany. He serves on the Advisory Board of Lehman Brothers as well as on the boards of a number of medium-sized companies in the internet and media industries. He is the author of over 20 books on management and consulting topics.
This book is of the kind you always wanted but didn't think would or could ever exist: the universal field theory of problem solving.
My experience in science (Chemical Engineering) and business (management consulting) over the years has led me to believe that the world of problem solving approaches, methods, tools and techniques is infinite and wobbling. I found during my own struggles in professional life that the only salvation was to make do with the tricks I had come across more or less by happenstance.
Nicolai Andler, indoctrinated by systems engineering and equipped with an admirably systematic mind, has taken upon himself to get order and structure into this conglomerate of problem solving tools and techniques. To do this, he has based himself on his mental model of a stepwise iterative problem solving process correlated with 9 categories of tools. He scanned the universe of tools and compiled them intelligently in this book so that it has become a real encyclopaedia for problem solvers of all kinds.
It is amazing and comforting to see how this book creates such clarity about the ramifications in the problem solver's mind. And it is hilarious to realize how straightforward dealing with problem and project situations can be.
The author also spells out a warning: tools and techniques require skills and experience in order to be used appropriately and effectively. Cognitive and methodical competence is one thing - social and implementation competences are the other critical ingredients of problem solving mastery.
One without the other does not work. In this respect, Nicolai Andler's book is a treasure of operational information, both for people who have long been into the practice of project management and consulting, as well beginners in need of a roadmap.
Buy from
