Rob Newbold is one of the great TOC Thinkers. He is author of the new book 'The Billion Dollar Solution' and CEO of ProChain Solutions, Inc
Q1.
I'm about a third of the way through your new book right now. I
love what I've read so far. You seem to
have shifted your focus up a couple of level
in the organization compared to your fist book - spending less time on individual projects. more time on the whole
organization. Can you tell us more about the book - who is it written for and
what will they get out of it?
Thanks. You're exactly correct, it is written from a broader perspective. Let me start with a story that's the real genesis of the book. Some years ago, one of our senior consultants and I were interviewing a senior executive at a large corporation. This guy was directly responsible for a multi-billion dollar revenue stream, with some projects that were worth millions of dollars for each day they reached the market earlier. My colleague asked him, "What is your experience with critical chain?" He responded, "I've read Project Management in the Fast Lane." Then he turned to me and asked, "Have you read it?" He was embarrassed to find out I had written it, but also very complimentary. I was surprised, because I had assumed the book would be read by people at the project manager level. I thought, if someone at that level is taking the time to read such a book, they deserve something that more directly addresses their concerns and their roles.
So to answer your question, The Billion Dollar Solution shows holistically what we do to implement "ProChain Project Management," our methdology that incorporates critical chain scheduling. It is intended first of all for senior managers. They may want to skip part 2, which describes the tools; but because the book describes the tools and how the pieces fit together, I think it will be useful for project managers and functional managers on up. And -- who knows -- maybe the ambitious individual contributors?
