Book Review: ‘Project Management for You’ by Cesar Abeid

Cesar Abeid, longtime host of the Project Management for the Masses podcast, now shares in his new book, Project Management for You (PM4U), how project management can be applied to any project, in business or our personal lives. In the book, he breaks down the process of completing a project into easily digestible chapters and simple steps that will make people not only clear about how to do their projects but anxious to get to work on them.

What I really liked about this book was Cesar’s overall approach. He understands that everything is a project, and just by that understanding, all of life’s projects—large or small—suddenly feel far more manageable to me. Throughout the book, Cesar offers many examples, not always of businesses completing projects, but sometimes personal examples and stories that help to make his points clearer. For example, since he’s from Brazil, when he moved to the United States, he had to learn to speak English, specifically early on so he could get a haircut. How to communicate the kind of haircut he wanted then became a project.

Chapter by chapter, Cesar walks readers through the steps required to complete a project. He defines exactly what a project is for us, and then he tells us about his PM4U Method. He illustrates the full process for us, from composing the project to defining the activities required for the project: how to manage risk, how to delegate various parts of the project to your team, how to deal with communication issues, problems that arise, and what lessons can be learned from them; and finally, the satisfaction of having completed the project.

While many of the principles Cesar discusses may seem like common sense and be known, his overall presentation of them in an orderly manner makes every project seem possible. He discusses also how many of the principles in the book are used by big corporations like Apple and Google, including making promises to their customers months in advance and then delivering on those promises and on time. The methods outlined in the book can help you to enjoy the same kind of success in terms of time management and project completion.

Cesar has clearly done his research. As the host of the Project Management for the Masses podcast, he has brought the idea of project management to countless people and shown how it is applicable to people and projects from all walks of life. He has interviewed countless experts and successful business people on project management, and he includes the best lessons learned in this book while presenting it in an accessible manner without using corporate terminology. One person he interviewed was Dorie Clark, author of Reinventing You and Stand Out; she agreed to write the Foreword for the book, in which she states that Cesar “cuts through the noise by sharing funny, interesting, and human stories to convey the fundamental principles and ideas. Project management isn’t about abstractions and charts and spreadsheets; it’s about how to get things done, especially in the face of challenges and adversity.”

We all face challenges and adversities. We all feel the lack of time and the need to accomplish more. Our to do lists seem never-ending. Cesar himself understands this because at a young age, he found himself with the overwhelming project of taking over his father’s business when his father became ill. That’s when he began to study project management and figured out how it could transform chaos and feelings of being overwhelmed into a clear process that could bring about progress. Cesar knew if he found project management useful, it could help others, and that quest to help others has now resulted in this book.

Perhaps Project Management for You doesn’t have all the answers, but even so, it might lead you toward finding them. As Cesar says early in the book:

“I will not hold your hand as you ponder the meaning of life or whether you should buy a boat. I will, however, help you through the process of researching, sourcing, buying, and launching your boat. And perhaps, as you sail toward the horizon, holding a glass of wine in one hand and your spouse’s hand in the other, you might just figure out the meaning of life after all.”

I’m still working on figuring it out, but after reading this book, I feel I have the practical tools to manage my projects and maybe even some other things in my life better. I think you’ll find that this book help you do the same.

For more information about Cesar Abeid and Project Management for You, visit the book website.
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