People can be the most challenging aspect of projects. They bring diverse perspectives, emotions, motivations, and levels of engagement. Differences in communication styles, resistance to change, conflicting priorities, and varying levels of experience or understanding can lead to misunderstandings, misalignment, and conflicts. Moreover, projects often require collaboration across teams and departments, which can amplify these challenges. Effective leadership, clear communication, and fostering a culture of trust and shared purpose are essential to navigate these complexities.

Celebrate the launch of the Handbook of People in Project Management, a huge 59-chapter book (it was 60, more on that later) containing an eclectic and complex mix of knowledge crafted by valued practitioners, academics, and subject matter experts.

44 different contributors – each delivering a chapter on their area of expertise.

I authored two chapters: Chapter 20, titled ‘Identifying and Building Key Relationships,’ and what was originally planned as Chapter 13, ‘People Beyond the Core Project Organization.’ This was a substantial undertaking, as each chapter represented six months of research and writing to contribute fresh, practical insights—all while balancing ongoing client engagements and project demands. As often happens in the collaborative process of writing a business book, my original content was ultimately revised and woven into other chapters to better support the book’s overall flow and objectives.

And I became an author on Amazon.

I followed this with contributions to the second edition of Gower’s Handbook of Programme Management, collaborating with my Programme Management SIG Committee colleagues from the Association of Project Management (APM). My aim is to help them understand how and why Agile will play a pivotal role in shaping future programmes, particularly in driving organizational transformation and change. This is proving a much bigger boulder to push up the proverbial mountain.

About The Gower Handbook

Modern projects are all about one group of people delivering benefits to others, so it’s no surprise that the human element is fundamental to project management. The Gower Handbook of People in Project Management is a complete guide to the human dimensions involved in projects. The book is a unique and rich compilation of nearly 60 chapters about project management roles and the people who sponsor, manage, work in, or are otherwise important to project success.

It covers everyone involved in projects – the stakeholders – including those funding or sponsoring the project and those involved in its delivery; the people-issues that are specific to different sectors of organization (public, private and third sector); the organization of people in projects, both real and virtual; the relationship between people, their roles and the project environment; and the human behaviours and skills associated with working collaboratively; and the HR issues including all aspects of how to manage talent for projects.

Thus this comprehensive and innovative handbook discusses all the important topics associated with employing, developing, and managing people for successful projects.

The contributors have been drawn from around the world and include experts ranging from practicing managers to academics and advanced researchers. The Handbook is divided into six parts, which begin with management and project organization and progress through to more advanced and emerging practices.

It benefits hugely from Lindsay Scott’s expert knowledge and experience in this field, Dennis Lock’s contributions, and meticulous editing, which ensures that the text and illustrations are always lucid and informative.

Part 1: Management and Organisation

• People and project management, Donnie McNicol
• Successes and failures of people in projects, Todd Williams
• Project lifecycles, Dennis Lock
• Project sponsors, Karsten Isenbeck and Joel Friedman
• Corporate managers’ support for the project manager, Dennis Lock
• Project management in the private sector, Susan de Sousa
• People in public sector projects, Jon Hyde and David Sawyer
• Project management in the third sector, John Cropper
• Introduction to project organisation structures, Dennis Lock
• Managing in matrix and more complex organizations, Dennis Lock
• International projects, Jean Binder
• Managing people in virtual project organisations, Penny Pullan
• The creative organization, Geof Cox

Part 2: People In and Around the Project Environment

• Project stakeholders, Guy Giffin
• People in senior project roles, George Jucan
• People in supporting roles, George Jucan
• The project office environment, Dennis Lock
• The construction working environment, Steve Lewis
• The workplace of the future, Colin Stuart

Part 3: Improving Project Teams and their People

• Identifying and building key relationships, Neil Walker
• Creating and changing a project team, Andy Jordan
• Building relationships through influencing, Mark Rodgers
• Managing conflict in projects, Peter Simon and Fred Murray Webster
• Cross-cultural relationships, Jean Binder
• Project communications, Jo Anne Sweeney
• Behavioural traits: a research paper, Paul Giammalvo
• Ethics in project management, William A. Moylan
• Leadership, Alfonso Bucero
• Conducting one’s self in project management, Dennis Lock
• Managing daily routines: a day in the life of a project manager, Sam Barnes
• Management theorists in the 20th century, Dennis Lock
• Team development, Elisabeth Goodman
• Motivating people in projects, Bernardo Tirado
• Conduct of meetings, Dennis Lock

Part 4: Developing the individual

• Learning and training: part 1, Dave Davis
• Learning and training: part 2, Dave Davis
• Self-development, Edward Wallington
• Developing competency, Dennis Lock and John Cornish
• Developing project management capability, Tim Ellis
• Coaching and mentoring, Kevin Dolling and Paul Girling

Part 5: Project Staffing and HRM issues

• Scheduling people for a single project, Dennis Lock
• Resource planning for people in a projects company, Dennis Lock
• Recruitment, Lindsay Scott
• Legal issues, Peter Harrington
• Pay and rewards for project management work, Lindsay Scott
• Performance appraisals, Dennis Lock and Lindsay Scott
• Employment termination: Letting people go, Lindsay Scott
• Advice for project managers on the employment of supplementary (temporary) workers, Dennis Lock and Lindsay Scott

Part 6: More Specialised Topics

• Managing the people side of change, Brian Richardson
• Neuro linguistic programming, Ranjit Sidhu
• Positive psychology, Jocelyn C. Davis
• Industrial psychology, Bernard Tirado
• Emotional intelligence in project management, Deanne Earle
• Managing social communications, Elizabeth Harrin
• Empathy in project management, Geoff Crane
• Creativity, Alicia Arnold
• The hero project managers, Andy Jordan
• Human traits and behaviours in project management, Kevin Dolling, Paul Girling and Joanna Reynolds
• Career paths in project management, Jason Price
• Project management certification: taking charge locally, Michael Greer
• Stress and project management: maintaining high performance, Steven Flannes
• Teams and spirituality in project management, Judi Neal and Alan Harpham
• Education and qualification in project management, Lindsay Scott and Peter Simon