Written by a professional consultant and executive coach, this book is a unique reference work and guide for those wanting to learn about or who are active in the fields of consulting, project management and problem solving in general. As such, it presents cookbook-style access to more than 100 most important skills.
Nicolai Andler's work differs from many other consulting and project management textbooks. While these primarily concern themselves with the art of running a consulting practice or managing a project, Andler's work focuses mainly on the tools and techniques of the trade. Its power lies in acknowledging that these form part of today's management competencies.
Each tool or technique is broken down into the following components:
- Intention: Why and when to use it?
- Purpose: What does the tool achieve?
- Instruction: How do I do it?
- Tips and suggestions
- Examples or ready-to-use templates
- Cross-reference to related tools described in the book
To make personal use of the tools as easy as possible, they are grouped into task-specific categories entitled Define Situation, Gather Information, Creativity, Goal Setting, Organisational Analysis, Technical Analysis, Strategic Analysis, Decision Making, Project Management, Checklists and Questions as well as Scenarios. In addition, Andler provides a rating of each tool in terms of applicability, ease of use and effectiveness.
Prof. Dr. Tom Sommerlatte: "This book is the kind you always wanted to have and didn't think would and could ever exist: the universal field theory of problem solving."
