Review of Getting the Job Done

Post by **Sarah Schmidt** » 18 Oct 2021, 07:55

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Getting the Job Done" by Kevin Torf.]

4 out of 4 stars

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Getting the Job Done: Practical Advice and Real-World Anecdotes to Manage Successful P.R.O.J.E.C.T.S. is a nonfiction book written by Kevin Torf. Using a step-by-step framework, it guides readers through the best practices for satisfactory, foolproof project management and completion.

The acronym P.R.O.J.E.C.T.S stands for Planning, Reflection, Organization, Juggling, Empowerment, Community, Teamwork, and Standards. It embodies the guiding principles that Torf uses, namely for the success of his T2 Group, being largely predicated on the core values of the Agile philosophy. The book centralizes the idea of performing triage on a project to identify the crucial elements for goal achievement, stating how important it is to assign roles to each team member without micromanaging them, allowing a cohesive and balanced group structure. The book places stakeholders, available resources, and three constraints, time, scope, and budget, as important factors to be mindful of in the completion of a project, going further to stress the significance of reflection to remind team members of the group’s aims. Torf includes case studies from T2’s client files. Key takeaways provided in checkpoint style wrap up each subtopic and summarize the essential points introduced in that specific part.

I liked the addition of anecdotes and analogies that supplemented the major points. Torf generally began each chapter with some teaching moment in history or with the use of common quotes and aphorisms. How a domestique functions as an essential cog in a cycling team’s machine, how Benjamin Franklin popularized the saying that time is money, Chuck Yeager’s meticulous attention to constraints in his capacity as a test pilot, how a marketing campaign adopted different strategies and the popular ‘What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas’ tagline to rejuvenate its failing tourism industry, and so much more stories were used as lessons to bolster each point Torf made. From Genghis Khan to Yoda, he took the defining trait or practice that made these individuals successful and memorable and repurposed them for their applications in project management.

I also appreciate that the focus of the book does not peter off into nostalgic ‘then this happened’ stories, never drifting away from the knowledge and steps that Torf sought to impart. Too often, in guides or development books, attention is diverted from the main idea when the author loses momentum in their desire to impress the readers with their own accomplishments. At no point did I feel like nonessential data cropped up. This was very well done, and I can confidently say that there was nothing that I disliked about the book.

I assume that this book has been thoroughly edited. This is as I found only two, minor errors in the entire book. The structure and format of the book also lend credence to this assumption. The points provided are set up in a clear, concise, and reader-friendly manner.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. To the point, comprehensive, and delivering on its aim, Getting the Job Done is a great tool to have on hand to see through the success of any project or business endeavour. It is well written and useful, and I would recommend this book to both experienced and newbie team leaders or those who want to optimize the efficiency of their group. People looking for books focused on personal development with actionable tools and resources would perhaps not find Getting the Job Done the right fit.

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Getting the Job Done
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