About this Video

• Video Title: The Fiddler on the Project | Episode 078
• Channel: CorneliusFichtner
• Speakers: Cornelius Fichtner, Rich Maltzman
• Duration: 00:30:38

Introduction

This podcast episode interviews Rich Maltzman about his collaboratively written project management book, "The Fiddler on the Project." The book uses the musical "Fiddler on the Roof" as a thematic backdrop to explore project management principles, and invites readers to contribute to the writing process.

Key Takeaways

• The book "The Fiddler on the Project" uses the theme of "Fiddler on the Roof" to illustrate project management challenges and solutions. It draws parallels between the precarious balancing act of the fiddler and the project manager navigating change and tradition.
• The authors, Rich Maltzman and Ranjit Biswas, are employing a collaborative writing model, inviting community participation in creating the book's content. One chapter, "The Balancing Act," is open for community editing.
• The collaborative process involves multiple methods: a survey to gauge readers' familiarity with "Fiddler on the Roof," direct wiki editing of a designated chapter, and a whiteboard for free-form suggestions and contributions.
• The book aims to cover the nine knowledge areas of the PMBOK Guide, but with a stronger emphasis on collaboration, a subject not extensively covered in the guide.
• While the primary incentive for collaboration is intangible (intellectual stimulation, community participation), the authors emphasize the value of diverse perspectives from both experienced and novice project managers.

The interviewee explains that the precarious balancing act of the fiddler on the roof, maintaining his position amidst change, mirrors the project manager's role. The fiddler represents the project manager who must keep the project moving forward ("conducting the orchestra") despite constant change. The roof symbolizes the project manager balancing tradition (established practices, company knowledge) with the need for change (project implementation). Specific songs and dialogue from the musical are directly related to project management concepts such as responsibility assignment matrices (RAM), scope verification, and gold plating. The overarching theme emphasizes the importance of both tradition and change, and the need to maintain a sense of humor despite difficult situations.

While familiarity with "Fiddler on the Roof" is helpful, it's not strictly required to participate. The collaborative writing process provides a chapter ("The Balancing Act") that is already written and available for editing. Participants can also contribute new ideas, comments, or chapters without needing prior knowledge of the musical. A survey is used to gauge participants' familiarity with the musical and tailor their contributions accordingly.