- Hardcover: 241 pages
- Publisher: Harpercollins Trade Sales Dept; 1 edition (Mar 25 1999)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0887309747
- ISBN-13: 978-0887309748
- Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 16 x 2.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 522 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,540,279 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
Most of us think of the Mars Pathfinder mission as a triumph of technological wizardry. But Brian Muirhead, the engineer who spearheaded the project, sees it as something else: a triumph of managerial efficiency. The previous Mars mission had cost $3 billion. Muirhead, who was originally hired by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in part because of his real-world experience repairing Harley-Davidson motorcycles, had to do it for $150 million--less, he notes, than it cost James Cameron to film Titanic. The mantra at JPL was "Faster, better, cheaper." In an era of government belt-tightening, NASA had to prove to America that it could manage more spectacular space missions with less money, and in less time, too.
High Velocity Leadership shows how Muirhead and his team proved not only that "Faster, better, cheaper" can work but that's it an excellent way to get things done. He and coauthor Simon walk readers through the project from conception to triumphant completion, giving each chapter a didactic spin. For example, in one chapter he talks about how a manager must be both the "glue" that keeps a team together and the "grease" that keeps it moving forward.
But while Muirhead has learned a few textbook lessons about management--he quotes several gurus in that field--he has learned also from the school of hard knocks. Thus, every management principle described in High Velocity Leadership includes theory, real-life examples from the Mars Pathfinder mission, and a life lesson or two. --Lou Schuler
From Booklist
The astounding success of NASA's Pathfinder Mission to Mars in 1997 stirred the imaginations of countless observers back on Earth and sparked renewed interest in NASA's efforts to explore space. The mission was also remarkable because it was accomplished with a budget 15 times less, and in half the time, than that of the mission before it. In fact, it cost less than it took to make the movie Titanic! Muirhead was the mission's project manager, who had a mandate to complete the project "faster, better, and cheaper"; and he brought to the task a unique blend of engineering know-how, self-assurance, and leadership skills. Along with writer Simon, who helped former Apple CEO Gil Amelio with On the Firing Line (1998), Muirhead provides a dramatic account of the enterprise as it evolved and unfolded. At the same time, the authors suggest that the "faster-better-cheaper" model can serve as a blueprint for leadership in any kind of business. The book is spectacularly "illustrated" with video clips on the Web. David Rouse
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
High Velocity Leadership,
By
This review is from: High-Velocity Leadership: The Mars Pathfinder Approach to Faster, Better, Cheaper (Hardcover)
Brian K. Muirhead spins a great web of stories relating to the development and mission of the Mars Pathfinder. Against all odds regarding schedule and budget, he managed to keep his work teams focused on a shared vision towards a common goal. From initial proposal through early development into production and the actual mission, Brian and his team overcame obstacle after obstacle to make their dream of reaching and exploring Mars a reality. A must read for any manager of knowledge workers in the new global economy. The bible of faster, better, cheaper!
1.0 out of 5 stars
A How Not-to-do-it-book?,
By THE-GO-BETWEEN (Valencia, CA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: High-Velocity Leadership: The Mars Pathfinder Approach to Faster, Better, Cheaper (Hardcover)
I bought this book earlier in the year. I saw it hyped on TV. After two recent massive failures costing at least 1/2 billion dollars total since my purchase of High Velocity Leadership..reading this book makes a person wince painfully. I am sure this new high risk management philosophy will be put on the grill when the U.S. Congress examines these failures. Thank God there were no human beings on these flights. Space exploration is the most dangerous, most high risk business ever conceived of by man short of war. After 42 years of this type of unforgiving scientific activity that has now largely been privitized and contracted out to the lowest bidder, it is time the U.S. reevaluates whether this is a successful policy or not. JPL head in-their-hands employees looking wistfully at their monitors are no longer cute or funny or sad. They own these failures along with President Clinton for cutting corners. This book, though describing one successful mission, actually becomes an insider's account how they dodged the bullets of risk in the fastest, cheapest, but clearly not the best way. Now every single Mars project and possibly a lot of other NASA projects are in mortal jepordy because of the project management philosophy described in this book. The authors can't have it both ways now. The whole world is watching. This book will be in the dollar or less bins at your local chain book store....and very soon...maybe before Christmas.
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Rare Book about a Planetary Probe,
By A Customer
This review is from: High-Velocity Leadership: The Mars Pathfinder Approach to Faster, Better, Cheaper (Hardcover)
It is refreshing to see a book about one of NASA's unmanned successes. No wonder why the public is unaware of the JPL. This books gives a glimpse into the many obstacles Pathfinder had even before it left Earth. Muirhead tells the story in a very down-to-earth style. I was a bit disappointed in the frequent references into business applications on the "cheaper, better & faster" approach. At times it disrupted the flow of the book and gave an informercial taste to this book. I would also have liked a closing chpater on some of the scientific results of the little rover that gave us a very memorable Fourth of July in 1997. Overall, I recommend this tale of scientific exploration just because it gives the public information on space exploration that it wouldn't find elsewhere.
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