There's an intriguing new book by one of those rare people of common sense who have spent some time in public service that may help shed some light on the subject, The Future of Success by Robert B. Reich . From the introduction found online. . . We can, if we wish, reassess our standard measure of success. We can, if we want, choose fuller and more balanced lives, and we can create a more balanced society. From the introduction of the paper . . .
Every project has a network of required tasks.
Unfortunately, many of the current flow networks do not identify the hidden dependencies that are an obstacle to successful project completion. This presentation identifies the basic steps for creating a valid project network. While a valid project network is necessary for successful project management, by itself it is not sufficient. Here's a fun and useful site. Its source is an email discussion group on facilitation in which I'm a participant.