Rick Warren of Saddleback Church (Lake Forest, CA) has written seven principles of project management that he learned from Nehemiah’s rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls. In summary:

1. Simplification
   Nehemiah kept his plan simple. He organized around natural groupings of people already associating together, such as the priests, the men of Jericho, and the sons of Hassenaah. If an organization already naturally exists, try to work through it and with it.
2. Participation
   Work with those who want to work. Nehemiah’s response was to ignore the shirkers.
3. Delegation
   When you’re organizing, you should make specific assignments. Break down goals into smaller tasks. Develop clear job descriptions. Match the right person with the right task. Somebody needs to assume specific responsibility.
4. Motivation
   When you organize any project, help people “own” it.
5. Cooperation
   When we cooperate together, when there is teamwork, there is great growth. Cooperation is a greater motivator than competition, and it lasts because you feel like you’re together on a winning team.
6. Administration
   Even after you delegate, you must supervise the work. Good organizations establish clear lines of authority. People do what you inspect not what you expect.
7. Appreciation
   Do you know who’s doing a good job in your organization? If you do, are you telling them they’re doing a good job?

Read the full article for additional bits of wisdom and to learn more specifics about how Nehemiah put these seven principles into practice.