Book Description This book provides a quick and easy guide to the tasks, tools, and skills that will carry you from project launch to project completion. Show and hide more
Table of Contents
Cover Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Contents Contents at a Glance Preface Introduction 1 Project Management in a World of Overload Success, to What End? The World as We Found It Overwhelmed and Underserved Balance Begins with the Basics The Quest for Work-Life Balance A Brave New World Quick Recap 2 Industry Norms—Should You Conform? Quiz Question Modern Origins Ensnarled by Jargon? The Agile Attitude Institutional Pitfalls Underlying Concepts Count Fundamentals Matter Dependency Is Not Pretty Interpersonal and Technological Skills Quick Recap 3 So, You’re Going to Manage a Project? The Elements of a Project Project Planning Project Implementation Command Players and Their Roles Quick Recap 4 What Makes a Good Project Manager? A Doer, Not a Bystander Many Hats, All the Time Principles to Steer You Ways to Succeed as a Project Manager Ways to Fail as a Project Manager Quick Recap 5 What Do You Want to Accomplish? The Technical Side and the People Side Key Questions What Are We Attempting to Do? Tasks Versus Outcomes Telling Questions The Wide Application of Project Management Quick Recap 6 Laying Out Your Plan No Surprises From Nothing to Something A Journey of 1,000 Miles You and Me against the World? The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) In Many Forms Maintaining a Project Outline The Functional WBS More Complexity, More Help What Should We Deliver? It’s Results That Count Supporting Tools Bounce Your Plan off Others Quick Recap 7 Assembling Your Plan The Critical Path for Completing the WBS The Chicken or the Egg? Is Planning Itself a Task? What about Your Own Hours? Internal Resources Versus External Resources Helping Your Staff When It’s Over What Kinds of Tasks Constitute the WBS? Keeping the Big Picture in Mind The Big Picture Versus Endless Minutiae From Planning to Monitoring Quick Recap 8 Keeping Your Eye on the Budget Money Still Doesn’t Grow on Trees Distorted Expectations Hidden Costs Crises Will Happen Traditional Approaches to Budgeting Traditional Measures Predictable Reverberations Systematic Budgeting Problems Estimation Sand Traps Quick Recap 9 Gantt Charts Chart Your Progress Variations on a Theme Embellishments Offer Detail Your Project, Back on Track Thinking Ahead Quick Recap 10 Critical Path Method Complexity Happens Enter the CPM and PERT Great Utility What If Things Change? I Feel the Need, the Need for Speed Let’s Network Me and My Arrow Don’t Fall in Love with the Technology Quick Recap 11 Choosing Project Management Software With the Click of a Mouse Leave a Good Thing Alone Whose Choice and Whose Job Is It? What’s Your Pleasure? Dedicated PM Software How Will You Use PM Software? Checklists and Choices Making a List, Checking It Twice Quick Recap 12 A Sampling of Popular Programs Swiftly Flow the Days Armed and Online Low-Cost Options No Perfect Matches Quick Recap 13 Reporting Results More Communications Channels, Less Accessibility In-Person Communications Informal Person-to-Person Meetings Telephone Contact E-mail Memos and Informal Notes Formally Composed Documents Teleconferencing Web-Based Presentations Oh, Them Golden Bullets Incorporate the Thoughts of Others Quick Recap 14 Multiple Bosses and Multiple Projects, and Staying Balanced Multiple Projects at a Time Complexity Happens A Tale of Two Offices Extravagance Not Required Reporting to More than One Boss at a Time Workaholic for Hire Stand Up for Yourself Asserting Yourself in Dire Situations Quick Recap 15 Real-World Project Management Results Helping Site Managers to Be More Effective Let’s Assign It to a Project Manager Armchair Analysis Versus Onsite Observation Tower of Babel Slowly but Surely After the Handout Quick Recap 16 Learning from Your Experience Life Is for Learning Master the Software Keep Your Eyes Open Preparing for the Next Project Quick Recap Glossary Further Reading Acknowledgments Index About the Author
