9780814417812

It's tricky enough to spearhead a big project when you're the boss. But when you're the leader of a team of people who don't report to you, the obstacles are even greater. Results Without Authority is the definitive book for project managers looking to establish credibility and control. A ground-breaker in the field, it supplies a start-to-finish system for getting successful project results from cross-functional, outsourced, and other types of teams. The completely updated second edition includes new information on: * Agile methods and evolving project management tools * Strategies for working with virtual teams * Analytical versus "blink" decision processes * The use (and misuse) of social media in project environments * The myth of multitaskingFor project leaders lacking clear-cut authority, getting everyone on board-and keeping them there-can be a challenge. Results Without Authority is the must-have guide for getting the best results from your team.

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Tom Kendrick is a program manager, most recently with the Hewlett-Packard Company, and the author of Identifying and Managing Project Risk and The Project Management Tool Kit. He conducts project management classes, and presents at conferences and universities on program management, project risk, and related topics. He lives in San Carlos, California.

Acknowledgments
Control of Projects	p. 1
Who's in Charge?
Structure of This Book
Elements of Project Control
No One Ever Said That Projects Are Easy
Control Through Process	p. 7
Project Management Processes
Quality Management
Project Infrastructure
The Project Management Office
Key Ideas for Project Processes
Control Through Influence	p. 35
Appropriate Leadership Styles
Getting Through Giving
Enhancing Influence
Maintaining Relationships
Key Ideas for Influencing
Control Through Project Metrics	p. 69
Desired Behaviors
Types and Uses of Project Metrics
Measurement Definition and Baselines
Potential Problems and Measurement Barriers
Key Ideas for Project Metrics
Control Begins With Project Initiation	p. 92
Sponsorship
Project Vision
Project Launch
Start-Up Workshops
Projects with Cross-Functional, Distributed, and Global Team Members
Key Ideas for Project Initiation
Building Control Through Project Planning	p. 129
Plan Collaboratively
Measure Your Plan
Set a Realistic Project Baseline
Use Your Plan
Key Ideas for Project Planning
Maintaining Control During Project Execution	p. 168
Deploying Status-Based Metrics
Status Collection
Informal Communication
Maintaining Relationships
Keeping Your Team Focused
Key Ideas for Project Execution
Tracking And Monitoring For Project Control	p. 204
Scope and Specification Change Management
Overall Control
Formal Communication
Rewards and Recognition
Project Reviews for Lengthy Projects
Project Cancellation
Control Challenges
Key Ideas for Project Tracking and Monitoring
Enhancing Overall Control Through Project Closure	p. 240
Delivering Your Results and Getting Sign-Off
Employing Retrospective Project Metrics
Administrative Closure
Celebration and Team Rewards
Capturing Lessons Learned
Key Ideas for Project Closure
Conclusion	p. 254
Example Project Infrastructure Decisions	p. 257
Selected References	p. 269
Index	p. 271
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

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<html><head></head><body>CHAPTER 1 Control of Projects P R O J E C T S AR E E V E R Y W H E R E. Some of these projects succeed; others do not. Many projects fail because the project leader lacks sufficient control to keep things moving toward a successful conclusion. Insufficient project control is a result of many factors: lack of authority, geographically distributed teams, excessive project change, competing priorities, and inadequate planning—just to name a few. Increasingly today, projects are undertaken in environments where the project leader has little formal authority. Even for project managers with formal authority, significant portions of project work are done by contributors who work for other managers, often for a different company. Projects where no one is in charge are almost certain to fail. As the leader of your project, you must assume control, whether or not you possess organizational authority. As unlikely as it may sometimes seem, any project leader can do much to establish and maintain project control. This book has many ideas for achieving project success using techniques that don’t depend on organizational position or on formal authority. Who’s in Charge? In classes, workshops, and informal discussions of project management that I’ve been a part of, one of the most common questions is, ‘‘How can I manage my project if I have no power or authority?’’ This issue comes up so often that I developed a list of things that project leaders can (and should) take control of, regardless of their position or power in an organization. None of these things requires any authority beyond what is implicit when you are delegated responsibility for a project, and some don’t even rely on that. Factors That Any Project Leader Can Control • Measurement • Reporting cycles • Milestones • Communication • Project reviews • Change management • Rewards and recognition • Constructive criticism • Reciprocity and exchange • Risk monitoring Project leaders can use these means, along with many others in this book, to enhance their control in any project environment. Because the techniques outlined in the next several chapters don’t rely on the command-and-control authority of the project leader, they are effective in cross-functional, agile, matrix, heavily outsourced, virtual, volunteer, and other challenging environments. In fact, even project managers with substantial authority will benefit from the practices described in this book because they avoid the potential resentment and demotivation that can result from pulling rank. Structure of This Book The first half of this book explores three elements of project control: process, influence, and measurement. This introductory chapter introduces these elements, and Chapters 2–4 dig into the details and show how to apply them in your project environment. The second half of the book examines when to use these three elements for control throughout the life of a typical project. The Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide), from the Project Management Institute, identifies five process groups: initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing. Chapters 5–9 map these topics, describing how to better control your project from its beginning to its end. Where the PMBOK Guide tends to assume that a project manager has formal power, the discussion throughout this book focuses on controlling project work even when you do not have such direct authority. Each chapter begins by outlining the principal concepts for that chapter, then explores each idea in detail using examples. Each of Chapters 2–9 concludes with a summary of key ideas, and Chapter 10 summarizes the fundamental ideas of the book and offers some final thoughts on applying them to your projects. This book contains many ideas—far more than any single project would ever need. The advice ranges from tips useful on small projects to ideas for dealing with the complexity of large, multiteam programs. Read through the book using your own judgment to determine which ideas are the most effective and helpful for your specific situation. To get started, pick an idea or two from each section that you think will help you with your project. When you encounter a problem, use the table of contents to locate pointers to deal with it, and adapt the practices outlined there to move things back under control. Don’t overcomplicate your project with processes that aren’t needed; if two approaches to a project issue are equally effective, always choose the simpler one. </body></html>

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Results without Authority

Results without Authority

0814417817

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