9780789731975

One-stop guide to effectively managing and leading successful projects the first time.

Introduction

1

(1)

About This Book

1

(2)

Who Should Read This Book?

3

(1)

How This Book Is Organized

3

(1)

Conventions Used in This Book

4

(1)

I Project Management Jumpstart

5

(32)

Project Management Overview

7

(12)

What Is Project Management...Exactly?

8

(4)

What Is the Value of Project Management?

12

(1)

Why Are Projects Challenging?

13

(2)

Growing Demand for Effective Project Managers?

15

(1)

Trends in Project Management

16

(3)

The Project Manager

19

(8)

One Title, Many Roles

20

(1)

Key Skills of Project Managers

21

(2)

Qualities of Successful Project Managers

23

(1)

15 Common Mistakes of Project Managers

24

(3)

Essential Elements for Any Successful Project

27

(10)

What Exactly Is a ``Successful'' Project?

28

(1)

Learning from Troubled Projects

29

(3)

Learning from Successful Projects

32

(1)

Essential Project Manager Toolkit

33

(4)

II Project Planning

37

(80)

Defining a Project

39

(10)

Setting the Stage for Success

40

(1)

How Does Defining a Project Relate to Project Planning?

40

(2)

Project Definition Document

42

(3)

Project Definition Checklist

45

(4)

Planning a Project

49

(16)

Key Project Planning Principles

50

(2)

Important Questions Project Planning Should Answer

52

(1)

Building a Project Plan

53

(7)

Summary of Supplemental Project Plan Components

60

(2)

Project Plan Checklist

62

(3)

Developing the Work Breakdown Structure

65

(14)

What Is a WBS Exactly?

66

(6)

Why Is the WBS Important?

72

(1)

The Process of Building a WBS

73

(6)

Estimating the Work

79

(12)

Next Step in the Schedule Development Process

80

(2)

Managing the Risk, Managing the Estimates

82

(1)

Reasons for Estimating Woes

82

(2)

Powerful Estimating Techniques and Methods

84

(2)

Best Practices

86

(5)

Developing the Project Schedule

91

(16)

The Impact of the Project Schedule

92

(2)

The Goal of the Schedule Development Process

94

(1)

Key Inputs for Building a Schedule

95

(1)

Creating a Schedule

96

(11)

Determining the Project Budget

107

(10)

The Impact of the Project Budget

108

(1)

Principles of an Effective Budget

109

(1)

Creating a Project Budget

110

(4)

Common Budget Challenges

114

(3)

III Project Control

117

(82)

Controlling a Project

119

(18)

What Is Project Control?

120

(3)

Management Fundamentals for Project Control

123

(1)

Powerful Techniques for Project Control

124

(3)

Performance Reporting

127

(2)

Variance Responses

129

(1)

Leveraging Earned Value Management Concepts

130

(2)

Common Project Control Challenges

132

(2)

Lessons from Project Recoveries

134

(3)

Managing Project Changes

137

(14)

What Exactly Is a Project Change and What's the Big Deal Anyway?

138

(3)

Fundamentals for Managing Project Change

141

(1)

What Causes Unplanned Scope Changes?

142

(1)

Essential Elements of a Project Change Control System

143

(3)

Powerful Techniques for Minimizing Project Changes

146

(2)

Common Project Change Control Challenges

148

(3)

Managing Project Deliverables

151

(12)

``Managing Project Deliverables'' Means What Exactly?

152

(1)

Why Do This? It's Too Much Work

153

(1)

Identify, Protect, and Track: The Principles of Managing Work Products

154

(1)

Best Practices

155

(4)

Configuration Management Plan

159

(2)

Common Challenges and Pitfalls

161

(2)

Managing Project Issues

163

(10)

The Goals, Objectives, and Principles of Project Issue Management

164

(1)

Key Features of Issue Management System

165

(2)

Options for Issue Log

167

(1)

Best Practices

168

(2)

Some Special Situations

170

(3)

Managing Project Risks

173

(14)

Key Risk Management Principles

174

(1)

The Essential Process for Managing Project Risks

175

(3)

The Common Sources of Project Risk

178

(4)

Typical Problems

182

(1)

Powerful Risk Control Strategies

183

(1)

Are You Sure It's a Risk?

184

(3)

Managing Project Quality

187

(12)

What Is ``Project Quality''?

188

(1)

Unique Aspects of Managing Project Quality

189

(1)

Principles of Managing Project Quality

189

(2)

Powerful Tools and Techniques for Project Quality

191

(2)

Powerful Quality Strategies

193

(1)

Typical Quality-Related Challenges

194

(5)

IV Project Execution

199

(90)

Leading a Project

201

(12)

More Than Managing

202

(2)

Where Is Leadership Needed on a Project?

204

(2)

Twelve Keys to Better Project Leadership

206

(2)

Power of Servant Leadership Approach

208

(5)

Managing Project Communications

213

(14)

What Are Project Communications?

214

(1)

The Importance of Project Communications

215

(1)

Why Communicating Can Be Tough

216

(1)

Seven Powerful Principles

217

(2)

Best Practices of Effective Project Communicators

219

(8)

Managing Expectations

227

(16)

Value of Reviewing Stakeholder Expectation Management

228

(1)

Critical Aspects of Expectations

228

(5)

Seven Master Principles of Expectation Management

233

(2)

Essential Elements of Managing Expectations

235

(8)

Keys to Better Project Team Performance

243

(12)

High-Performing Teams

244

(1)

Ten Key Principles

244

(3)

Proven Techniques

247

(3)

Special Situations

250

(5)

Managing Differences

255

(12)

Five Key Principles

256

(2)

Proven Techniques for Leading Cross-Functional Projects

258

(3)

Proven Techniques for Leading Cross-Cultural Projects

261

(1)

Proven Techniques for Leading Virtual Projects

262

(5)

Managing Vendors

267

(14)

First, Let's Clarify a Few Terms

268

(1)

Ten Proven Principles of Vendor Management

268

(3)

Twelve Tips for Buyers

271

(2)

Seven Tips for Sellers

273

(1)

Twelve Key Project Management Skills for Better Vendor Management

274

(1)

Stuff You Need to Know About Contracts

275

(6)

Ending a Project

281

(8)

Three Key Principles

282

(1)

Project End Checklist---13 Important Steps

282

(2)

Common Project Closing Challenges

284

(1)

Methods for Ending a Contract or a Project

285

(4)

Index

289

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

= 0) {slash = '\\';} else {slash = '/';}openLoc = figLoc.substring(0, figLoc.lastIndexOf(slash) + 1);while (pPage.substring(0,3) == '../') {openLoc = openLoc.substring(0, openLoc.lastIndexOf(slash, openLoc.length - 2)+ 1);pPage = pPage.substring(3, pPage.length + 1);}popUpWin =window.open('','popWin','resizable=1,scrollbars=1,location=0,toolbar=0,width=525,height=394');figDoc = popUpWin.document;zhtm= ' ' + pPage + ' ';zhtm += ' ';zhtm += ' ';zhtm += ' ';zhtm += '' + pPage.substring(pPage.lastIndexOf('/') + 1, pPage.length) + '';zhtm += ' ';figDoc.write(zhtm);figDoc.close();}// modified 3.1.99 RWE v4.1 --> Introduction Introduction As organizations continue to move toward "project-based" management to get more done with less resources, and as the demand for effective project managers continues to grow, more and more individuals find themselves with the "opportunity" to manage projects for the first time. In an ideal world, every new project manager candidate would complete certified project management training programs and serve as an apprentice before starting their first project manager opportunity, but...this is the real world. In many cases, a quicker, more accessible, and more economical alternative is needed to guide this audience in managing projects successfully the first time. TheAbsolute Beginner's Guide to Project Managementis intended to provide this alternative with a helpful, fun, and informative style. About This Book Let's take a quick review of the objectives and approach of this book. Objectives The objectives of this book include the following: To be an easy-to-use tutorial and reference resource for any person managing their first project(s) To teach the key concepts and fundamentals behind the project management techniques If these are understood, they can be applied effectively independent of toolset, environment, or industry To reduce the "on-the-job" learning curve by sharing the traits of successful projects and "lessons learned" from less-than-successful projects To balance the breadth of topics covered with adequate depth in specific areas to best prepare a new project manager To review the skills and qualities of effective project managers Emphasize the importance of project "leadership" versus just project "management" Approach Consistent with theAbsolute Beginner's Guideseries, this book will use a teaching style to review the essential techniques and skills needed to successfully m

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

Absolute Beginner's Guide to Project Management

Absolute Beginner's Guide to Project Management

0789731975

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

Excerpts