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The Definitive Guide to Project Management: Every executives fast-track to delivering on time and on budget
- By Sebastian Nokes, Ian Major, Alan Greenwood, Mark Goodman
- Published Jul 19, 2004 by FT Press.
- Copyright 2003
- Dimensions: 6x9
- Pages: 256
- Edition: 1st
- Book
- ISBN-10: 0-273-66397-6
- ISBN-13: 978-0-273-66397-3
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Product Author Bios
Sebastian was edcucated at Birkbeck & Imperial Colleges, University of London and has an MSc in finance from the London Business School. He was trained in investment banks, the insurance industry, the IT industry and publishing.
Sebastian is the author of a number of business books published by Pearson Education.
Knowing that you're managing a project that is going well is a good feeling.
That moment when you know that its going to happen on time, that its avoided the pitfalls and delays that could have derailed it, and that people and resources have come together surely and smoothly, is a moment to savour. Fortunately, its a very achievable moment if you have mastered the tools and techniques of great project management.
Developed from the day-to-day experiences of real project managers facing real organizational and logistical challenges, this book is designed to put you on a fast-track to managing projects of every shape and size with speed and accuracy.
The Definitive Guide to Project Management will show you, step by step, how to deliver the right projects in the right way at the right time, while keeping your life balance. Using the principles of both traditional and critical chain project management, the authors help you master the essentials of good project management and then explore the sitiations where good projects and good business meet. How to manage risks and politics; how to demonstrate the value added by a project; how to communicate upwards and downwards in project teams; how to energize projects; how to turn failing projects around; and how to spot likely problem projects. As well as covering all the conceptual tools needed for project management, this book pays special attention to the soft issues involved - how to manage the people side of project management.
Inside you will find key questions, step-by-step guidance and action checklists to help with each stage of a well-executed project:
- Before you start
- Planning
- Preliminary Definition
- Full Definition
- Design
- Build and test
- Implementation
- Shutdown and review
With The Definitive Guide to Project Management, you can deliver results on time, every time.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Insightful!, By
This review is from: The Definitive Guide to Project Management: Every executives fast-track to delivering on time and on budget (Paperback)
As businesses adapt to rapidly evolving markets, it's difficult to think of a more vital function than project management. The ability to drive multiple projects to completion is one of the hallmarks of leading corporations. If one aspect of contemporary business science deserves elevation to a higher seat in the academy, project management is it. Successful projects reflect extremely efficient and refined planning processes, and are no more a matter of serendipity than, say, 20 straight quarters of steadily increasing profits. This compilation of valuable insight and guidance provides a single reference source for project managers. The book asserts that it is directed at project managers early in their careers and is designed to enable them to operate competently in organizations where a project management structure and legacy already exist. However, it goes into sophisticated levels of detail and the authors assume that you can juggle your jargon and your organization's politics and...
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Clear, well organized, compelling, By
This review is from: The Definitive Guide to Project Management: Every executives fast-track to delivering on time and on budget (Paperback)
This is an excellent walkthrough and summary of project management principles. The book is organized into three major sections; an introduction, a project management process, and a specifications development strategy. The second section is excellent. The chapters are ordered in terms of workflow and the advice is clear and pragmatic. The third section is excellent as well.I've never seen a project management book as focused and well organized as this one. An excellent book for managers looking to better manage their projects, or for engineers looking for books to give management that will move projects up from CMM level 0.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Comprehensive overview of PMBOK and more, By
This review is from: The Definitive Guide to Project Management: Every executives fast-track to delivering on time and on budget (Paperback)
For those looking for materials related to the exams, this would not be a typical exam-focused book - a better book for those wishing to simply 'boot camp' through the PMBOK would be McGary's Passing the PMP(R) Exam: How to Take It and Pass It.In this book, the authors deliver a brief overview of project management frameworks before settling into a comprehensive account of PMBOK methodology, detailing the specific processes (including inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs) according to the orthogonal perspectives of phase and knowledge area. The authors topic knowledge is reflected in their abiltiy to fluently contrast areas of the PMBOK where it differs from generally accepted practices and other industry approaches (PRINCE2 as just one example). The book also offers a detailed appendix devoted to the critical chain method as... Read more |
Table of Contents
Contents
List of Figures xi
Checklists xiii
Cases xiii
Preface xv
Part I / Background information
Introduction 3
Imagine … 5
About this book 5
Projects 8
Project life cycle outline 16
Basic principles 21
Business principles 23
Management and control principles 25
People principles 30
Part II / Project management processes
Project organization and team 37
What do we mean by project organization and team? 39
Project roles 39
Team management 43
Everyday basics and administration 53
What do we mean by everyday basics and administration? 55
Time recording 55
Meetings 56
Project file 59
Document version control 61
Purchasing authority 62
Planning 63
What do we mean by planning? 65
Why plan? 65
Planning tools 66
Work breakdown structure 68
Gantt/Project timeline charts 71
Network (PERT) diagrams 78
Planning process 81
Re-planning and speeding-up the project 90
Monitoring and control 97
What do we mean by monitoring and control? 99
Information gathering 99
Using the project plan 102
Problem diagnosis and resolution 108
Scope management and risk management 115
Scope management 117
Scope creep 117
The issue log 119
Scope management process 120
Risk management 122
Sources of risk 122
Risk control 124
Risk management process 126
Part III / Project life cycle stages
Define 133
What is the define phase? 135
Objectives 136
Scope 137
Starting inputs 138
Deliverables 138
Responsibilities 138
Process 140
Design 155
What is the design phase? 157
Objectives 157
Scope 158
Starting inputs 158
Deliverables 158
Responsibilities 159
Process 160
Build and test 167
What is the build and test phase? 169
Objectives 169
Scope 170
Starting inputs 170
Deliverables 170
Responsibilities 171
Process 172
Implement and review 177
What is the implement phase? 179
Objectives 179
Scope 179
Starting inputs 180
Deliverables 180
Responsibilities 180
Process 182
What is the review phase? 186
Objectives 186
Scope 186
Starting inputs 187
Deliverables 187
Responsibilities 187
Process 188
Appendix A: The critical chain method 191
Understanding activity durations 191
Criticial chain and activity durations 193
Focus on critical activities 195
The project buffer as a diagnostic 198
Action summary 200
Appendix B: Classic planning and progress
measurement tools 203
Critical path and PERT plans 203
Progress measurement 209
Appendix C: Managing large and complex projects 213
Appendix D: Project planning software tools 217
Tools for single projects 218
Tools for multi-project environments 219
Glossary 221
Index 224
Downloadable Sample Chapter
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