97 Things Every Project Manager Should Know

Book description

If the projects you manage don't go as smoothly as you'd like, 97 Things Every Project Manager Should Know offers knowledge that's priceless, gained through years of trial and error. This illuminating book contains 97 short and extremely practical tips -- whether you're dealing with software or non-IT projects -- from some of the world's most experienced project managers and software developers. You'll learn how these professionals have dealt with everything from managing teams to handling project stakeholders to runaway meetings and more.

While this book highlights software projects, its wise axioms contain project management principles applicable to projects of all types in any industry. You can read the book end to end or browse to find topics that are of particular relevance to you. 97 Things Every Project Manager Should Know is both a useful reference and a source of inspiration.

Among the 97 practical tips:

  • "Clever Code Is Hard to Maintain...and Maintenance Is Everything" -- David Wood, Partner, Zepheira
  • "Every Project Manager Is a Contract Administrator" -- Fabio Teixeira de Melo, Planning Manager, Construtora Norberto Odebrecht
  • "Can Earned Value and Velocity Coexist on Reports?" -- Barbee Davis, President, Davis Consulting
  • "How Do You Define 'Finished'"? -- Brian Sam-Bodden, author, software architect
  • "The Best People to Create the Estimates Are the Ones Who Do the Work" -- Joe Zenevitch, Senior Project Manager, ThoughtWorks
  • "How to Spot a Good IT Developer" -- James Graham, independent management consultant
  • "One Deliverable, One Person" -- Alan Greenblatt, CEO, Sciova

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Table of contents

  1. 97 Things Every Project Manager Should Know
    1. SPECIAL OFFER: Upgrade this ebook with O’Reilly
    2. Preface
      1. Permissions
      2. How to Contact Us
      3. Safari® Books Online
      4. Acknowledgments
    3. 1. Get Users Involved As Early As Possible
    4. 2. Avoid Whack-a-Mole Development
    5. 3. A Word Can Make You Miss Your Deadline
    6. 4. Make Project Sponsors Write Their Own Requirements
    7. 5. Favor the Simple Over the Complex
    8. 6. Pay Your Debts
    9. 7. Add Talents, Not Skills, to Your Team
    10. 8. Keep It Simple, Simon
    11. 9. You Aren't Special
    12. 10. Scrolling Through Time
    13. 11. Save Money on Your Issues
    14. 12. How to Spot a Good IT Developer
    15. 13. Developer Productivity: Skilled Versus Average
    16. 14. Size Matters
    17. 15. Document Your Process, Then Make Sure It Is Followed
    18. 16. Go Ahead, Throw That Practice Out
    19. 17. Requirement Specifications: An Oxymoron
    20. 18. Success Is Always Measured in Business Value
    21. 19. Don't Skip Vacations for the Project
    22. 20. Provide Regular Time to Focus
    23. 21. Project Management Is Problem Management
    24. 22. Empowering Developers: A Man Named Tim
    25. 23. Clever Code Is Hard to Maintain
    26. 24. Managing Human Factors in IT Project Management
    27. 25. Use a Wiki
    28. 26. The Missing Link
    29. 27. Estimate, Estimate, Estimate
    30. 28. Developers Unite—PMOs Are Advancing
    31. 29. Value Results, Not Just Effort
    32. 30. Software Failure Is Organizational Failure
    33. 31. A Voice from the Other Side
    34. 32. Keep Your Perspective
    35. 33. How Do You Define "Finished"?
    36. 34. The 60/60 Rule
    37. 35. We Have Met the Enemy...and He Is Us
    38. 36. Work in Cycles
    39. 37. To Thine Own Self Be True
    40. 38. Meetings Don't Write Code
    41. 39. Chart a Course for Change
    42. 40. IT Program Management: Shared Vision
    43. 41. Planning for Reality
    44. 42. The Fallacy of Perfect Execution
    45. 43. Introduce a More Agile Communication System
    46. 44. Don't Worship a Methodology
    47. 45. Don't Throw Spreadsheets at People Issues
    48. 46. One Deliverable, One Person
    49. 47. The Fallacy of Perfect Knowledge
    50. 48. Build Teams to Run Marathons, Not Sprints
    51. 49. The Holy Trinity of Project Management
    52. 50. Roadmaps: What Have We Done for You Lately?
    53. 51. The Importance of the Project Scope Statement
    54. 52. Align Vision and Expected Outcome
    55. 53. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
    56. 54. Avoiding Contract Disputes
    57. 55. You Get What You Measure
    58. 56. Don't Fall into the "Not Invented Here" Syndrome
    59. 57. Favor the Now Over the Soon
    60. 58. Speed Is Life; More Is Better
    61. 59. Building the Morale on Your Team
    62. 60. A Project Depends on Teamwork
    63. 61. Serve Your Team
    64. 62. The Fallacy of the Big Round Ball
    65. 63. Responding to a Crisis
    66. 64. Know Your Integration Points
    67. 65. Aggressively Promote Communication in Distributed Projects
    68. 66. Start with the End in Mind
    69. 67. Clear Terms, Long Friendship!
    70. 68. The Best Estimators: Those Who Do the Work
    71. 69. Communicating Is Key
    72. 70. A Project Is the Pursuit of a Solution
    73. 71. It's the People, Stupid
    74. 72. Documents Are a Means, Not an End
    75. 73. Can Earned Value and Velocity Coexist on Reports?
    76. 74. Scope Change Happens; Get Used to It
    77. 75. Buying Ready-Made Software
    78. 76. Project Sponsors—Good, Bad, and Ugly
    79. 77. Should You Under-Promise, or Over-Deliver?
    80. 78. Every Project Manager Is a Contract Administrator
    81. 79. Important, but Not Urgent
    82. 80. Teach the Process
    83. 81. The Fallacy of Status
    84. 82. What Do They Want to Hear, Anyway?
    85. 83. Recognize the Value of Team Morale
    86. 84. Engage Stakeholders All Through Project Life
    87. 85. The Value of Planning
    88. 86. Don't Always Be "The Messenger"
    89. 87. Effectively Manage the Deliverables
    90. 88. We Are Project Managers, Not Superheroes
    91. 89. Increase Communication: Hold Frequent, Instant Meetings
    92. 90. Flexibility Simplifies Project Management
    93. 91. The Web Points the Way, for Now
    94. 92. Developers Hate Status Reports, Managers Love Them
    95. 93. You Are Not in Control
    96. 94. Share the Vision
    97. 95. True Success Comes with a Supporting Organization
    98. 96. Establish Project Management Governance
    99. 97. 9.7 Reasons I Hate Your Website
    100. Contributors
    101. Index
    102. Colophon
    103. SPECIAL OFFER: Upgrade this ebook with O’Reilly

Product information

  • Title: 97 Things Every Project Manager Should Know
  • Author(s): Barbee Davis
  • Release date: August 2009
  • Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
  • ISBN: 9781449379568