Effective Project Management: Traditional, Agile, Extreme, 7th Edition

Chapter 2

What Is Project Management?

The design, adaptation, and deployment of project management life cycles and models are based on the changing characteristics of the project and are the guiding principles behind practicing effective project management.

Don't impose process and procedure that stifles team and individual creativity! Rather create and support an environment that encourages that behavior.

—Robert K. Wysocki, PhD, President, EII Publications, LLC

CHAPTER LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After reading this chapter, you will be able to:

• Understand and apply a working description of project management
• Understand the challenges of effective project management
• Apply a business value definition of requirements
• Manage the creeps
• Understand the Requirements Breakdown Structure (RBS) as the key to choosing and adapting a best-fit Project Management Life Cycle (PMLC)
• Know the characteristics of Traditional Project Management (TPM), Agile Project Management (APM), Extreme Project Management (xPM), and Emertxe Project Management (MPx)
• Know how complexity and uncertainty affect the project landscape
• Understand the similarities and differences between Linear, Incremental, Iterative, Adaptive, and Extreme PMLC models

I suspect that for many of you this chapter will be your first exposure to just how broad and deep the world of managing projects can be. It never ceases to amaze me that even after more than 40 years of practicing project management I am still encountering new challenges ...