Lessons in Project Management, Second Edition

Lessons in Project Management, Second Edition

Released September 2011
Publisher(s): Apress
ISBN: 9781430238348

Read it now on the O’Reilly learning platform with a 10-day free trial.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Start your free trial

Book description

Most of the project management books on the market are basically textbooks. They are dry to begin with, and don't focus on the practical advice that most people need to run their projects. Lessons in Project Management, Second Edition does not assume that you are a project manager building a nuclear reactor or sending a man to the moon. Instead, it focuses on the millions of people who manage normal, medium-to-large projects on an ongoing basis.

Each case study in Lessons in Project Management contains an accessible, easy-to-read analysis of the challenges of real-world project management. Each problem is presented, then followed by an examination of the solution, written in easy-to-understand language.

The format allows you to more easily relate to the book, since it brings into play a project scenario with practical project management lessons to be learned. You'll also recognize recurring characters who appear in multiple stories, and you'll start to develop some empathy for and interest in their struggles.

What you'll learn

  • How to understand a problem

  • How to use the authors' ten-step approach to project management

  • How to resolve a given problem with methods appropriate to the size of the project

  • About underpromising and underdelivering

  • Tips on managing projects, such as developing rapport with project managers and team members

Who this book is for

No prior project management experience is assumed. This book is for the millions of people who manage projects, regardless of size. This book is quite helpful for managers in the middle of a project who may be experiencing problems.

Table of contents

  1. Title
  2. Dedication
  3. Contents
  4. About the Authors
  5. Introduction
  6. The Year Begins—On a Slippery Note
  7. Chapter 1: Understand the Characteristics of a Project
    1. LESSON
  8. Chapter 2: Always Have an Identified and Committed Sponsor
    1. LESSON
  9. Chapter 3: Report Status on All Projects
    1. LESSON
  10. Chapter 4: Focus on Deadline Dates
    1. LESSON
  11. Chapter 5: Apply Some Level of Project Management Discipline: —Even On Small Projects
    1. LESSON
  12. Chapter 6: Define and Plan the Work First
    1. LESSON
  13. Chapter 7: Don't “Microbuild” or Micromanage the Workplan
    1. LESSON
  14. Chapter 8: Hire a Diverse Project Team: Without Compromising on the Best Candidates
    1. LESSON
  15. Chapter 9: Define the Many Aspects of What Is In Scope and Out of Scope
    1. LESSON
  16. Chapter 10: Use the “Big Three” Documents: Project Charter, Project Schedule, and Requirements as the Foundation for Your Project
    1. LESSON
  17. Chapter 11: Use Scope Change Management: To Allow the Sponsor to Make the Final Decision (Many Times The Sponsor Will Say “No”)
    1. LESSON
  18. Chapter 12: Collect Metrics: To Evaluate How Well You (and Your Project) Are Performing
    1. LESSON
  19. Chapter 13: Give Performance Feedback Routinely: Not Just During Formal Reviews
    1. LESSON
  20. Chapter 14: Ensure Issues Management Is Everyone's Responsibility
    1. LESSON
  21. Chapter 15: Shorten Long Meetings to Sharpen the Focus
    1. LESSON
  22. Chapter 16: Identify the Root Cause of Problems
    1. LESSON
  23. Chapter 17: Use Quality Assurance to Validate Project Status
    1. LESSON
  24. Chapter 18: Cancel Projects That Lose Business Support
    1. LESSON
  25. Chapter 19: Use Risk Management to Discover Potential Problems
    1. LESSON
  26. Chapter 20: Focus Quality Management on Processes, Not People
    1. LESSON
  27. Chapter 21: Don't Use Your Estimating Contingency for Scope Changes
    1. LESSON
  28. Chapter 22: Develop a Communication Plan for Complex Projects
    1. LESSON
  29. Chapter 23: Scale Your Processes Based on Project Size
    1. LESSON
  30. Chapter 24: Plan the Project Even If You Start the Work at the Same Time
    1. LESSON
  31. Chapter 25: Identify the Critical Path and How This Path Drives the End Date
    1. LESSON
  32. Chapter 26: Change Assumptions to Revise an Estimate
    1. LESSON
  33. Chapter 27: Don't Forget Face-to-Face Communication on Your Project
    1. LESSON
  34. Chapter 28: Make Quality a Mindset and Ongoing Process
    1. LESSON
  35. Chapter 29: Batch Small Scope Change Requests for Sponsor Approval
    1. LESSON
  36. Chapter 30: Manage Your Vendor Projects Proactively
    1. LESSON
  37. Chapter 31: Look for Risks Inherent to Your Project
    1. LESSON
  38. Chapter 32: Get Sponsor Approval Before Investigating Large Scope Change Requests
    1. LESSON
  39. Chapter 33: Make Sure the Cost of Collecting Metrics Does Not Exceed Their Value
    1. LESSON
  40. Chapter 34: Use Multiple Estimating Techniques
    1. LESSON
  41. Chapter 35: Keep Your Schedule Up to Date
    1. LESSON
  42. Chapter 36: Use Issue Management to Choose the Best of Bad Alternatives
    1. LESSON
  43. Chapter 37: Collect Metrics That Can Lead to Fundamental Improvements
    1. LESSON
  44. Chapter 38: Evaluate All Risk Response Options in the Risk Plan
    1. LESSON
  45. Chapter 39: Manage Client Expectations
    1. LESSON
  46. Chapter 40: Use Milestones to Track Overall Progress
    1. LESSON
  47. Chapter 41: Catch Errors as Early as Possible
    1. LESSON
  48. Chapter 42: Gain Sponsor Approval for Scope Changes Requiring Budget and Deadline Deviation
    1. LESSON
  49. Chapter 43: Be Proactive to Accelerate the Project Schedule
    1. LESSON
  50. Chapter 44: Use the Work Breakdown Structure to Identify All the Work
    1. LESSON
  51. Chapter 45: Write Your Status Reports from the Reader's Perspective
    1. LESSON
  52. Chapter 46: Update Your Risk Plan Throughout the Project
    1. LESSON
  53. Chapter 47: Don't Deliver More Than the Client Requested
    1. LESSON
  54. Chapter 48: Make One Person Responsible for Each Activity
    1. LESSON
  55. Chapter 49: Focus on Deadlines to Keep Your Project from Wandering
    1. LESSON
  56. Chapter 50: Gain Agreement on Project Metrics Ahead of Time
    1. LESSON
  57. Year-End Recap
  58. Index

Product information

  • Title: Lessons in Project Management, Second Edition
  • Author(s):
  • Release date: September 2011
  • Publisher(s): Apress
  • ISBN: 9781430238348