People in Projects

People in Projects

by Project Management Institute
Released January 2001
Publisher(s): Project Management Institute
ISBN: 1880410729

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Book description

Project management professionals are fortunate to have access to a rich and growing body of tools and metrics to aid in their success. However, that is just what they are: tools and metrics. The industry is no less prone than any other discipline to the problems inherent in managing people. In fact, strong arguments can be made that project management offers far more. This important book focuses on one of the nine knowledge areas of A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®)2000 Editionnamely, human resource management. This publication is one of the most important collections of writings related to the people side of management that PMI has produced in more than six years. Topics are far ranging and are divided into nine chapters ranging from Key Management Skills and Duties to Managing Change. People in Projects also highlights the importance of true leadership and challenges all project leaders to empower, coach and motivate their team to achieve unimaginable success. You will find a wealth of information on every page to help you effectively manage one of your most important assetspeople!

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
  2. Foreword
  3. Introduction
  4. Key Management Skills and Duties
    1. Project Leadership Means Role Playing
    2. Attributes of the Successful Project Leader
      1. The Ability to Create and Nurture a Vision
      2. The Ability to Not Fear Failure
      3. The Ability to Expect and Accept Criticism
      4. The Ability to Take Risks
      5. The Ability to Empower Others
      6. The Ability to Be Decisive
      7. The Ability to Persevere
      8. The Ability to Be Happy
      9. The Ability to Laugh
      10. The Ability to Leave Your Ego Behind
      11. The Ability to Think Before Acting
      12. The Ability to Meet Commitments
      13. The Ability to Coach Your Team—Be a Role Model
      14. The Ability to Maintain a Winning Attitude
      15. The Ability to Believe in Yourself
    3. Are You a Project Manager/Leader or Just Managing Projects?
      1. The Corporate Need—A “Warm Body” Concept
      2. A Better Solution—The “Right Body” Concept (Instilling Skills in the Right People)
      3. Bridging the Gap—Defining an Action Plan toward Effective Resource Utilization
      4. References
    4. Resource Managers: The Key to Your Success
      1. The Basic Job of the Resource Manager
      2. Project Management-Related Functions
      3. The Project Manager’s Role in This Relationship
    5. Duties of the Effective Resource Manager
    6. Project Leadership and the Art of Managing Involvement
      1. Implementation
      2. Managing Involvement
    7. How Can a Project Manager Be an Effective Negotiator?
      1. How to Reduce the Likelihood of a Contract Dispute
      2. Recognition of Potential Disputes
      3. Preparing for the Negotiations
      4. The Win/Win Settlement
      5. Summary
      6. References
    8. Negotiating the Right Decision
      1. Clash and Conflict
      2. In Search of Something Better
    9. Handling Unpleasant Project Tasks
      1. Influencing in All Directions
      2. Ten Guidelines for Improving Influence on Unpleasant Tasks
      3. Implementation: Consensus Is Particularly Important
  5. Organizational Planning: Identifying Roles, Responsibilities, and Relationships
    1. The Fourth Constraint: Relationships
      1. A Cautionary Tale
      2. A Web of Relationships
    2. Relationship Building: A Key Technical Skill
      1. Negotiating
      2. Listening
      3. Understanding Behavior Styles
      4. Understanding the Client’s Organization
      5. Understanding the Client’s Internal Politics and Pressures
      6. Seeing Opportunities
      7. Understanding the Client’s Strengths, Weaknesses, and Expectations
      8. Communicating Continuously to Keep the Client Informed
      9. Seeking Client Feedback
      10. Helping the Client Achieve Superstar Status in His Company
      11. Serving as the Orchestra Leader
      12. Following Up with Team Members
    3. Anticipating Team Roles and Interactions When Planning a Software Development Project
      1. Building the Software Development Team
      2. Group Interaction Model
      3. Conclusion
      4. References
    4. The Project Manager/Functional Manager Partnership
      1. The Challenge
      2. Radical versus Incremental Change
      3. Project Success
      4. Functional and Project Management Roles
      5. Project Manager/Functional Manager Conflict
      6. Creating a Collaborative Relationship
      7. Change Initiative Objectives
      8. References
    5. Setting Expectations: Initiating the Project Manager/Client Relationship
      1. The Problem
      2. Pre-Kickoff
      3. Communications
      4. Risk Management
      5. Perceptions and Assumptions
      6. References
    6. Engage! Involve the Customer to Manage Scope
      1. The Problem of Project Scope
      2. The Toughest Question
      3. Engaging Customers to Manage Their Project Scope
      4. Developing the Baseline
      5. Reducing Scope
      6. Manageable Threats
      7. Change Happens
      8. References
    7. Enhancing Supplier Relationships
      1. The Networking Frenzy
      2. New Trends in Procurement
      3. Relationship Building
  6. Human Resource Theory and Charts
    1. Post-Planning Review Prevents Poor Project Performance
      1. Project Management Evaluations
      2. Post-Planning Project Management Reviews
      3. A Survey Assessing Project Management Evaluations and Post-Planning Reviews
      4. Establishing a Post-Planning Project Process
      5. What Occurs during Post-Planning Project Reviews
      6. Employee Responses
    2. PM Stands for People Motivator
      1. Criticism
      2. Money
      3. You Reap What You Reward
      4. Clear Directions
      5. Fear
      6. Time Management
      7. Communicate
      8. Ego/Self-Actualization
      9. Get Unstuck
      10. Make It Fun
      11. Rewards
      12. References
    3. Using the Learning Curve to Design Effective Training
      1. References
    4. QFD in Project Management—A Pragmatic Approach
      1. The Essence of QFD
      2. The Value of QFD in the Development Cycle
      3. QFD and Project Management
      4. Conclusions
      5. References
    5. A Parallel WBS for International Projects
      1. Preparing for the Inevitable
      2. A Parallel WBS
      3. The Culture Risk Management Team
      4. Information Management
      5. Risk Assessment and Strategy Planning
      6. International Project Personnel Support
      7. Integration of Project Personnel
      8. Toward Organizational Learning
  7. Staff Acquisition and Kickoff
    1. How Are You Handling the Resource Shortage?
    2. Human Resources: How Are They Faring on Your Project?
    3. Finding and Keeping the Best Employees
    4. Pump Up Your Project Scheduling
      1. A Reality-Based Set of Best Practices
      2. Pump Up Proposals
      3. Just Do It!
    5. Kick Off the Smart Way
    6. Little Things Make the Biggest Difference
    7. Walking the Talk
  8. Team Development: Individual and Group Skills
    1. All Project Members Should Be Treated Equal!
    2. Project Teams: What Have We Learned?
      1. When Do You Really Need a Team?
      2. What Are the Different Levels of Teamwork?
      3. What Makes Teams Work?
      4. How to Develop Star Teams
      5. References
    3. Shared Vision Creates Strong Project Teams
    4. How to Run an Effective Meeting
    5. Leadership in Project Life Cycle and Team Character Development
      1. Theoretical Basis for Team Character Development
      2. Project Life-Cycle Stages
      3. Team Character Development Stages
      4. Conclusion
      5. References
    6. Learning with Style
    7. Mentoring in the Project Environment
      1. Mentoring through the Ages
      2. Definitions of Mentoring
      3. Benefits of Mentoring
      4. Five Mentoring Programs Tailored to Project Management
      5. Summary
    8. Establishing an Internal Mentorship Program
      1. RMC Case Study
      2. Results
    9. If This Is a Team, How Come We Never Practice?
      1. Are We Really on Teams?
      2. Ground Rules and Assumptions
      3. Why Do Projects Fail?
      4. Why Teams?
      5. What Is the Function of the Team?
      6. Why Teams Do Not Perform Successfully
      7. The Effect of Organizational Structure on Teams
      8. Required Structural Changes
      9. The Missing Link
      10. What about Practice?
      11. References
  9. Resolving Conflict
    1. Is Everybody Happy?
      1. You Can’t Please All the People All the Time
      2. Don’t Play One Group Against Another
      3. Know What Makes Them Tick and When
      4. Get Certified
      5. You Never Really Arrive
    2. Discovering Bias in Facilitated Teams
      1. Who Are You Calling Biased?
      2. Why Should I Care?
      3. Recognizing Bias
      4. The Solution
    3. Resolving Team Conflict
      1. Prepare for the Interaction
      2. Initiate the Exchange
      3. Facilitate the Relationship
      4. Understand the Interests
      5. Examine the Solutions
      6. Reach Consensus
      7. Mediating Conflict
    4. Dealing with Dissent: The Story of Henry
    5. The Misused Project Manager
      1. Elements of Misuse
      2. Consequences of Misuse
      3. Breaking the Pattern of Misuse
      4. Warning Signs When Pursuing a New Position
  10. Closeout and Evaluation
    1. The Forgotten Phase
    2. How to Prepare and Conduct a Project Review
      1. Don’t Lose It
      2. Preparing for a Review
      3. Conducting the Review
      4. Reviewing Specialists
      5. Focusing on Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
    3. Employee Evaluation and Appraisal
      1. The Appraisal Process
      2. The Interview
      3. Follow-Up
      4. Pitfalls
    4. Finally, a Way to Completely Measure Project Manager Performance
      1. Why Measure Competencies?
      2. 360-Degree Feedback Tool
      3. References
  11. Worldwide Teams and Cultural Issues
    1. The Virtual Project: Managing Tomorrow’s Team Today
      1. The Virtual Project
      2. Implementing Virtual Project Teams
      3. Referneces
    2. Cohesive, Productive Distance Teams
      1. Difficulties in Managing a Remote Team
      2. The Rules
    3. Global Work Teams: A Cultural Perspective
      1. Understand Cultural Differences
      2. Select the Right Team Leader and Team Members
      3. Create a Shared, Common Goal
      4. Balance Commitment and Priority
      5. Enhance Communication
  12. Managing Change
    1. The Team-Friendly Organizational Structure: A Paradigm Shift
      1. Twentieth Century Organizations: A Historical Perspective
      2. The Impact of Change on Organizational Behavior
      3. References
    2. Project Management in an Era of Increasingly Rapid Change
      1. Four Phases of Change
      2. General Management Skills
      3. Success
      4. References
    3. Project Recovery: Short- and Long-Term Solutions
      1. Why Projects Get into Trouble
      2. Senior Management’s Interest
      3. How Is Project Recovery Accomplished?
      4. Seven-Step Project Recovery Program
      5. How to Avoid Project Recovery
      6. Summary
    4. Risk Management in a Downsized Environment
      1. The Problem May Be Inherent in the System
      2. Hidden Costs
      3. Who Do We Turn to for Help?
      4. A Whole New Area of Risk
    5. Alternatives to Downsizing
      1. Long-Term Staffing Alternatives
      2. Cost-Saving Strategies
      3. Considering the Alternatives
      4. Ideas for Getting Started
      5. References
  13. Upgrade Your Project Management Knowledge
  14. Also Available From PMI
  15. Index

Product information

  • Title: People in Projects
  • Author(s): Project Management Institute
  • Release date: January 2001
  • Publisher(s): Project Management Institute
  • ISBN: 1880410729