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The Definitive Guide to Project Management: The Fast Track to Getting the Job Done on Time and on Budget
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Product Description
Knowing that you’re managing a project that is going well is a good feeling.
That moment when you know that it’s going to happen on time, that it’s 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, it’s 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 organisational 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. This will be a powerful skill to possess in a business world where work is increasingly organised around projects.
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 in balance. Using the principles critical chain management, the authors help you master the essentials of good project management and then explore the situations 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 energise projects; how to turn failing projects around; and how to spot likely problem projects.
It is practical, to the point, and can be used immediately. An essential companion if you want projects to be a source of inspiration not perspiration.
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
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Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #267589 in Books
- Published on: 2003-08-07
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Paperback
- 256 pages
Editorial Reviews
From the Back Cover
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.
About the Author
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.
Customer Reviews
A good overview, though short on templates
A pleasant and simple read, well laid out and clearly illustrated, this book is a very good introduction into project management that covers the whole gamut of topics succinctly. If that is all you want, then you won't be disappointed.
However, as with many of these "definitive guides" or "How to" books, it fails to deliver on providing any real templates for areas such as project initiation documents or many of the other documents hinted at in the book. You do get to see some detail on the most commonly used tools such as PERT and GANNT charts, but no less than you would expect from any project management title.
If you can live without these templates, then it is a perfect book, but if you really are looking to improve the way to manage your projects, then surely the use of good templates for the documentation etc would be pivotal to achieving this?
I wish this book was around 12 months ago
Having left graduate school 12 months ago and commenced work as a Project Manager trainee, I was looking for a book that not only gave a comprehensive coverage of project management, but also allowed you to dip in and out as a reference book. Nothing existed before - but it does now.
The diagrams are clear and informative, as are the case studies peppered throughout. I particularly found the stance on people management useful and refreshing. It makes a change to read a book on project management that has clearly been written by practitioners as opposed to academics.
All in all it is a very well written, thought out book - hopefully I'm a better project manager for reading it!
Very good, practical
At last! Project management is not about Gantt charts, PERT charts, various methodologies and all that sort of bureaucracy. This is a VERY practical guide that covers the fundamental principles. Many other books seem to get bogged down in detail. Most projects are about knowing AON from AOA, they are about working our what to do, likely sources of risk, making a plan and then doing it in a way that works in a real business organization. This book is the best guide for typical business projects that I have yet seen. The appendix on critical chain looks interesting, but is not for me though.
