Overview

Why learn project management the hard way?   Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Project Management, Second Edition will have you managing projects in no time! Here’s a small sample of what you’ll learn:  Key concepts and fundamentals behind best-practice project management techniques The mindset and skill set of effective project managers Project techniques that work in any industry, with any tools The common elements of successful projects Lessons from failed projects The value and importance of project leadership versus project management How to manage growing project trends and tough project types that first-time project managers are likely to encounter How to make better use of Microsoft Project How to respond when project reality does not match textbook scenarios Expert insight on key project management concepts and topics  You’ve just been handed your department's biggest project. Absolute Beginner's Guide to Project Management will show you exactly where to start–and walk you step by step through your entire project! Expert project manager Gregory Horine shows you exactly what works and what doesn’t, drawing on the field’s proven best practices. Understand your role as a project manager...gain the skills and discover the personal qualities of great project managers...learn how to organize, estimate, and schedule projects effectively...manage deliverables, issues, changes, risks, quality, vendors, communications, and expectations...make the most of technology...manage virtual teams...avoid the problems that trip up new project managers! This new edition jumpstarts your project management expertise even faster, with all-new insights on Microsoft Project, challenging project situations and intriguing project management topics of the day.  

Full Product Details

Author:   Greg Horine
Publisher:   Pearson Education (US)
Imprint:   Que Corporation,U.S.
Edition:   2nd edition
Dimensions:   Width: 23.00cm , Height: 3.00cm , Length: 18.20cm
Weight:   0.718kg
ISBN:  

9780789738219

ISBN 10:   078973821
Pages:   432
Publication Date:   26 February 2009
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Replaced By:   9780789750105
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Out of Print
Availability:   In Print  
Limited stock is available. It will be ordered for you and shipped pending supplier's limited stock.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1 About This Book 1 Who Should Read This Book? 3 How This Book Is Organized 3 Conventions Used in This Book 4 PART I PROJECT MANAGEMENT JUMPSTART 5 Chapter 1 Project Management Overview 7 What Is Project Management...Exactly? 8 What Is the Value of Project Management? 12 Why Are Projects Challenging? 13 Growing Demand for Effective Project Managers? 15 Trends in Project Management 16 Chapter 2 The Project Manager 21 One Title, Many Roles 22 Key Skills of Project Managers 23 Qualities of Successful Project Managers 25 15 Common Mistakes of Project Managers 27 Chapter 3 Essential Elements for Any Successful Project 29 What Exactly Is a Successful Project? 30 Learning from Troubled Projects 31 Learning from Successful Projects 34 Essential Project Manager Toolkit 36 PART II PROJECT PLANNING 41 Chapter 4 Defining a Project 43 Setting the Stage for Success 44 How Does Defining a Project Relate to Project Planning? 44 Project Definition Document 45 Project Definition Checklist 49 Chapter 5 Planning a Project 55 Key Project Planning Principles 56 Important Questions Project Planning Should Answer 58 Building a Project Plan 59 Summary of Supplemental Project Plan Components 66 Project Plan Checklist 69 Chapter 6 Developing the Work Breakdown Structure 71 What Is a WBS Exactly? 72 Why Is the WBS Important? 78 The Process of Building a WBS 79 Chapter 7 Estimating the Work 85 Next Step in the Schedule Development Process 86 Managing the Risk, Managing the Estimates 88 Reasons for Estimating Woes 88 Powerful Estimating Techniques and Methods 90 Best Practices 92 Chapter 8 Developing the Project Schedule 97 The Impact of the Project Schedule 98 The Goal of the Schedule Development Process 100 Key Inputs for Building a Schedule 101 Creating a Schedule 102 Chapter 9 Determining the Project Budget 113 The Impact of the Project Budget 114 Principles of an Effective Budget 115 Creating a Project Budget 116 Common Budget Challenges 120 PART III PROJECT CONTROL 123 Chapter 10 Controlling a Project 125 What Is Project Control? 126 Management Fundamentals for Project Control 129 Powerful Techniques for Project Control 130 Performance Reporting 133 Variance Responses 135 Leveraging Earned Value Management Concepts 136 Common Project Control Challenges 139 Lessons from Project Recoveries 141 Chapter 11 Managing Project Changes 145 What Exactly Is a Project Change and What's the Big Deal Anyway? 146 Fundamentals for Managing Project Change 149 What Causes Unplanned Scope Changes? 150 Essential Elements of a Project Change Control System 151 Powerful Techniques for Minimizing Project Changes 154 Common Project Change Control Challenges 156 Chapter 12 Managing Project Deliverables 159 Managing Project Deliverables Means What Exactly? 160 Why Do This? It's Too Much Work 161 Identify, Protect, and Track: The Principles of Managing Work Products 162 Best Practices 163 Configuration Management Plan 167 Common Challenges and Pitfalls 169 Chapter 13 Managing Project Issues 171 The Goals, Objectives, and Principles of Project Issue Management 172 Key Features of Issue Management System 173 Options for Issue Log 175 Best Practices 176 Some Special Situations 178 Chapter 14 Managing Project Risks 181 Key Risk Management Principles 182 The Essential Process for Managing Project Risks 183 The Common Sources of Project Risk 187 Typical Problems 190 Powerful Risk Control Strategies 192 Are You Sure It's a Risk? 193 Chapter 15 Managing Project Quality 197 What Is Project Quality ? 198 Unique Aspects of Managing Project Quality 199 Principles of Managing Project Quality 199 Powerful Tools and Techniques for Project Quality 201 Powerful Quality Strategies 203 Typical Quality-Related Challenges 205 PART IV PROJECT EXECUTION 209 Chapter 16 Leading a Project 211 More Than Managing 212 Where Is Leadership Needed on a Project? 214 Twelve Keys to Better Project Leadership 215 Power of Servant Leadership Approach 218 Chapter 17 Managing Project Communications 223 What Are Project Communications? 224 The Importance of Project Communications 225 Why Communicating Can Be Tough 226 Seven Powerful Principles 227 Best Practices of Effective Project Communicators 230 Chapter 18 Managing Expectations 239 Value of Reviewing Stakeholder Expectation Management 240 Critical Aspects of Expectations 240 Seven Master Principles of Expectation Management 245 Essential Elements of Managing Expectations 246 Chapter 19 Keys to Better Project Team Performance 255 High-Performing Teams 256 Ten Key Principles 256 Proven Techniques 259 Special Situations 263 Chapter 20 Managing Differences 267 Five Key Principles 268 Proven Techniques for Leading Cross-Functional Projects 271 Proven Techniques for Leading Cross-Cultural Projects 273 Proven Techniques for Leading Virtual Projects 274 Chapter 21 Managing Vendors 279 First, Let's Clarify a Few Terms 280 Ten Proven Principles of Vendor Management 280 Twelve Tips for Buyers 283 Seven Tips for Sellers 285 Twelve Key Project Management Skills for Better Vendor Management 286 Stuff You Need to Know About Contracts 286 Chapter 22 Ending a Project 293 Three Key Principles 294 Project End Checklist-13 Important Steps 294 Common Project Closing Challenges 296 Methods for Ending a Contract or a Project 297 PART V ACCELERATING THE LEARNING CURVE...EVEN MORE 301 Chapter 23 Making Better Use of Microsoft Project 303 Understand This ...and It All Becomes Easier 304 Need-to-Know Features 306 New Project Best Practices 313 Keys to Making Resource Leveling Work 316 Powerful Reporting Secrets 318 More Insights to a Better Project Schedule 323 Chapter 24 When Reality Happens 327 What If I'm in a Project Management Lite Culture? 328 What If I Can't Develop a Detailed Schedule? 330 What If I Must Manage to a Hard Milestone Date? 331 What If I Have Difficult Resources? 333 What Can I Do About Turnover? 334 Tips for Managing a Selection Process 335 Tips for Managing a Testing Process 340 Chapter 25 Intriguing Project Management Concepts and Topics 345 Agile Approaches 346 Project Management Offices 348 Portfolio Project Management 351 Governance Processes 353 Critical Chain Project Management 353 Web-Based Project Management Software 356 Mind Mapping Tools 357 Value of Certifications 358 Project Management Training 359 Index 363

Reviews

Five stars. The book is littered with very useful notes, tips and cautions, appearing on average every other page. Kawal Banga MBCS, IT Training, Summer 2009

Five stars. The book is littered with very useful notes, tips and cautions, appearing on average every other page. Kawal Banga MBCS, IT Training, Summer 2009

Five stars. The book is littered with very useful notes, tips and cautions, appearing on average every other page. Kawal Banga MBCS, IT Training, Summer 2009

Author Information

Gregory M Horine (Indianapolis, IN) is a PMP/CCP-certified business technology and IT project management professional who has achieved nineteen years of successful results across multiple industries through the use of servant leadership principles. His primary areas of expertise and strength include project management and leadership; complex application development; enterprise solution development; business process analysis and improvement; data analysis and transformation; package implementation and integration; vendor and procurement management; regulatory and process compliance; and the effective use of project management tools. He is co-author of PMP Exam Cram 2.

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