Lessons in Project Management, 2nd Edition

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. Understand the Characteristics of a Project
2. Always Have an Identified and Committed Sponsor
3. Report Status on All Projects
4. Focus on Deadline Dates
5. Apply Some Level of Project Management Discipline
6. Define and Plan the Work
7. Don’t “Microbuild” or Micromanage the Workplan
8. Hire a Diverse Project Team
9. Define the Many Aspects of What Is In Scope and Out of Scope
10. Use the “Big Three” Documents
11. Use Scope Change Management
12. Collect Metrics
13. Give Performance Feedback Routinely
14. Ensure Issues Management Is Everyone’s Responsibility
15. Shorten Long Meetings to Sharpen the Focus
16. Identify the Root Cause of Problems
17. Use Quality Assurance Techniques to Validate Project Status
18. Cancel Projects That Lose Business Support
19. Use Risk Management to Respond to Discover Potential Problems
20. Focus Your Quality Management on Processes, Not People
21. Don’t Use Your Estimating Contingency for Scope Changes
22. Develop a Communication Plan for Complex Projects
23. Scale Your Processes Based on Project Size
24. Plan the Project Even If You Start the Work at the Same Time
25. Identify the Critical Path and How This Path Drives the Deadline Date
26. Change Assumptions to Revise an Estimate
27. Don’t Forget Face-to-Face Communication on Your Project
28. Make Quality a Mindset and Ongoing Process
29. Batch Small Scope Change Requests for Sponsor Approval
30. Manage Your Vendor Projects Proactively
31. Look for Risks Inherent to Your Project
32. Get Sponsor Approval Before Investigating Large Scope Change Requests
33. Make Sure the Cost of Collecting Metrics Does Not Exceed Their Value
34. Use Multiple Estimating Techniques
35. Keep Your Schedule Up to Date
36. Use Issues Management to Choose the Best of Bad Alternatives
37. Collect Metrics That Can Lead to Fundamental Improvements
38. Evaluate All Risk Response Options in the Risk Plan
39. Manage Client Expectations
40. Use Milestones to Track Overall Progress
41. Catch Errors As Early as Possible
42. Gain Sponsor Approval for Scope Changes Requiring Budget and Deadline Deviations
43. Be Proactive to Accelerate the Project Schedule
44. Use the Work Breakdown Structure to Identify All the Work
45. Write Your Status Reports From the Readers’ Perspective
46. Update Your Risk Plan Throughout the Project
47. Don’t Deliver More Than the Client Requested
48. Make One Person Responsible for Each Activity
49. Focus on Deadlines to Keep Your Project from Wandering
50. Gain Agreement on Project Metrics Ahead of Time