It Project Management A Geek S Guide To Leadership

This book’s author, Byron Love, admits proudly to being an IT geek. However, he had found that being an IT geek was limiting his career path and his effectiveness. During a career of more than 31 years, he has made the transition from geek to geek leader. He hopes this book helps other geeks do the same. This book addresses leadership issues in the IT industry to help IT practitioners lead from the lowest level. Unlike other leadership books that provide a one-size-fits-all approach to leadership, this book focuses on the unique challenges that IT practitioners face. IT project managers may manage processes and technologies, but people must be led. The IT industry attracts people who think in logical ways—analytical types who have a propensity to place more emphasis on tasks and technology than on people. This has led to leadership challenges such as poor communication, poor relationship management, and poor stakeholder engagement. Critical IT projects and programs have failed because IT leaders neglect the people component of "people, process, and technology." Communications skills are key to leadership. This book features an in-depth discussion of the communications cycle and emotional intelligence, providing geek leaders with tools to improve their understanding of others and to help others understand them. To transform a geek into a geek leader, this book also discusses: Self-leadership skills so geek leaders know how to lead others by leading themselves first Followership and how to cultivate it among team members How a geek leader’s ability to navigate disparate social styles leads to greater credibility and influence Integrating leadership into project management processes The book concludes with a case study to show how to put leadership principles and practices into action and how an IT geek can transform into an effective IT geek leader.

Addressing leadership issues in the IT industry to help IT practitioners lead from the lowest level, this in-depth book includes a case study to show how to put leadership principles and practices into action and how an IT geek can transform into an effective IT geek leader. --

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.

Succeed as a project manager, even if you've never run a project before! This book is the fastest way to master every project management task, from upfront budgeting and scheduling through execution, managing teams through closing projects, and learning from experience. Updated with more insights from the front lines, including agile approaches, dealing with security and privacy priorities, and leading remote/virtual teams, along with the latest on Microsoft Project and PMI standards and certifications and a special bonus chapter on preparing for the new PMP certification. This book will show you exactly how to get the job done, one incredibly clear and easy step at a time. Project management has never, ever been this simple! This is today's best beginner's guide to modern project management--simple, practical instructions for succeeding with every task you'll need to perform! * Master the key skills and qualities every project manager needs * Learn how to lead projects, not just "manage" them * Avoid 15 most common mistakes new project managers make * Learn from troubled, successful, and "recovered" projects * Apply agile, hybrid, and traditional project management approaches * Learn the differences between a project manager, Scrum master, and product owner * Learn how DevOps and DevSecOps impact the project manager * Set the stage for success by effectively defining your project * Build a usable project plan and an accurate work breakdown structure (WBS) * Create budgets and schedules that help you manage risk * Use powerful control and reporting techniques, including earned value management * Smoothly manage project changes, issues, risks, deliverables, and quality * Manage project communications and stakeholder expectations * Organize and lead high-performance project teams * Manage cross-functional, cross-cultural, and virtual projects * Get started with agile and "critical chain" project management * Gain key insights that will accelerate your learning curve * Learn how to respond to real-life situations, not just what they teach you in school

Organizations can deliver projects that are on time, are within budget, and produce the results they are intended to -and it starts with project managers. Author Michael J. Bettigole, who has painstakingly studied the patterns and circumstances surrounding project success and failure, shares strategies to help project managers on the front lines accomplish their objectives. In a clear, concise format, he shares best practices so project managers can demonstrate their expertise and distinguish themselves as leaders in the field. He also explores how project managers can - improve communication with members of the team; - keep team members accountable; - provide assistance to fi x problems; and - pick the management style that works best. Organized by the topics that most directly affect project delivery-accountability, transparency, communication, governance, control, leadership, and tools-the advice is simple and easy to put into action. Numerous case studies on projects that succeeded and on those that went wrong help organizations duplicate victories and avoid pitfalls. Whether you're a project manager or someone higher up in the organization, you can gather the tools you need to help your team get the job done right with A Pocket Guide for Project Managers.

This comprehensive exploration of the project management process presents the tools, steps, and processes of project management and uncovers the critical thinking -- the why -- vital to project management excellence. Incorporating Kepner-Tregoe?s renowned and effective problem-solving and decision-making processes, the book guides you through the core activities of project management?planning, solving problems, making decisions, and assessing risk. It positions projects within an organization?s "performance environment," an understanding of which is essential for effective team performance and alignment. Offering a combination of overarching insights into organizational dynamics, as well as specific processes and practices for effective management, this is a resource no project leader -- and no project team member -- should be without.

Creating a Greater Whole unlocks the not-so-secret secrets of what aspiring managers need to become strong leaders. This information-rich, easy to understand guide offers readers an immediate clear path to honing their leadership skills using the rigor and discipline of project management principles. Topics include stakeholder management, collaborative communication, multi-criteria decision making, and conflict management. Reflective exercises in each chapter raise key questions for readers to craft their own development path. The process invites emerging leaders to draw from their past experiences, recognize their intrinsic capabilities, and identify specific skills to cultivate.

No longer restricted to the engineering industry, project management has at long last crossed over to mainstream business. Project Management for Business Professionals is the definitive reference on the essentials of contemporary project management. Featured here are some of the foremost practitioners and researchers from academia, consulting, and private industry, sharing their various areas of project management expertise and providing a wide range of perspectives on everything from risk management to resource planning to ethics management. Focusing on both the technical and human sides of the field, this unique resource follows the main points of the "project management body of knowledge"-the certification standard of the Project Management Institute. The experts address the procedures and processes for planning and managing projects and explore project team/group dynamics, examining the interpersonal relations and the political and organizational considerations that can impact a project.