Quantitative Tools For A Smart Project Management

This book is targeted at facilitating the learning process of project management tools and techniques for MSc and post graduate students. Professionals will find at the same time a wide implementation of quantitative approaches for real life situation as proven practice for the success of the project. The main topics included in the book concern: (i) the management and classification of project stakeholders, (ii) the planning phase analyzed under three different perspectives (the systemic, the detailed and the probabilistic one), (iii) project financial analysis, (iv) project risks management and (v) agile project management. Finally, the book presents practical tools for controlling and monitoring projects in the construction sector (vi).

Quantitative Methods for the Project Manager is for professional project managers who need to know how to make everyday use of numerical analysis. It combines theory and practices and is designed to be easily applied.

This book represents an excellent opportunity for understanding project management in its new form for professionals, undergraduate and post-graduate students, and people willing to prepare the Project Management Professional (PMI-PMP®) exam. The distinctive feature of this book consists in the approach, very pragmatic and rich in practical examples. In particular, there are several “myth” and “bad idea” boxes where common problematic scenarios that a project manager can find in its everyday working life are discussed and solved according to the book’s contents. In addition, the book includes several original explanations of some business phenomena, such as the “Leadership of the nun”, “The gardener project manager”, “The hamster”, “the change-order dragon” and others. Last but not least, it explores several concepts that aren’t included into most of project management books, such as Sustainability in triple bottom line, Management for Stakeholders and social network analysis, and an extensive part on complexity. The last part of the book is dedicated to concepts that are not properly part of project management, but are relevant for a project manager to be aware of in order to be able to interface with colleagues and partners belonging to these contiguous business worlds.

This book addresses the use of quantitative tools to support general project management. Part I of the book deals with critical path modeling. Part II discusses risk modeling tools to include Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT), critical chain modeling, and agile/scrum approaches. Project control through earned value analysis is also covered. Part III is a Microsoft Project orientation. A feature of the book is an effort to tie content to that of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). Each chapter includes reference to how each chapter relates to the PMBOK structure and its relationship to the 2020 Project Management Professional (PMP) Exam Outline.

Project Math is not another project management exam prep book. If you only want a primer to just get you thru the math questions on the certificate exam; keep looking. This book contains all the mathematics you will encounter on the project management exam, plus a whole lot more that is not on the exam; such as using Microsoft® Excel® to resolve project management issues and make better real world decisions. Project Math includes the stuff you will encounter in the real world of project management, not just on the exam. For example, it not only describes "rough order of magnitude" and "definitive estimates," it explains when each should be used to convey information (not just numbers). It also includes "ballpark estimates" and "wild ass guesses" (WAGs) and even "scientific wild ass guesses" (SWAGs). It covers the simple math topic of rounding, but it also includes why rounding is appropriate and sometimes necessary to properly communicate your message to your stakeholders. If you want to be a better project manager, a better agile coach or a better scrum master, this book is for you. If you are an aspiring project team member wanting to become a project manager, this book is for you. If you are a project sponsor, or a business analyst, this book is for you. If you are an engaged project stakeholder, this book is for you. If you want to run a better project management offices, this book is for you. If you want to learn how to use Microsoft® Excel® to solve complex project management problems, this book is for you. If you want to compare the total project risk between alternative projects, this book is for you. If you want to define the total cost or duration of your project as optimistic, pessimistic and most likely, this book is for you. Project managers are skilled leaders, team builders, motivators, conflict resolvers, negotiators, and coaches. They have good "people skills" but their toolbox might be only half full. Successful project managers also have good decision making and communicating skills. They know how to use quantitative and qualitative analysis to make the right decisions, and they know how to summarize data and make meaningful presentations to team members, sponsors, and other stakeholders. Great project managers are equally prepared to deal with people and with numbers. They are "ambidextrous thinkers," equally skilled at using their left brain and their right brain. They are equipped to handle any issue; opportunity or threat; quantitative or qualitative. Great project managers have all the necessary tools in their toolbox, and they know how and when to use each of them. If that is your objective, to be a great project manager, this book is for you.

Organizations of all types are consistently working on new initiatives, product lines, or implementation of new workflows as a way to remain competitive in the modern business environment. No matter the type of project at hand, employing the best methods for effective execution and timely completion of the task at hand is essential to project success. Project Management: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications presents the latest research and practical solutions for managing every stage of the project lifecycle. Emphasizing emerging concepts, real-world examples, and authoritative research on managing project workflows and measuring project success in both private and public sectors, this multi-volume reference work is a critical addition to academic, government, and corporate libraries. It is designed for use by project coordinators and managers, business executives, researchers, and graduate-level students interested in putting research-based solutions into practice for effective project management.

Finding ways to improve margins can be the difference between organizations that thrive and those that simply survive during times of economic uncertainty. Describing why cost reductions can be just as powerful as increases in revenue, Total Quality Management for Project Management explains how to integrate time-tested project management tools with the power of Total Quality Management (TQM) to achieve significant cost reductions. Detailing the ins and outs of applying project management methods to TQM activities, the book provides the understanding you’ll need to enhance the effectiveness of your TQM work. To clear up any confusion about what a true quality improvement is, it includes sections that cover the fundamentals of total quality management and defines the terms used throughout the text. The book examines profitability as it relates to product cost—including the initial work determining investment paybacks. It compares TQM/PM versus Six Sigma and illustrates the use of scrum in the context of TQM for improving quality initiatives. Complete with real-world success stories that facilitate comprehension, it illustrates methods that can help to minimize distractions and keep your team focused. The authors consider the full range of quality improvement tools as applied within the framework of project management. For the section of the book on the application of TQM to scrum, they demonstrate how these analytical methods can be used on the data produced within a scrum project and made into actionable information. Filled with innovative methods for improving costs, the text arms you with the tools to determine the approaches best suited to your corporate culture and capabilities.

This proceedings book presents a comprehensive view of “smart” technologies and perspectives of their application in various areas of economic activity. The authors of the book combined the results of the cutting-edge research on the topic of “smart” technologies in the digital economy and Industry 4.0 and developed a unified scientific concept. The current experience has been considered, and the prospects for the application of “smart” technologies in society to promote social advance have been identified. “Smart” technologies in public administration and law, as well as the experience in development of e-government, have been examined. “Smart” technologies in business activity have been studied, and the transition from digital business to business 4.0 has been justified. The book contains the collection of the best works following the results of the 13th International Research-to-Practice Conference “Smart Technologies” for society, state and economy which was run by the Institute of Scientific Communications (ISC) and was held on July 2–3, 2020. The target audience of this book includes researchers investigating fundamental and applied problems of development of “smart” technologies, as well as concerned parties outside the academic community, in particular, representatives of the digital society, high-tech business entities and officials regulating the digital economy and Industry 4.0.