Right Projects Done Right

The Right Projects Done Right! reflects the advances that have been made since the concern for managing multiple projects in organizations first emerged more than a decade ago. This book includes findings and solutions that address three vital questions: Has the right portfolio of projects been chosen to ensure that company strategy is implemented successfully? Have the right projects with the right scope been selected as candidates for the portfolio? Are the projects managed well? Dinsmore and Cooke-Davies help managers answer these questions by providing them with the information they need to implement an enterprise-wide project management environment.

A veteran project manager shares his proven approach to getting the job done right, on schedule and within budget—every time! Each year companies initiate projects in hopes of improving their bottom-lines and gaining a competitive advantage. Unfortunately, a good percentage of those projects either never get off the ground or, if they do, never come to fruition. According to veteran project manager, Paul Roberts, more often than not, projects fail because of a lack of organization-wide commitment to their success and an unwillingness to invest in proper project management. In this updated second edition of his popular guide, Paul clearly shows why projects of any scale require that an entire organization contribute to achieving results. He outlines a proven approach for engaging all stakeholders in the project management process. And he walks you through the four steps essential for successful management: initiation, planning, delegation, and closing. Author Paul Roberts has successfully managed projects at a variety of prestigious companies, including Pfizer and British Airways Clearly demonstrates how and why investing in project management, especially in this economy, can help you avoid, or minimize the impact of, schedule delays and cost overruns Offers expert advice and guidance on how to place project management a priority not just for the PM and project team, but organization-wide Supplies a wealth of clearly, easy-to-use flow charts, diagrams, tables and other useful project management tools

This results-oriented resource is a must-have strategic partner for project managers of every industry. Shifting priorities, budget cuts, unexpected interruptions….the obstacles that project managers face daily are sometimes relentless and always burdensome. Now, the average project is only growing more complicated. The Project Management Tool Kit is filled with step-by-step guidance that will enable managers to complete even the most complex projects both on time and on budget. The book also offers 100 powerful, practical tips and techniques in a variety of areas, including: Scope planning Schedule development and adjustment Cost estimating and control Defining and using project metrics Decision-making and problem solving Motivation and leadership Stakeholder engagement and expectation management Risk identification and monitoring Extensively updated and revised to reflect the latest changes to A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), the checklists, charts, examples, and tools for easy implementation in this invaluable resource will help project managers of all types tackle any challenge that comes their way.

A must-read for any project management professional or student. Projects are the life blood of any organization. Revised to reflect the latest changes to A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK(R)) and the Project Management Professional Exam(R), the fourth edition of The AMA Handbook of Project Management provides readers with a clear overview of a complex discipline. Covering everything from individual projects to programs and strategic alignment, it addresses: Project initiation and planning Communication and interpersonal skills Scheduling, budgeting and meeting business objectives Managing political and resource issues Implementing a PMO Measuring value and competencies. The book compiles essays and advice from the field's top professionals and features new chapters on stakeholder management, agile project management, program management, project governance, knowledge management, and more. Updated with fresh examples, case studies and solutions to specific project management dilemmas, it remains an essential reference to the critical concepts and theories all project managers must master.

A comprehensive guide to project management and its interaction with other management systems and strategies The Wiley Guides to the Management of Projects address critical, need-to-know information that will enable professionals to successfully manage projects in most businesses and help students learn the best practices of the industry. They contain not only well-known and widely used basic project management practices but also the newest and most cutting-edge concepts in the broader theory and practice of managing projects. This first book in the series, The Wiley Guide to Project, Program & Portfolio Management, is based on the "meta" level of management, which, simply stated, asserts that project management must be integrated throughout an organization in order to achieve its full potential to enhance the bottom line. This book will show you how to fully understand and exploit the strategic management of projects, portfolios, and program management and their linkage with context and strategy in other concepts and processes, such as quality management, concurrent engineering, just-in-time delivery, systems management and engineering, teams, and statistical quality control. Featuring contributions from experts all around the world, this invaluable resource book offers authoritative project management applications for industry, service businesses, and government agencies. Complete your understanding of project management with these other books in The Wiley Guides to the Management of Projects series: * The Wiley Guide to Project Control * The Wiley Guide to Project Organization & Project Management Competencies * The Wiley Guide to Project Technology, Supply Chain & Procurement Management

This hugely informative and wide-ranging analysis on the management of projects, past, present and future, is written both for practitioners and scholars. Beginning with a history of the discipline’s development, Reconstructing Project Management provides an extensive commentary on its practices and theoretical underpinnings, and concludes with proposals to improve its relevancy and value. Written not without a hint of attitude, this is by no means simply another project management textbook. The thesis of the book is that ‘it all depends on how you define the subject’; that much of our present thinking about project management as traditionally defined is sometimes boring, conceptually weak, and of limited application, whereas in reality it can be exciting, challenging and enormously important. The book draws on leading scholarship and case studies to explore this thesis. The book is divided into three major parts. Following an Introduction setting the scene, Part 1 covers the origins of modern project management – how the discipline has come to be what it is typically said to be; how it has been constructed – and the limitations of this traditional model. Part 2 presents an enlarged view of the discipline and then deconstructs this into its principal elements. Part 3 then reconstructs these elements to address the challenges facing society, and the implications for the discipline, in the years ahead. A final section reprises the sweep of the discipline’s development and summarises the principal insights from the book. This thoughtful commentary on project (and program, and portfolio) management as it has developed and has been practiced over the last 60-plus years, and as it may be over the next 20 to 40, draws on examples from many industry sectors around the world. It is a seminal work, required reading for everyone interested in projects and their management.

An in-depth look at how to improve decisions on major projects at the concept stage, when there is scant information available. This book describes how to evaluate judgemental information. It looks at how scant information can actually be a strength, and can help establish a broad overall perspective.