The Essential Guide For New Project Managers

You've been asked to lead your first project. And, even though you appreciate the vote of confidence, you are panicking since you don't have a clue on where to begin. You are worrying that stakeholders will tug you in a million directions, making it impossible to set clear goals, let alone deliver the project on time and budget. Plus, you're concerned about how you will keep your team members motivated when the pressure levels get high... Whether you're wondering how to become a Project Manager, or you have already taken a project management role, being an accidental project manager, or a traditionally trained one: No matter which path you've taken, this guide will help you thrive and upscale your career through effectively facing common challenges. The Essential Guide for New Project Managers offers practical, real-world solutions for effective project management. If you're struggling to launch your first project, keep your project organized, manage projects with limited resources and budget, or meet tight deadlines and stringent expectations, this book is made for you. Packed with how-to essentials, this hands-on guide provides you with practical answers to your most pressing project management inquiries concerning: Career Business challenges Communication & Leadership Technical skills Agile The Essential Guide for New Project Managers will give you the confidence you need to manage projects effectively, learning how to get better at Executing projects on time and on budget Keeping your project organized Dealing with project constraints Managing stakeholders Motivating your team Managing Agile projects The Essential Guide for New Project Managers is a beginner's guide to modern project management, presenting simple, practical instructions for successfully handling whatever issue you might come across. Here's a small sample of what the book covers Common issues new project managers encounter Technical, communication, and leadership skills Leading troubled and recovered projects Setting the stage for success through effective planning Creating accurate budgets and schedules Efficient performance monitoring and control Managing project changes, issues, deliverables, and quality Framing and meeting stakeholders' expectations Making the most of communication and collaboration tools and technologies Getting started with Agile project management Whether it's managing a distressed project, embracing an agile approach, using new tools and technology to drive efficiency and improve collaboration, or resolving conflicts that occur during a project, the guidance inside will help you wear your project manager hat more prominently, and proudly.

Reflects the collaboration and knowledge of working project managers, providing the fundamentals of project management as they apply to a wide range of projects. This internationally recognized standard provides the essential tools to practice project management and deliver organizational results. Updates include: Addition of a 10th Knowledge Area: Project Stakeholder Management; refined project data information and information flow; and the addition of four new planning processes: Plan Scope Management, Plan Schedule Management, Plan Cost Management and Plan Stakeholder Management. Original.

This covers everything you need to know to successfully manage a government technology services or development project. Mike uses an easy-to-read style of writing as opposed to the more typical business book mumbo jumbo. In other words, he makes project management simple and readable so PMs don't just put yet another book on their bookshelf. Most noteworthy, this book complements the material in the PMBOK and is consistent with CMMI. Topics include: project planning, project initiation, project execution, monitoring and control, project close-out, risk management, customer relationship management, quality assurance and contract growth. Over 150 pages of lessons learned, guidance, templates and checklists. Lisagor is the Chief Knowledge Officer at GovFlex.com -- the leading online freelance exchange for government contractors & agencies to acquire the services of independent experts. He also founded Celerity Works in 1999 to provide business development (BD) and project management advisory services where he advised over 70 contractors and agencies and coached over 500 executives, project managers and BD professionals. Prior to that, Mike was a business development and operations executive for IT contractors for 13 years and a project manager for 15 years. Mike presented numerous popular knowledge webinars and wrote hundreds of columns for government contractors magazines, blogs & news stations. Mike implemented the project management process and training program for several government contractors. He also developed the risk management process and training for GSA FEDSIM for their IT acquisition programs. Mike is the author of several popular books including Winning and Managing Government Business and, with GovFlex CEO Eric Adolphe, How to Develop a Winning Small Business Innovation Proposal. It's Mike's belief that while invaluable, PMI training is often too theoretical and complex for most new project managers to remember. Once they get thrown into their first project, all this knowledge falls by the wayside. The purpose of this Guide is to bridge this gap...to provide a useful reference for planning and managing a successful project to completion. In other words, the essentials and nothing but the essentials!

Intended for those new to project management as well as professionals wanting to improve their skills, this invaluable resource introduces fundamental concepts, presents necessary organizational skills, and explores the use of technology in the field of project management. The life cycle of the project management process is clearly outlined, including sample stages, sub-processes, tasks, and jobs, supported by accessible definitions, examples, words of warning, and cases with context. The included CD offers additional charts, reading materials, and links to online resources.

The perfect workbook for project managers and PMP exam candidates seeking practical experience New project managers and students pursuing the Project Management Professional certification are looking for practical experience to solidify their skills. The step-by-step tasks presented in this book offer them an opportunity to practice the common tasks project managers face in the real world. The authors, both expert project management trainers and consultants, explore each phase of project management: initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and control, and closing the project, with in-depth instructions for handling the tasks associated with each phase. New project managers and exam candidates need practical experience to perfect their skills; this book helps them learn through real-world scenarios Explores each phase of project management, offering step-by-step instructions to many of the tasks project managers confront each day Covers all phases of project management, including initiating the project, planning, executing, monitoring, controlling, and closing the project Looks at defining scope, developing a project charter, creating a plan to manage change, breaking down the work, managing resource allocation, measuring performance, and releasing resources Fully updated to cover everything required for the 2011 PMP exam PMP exam candidates and anyone new to project management will benefit from the hands-on exercises in this book.

A compendium of ready-made forms for managing every project in line with the latest PMBOK® Guide—Fifth Edition This valuable companion to the Project Management Institute's A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)—Fifth Edition presents a comprehensive and practical set of forms and reports that help project managers apply the concepts and practices described in the PMBOK® Guide. Designed specifically to assist both new and experienced project managers in handling all aspects of a project, this edition of A Project Manager's Book of Forms contains forms that cover all the process groups: initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing. It also includes some forms not mentioned in the PMBOK® Guide, which you will find helpful in managing your project. Use the forms as a guide in collecting and organizing project information, or as a template for ensuring a set of consistent data on all projects. The forms can also be adopted on an organizational level to enable a repeatable approach to project management. Completely editable electronic versions of all the blank forms, in Microsoft Office–compatible format, are available on an accompanying website. You may use them as is or tailor them to your own needs. The PMBOK® Guide covers the processes for managing a project; this book gives you a handy road map of forms to use to make every project just a bit smoother from start to finish. (PMBOK is a registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.)

A practical guide for putting PMBOK concepts to work A Project Manager’s Book of Tools and Techniques is an invaluable resource for students and working professionals alike. Whether you’re preparing for the PMP exam or just looking to optimize your project management skills, this book provides detailed explanations for over 100 essential tools described in the Project Management Institute’s A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) Sixth Edition. Going beyond theory and concept to real-world practice, these tools and techniques are the “how” of effective project management; from planning, to implementation, to oversight, and beyond, all phases of the project are represented here to help you more effectively apply critical PMBOK concepts. Comprehensive examples illustrate real-world implementation, and detailed discussion provides expert guidance for both new and experienced project management professionals. Knowing what to do is much different from knowing how to do it; even perfect understanding of the PMBOK Guide doesn’t automatically translate into effective practice. This book is designed to help you bridge that gap and expertly apply current project management standards. Delve deeper into the practical tools described in the PMBOK Guide—Sixth Edition Follow detailed examples that illustrate effective project management methods Master project management applications in preparation for the PMP exam Graduate from theory to practice with powerful tools and techniques for success Concepts are only valuable once they are applied—and then they become a skill set that gets results. The PMBOK Guide is the ultimate authority on project management concepts, but translating those concepts into applicable skills requires a detailed understanding of the tools of the field. A Project Manager’s Book of Tools and Techniques is a practical manual for putting essential project management concepts into practice.

PMI's flagship publication has been updated to reflect the latest good practices in project management. New to the Sixth Edition, each knowledge area will contain a section entitled Approaches for Agile, Iterative and Adaptive Environments, describing how these practices integrate in project settings. It will also contain more emphasis on strategic and business knowledge -- including discussion of project management business documents -- and information on the PMI Talent TriangleTM and the essential skills for success in today's market.