The Non Project Manager S Guide To Project Management

This practical guide reveals the project management methodology and processes that will give you the advantage to ensure your projects’ success--and advance organizational goals. As a seasoned project management consultant and instructor for the American Management Association, author Jack Ferraro has gained years of experience bridging the gap between project managers and functional managers to help countless teams improve their performance. In this book, he demystifies the jargon and processes of project management, encouraging functional managers to jump into the PM arena and arming them with step-by-step guidelines for mastering the most critical PM skills. In Project Management for Non-Project Managers, you will discover: business analysis techniques, work breakdown structures, program sequencing techniques, and risk management methods. Great managers are experts at getting bottom-line results, but often do not understand their role in the success or failure of their organization's projects. As projects become more strategic and collaborative, managers with even basic project-management knowledge are most capable of keeping projects business-focused. By switching gears from passive bystander to active owner of project strategies, you’ll keep your team’s projects on track and, as a result, increase their business value.

The Non-Project Manager's Guide to Project Management is a practical and easy to understand guide for anyone new to project management. Whether you are completely new to or are a practicing project manager, you will benefit from the wealth of knowledge and examples shared in this book.

No project management training? No problem! In today’s workplace, employees are routinely expected to coordinate and manage projects. Yet, chances are, you aren’t formally trained in managing projects—you’re an unofficial project manager. FranklinCovey experts Kory Kogon and Suzette Blakemore understand the importance of leadership in project completion and explain that people are crucial in the formula for success. This updated and revised edition of Project Management for the Unofficial Project Manager offers practical, real-world insights for effective project management and guides you through the essentials of the value, people, and project management process: Scope Plan Engage Track and Adapt Close If you’re struggling to ensure multiple projects are finished with high value and on time, this book is for you. If you manage projects without the benefit of a team, this book is also for you. Change the way you think about project management—"project manager" may not be your official title, but with the right strategies, you can excel in this project economy.

Imagine having access to the top project managers from organizations and industries around the world. Imagine uncovering what they do, how they approach their challenges, and what they know. Alpha Project Managers: what the top 20% know that everyone else does not gets you inside the minds of these top managers and shares their practices, their attitudes, and their secrets.

This is the eBook of the printed book and may not include any media, website access codes, or print supplements that may come packaged with the bound book. 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 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! Who knew how simple project management could be? 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! Here’s a small sample of what you’ll learn: • Master the key skills and qualities every project manager needs • Lead projects, don’t just “manage” them • Avoid 15 most common mistakes new project managers make • Learn from troubled, successful, and “recovered” projects • 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 • Work successfully with vendors and Project Management Offices • Make the most of Microsoft Project and new web-based alternatives • Get started with agile and “critical chain” project management • Gain key insights that will accelerate your learning curve • Know how to respond to real-life situations, not just what they teach you in school

Organizations are developing project managers from within more and more. Employees who are proficient in their area of expertise are being asked to take on project management.This book explores the basic concepts and fundamentals of project management.Project management processThe first lesson focuses on the project management process: highlighting the importance of effective project management, who's involved with projects, and an introduction to the four phases of the project management process.Project manager roleThe second lesson focuses on the project manager role: highlighting typical roles a project manager must fill to be successful, the value of the project manager, how to deliver the right amount of project management, and how to manage small to medium projects.This book will provide individuals who are not professional project managers with the knowledge required to build a solid understanding of the fundamentals of project management, helping them transition to the role of project manager.Today's business world is a complex and rapidly changing place. Organizations and individuals cannot survive without accepting and embracing change. Change involves your situation: something is different; a bigger office, a new colleague, the reorganization of staff responsibilities.Transition involves a journey; it is the process of disengagement, transformation, and acceptance of change.Put simply, change is the event and transition is the process that takes you there. While it is important to know the terms, concepts, techniques, and skills that are involved in project management, it is even more important to be able to put these to work on the job.A project manager is expected to deal with intangible issues such as human dynamics, establishing authority, and managing people and expectations. This often requires a complex balance of personal and practical skills.Project management is about the management of people, but it is also about managing the way an organization works, and the way the people within it work.As a project manager, you will need to realize that people are inseparable from process. It is not only practical skills, but leadership ability, management skills, and the ability to communicate that are imperative to successful projects.Benjamin Franklin wrote, "For want of a nail the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe the horse was lost; and for want of a horse the rider was lost, being overtaken and slain by the enemy, all for want of care about a horseshoe nail."A small problem overlooked in the early stages of project management can grow to be a critical failure in the later stages.The Initiating and Planning phases of project management are vital to the success of the project. Without the proper tools and information, effective project management is impossible.Imagine what would happen if the head chef of a busy restaurant didn't have the right ingredients for the evening menu. What do you think would happen if she didn't have a plan for efficiently preparing all of the meals during the supper rush?If you don't initiate your project properly, you might not have everything you need to meet your goals. And if you don't plan your project well, you might not meet your goals on time - or at all.This book examines the importance of properly initiating and planning a project, and explores ways to make your initiating and planning efforts more effective.Your project plan is complete. Tasks are clearly outlined, the schedule is in place, and the money is budgeted to the cent. You're getting ready to dig in and start the actual work.You're feeling confident that the project is going to go exactly as planned. How could anything go wrong?Managing is the third phase of project management. You may be tempted to think now that the planning is over the rest of the project will be easy.

Making It Happen: A Non-Technical Guide to ProjectManagement provides a fresh and clear approach to projectmanagement. Written in the form of a novel, it covers the basics ofproject management in a friendly, interesting, and memorable way. Will Campbell, a reasonably competent middle manager, issuddenly thrust into managing a high-profile project that couldmake or break his career. With no project management experience,and armed only with the guidance of his eccentric menror, Martha,Will learns the hard way. As Will navigates the rough seas ofcompany politics, treacherous competition, and a project swirlingout of control, he narrowly evades many pitfalls, and masters someindispensable project management tools along the way. Against the backdrop of this personal drama, a simple, rationalapproach to project management unfolds. Will's ability to graspthese principles is the key to his survival, and could be the keyto yours. Making It Happen enables the reader to transformrisky, real-life situations into success. * Provides a simple, non-technical approach, useful to anybusiness person involved in teams or managing projects * Offers practical tools and principles that will make anyproject a success: from office moves to product roll-outs, systemsimplementations to training program delivery, and everything inbetween * Boxes, definitions, and charts highlight key points andpractical project management tips.

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.