Great Lessons in Project Management

Book description

Learn from Other Projects to Avoid Pitfalls on Your Projects!

Projects fail at an alarming rate, whether they are information technology, training, construction, or policy development projects. No matter the focus, each year we experience an abundance of challenged projects that either require super-human effort to resuscitate or die an untimely death.

Great Lessons in Project Management is a treasure trove of lessons learned from troubled projects—and from projects that went well. This collection of stories describes the events surrounding a particular challenge a project manager faced or a tool that another used effectively. Project managers of all types of projects can draw on these stories to validate their own good practices and to avoid the pitfalls so many have encountered on their projects.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. About the Author
  5. About the Contributors
  6. Contents
  7. Preface
  8. Acknowledgments
  9. Chapter 1 – SCOPE MANAGEMENT: If You Can See It, We Can Build It
  10. Chapter 2 – MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL: Can You Prove Your Project’s Status?
  11. Chapter 3 – PROJECT TEAM MANAGEMENT: Roles and Responsibilities Are Critical
  12. Chapter 4 – STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT: Consensus Is the Path to Success
  13. Chapter 5 – PROJECT INITIATION: Get Your Project Off to a Good Start
  14. Chapter 6 – COMMUNICATIONS MANAGEMENT: Don’t Let Tech-Speak Threaten Your Project
  15. Chapter 7 – QUALITY MANAGEMENT: Make Quality Your Priority
  16. Chapter 8 – TIME MANAGEMENT: Schedules Are Guides for Those Who Do the Work
  17. Chapter 9 – HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: Build a Realistic Project Team
  18. Chapter 10 – COST MANAGEMENT: Never Lose Track of the Money
  19. Chapter 11 – PROJECT GOVERNANCE: Organizational Support Is a Key Success Factor
  20. Chapter 12 – PROJECT INITIATION: The Charter Is the First, Best Tool for Project Clarity
  21. Chapter 13 – PROCUREMENT MANAGEMENT: Take the Time Necessary to Ensure Project Success
  22. Chapter 14 – PROJECT PLANNING: Those Who Do, Should Plan
  23. Chapter 15 – RISK MANAGEMENT: Even the Best Planning Does Not Eliminate Risk
  24. Chapter 16 – RISK MANAGEMENT: Always Follow Up On Your Plans
  25. Chapter 17 – PROJECT EXECUTION: Sometimes the Napkin Approach Works
  26. Chapter 18 – HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: Know Your Team
  27. Chapter 19 – PROJECT MANAGEMENT INTEGRATION: Solution Complexity Is Seldom the Issue
  28. Back Cover

Product information

  • Title: Great Lessons in Project Management
  • Author(s): David Pratt
  • Release date: January 2015
  • Publisher(s): Berrett-Koehler Publishers
  • ISBN: 9781567264739