Project Management Essentials For Dummies, Australian and New Zealand Edition

Table of contents

1. 1. Introduction
      1. About This Book
      2. Foolish Assumptions
      3. Icons Used in This Book
      4. Where to Go from Here
   2. Chapter 1: Project Management: The Key to Achieving Results
      1. Taking on a Project
      2. Avoiding the Pitfalls
      3. Deciding if the Job Is a Project
         1. Grasping the four control areas
         2. Recognising project diversity
      4. The Project Manager’s Role
         1. Looking at the Project Manager’s tasks
         2. Avoiding ‘shortcuts’
      5. Adopting a Project Methodology
      6. Understanding Project Stages
      7. Breaking the Project into Stages
         1. Starting the project
         2. Organising and preparing
         3. Managing delivery stages
         4. Closing the project
   3. Chapter 2: Defining the Project and Producing a Business Case
      1. Defining the Scope
         1. Managing expectations
         2. Challenging the scope
         3. Grasping the extent of scope
         4. Being clear
         5. Prioritising
      2. Producing a Business Case
         1. Getting to grips with the basics
         2. Updating the Business Case
         3. Justifying the project
         4. Understanding the justification
         5. Understanding benefits
         6. Writing the Business Case
      3. Going Back to the Scope
      4. Getting to Grips with Techniques
         1. Calculating return on investment
         2. Understanding cost-benefit analysis
   4. Chapter 3: Knowing the Stakeholders
      1. Managing Stakeholders
         1. Identifying stakeholders
         2. Analysing the stakeholders
         3. Understanding the positions
         4. Deciding action
         5. Working with stakeholders
         6. Planning the work
      2. Handling Opposition
         1. Solving the problems
         2. Focusing on the common areas
         3. Realising that you’re a threat
         4. Overriding the opposition
   5. Chapter 4: Planning with Deliverables First
      1. Seeing the Logic
         1. Thinking ‘product’ first
         2. Understanding the problems of an activity focus
      2. Knowing What a Product Is
      3. Finding Good Product Names
      4. Using a Business Project Example
         1. Identifying the products
         2. Developing a sequence
         3. Defining the products
      5. Using a Structured Product List
      6. Unleashing WFD Power
         1. Managing risk
         2. Effecting control
         3. Showing stages
         4. Progress reporting
         5. Getting a picture of the project
   6. Chapter 5: You Want This Project Done When?
      1. Moving to Activities
         1. Identifying multiple tasks
         2. Listing the activities or tasks
      2. Drawing Up an Activity Network
         1. Building a network
         2. Using the Work Flow Diagram
         3. Putting in the time durations
         4. Calculating the project’s length
      3. Understanding Float
      4. Identifying the Critical Path
         1. Watching the critical path
         2. Finding a split critical path
      5. Being Precise with Dependencies
         1. Knowing the dependency types
         2. Staying in touch with reality
      6. Working with the Network
         1. Working to meet end dates
         2. Backing into the schedule
      7. Going for Gantt
   7. Chapter 6: Looking at Resources
      1. Seeing the Need for Plans
         1. Dealing with resource conflicts
         2. Checking availability
         3. Monitoring use of staff
      2. Planning the Staff Resource
         1. Working out the needs for skills and knowledge
         2. Growing your people
         3. Fine-tuning your estimates
         4. Factoring in activity timing
         5. Thinking about productivity
      3. Determining Physical Resources
      4. Making Sense of Budgets
         1. Looking at different costs
         2. Developing the budget
         3. Updating the budget
         4. Monitoring the budget
   8. Chapter 7: Planning at Different Times and Levels
      1. Putting in the Main Structure
         1. Deciding on the stages
         2. Holding a stage gate
      2. Working with Planning Levels
         1. Drawing up new plans
         2. Keeping higher-level plans up to date
         3. Planning at more than one level at once
   9. Chapter 8: Managing the Risk
      1. Understanding Risk
      2. Working Through the Risk Cycle
         1. Identifying risk
         2. Analysing risk
         3. Deciding on risk handling
         4. Modifying plans as necessary
         5. Taking planned actions and monitoring risk
      3. Writing a Risk Management Plan
      4. Using Risk Techniques
         1. Ishikawa (fishbone) diagram
         2. Work Flow Diagram
         3. Risk checklist
         4. Decision tree
   10. Chapter 9: Organising the Project
       1. Designing the Project Structure
          1. Understanding roles
          2. Getting to grips with roles
          3. Looking at specific roles
          4. Deciding the structure
       2. Looking at the Organisation
   11. Chapter 10: Working with Teams and Specialists
       1. Working with Others
          1. Balancing the communications
          2. Working with your own teams
          3. Working with occasional staff
          4. Working with suppliers
       2. Delegating Project Assignments
   12. Chapter 11: Tracking Progress and Staying in Control
       1. Understanding Progress Control
       2. Harnessing Product Power
          1. Compiling a Delivery Checklist
          2. Getting visual
          3. Monitoring at different levels
       3. Preparing a Comms Plan
          1. Identifying communications
          2. Writing a Comms Plan
       4. Taking Action When Off Track
          1. Finding out why
          2. Thinking about what to do
          3. Taking action
          4. Monitoring the action
       5. Monitoring Work and Costs
          1. Keeping an eye on work effort
          2. Monitoring expenditure
       6. Dealing with Change
          1. Understanding types of change
          2. Looking at four control dogs
          3. Reducing scope creep
   13. Chapter 12: Closing the Project
       1. Staying the Course to Completion
          1. Thinking ahead about closure
          2. Dealing with a crash stop
       2. Planning Closure
       3. Providing a Good Transition
       4. Reviewing the Project
          1. Beginning with the end in mind
          2. Learning lessons
          3. Measuring benefits
       5. Passing Work On
   14. Chapter 13: Ten Questions to Ask Yourself for Project Planning
       1. What Are the Objectives?
       2. Who Do You Need to Involve?
       3. What Will You Produce?
       4. Are There Any Constraints?
       5. What Are the Assumptions?
       6. What Work Has to Be Done?
       7. When Will Each Activity Happen?
       8. Who Will Do the Project Work?
       9. Do You Need Other Resources?
       10. What Can Go Wrong?
   15. Index
   16. About the Authors
   17. Business & Investing
   18. Connect with Dummies