Project Management Essentials For Dummies, Australian and New Zealand Edition

Chapter 1

Project Management: The Key to Achieving Results

In This Chapter

Avoiding the common pitfalls that lead to project failure

Working out if you’re dealing with a ‘job’ or a ‘project’

Coming to grips with the Project Manager’s role

Knowing what to do at each stage in the project

Running projects well is fast becoming an essential management skill. Many organisations, private and public sector, now recognise that they are losing money and business opportunities unnecessarily because they are failing to plan and control their projects effectively. Companies, charities and public sector organisations are constantly changing, and ever faster, as they adapt to new market conditions, business practices, regulatory requirements and technology. Running projects often creates the change, and as a result businesses are increasingly driven to find individuals who can excel in this project-oriented environment.

So, hang on tight — you’re going to need an effective set of skills and techniques to steer your projects to successful completion. This chapter gets you off to a great start by ...