This pocket guide provides an overview of the telecommunications environment as it has evolved over the past few years, illustrating the need for project management, the significance of project success to the companies, and the application of key project management processes within the telecom environment. Topics covered include: scope management, time management, cost management, procurement management, risk management, communications, quality, human resources, and Integration. It offers professionals a brief and accessible guide to managing telecommunication projects in the 21st century.

Celia Desmond is President of World Class Telecommunications, which provides training in management skills in business and telecommunications engineering environments. She is the project manager for the IEEE Communications Society Certification in Wireless Communications Engineering Technologies. Desmond has taught project management at four universities. A past president of IEEE Communications Society and past vice president of IEEE Engineering Management Society, Desmond has lectured internationally on programs for success. She is a Senior Member of IEEE.

Preface	p. ix
Acronyms	p. xiii
Evolution of the Telecommunications Industry	p. 1
Monopoly Status	p. 1
Competition for Long Distance Services	p. 3
Competition for Local Services	p. 4
Competition Starts to Spread	p. 5
Internet and Multimedia Disrupt the Basic Networks	p. 6
A New Telecom Environment	p. 7
What About the Future?	p. 10
Why is PM Important, Especially in Telecommunications?	p. 11
Team Diversity	p. 11
Resource Limitations	p. 12
Time Constraints and Limitations	p. 12
Risk Management	p. 12
Ensuring Quality	p. 12
Scope Definition	p. 13
Project Objectives	p. 15
What About Telecom Projects?	p. 17
Technologies
Services	p. 18
Companies in the Business	p. 18
Regulatory Environment	p. 18
Successful Business Model	p. 19
Internal Corporate Structures	p. 19
Customers	p. 19
The Best Way to Market	p. 20
Service Models	p. 20
Network Architecture	p. 20
Conclusion	p. 21
Project Management Basics	p. 25
Integration	p. 31
Project Scope Management	p. 32
Time Management	p. 32
Cost Management	p. 32
Procurement Management	p. 33
Risk Management	p. 33
Communication Management	p. 33
Human Resources Management	p. 34
Quality Management	p. 34
Getting started on Your Project	p. 37
Why Do Projects?	p. 37
The Requirements	p. 41
What Happens Before the Team Arrives?	p. 42
Setting Project Objectives	p. 44
General Description, Skills Analysis, Stakeholders, and Risk Analysis	p. 44
Who Is Involved?	p. 45
Project Sponsor	p. 45
Stakeholders	p. 46
Management	p. 48
Functional Managers	p. 48
The Type of Company Hosting the Project	p. 49
Setting Business and Project Objectives	p. 51
SMART Objectives	p. 52
Specific	p. 53
Measurable	p. 53
Achievable	p. 53
Realistic	p. 54
Time-Bound	p. 54
What Is to be Included?	p. 55
Building the Charter	p. 55
Scope Description	p. 56
Scope Management Plan	p. 64
Where Will the Resources Come From?	p. 70
The Work Breakdown Structure	p. 71
Going Outside the Company for Products and Services	p. 77
Definition of Requirements	p. 78
Solicitation	p. 78
RFI	p. 78
RFP	p. 80
RFQ	p. 83
Vendor Selection	p. 83
Contract Management	p. 83
Managing Risk in Telecom Projects	p. 85
Risk Management	p. 85
Contingency in Expected to be Spent	p. 94
Who Tells What to Whom?	p. 97
Communications Management	p. 97
General Communications	p. 98
Managing the Costs	p. 102
Project Communications Planning and the Communications Matrix	p. 103
Status Reporting	p. 105
Meetings	p. 106
Preparing the Agenda	p. 107
Inviting the Right People	p. 108
Informing the People of Their Roles at the Meeting	p. 108
Using the Meeting Time Effectively	p. 110
Preparing the Minutes	p. 112
Motivating People to Communicate Properly	p. 113
Electronic Tools for Communications	p. 114
Monitor and Control	p. 115
Some Suggestions	p. 115
Creating the Timelines	p. 119
Task Duration	p. 119
Dependencies	p. 120
Finish-Start Dependency	p. 121
Start-Start Dependency	p. 121
Finish-Start Dependency	p. 121
Start-Finish Dependency	p. 121
Mandatory and Discretionary Dependencies	p. 124
Lags and Leads	p. 124
Project Logic Diagram	p. 125
Critical Path	p. 128
Forward Pass	p. 130
Backward Pass	p. 132
Float	p. 133
Showing the Schedule	p. 134
Including Contingency	p. 134
Collapsing the Schedule	p. 137
Effort-Driven and Duration-Driven Tasks	p. 138
And then…	p. 139
Managing the Costs	p. 141
Types of Costs	p. 143
Profitability Measures	p. 144
Estimating the Costs	p. 146
Project Budgets and Planning the Project Cost	p. 148
Managing the Developments	p. 155
Managing the People	p. 163
Organization Structures for Projects	p. 164
Management Styles	p. 167
Autocratic	p. 168
Paternalistic	p. 169
Democratic	p. 169
Laissez-faire	p. 169
Leadership	p. 170
Team Building	p. 172
Motivation	p. 174
Conflict	p. 175
Learning Organization	p. 177
Managing the Workloads of the Team Members	p. 178
Some Suggestions for Good Participation and Good Management	p. 178
What Is the Gain?	p. 181
Good People	p. 181
Understanding the Value of the Product	p. 182
Clear Project Objectives	p. 182
Clearly Defined Scope	p. 182
Good Planning	p. 183
Strong Change Control	p. 183
Well-Connected Team	p. 184
Effective Communication	p. 184
Bibliography	p. 185
Index	p. 187
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

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