Core Concepts: Project Management in Practice, with CD, 2nd Edition

by Samuel J. Mantel (Univ. of Cincinnati); Jack R. Meredith (Univ. of Cincinnati); Scott M. Shafer (Wake Forest University ); Margaret M. Sutton (Project Management Consultant )

• ISBN13: 9780471229650
• ISBN10: 0471229652
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-07-01
• Publisher: WILEY

Summary

Get a concise, hands-on, and applied approach to project management with the new edition of Core Concepts. The authors take a computer program orientation, focusing on doing Project Management. They organize the book around the project management life cycle, provide you with essential project management concepts, and tie them into the Project Management Body of Knowledge (Project Management Institute runs the PMBOK certification program). This edition includes revised discussion of the integration of parent organization\'s strategies into project selection and management; and greatly expanded coverage of risk management and assessment in the project management process.

Author Biography

Professors Mantel and Meredith are the coauthors of two of the leading texts on Project Management:&#160; <b>Project Management in Practice</b> and <b>Project Management:&#160; A Managerial Approach</b>, with combined sales of over 275,000 copies.&#160; Professor Mantel is at the University of Cincinnati and Professor Meredith is at Wake Forest University.

Table of Contents

The World of Project Management	1	(37)
What Is a Project?	1	(2)
Project Management vs. General Management	3	(2)
Major Differences	3	(1)
Negotiation	4	(1)
What Is Managed? The Three Goals of a Project	5	(1)
The Life Cycles of Projects	6	(2)
Selecting Projects to Meet Organizational Goals	8	(10)
Nonnumeric Selection Methods	9	(1)
Numeric Selection Methods	10	(8)
Confronting Uncertainty---The Management of Risk	18	(8)
Considering Uncertainty in Project Selection Decisions	18	(8)
The Project Portfolio Process	26	(4)
The Materials in this Text	30	(8)
Review Questions	32	(1)
Discussion Questions	32	(1)
Problems	32	(2)
Incident for Discussion	34	(1)
Case: United Screen Printers	34	(1)
Case: Handstar Inc.	35	(3)
The Manager, The Organization, and the Team	38	(29)
The PM's Roles	39	(5)
Facilitator	39	(2)
Communicator	41	(1)
Virtual Project Manager	42	(1)
Meetings, Convenor and Chair	43	(1)
The PM's Responsibilities to the Project	44	(2)
Acquiring Resources	44	(1)
Fighting Fires and Obstacles	44	(1)
Leadership and Making Trade-Offs	45	(1)
Negotiation, Conflict Resolution, and Persuasion	46	(1)
Selection of a Project Manager	46	(3)
Credibility	47	(1)
Sensitivity	47	(1)
Leadership, Style, Ethics	47	(2)
Project Management as a Profession	49	(2)
Fitting Projects into the Parent Organization	51	(7)
More on ``Why Projects?''	51	(1)
Pure Project Organization	52	(1)
Functional Project Organization	53	(1)
Matrix Project Organization	54	(3)
Mixed Organizational Systems	57	(1)
The Project Staff Office	57	(1)
The Project Team	58	(9)
Matrix Team Problems	59	(1)
Intrateam Conflict	60	(2)
Review Questions	62	(1)
Discussion Questions	63	(1)
Incidents for Discussion	63	(1)
Case: The Quantum Bank	64	(3)
Planning The Project	67	(31)
The Contents of a Project Plan	67	(3)
The Planning Process---Overview	70	(1)
The Planning Process---Nuts and Bolts	71	(10)
The Launch Meeting---and Subsequent Meetings	71	(2)
Sorting Out the Project	73	(2)
The Project Action Plan	75	(6)
The Work Breakdown Structure and Other Aids	81	(4)
The Work Breakdown Structure	81	(3)
The Linear Responsibility Chart---and Derivatives	84	(1)
Multidisciplinary Teams---Balancing Pleasure and Pain	85	(13)
Integration Management	86	(1)
Concurrent Engineering	86	(1)
Interface Coordination---Interface Management	87	(2)
The Design Structure Matrix	89	(1)
Comments on Empowerment and Work Teams	90	(1)
Review Questions	91	(1)
Discussion Questions	92	(1)
Problems	92	(1)
Incidents for Discussion	93	(1)
Case: St. Dismas Assisted Living Facility---1	94	(2)
Case: John Wiley & Sons	96	(2)
Budgeting the Project	98	(36)
Methods of Budgeting	99	(3)
Top-Down Budgeting	101	(1)
Bottom-Up Budgeting	102	(1)
Cost Estimating	102	(6)
Work Element Costing	103	(1)
The Impact of Budget Cuts	103	(2)
An Aside	105	(2)
Activity vs. Program Budgeting	107	(1)
Improving Cost Estimates	108	(7)
Forms	108	(1)
Learning Curves	108	(4)
Tracking Signals	112	(1)
Other Factors	113	(2)
Budget Uncertainty and Risk Management	115	(19)
Budget Uncertainty	115	(3)
Risk Management	118	(10)
Review Questions	128	(1)
Discussion Questions	128	(1)
Problems	129	(1)
Incidents for Discussion	129	(1)
Case: St. Dismas Assisted Living Facility Project Budget Development---2	130	(2)
Case: Photstat Inc.	132	(2)
Scheduling the Project	134	(46)
PERT and CPM Networks	135	(9)
The Language of PERT/CPM	135	(1)
Building the Network	136	(2)
Finding the Critical Path and Critical Time	138	(2)
Calculating Activity Slack	140	(1)
Doing It the Easy Way---Microsoft Project (MSP)	141	(3)
Project Uncertainty and Risk Management	144	(12)
Calculating Probabilistic Activity Times	144	(1)
The Probabilistic Network, an Example	145	(2)
Once More the Easy Way	147	(3)
The Probability of Completing the Project on Time	150	(4)
Selecting Risk and Finding D	154	(1)
The Case of the Unreasonable Boss	154	(1)
The Problem with Mergers	155	(1)
Simulation	156	(6)
Traditional Statistics vs. Simulation	160	(2)
The Gantt Chart	162	(5)
The Chart	162	(5)
Extensions to PERT/CPM	167	(13)
Precedence Diagramming	167	(2)
Other Methods	169	(1)
Final Thoughts on the Use of these Tools	169	(2)
Review Questions	171	(1)
Discussion Questions	171	(1)
Problems	171	(2)
Discussion Problem	173	(1)
Incidents for Discussion	173	(1)
Case: St. Dismas Assisted Living Facility Project Action Plan---3	174	(3)
Case: Nutristar	177	(3)
Allocating Resources to the Project	180	(48)
Expediting a Project	181	(11)
The Critical Path Method	181	(6)
Using Excel® to Crash a Project	187	(5)
Fast-Tracking a Project	192	(1)
Resource Loading	192	(7)
The Charismatic VP	198	(1)
Resource Leveling	199	(8)
Resource Loading/Leveling and Uncertainty	205	(2)
Allocating Scarce Resources to Projects	207	(2)
Some Comments about Constrained Resources	207	(1)
Some Priority Rules	207	(2)
Allocating Scarce Resources to Several Projects	209	(4)
Criteria of Priority Rules	210	(1)
The Basic Approach	211	(1)
Other Priority Rules	211	(1)
Resource Allocation and the Project Life Cycle	211	(2)
Goldratt's Critical Chain	213	(15)
Estimating Task Times	215	(1)
The Effect of Not Reporting Early Activity Completion	216	(1)
Multitasking	217	(2)
Common Chain of Events	219	(1)
The Critical Chain	220	(1)
Review Questions	221	(1)
Discussion Questions	222	(1)
Problems	222	(1)
Incidents for Discussion	223	(1)
Case: St. Dismas Assisted Living Facility Resource Usage---4	224	(1)
Case: Charter Financial Bank	225	(3)
Monitoring and Controlling the Project	228	(34)
The Plan-Monitor-Control Cycle	228	(3)
Designing the Monitoring System	230	(1)
Data Collection and Reporting	231	(6)
Data Collecting	231	(1)
Data Analysis	232	(1)
Reporting and Report Types	233	(2)
Meetings	235	(1)
Virtual Reports, Meetings, and Project Management	236	(1)
Earned Value	237	(7)
Project Control	244	(2)
Purposes of Control	245	(1)
Designing the Control System	246	(7)
Types of Control Systems	247	(2)
Tools for Control	249	(4)
Scope Creep and Change Control	253	(9)
Review Questions	254	(1)
Discussion Questions	254	(1)
Problems	255	(1)
Incidents for Discussion	256	(1)
Case: St. Dismas Assisted Living Facility Monitoring---5	257	(3)
Case: Palmstar Enterprises, Inc.	260	(2)
Evaluating and Terminating the Project	262	(19)
Evaluation	262	(2)
Evaluation Criteria	263	(1)
Measurement	264	(1)
Project Auditing	264	(5)
The Audit Process	264	(3)
The Audit Report	267	(2)
Project Termination	269	(12)
When to Terminate a Project	270	(1)
Types of Project Termination	271	(1)
The Termination Process	272	(1)
The Project Final Report	273	(1)
Review Questions	274	(1)
Discussion Questions	275	(1)
Incidents for Discussion	275	(1)
Case: St. Dismas Assisted Living Auditing---6	276	(2)
Case: Datatech's Audit	278	(3)
APPENDIX	281	(10)
A: Probability and Statistics	281	(1)
A.1 Probability	281	(1)
Subjective Probability	282	(1)
Logical Probability	282	(1)
Experimental Probability	282	(1)
A.2 Event Relationships and Probability Laws	282	(2)
The Multiplication Rule	283	(1)
The Addition Rule	284	(1)
A.3 Statistics	284	(7)
Descriptive versus Inferential Statistics	285	(1)
Measures of Central Tendency	286	(1)
Measures of Dispersion	286	(1)
Inferential Statistics	287	(2)
Standard Probability Distributions	289	(2)
Name Index	291	(4)
Subject Index	295