Fundamentals of Project Management

With sales of more than 160,000 copies, Fundamentals of Project Management has helped generations of project managers navigate the ins and outs of every aspect of this complex discipline. Using a simple step-by-step approach, the book is the perfect introduction to project management tools, techniques, and concepts. Readers will learn how to: * Develop a mission statement, vision, goals, and objectives * Plan the project * Create the work breakdown structure * Produce a workable schedule * Understand earned value analysis * Manage a project team * Control and evaluate progress at every stageFully updated based on the latest version of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), the fourth edition contains new information and expanded cover age on the project risk plan; the change control process; the concept of the project manager as leader; and more. This up-to-the-minute guide is filled with tips and techniques for planning and executing projects on time, on budget, and with maximum efficiency.

Joshep Heagney has been President of Qma International Llc since 2001. Prior to that, he was with the American Management Association, where he oversaw various Ama seminar lines before transitioning to the project management product line. He eventually became Group Program Manager for the Center for Management Development in New York, then Global Practice Leader, Project Management Best Practices. He is an adjunct graduate and undergraduate instructor with City University of New York and the Dowling Institute/Dowling College.

Figure List	p. ix
Preface to the Fourth Edition	p. xi
Acknowledgments	p. xv
An Overview of Project Management	p. 1
The Role of the Project Manager	p. 24
Planning the Project	p. 32
Developing a Mission, Vision, Goals, and Objectives for the Project	p. 45
Creating the Project Risk Plan	p. 55
Using the Work Breakdown Structure to Plan a Project	p. 68
Scheduling Project Work	p. 81
Producing a Workable Schedule	p. 93
Project Control and Evaluation	p. 112
The Change Control Process	p. 125
Project Control Using Earned Value Analysis	p. 141
Managing the Project Team	p. 156
The Project Manager as Leader	p. 168
How to Make Project Management Work in Your Company	p. 180
Answers to Chapter Questions	p. 185
Index	p. 189
About the Authors	p. 201
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

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<html><head></head><body>Preface to the Fourth Edition Sending a satellite to Mars? Planning a conference or implementing new software? You have chosen the right book. The great value of project management is that it can be applied across industries and situations alike, on multiple levels. It would be difficult to find a more nimble organizational discipline. Whether or not your title says project manager, you can benefit from the practical applications presented in this book, which is intended as a brief overview of the tools, techniques, and discipline of project management as a whole. Three notable topics have been expanded for this edition, with new chapters on the project manager as leader, managing project risk, and the change control process. Although each topic is important individually, together they can establish the basis for project success or failure. Projects are often accomplished by teams, teams are made up of people, and people are driven by . . . project leaders. Conspicuously absent from the preceding is the term “manager,” as in “project manager.” If project managers manage projects, what do they do with the people who make up their teams or support networks in the absence of a formal team? Successful project leaders lead the people on their teams to consistent goal attainment and enhanced performance. They combine a command of project tools and technical savvy with a real understanding of leadership and team performance. Consistently successful projects depend on both. It is a balancing act of execution and skilled people management. Ignoring one or the other is inviting project failure and organizational inconsistency regarding project performance. Risk is an element inherent in every project. The project manager must consider several variables when determining how much to invest in the mitigation and management of that risk. How experienced is my team or support personnel? Do I have the appropriate skill sets available? Can I count on reliable data from previous projects, or am I wandering in the wilderness? Whatever the assessment, project risk is something that needs to be addressed early in the life of the project. As with any other process you will be introduced to in this book, risk must be managed formally, with little deviation from the template, while allowing for some flexibility. Project managers cannot afford to wait for bad things to happen and then fix them. Reactive management is too costly. The practical Six-Step process presented in the book can and should be applied to any project. How it is applied directly depends on the variables that confront that project. Death, taxes, and change. Project managers need to expand the list of certainties in life. To paraphrase James P. Lewis, author of the first three editions this book, in Chapter 3, project failures are caused primarily by the failure to plan properly. I often tell my seminar attendees that planning is everything and that most proj - ects succeed or fail up front. This is not an overstatement. But what often gets lost in project execution is the absolute necessity to keep the plan current based on the changes that have affected the project from day one. Have the changes affected the scope of the project? Has the schedule or budget been impacted in any significant way? These are the questions that must be asked and answered when applying effective change control to the project. Failure to manage and communicate change results in serious misalignment and probably failure. Chapter 10 presents the reader with a practical change control process that can help ensure project success. As a former Global Practice Leader for project management at the American Management Association, I had the luxury of benchmarking multiple organizations worldwide and identified several project-related best practices. The applications discussed here represent some of those practices, as well as those presented in the latest version of PMBOK®. With this expanded edition of Fundamentals of Project Management, I hope to enhance your chances of bringing projects in on time, on budget with an excellent deliverable—every time. Joseph J. Heagney Sayville, NY February, 2011 </body></html>