Project Management in Practice

by Samuel J. Mantel; Jack R. Meredith; Scott M. Shafer; Margaret M. Sutton

• ISBN13: 9780471371625
• ISBN10: 0471371629
• Edition: CD
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-01-01
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

Practical, hands-on approach, with use of Microsoft Project software integrated throughout. 120-day evaluation version of Microsoft Project packaged with book. Clear and accessible writing style.

Table of Contents

The World of Project Management	1	(26)
What Is a Project?	1	(1)
Project Management vs. General Management	2	(3)
What Is Managed? The Three Goals of a Project	5	(1)
The Life Cycles of Projects	6	(2)
Selecting Projects	8	(8)
Nonnumeric Selection Methods	8	(1)
Numeric Selection Methods	9	(7)
The Aggregate Project Plan	16	(3)
The Materials in this Text	19	(7)
Review Questions	20	(1)
Discussion Questions	21	(1)
Problems	21	(1)
Incident for Discussion	22	(1)
Case: United Screen Printers	22	(2)
Case: Handstar Inc.	24	(2)
The Manager, The Organization, and The Team	26	(29)
The PM's Roles	27	(4)
Facilitator	27	(2)
Communicator	29	(1)
Virtual Project Manager	30	(1)
Meetings, Convenor and Chair	31	(1)
The PM's Responsibilities to the Project	31	(3)
Acquiring Resources	32	(1)
Fighting Fires and Obstacles	33	(1)
Leadership and Making Trade-Offs	33	(1)
Negotiation, Conflict Resolution, and Persuasion	33	(1)
Selection of a Project Manager	34	(2)
Credibility	35	(1)
Sensitivity	35	(1)
Leadership, Style, Ethics	35	(1)
Project Management as a Profession	36	(2)
Fitting Projects into the Parent Organization	38	(8)
More on ``Why Projects?''	39	(1)
Pure Project Organization	39	(2)
Functional Project Organization	41	(1)
Matrix Project Organization	42	(3)
Mixed Organizational Systems	45	(1)
The Project Staff Office	45	(1)
The Project Team	46	(9)
Matrix Team Problems	47	(1)
Intrateam Conflict	47	(3)
Review Questions	50	(1)
Discussion Questions	51	(1)
Problems	51	(1)
Incidents for Discussion	51	(1)
Case: The Quantum Bank	52	(3)
Planning the Project	55	(27)
The Contents of a Project Plan	55	(2)
The Planning Process---Overview	57	(1)
The Planning Process---Nuts and Bolts	58	(11)
The Launch Meeting---and Subsequent Meetings	59	(2)
Sorting Out the Project	61	(2)
The Project Action Plan	63	(6)
The Work Breakdown Structure and Other Aids	69	(4)
The Work Breakdown Structure	69	(3)
The Linear Responsibility Chart---and Derivatives	72	(1)
Multidisciplinary Teams---Balancing Pleasure and Pain	73	(9)
Integration Management and Concurrent Engineering	73	(2)
Interface Coordination---Interface Management	75	(1)
Comments on Empowerment and Work Teams	76	(1)
Review Questions	77	(1)
Discussion Questions	78	(1)
Incidents for Discussion	78	(1)
Case: St. Dismas Assisted Living Facility---1	78	(2)
Case: John Wiley & Sons	80	(2)
Budgeting the Project	82	(29)
Methods of Budgeting	83	(3)
Top-Down Budgeting	85	(1)
Bottom-Up Budgeting	85	(1)
Cost Estimating	86	(5)
Work Element Costing	86	(1)
The Impact of Budget Cuts	87	(2)
Activity vs. Program Budgeting	89	(2)
Improving Cost Estimates	91	(6)
Forms	91	(1)
Learning Curves	92	(2)
Tracking Signals	94	(2)
Other Factors	96	(1)
Budget Uncertainty and Risk Management	97	(14)
Budget Uncertainty	98	(3)
Risk Management	101	(4)
Review Questions	105	(1)
Discussion Questions	105	(1)
Incidents for Discussion	106	(1)
Case: St. Dismas Assisted Living Facility Project Budget Development---2	107	(2)
Case: Photstat Inc.	109	(2)
Scheduling the Project	111	(47)
PERT and CPM Networks	112	(9)
The Language of PERT/CPM	112	(1)
Building the Network	113	(2)
Finding the Critical Path and Critical Time	115	(2)
Calculating Activity Slack	117	(1)
Doing It the Easy Way---Microsoft Project (MSP)	118	(3)
Project Uncertainty and Risk Management	121	(11)
Calculating Probabilistic Activity Times	121	(1)
The Probabilistic Network, an Example	122	(2)
Once More the Easy Way	124	(3)
The Probability of Completing the Project on Time	127	(2)
Selecting Risk and Finding D	129	(2)
The Case of the Unreasonable Boss	131	(1)
The Problem with Mergers	131	(1)
Simulation	132	(8)
Traditional Statistics vs. Simulation	137	(3)
The Gantt Chart	140	(5)
The Chart	141	(4)
Extensions to PERT/CPM	145	(13)
Precedence Diagramming	146	(1)
Other Methods	147	(1)
Final Thoughts on the Use of these Tools	148	(1)
Review Questions	149	(1)
Discussion Questions	150	(1)
Problems	150	(1)
Discussion Problem	151	(1)
Incident for Discussion	152	(1)
Case: St. Dismas Assisted Living Facility Project Action Plan---3	152	(3)
Case: Nutristar	155	(3)
Allocating Resources to the Project	158	(46)
Expediting a Project	159	(11)
The Critical Path Method	159	(6)
Using Excel® to Crash a Project	165	(5)
Fast-Tracking a Project	170	(1)
Resource Loading	170	(7)
The Charismatic VP	176	(1)
Resource Leveling	177	(8)
Resource Loading/Leveling and Uncertainty	183	(2)
Allocating Scarce Resources to Projects	185	(2)
Some Comments about Constrained Resources	185	(1)
Some Priority Rules	185	(2)
Allocating Scarce Resources to Several Projects	187	(4)
The Basic Approach	189	(1)
Other Priority Rules	189	(1)
Resource Allocation and the Project Life Cycle	189	(2)
Goldratt's Critical Chain	191	(13)
Multitasking	194	(1)
Common Chain of Events	195	(1)
The Critical Chain	196	(2)
Review Questions	198	(1)
Discussion Questions	198	(1)
Incident for Discussion	199	(1)
Problems	199	(1)
Case: St. Dismas Assisted Living Facility Resource Usage---4	200	(2)
Case: Charter Financial Bank	202	(2)
Monitoring and Controlling the Project	204	(34)
The Plan-Monitor-Control Cycle	204	(3)
Designing the Monitoring System	206	(1)
Data Collection and Reporting	207	(6)
Data Collecting	207	(1)
Data Analysis	208	(1)
Reporting and Report Types	209	(2)
Meetings	211	(1)
Virtual Reports, Meetings, and Project Management	212	(1)
Earned Value	213	(7)
Project Control	220	(2)
Purposes of Control	221	(1)
Designing the Control System	222	(6)
Types of Control Systems	223	(2)
Tools for Control	225	(3)
Scope Creep and Change Control	228	(10)
Review Questions	230	(1)
Discussion Questions	230	(1)
Problems	231	(1)
Incidents for Discussion	231	(2)
Case: St. Dismas Assisted Living Facility Monitoring---5	233	(3)
Case: Palmstar Enterprises, Inc.	236	(2)
Evaluating and Terminating the Project	238	(19)
Evaluation	238	(2)
Evaluation Criteria	239	(1)
Measurement	240	(1)
Project Auditing	240	(5)
The Audit Process	240	(3)
The Audit Report	243	(2)
Project Termination	245	(12)
When to Terminate a Project	246	(1)
Types of Project Termination	247	(1)
The Termination Process	248	(1)
The Project Final Report	249	(1)
Review Questions	250	(1)
Discussion Questions	251	(1)
Incidents for Discussion	251	(1)
Case: St. Dismas Assisted Living Auditing---6	251	(3)
Case: Datatech's Audit	254	(3)
APPENDICES	257	(28)
A: Areas under the Normal Distribution	257	(2)
B: Probability and Statistics	259	(9)
C: Risk Analysis Using Crystal Ball®	268	(17)
Author Index	285	(4)
Subject Index	289