Project Management: Books

The book features over 100 case studies illustrating successful and poor implementation of project management.

The Authors explain the processes, practices, and management techniques you need to implement a successful project culture within your team and enterprise.

"For any professional responsible for coordinating projects among different departments, executive levels, or projects with technical complexity, this book clearly explains how to do it on time and on budget. From finding the right sponsor to clarifying objectives to setting a realistic schedule and budget projections, this book will help everyone better manage the relationships and process needed to get the project done. This fifth edition is updated to reflect changes in the business environment in the past few years including: Rewrites to connect to current events and trends. New case studies of project management in action (Hospital Enterprise Project Management Office and Washington State's Highway 99 tunnel). An updated chapter on engaging stockholders and the discipline of change management. Information on using Agile techniques for project scheduling. References to the PMP exam. "--

The author demonstrates in this easy-to-read book that project managers are strategic leaders for their respective organizations, as project management is a strategic advantage for organization. Ferraro coves how to implement leadership practices.

The author says he will help you plan for and react to every challenge, opportunity and problem facing your business--all while minimizing errors and reducing costs. He addresses tasks such as opening a new location, writing a business plan, developing an ad campaign, hiring new staff, buying equipment, and the day to day operations required for business success.

The book provides a generic set of repeatable processes designed to take a project from the earliest idea stage through to creating a project and product scope that customers and developers understand and support. There are supplies exercises, best practices, tools and templates, and customizable solutions, as well as two different examples of the Business Requirements Document.

Modern project management -- Organization strategy and culture -- Defining the project -- Estimating project times and costs -- Developing a project plan -- Managing risk -- Scheduling resources and costs -- Reducing project duration -- Leadership : being an effective project manager -- Managing project teams -- Outsourcing : managing interorganizational relations -- Progress and performance -- Project closure -- International projects -- Oversight -- An introduction to agile project management -- Project management career paths.
This textbook presents a balanced treatment of both the technical and behavioural issues in project management as well as covering a broad range of industries to which project management principles can be applied.

Virtual collaborative team environments face unique challenges because co-workers are not able to interact in person. Managing Virtual Teams: Getting the Most from Wikis, Blogs, and Other Collaborative Tools provides practical advice for managers of distributed teams who must design the internal systems and meet deadlines with a diverse team, and for team members who want to develop and maintain professional relationships. To address these needs, this book is divided into two parts. Part I discusses the basics of team and project management, including team dynamics, communication, and project evaluation, with particular emphasis on the unique challenges of virtual teams. Part II covers the types of tools currently available for collaboration, such as wikis, blogs, RSS feeds, and more, and describes the different feature sets of each, as well as their differences and similarities. As part of their collaborative effort, the authors used a wiki, which they have opened to give readers an opportunity to see an example of a real-life wiki at work and participate in a community with the authors and other readers.
Publisher summary

Understanding what project management is all about -- Introducing the principal organizations -- Considering the project management organizations -- Speaking the language -- Acquiring preparatory skills -- Acquiring project and program skills -- Expanding your knowledge -- Improving your abilities -- Matching the skill sets to projects and programs -- Are you ready for the next one? -- Meeting the market needs -- Getting settled -- Applying your skills to other activities -- Continuing your success!

Project management overview -- Initiating the project -- Project planning basics -- Advanced planning techniques -- Controlling the project -- Closing the project --Juggling multiple projects and dealing with project overload.

Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 131-136) and index.
Electronic reproduction. Boulder, Colo. : NetLibrary, 2005.

The book is a practical guide for both novice and seasoned managers who have been handed a major corporate project to manage and are wondering how to see it through successfully.