Project Management

Dennis Lock's masterly exposition of the principles and practice of project management has been preeminent in its field for four decades. It was among the very few early books to treat project management holistically, rather than as a collection of separate techniques. It thus explains the entire project management process in great detail, demonstrating techniques ranging from the simplest of charts to sophisticated computer applications. Everything is reinforced throughout with case examples and diagrams. The text has been completely restructured and largely rewritten for this ninth edition, so that the sequence now follows even more closely the life-cycle of a typical project from its earliest definition to final close-out. Case examples and diagrams have all been reviewed, updated, augmented or replaced. Expansion from 25 to 30 chapters has allowed greater emphasis to be given to stakeholders' perceptions of success, the organization and management of business change projects, people's roles in project management and the wider business contexts in which project management has been adopted. As with previous editions, meticulous care has been taken to ensure that the text style is reader-friendly and free of unnecessary jargon, with clear diagrams and a construction that is logically organized, well indexed and simple to navigate. The result is certain to maintain the book's acclaimed status as the standard work for managers and students alike.

Table of Contents:
Preface to the ninth edition; Introduction to project management; Factors for project success or failure; Defining the project task; Estimating the project costs; First steps in planning the timescale; Financial appraisal and the business plan; Risk; Project authorization; Project organization structures; Organization of business change and IT projects; Key people in the organization; Work breakdown structure; Completing the breakdown structures; Detailed planning: an introduction to critical path networks; Detailed planning: critical path networks in practice; Principles of resource scheduling; Scheduling people (and other re-usable resources); Scheduling materials; Scheduling cash flows; Computer applications; Project start-up; Aspects of commercial management; Managing procurement; Managing progress; Managing changes; Managing project costs; Earned value analysis and cost reporting; Managing multiple projects, programmes and portfolios; More advanced or less frequently used techniques; Managing project closure; Bibliography; Index.

About the Author :
Dennis Lock is a freelance writer who specializes in project management. His exceptionally wide industrial experience has included subminiature electronics, defence systems, heavy engineering and international mining, with a progression of successful management positions in all of those industries. He has fulfilled consultancy assignments in Britain and overseas and in recent years has taught project management to masters degree students as an external lecturer at two British universities. Of over 30 books that he has written or edited, almost all have been published by Gower.