Project Management in the Real World: Shortcuts to Success

This highly accessible guide summarizes over 250 years of experience from professional project managers. It contains a wealth of knowledge that can be applied in a short period of time. It contains theory, international case studies and hints and tips on controlling budget, time, scope and people, to help make sure projects do not fall into the 84 per cent that "Computer Weekly" estimates fail each year. The book is aimed at both public and private sector project managers.

Table of Contents:
SECTION 1: MANAGING PROJECT BUDGETS 1 Create a realistic budget 2 Calculate the true cost 3 Agree a budget tolerance 4 Track estimate to complete 5 Have a contingency fund 6 Gain buy-in for collective responsibility 7 Agree who holds signing authority 8 Watch each budget line 9 Arrange for a peer review 10 Manage the model 11 Manage projects with no budget carefully SECTION 2: MANAGING PROJECT SCOPE 12 Keep it small 13 Work out how to manage changes 14 Include quality planning in scope 15 Work out how to track benefits 16 Eliminate ambiguity 17 Use version control 18 Put a post-project review in scope 19 Identify risks up front 20 Manage risks 21 Manage issues 22 Document assumptions 23 Involve users in scope definition SECTION 3: MANAGING PROJECT TEAMS 24 Communicate and document changes 25 Get them to believe 26 Know the culture of your team 27 Agree who is going to sign off 28 Don’t forget the soft stuff 29 Train your sponsor 30 Bribe your team 31 Carry out stakeholder analysis 32 Present your stuff interestingly 33 Organize a party 34 Find out what motivates your stakeholders SECTION 4: MANAGING PROJECT PLANS 35 Keep up the momentum 36 Plan first – set end date later 37 Manage fixed-date projects carefully 38 Have short tasks 39 Understand the critical path 40 Understand where you’re starting from 41 Baseline your plan 42 Record time 43 Make meetings productive 44 Delegate subplans to workstream leaders 45 Work out when you will leave SECTION 5: MANAGING YOURSELF 46 Get organized 47 Keep your records tidy 48 Don’t lose sight of the end goal 49 Promote yourself 50 Don’t panic 51 Know what’s a showstopper 52 Learn how to facilitate 53 Get a mentor 54 Do documentation 55 Don’t be afraid to suggest they pull the plug 56 Archive effectively APPENDIX

About the Author :
Elizabeth Harrin is a project manager for AXA and was previously with American Express. A PRINCE2 Practitioner, she is trained in the Six Sigma process improvement methodology as a Black Belt. An alumnus of the universities of York and Roehampton, she currently lives and works in Paris.

Review :
[The author] tries to focus on the use of standards within project management not for their own sake but for the betterment of the project and its delivery. Good commonsense stuff.