Preface

Well into the swiftly approaching millennium, project management will continue to be a highly desired skill in the midst of great change. Because rigid organizational boundaries and responsibilities have blurred and new technologies are changing the ways of doing business, results must be delivered more quickly and accurately than ever before. These circumstances call for people who can deal with ambiguity and time pressures while simultaneously accomplishing project goals—in other words, people who display excellence in project management.

In this book, we present the route to achieving the knowledge and expertise that will help you display excellence in project management, on any type of project in any industry. Using a wedding-business case study, we present the basic principles, tools, and techniques so that readers can easily understand and apply the material.

Starting with Chapter 2, you’ll learn the six basic functions of project management. You’ll learn how to:

1. Lead a project throughout its cycle; it’s so important that it is the first topic.

2. Define a project’s goals and objectives so everyone agrees on the results and knows success when they see it.

3. Plan a project in a way that results in a road map that people will confidently follow, not just the project manager.

4. Organize a project in a manner that increases the efficiency and effectiveness of the team, resulting in greater productivity.

5. Control a project so that its momentum and direction are not overtaken by “scope creep.”

6. Close a project in a manner so that it lands smoothly rather than crashes.

The book comprises three major parts. Part I establishes the fundamentals of project management, with an overview of the field today, provides information on the wedding case study, and provides a general look at what constitutes leadership. Part II is the heart of the volume, with chapters covering the key issues that face project managers today. Based on the six functions just listed, these chapters discuss setting up your project structure, assessing its progress, and achieving its goals. We cover such topics as working with new teaming structures and styles, motivating people, estimating costs, and dealing with change. At the end of each chapter is a series of questions that will help you apply your new knowledge to an existing or upcoming project. Part III contains additional tips, such as how to work with new technologies and how to manage or decrease risk. The Appendix material refers to the case study, the Glossary is a quick reference to special terms, and the References are suggestions for further reading.

The authors have applied the principles, tools, and techniques in this book successfully in a wide variety of projects: audit, construction, documentation, engineering, information systems, insurance, manufacturing, support services/help desk, and telecommunications projects, as well as in other environments. The book is based on our combined experience of more than fifty years in business management, operations, and information systems. As the founders and executives of the consulting firm Practical Creative Solutions, Inc., of Redmond, Washington, we offer products, services, and training programs designed to meet the special needs of our varied clients.

Project management works—if you know what it is and how to do it. After reading this book, you will be able to join the ranks of effective and successful project managers.