Project Management

Effective project management is valuable in any field — and will enhance your career at every level! Project Management provides a step-by-step, all-inclusive introduction to the tools and techniques necessary to spearhead your next project, and bring it home on time, on budget, and at performance levels that will add directly to your company's bottom line. Turn to this latest addition to McGraw-Hill's skills-based Briefcase Books series for hands-on methods you can use to:

• Stay on top of all aspects of your project: process, interpersonal, and organizational
• Forge a spirit of cooperation and achievement among diverse team members
• Deal effectively with all the contingencies, foreseen and unforeseen that always come up in any project

In today's environment of tight margins and tighter turnarounds, the effective project manager is often one of the most valuable and rewarded members of a workplace team. Let Project Management show you how to master every aspect of this important role, and give you the confidence you need to guide each project to its satisfying, successful completion.

1. Congratulations … You're the Project Manager!
• The Accidental Project Manager
• What Can You Expect to Encounter "Out There"?
• About the Art and Science of Project Management
• About This Book
  
• Project Manager's Checklist for Chapter 1
  
2. About Projects and Project Management
• Project Management: The Process Context
• Project Management: The Interpersonal and Behavioral Context
• Project Management: The Organizational Context
• Defining Project Success
  
• Project Manager's Checklist for Chapter 2
  
3. The Role of the Project Manager
• Your Responsibilities as Project Manager
• Common Challenges You Can Expect to Face
• Skill Requirements of the Project Manager
• Functional Competencies of the Project Manager
• The Project Manager's "Unofficial" Job Duties
• The Value of Introspection and Self-Awareness to "The Soft Side"
  
• Project Manager's Checklist for Chapter 3
  
4. Defining Your Project
• How Projects Should Evolve
• First, Fully Understand the Problem or Opportunity
• Second, Identify the Optimum Solution
• Third, Fully Develop the Solution and a Preliminary Plan
• Fourth, Formally Launch the Project
• The Unspoken Imperative: Evaluate the Political Environment
  
• Project Manager's Checklist for Chapter 4
  
5. Building and Maintaining an Effective Team
• The Mechanics of Building a Team
• Team Leadership Starts on Day One!
• Fostering Teamwork and Synergism
• Getting the Most from Individual Team Members
• Project Manager's Checklist for Chapter 5
  
6. An Overview of Planning and Estimating
• An Introduction to Project Planning
• An Introduction to Estimating
  
• Project Manager's Checklist for Chapter 6
  
7. Preparing a Detailed Project Plan: Step by Step
• Identifying What Needs to Be Done (Scope Management)
• Identifying How Long It Will Take to Do Everything (Time Management)
• Identifying How Much It Costs to Get Things Done (Cost Management)
• What About Project Management Software?
  
• Project Manager's Checklist for Chapter 7
  
8. Dealing With Risk and Uncertainty
• Understanding Risk and Uncertainty
• Managing Risk: An Overview
• Identifying What Can Hurt You
• Quantifying How Badly You Can Get Hurt
• Analyzing the Biggest Threats to Your Project
• Responding to High-Threat Problems
• Managing Project Risk Is a Mindset
• Accommodating Uncertainty
  
• Project Manager's Checklist for Chapter 8
  
9. Maintaining Control During Project Execution
• What Project Control Really Means
• How Do You Establish a Baseline of Measurement?
• What Information Do You Need?
• How Do You Gather Information?
• How Do You Make Sure You're Getting Good Information?
• How Do You Analyze the Information?
• How Should You React to the Information?
  
• Project Manager's Checklist for Chapter 9
  
10. Managing the Project Interfaces
• What Are "Project Interfaces"?
• Internal Stakeholders and Their Roles
• External Stakeholders and Their Roles
• Other Interfaces
• Special Considerations in Interface Management
• Project Manager's Checklist for Chapter 10
  
11. Project Communication and Documentation
• The Project Management Configuration Plan: A Documentation and Communication "Road Map"
• Methods of Communicating
• General Guidelines for Effective Communication
• Conducting High-Quality Meetings
• Communication Skills and the Project Manager
• Key Project Documentation
• Project Manager's Checklist for Chapter 11
  
12. Bringing Your Project to Successful Conclusion
• Early Termination: Not As Bad As You Think
• Key Elements in Successful Project Closure
• A Few More Words About the Punch List Approach
• Developing a Project Completion Checklist
• How to Transfer What You've Learned to Others
• And So We've Reached the End
• Project Manager's Checklist for Chapter 12
  

At long last, a very good introductionary book on project management.

The mixture of theory and practical insights, makes this a very good intro to project management. The skills of the author to make even boring stuff sound interesting, is a testament to the dryness of the subjects other books.

Be warned, if you're a seasoned PM, you'll find most of the stuff obvious. But for a beginning/fresh PM, this is what you really need to understand to make your career a successful one.

Highly recommended.