Your project management coach: best practices for managing projects in the real world (paperback) Best Practices for Managing Projects in the Real World

If you manage projects, meet your coach!

Many projects fail to deliver "on time and within budget."?These failures are often the result of poor project management skills. Your Project Management Coach provides a hands-on, pragmatic approach to solving real-world project management problems. Using richly illustrated case examples, the authors show how to apply proven project management techniques to achieve optimum results. The companion website provides forms and templates you can use to put the ideas in the book into action. Whether you"re an experienced project manager looking for specific solutions or are new to project management, you"ll find a gold mine of practical, field-tested advice.

What you will learn

• Elements that define a project, including the problem, goal, objectives, and success criteria

• How to plan a project, including how to identify and estimate the work and cost

• Best practices for building a realistic schedule, using work estimates, resource availability, and more

• How to manage quality, risk, and change

• Techniques for evaluating progress and performance

• Methods for balancing scope, time, and cost, as well as resources, quality, and risk

• Why you want to document lessons learned and archive project information

• When your organization needs a project management office or project portfolio management

You can also use this book to assist in your preparation for the PMP Certification Exam.

Visit to find sample project management documents, a link to the authors" blog, and more

Part I Understanding Projects and Project Management 1

Chapter 1 Getting to Know Projects 3

What Is a Project? 3

A Project Is a Unique Endeavor 5

A Project Has Clearly Defined Objectives and Deliverables 5

A Project Has a Beginning and an End 7

A Project Usually Has a Budget 8

How Do Projects Differ from Other Work? 9

Summary 10

Coach's Review 10

Test Your Knowledge 10

Project Challenge 10

Chapter 2 Getting to Know Project Management 11

What Is Project Management? 12

Project Management Processes: Start to Finish 13

Initiating a Project 14

Planning a Project 15

Executing a Project 17

Monitoring and Controlling a Project 18

Closing a Project 19

Balancing Scope, Time, Cost, and Quality 20

Project Management Methodologies 21

Traditional Waterfall Project Management 21

Iterative and Agile Project Management 22

Project Management Knowledge Areas 23

Scope Management 24

Time Management 25

Cost Management 25

Human Resource Management 25

Procurement Management 26

Communication Management 26

Quality Management 26

Risk Management 27

Integration Management 27

Who Makes a Good Project Manager? 28

Business Savvy 28

Technical Skills 28

Soft Skills 29

Varying Viewpoints 29

Delegating 30

Leadership and Interpersonal Skills 30

Flexibility 30

Doing the Right Things for the Project 30

Summary 30

Coach's Review 31

Test Your Knowledge 31

Project Challenge 31

Part II Planning a Project 33

Chapter 3 Getting a Project Off the Ground 35

From Idea to Project: An Overview of

Project Initiation 36

Defi ning a Project 37

Discovering the Problem or Opportunity 40

Articulating the Project Goal and Objectives 44

Developing the Project Goal 44

Creating the Project Objectives 45

Deciding on the Project Strategy 46

Brainstorming Possibilities 46

Identifying Constraints 47

Choosing the Right Strategy 48

Gathering Requirements 49

Starting with Broad Requirements 49

Mining for Requirements 49

Differentiating and Prioritizing Requirements 50

What Constitutes Success? 51

Documenting Project Scope 52

Elements of the Scope Statement 53

Controlling Scope Creep 55

Specifying the Deliverables 57

Identifying Risks, Assumptions, and Constraints 58

Working with Risks 58

Working with Assumptions 59

Working with Constraints 59

Identifying the Project Stakeholders 60

Preparing the Project Proposal 62

Getting Approval or Sign-Off 65

Publicizing the Project Charter 66

Preparing a Project Charter 67

Distributing the Project Charter 68

Assembling the Project Notebook 68

Using the Project Notebook for Approved Projects 69

Using the Project Notebook for Tabled or

Denied Projects 69

Choosing the Form of the Project Notebook 69

Summary 71

Coach's Review 71

Test Your Knowledge 71

Project Challenge 72

Chapter 4 Getting to Know a Project Plan 73

What Work Has to Be Done? 74

Identifying Work 74

Organizing Work into Major Categories 74

How Much Will the Project Cost? 75

Obtaining Early Cost Estimates 75

Building a Budget 75

Who Will Do the...

Bonnie Biafore is a PMI–certified project manager, as well as a trainer and award–winning author. She has written numerous books on project management, small business accounting, and other topics. Teresa Stover is a technical communications and project management consultant for software, manufacturing, and education. Both are prolific writers and conduct training on project management.