Succeed as a project manager, even if you've never run a project before! This book is the fastest way to master every project management task, from upfront budgeting and scheduling through execution, managing teams through closing projects, and learning from experience. Updated with more insights from the front lines, including agile approaches, dealing with security and privacy priorities, and leading remote/virtual teams, along with the latest on Microsoft Project and PMI standards and certifications and a special bonus chapter on preparing for the new PMP certification. This book will show you exactly how to get the job done, one incredibly clear and easy step at a time. Project management has never, ever been this simple! This is today's best beginner's guide to modern project management--simple, practical instructions for succeeding with every task you'll need to perform! * Master the key skills and qualities every project manager needs * Learn how to lead projects, not just "manage" them * Avoid 15 most common mistakes new project managers make * Learn from troubled, successful, and "recovered" projects * Apply agile, hybrid, and traditional project management approaches * Learn the differences between a project manager, Scrum master, and product owner * Learn how DevOps and DevSecOps impact the project manager * Set the stage for success by effectively defining your project * Build a usable project plan and an accurate work breakdown structure (WBS) * Create budgets and schedules that help you manage risk * Use powerful control and reporting techniques, including earned value management * Smoothly manage project changes, issues, risks, deliverables, and quality * Manage project communications and stakeholder expectations * Organize and lead high-performance project teams * Manage cross-functional, cross-cultural, and virtual projects * Get started with agile and "critical chain" project management * Gain key insights that will accelerate your learning curve * Learn how to respond to real-life situations, not just what they teach you in school

* Presents a methodological approach to managing the mega project from pre-concept to closure and beyond* Focuses on leading work across project stages and managing each stage* Integrates the mega project with organizational assets* Recommendations on using agile to manage project phases

The primary focus of this book is an examination of longitudinal team communication and its impact on team performance. This theoretically-grounded, holistic examination of team communication includes cross-condition comparisons of team (i.e., distributed/in person, unrestricted/time pressured, two performance episodes) and employs multiple quantitative methodological approaches to examine the phenomena of interest. This book simultaneously provides practical content for researchers and practitioners in the social sciences and humanities. Included are step-by-step instructions for the methodologies employed, and distillations of findings via Managerial Minutes that highlight best practices and/or examples to help enhance team communication in practice.

This book explores construction digitalisation, particularly in developing countries. The book conceptualises a digitalisation capability maturity model that will enable construction organisations to self-assess and benchmark their digital capabilities in their quest for digital transformation. Digitalisation offers a significant solution to the age-long problems of the construction industry. Research shows that when construction organisations transform from a traditional service delivery approach to a more digitalised approach, significant improvement in project delivery and better competitive advantage for these organisations will be attained. The attainment of these benefits is evident in developed countries where the digitalisation of construction activities continues apace. Unfortunately, the story is not the same for construction organisations in developing economies. While some organisations might be willing to be digitally transformed, most have no clue how to go about it. To this end, this book provides guidelines for construction organisations seeking to transform their entities digitally. Its content is a valuable read for construction company owners as it provides a model which they can use in the digitalisation of their activities. Also, regulatory bodies in the construction industry can adopt the capabilities identified in the book as essential prerequisites for their members. Furthermore, the book serves as excellent theoretical background reading for management researchers seeking to expand their knowledge on the digitalisation of the construction industry and other associated industries.

This book examines the effective and appropriate integration of project customers in intercultural settings. It first presents the theoretical background and the state of the art in intercultural project stakeholder management. The book then describes the use of qualitative and quantitative (Delphi survey) methods to produce a dataset, and the development of a relational model for customer engagement in intercultural projects based on this dataset. The book can be used to inform future research in the area of international project management, while also serving as a guide for project management practitioners who need to engage culturally diverse users, sponsors and customers.

Lessons Learned is an important phase in project management. This is when organizations can pave the way for future project success by documenting mistakes so they are not repeated and recording best practices so they are repeated. This book covers the important role a project management office (PMO) plays in promoting lessons learned. Project managers learn how to improve processes by applying lessons learned. The book emphasizes "actionability," or producing a process improvement that can be acted upon by anyone in the PMO or project team.

Executives should not necessarily know the intricacies of project management, but they should know how project management, as a discipline, can benefit the organization in implementing its strategies and realizing its vision. The only way that executives can effectively apply project management to realize these goals is to have sound knowledge of the project management discipline. The purpose of this book is to provide executives with a comprehensive overview of the discipline of project management. It focuses on the benefits of project management to an organization. The goal is to provide executives with a view as to how project management can deliver organizational strategies. The various chapters focus on specific aspects within the project management discipline and how each aspect should be managed from a business perspective. The book covers the entire spectrum of project management from a management and leadership perspective. The focus is not necessarily on what needs to be done from a project management perspective, but on what organizations and senior executives can do to facilitate projects. The book covers: The value of project management Project management as a strategic enabler Project, program, and portfolio management The role of the project management office in the successful delivery of projects, programs, and portfolios The benefits of project deliverables bring Sustainability of the organization Governance and the role of the project sponsor. The book concludes with a comprehensive portfolio, program, and project management framework. This holistic framework enables organizations to achieve value from project management and realize strategic goals.

Crisis Leadership examines the challenges faced by leaders at each stage of the crisis 'lifecycle', and offers a unique insight into the lessons learned by people in the most challenging of situations. Anyone in a leadership position is only too aware that we live in uncertain times: disaster can strike any business, at any time, and usually without warning. Public institutions, too, face a range of threats - from global recession, resurgent terrorism and a stream of appalling natural disasters. For leaders in such organisations, these crisis situations can present both opportunities and threats. How they lead through such challenging times will propel their careers to new heights - or destroy them completely. Crisis Leadership examines the challenges faced by leaders at each stage of the crisis 'lifecycle', from the instant they learn of the crisis, through to moments of critical decision-making and the final tumultuous days. Tim Johnson offers a unique insight into the lessons learned by people in the most challenging of situations. Blended with operational guidance from the author's extensive experience in crisis management, Crisis Leadership provides an overview of the crisis 'lifecycle', to ensure that readers will come away from this book with a deeper appreciation of the critical nature of each key stage and the leadership challenges they bring - from the first signs of an emerging crisis to dealing with the long-term consequences they can create.

This book offers a practical insight to leaders who need to make good decisions in risky and important situations. The authors describe a process for making risk-intelligent decisions, explaining complex ideas simply, and mapping a route through the myriad interrelated influences when groups make decisions that matter. The approach puts the decision maker-you-at the center and explains how you can think and act differently to make better decisions more of the time. The book shows how to Determine the appropriate level of risk Make decisions in uncertain and turbulent conditions Understand how risks are perceived to identify them accurately Develop new behaviors to improve decision-making Making Risky and Important Decisions: A Leader's Guide builds on earlier ground-breaking publications from these two recognized thought leaders. Their first book together, Understanding and Managing Risk Attitude, brought together the language of risk and risk-taking with the language of emotional intelligence and emotional literacy. Managing Group Risk Attitude followed, and focused on decision-making groups, creating new insights and frameworks. Both books are positioned as specialist textbooks, despite their relevance to real-world situations. A Short Guide to Risk Appetite brought together the concepts of risk appetite and risk attitude into one place for the first time, cutting through confusing terminology and confused thinking to create a practical way of understanding "how much risk is too much risk." This latest installment from Ruth Murray-Webster and David Hillson takes the breadth of their previous work, adds new insights and thinking, and distills it into a highly usable guide for hard-pressed leaders.

* Global examples are used throughout from companies such as Wal-Mart, Dell, Unilever, DHL, Maersk, Amazon, Zara, Cisco Systems, 3M and BASF to ensure the book is truly global in its applicability. * Provides a more comprehensive and practical approach than competing texts, considering broader Supply Chain processes and how they can ensure competitive advantage and sustainability. * Features textbook pedagogy to aid learning throughout, including worked examples explaining different analytics techniques, international case studies, review questions and supplementary online resources.

This book offers a unique perspective on the challenges that non-Chinese employed by Chinese companies face and provides insight into the issues foreign employees working for Chinese management encounter. As its source of content the book analyzes the experiences of those currently working for Chinese companies both inside and outside China and in exploring the dimensions of that experience lifts the veil on the inner workings of a Chinese company. By supplementing this primary analysis with secondary research that encompasses a wide range of disciplines (cross-cultural relations, Chinese management philosophy and practice, human resource management, linguistics, and aesthetics, etc.) the book serves as an invaluable resource for those engaged in the study of Chinese enterprise culture and management, cross-cultural relations, international business and human resource management.

This book will provide readers with an in-depth theoretical awareness and practical guidance on the implementation of an effective monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system to ensure construction projects meet approved quality, cost, time and social sustainability objectives. The authors discuss the drivers, challenges, determinants and benefits of effective M&E implementation together with the theories and models underpinning construction project M&E practices. Further, a comparative overview of M&E practices in developed and developing countries is presented to elucidate the best practices. The book first conceptualizes M&E as a five-factor model comprising stakeholder involvement, budgetary allocation and logistics, technical capacity and training, leadership, and communication. It then presents an M&E case study on the Ghanaian construction industry before expanding on the idea of M&E systems as an effective tool for project performance and in optimizing a project's contribution to society and the environment. The book further provides guidance on M&E practice for construction project managers, investors, professionals, researchers and other stakeholders and is therefore of interest to those in architecture, construction engineering, planning, project management and development studies.

Since 1960, two-thirds of very large governmental projects in Nigeria have not only failed, but been abandoned mid-course. This presents a bigger failure rate than mega projects elsewhere, and yet there is no available data or analysis to help us understand the reasons behind such failures. This book provides an authoritative examination into why very large projects in Nigeria have failed so badly, and provides practical recommendations on how the Nigerian government can improve its project performance. Drawing on data from 38 very large projects (19 completed and 19 abandoned) with a total budget of over $25B, this book presents detailed analysis of these projects and in-depth case studies 11 of the projects, and presents lessons for improvement. Through this, the authors have identified a small number of key success drivers, and argue that making moderate improvements on any of them would, on average, save hundreds of millions of dollars on one large project alone. This book is a game-changer in the management of government mega projects in Nigeria. With clear implications for other developing economies, this is a vital resource for project management practitioners, executives and civil servants. This is an open access book.

The goal of the new edition is to continue with a systems view of the world. For a more robust and worldwide market dissemination, the new edition has changed to a reference book. The project systems approach to project management, is needed in executing projects across countries and across cultures, which is a crucial requirement in today's globalized and intertwined economics. The book uses ample graphical representations to clarify the concepts and techniques presented. The case examples help to reinforce the topics covered. Several illustrative examples and practice exercises are included. Each chapter is updated and new chapters include Project Simulation and Project Templates. A new chapter on managing complex projects in an age of artificial intelligence adds a unique value to the book. Features Highlights contemporary best practices of project management Uses a systems framework to integrate quantitative and qualitative tools Offers illustrative examples and practice exercises Covers project schedule performance appraisal techniques Discusses the knowledge areas contained in the Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK) Presents software applications for project management, as well as case examples

Every organizational endeavor is based on project management. Projects range from simple to complex, with a definite beginning and a definite end. In manufacturing, as an example, the production of each unit of a product is defined as a project. The lifecycle goes from raw material to the product delivery stage, with steps in between managed as a rigorous project. This book covers the mechanics of project management and offers the requirements for executing a project using a systems-engineering framework and the project management body of knowledge, as advocated by the Project Management Institute. It includes the nuts and bolts for untangling the knots that often exist in project execution. Features Offers a unique guide to management projects, both big and small, in all spheres of human endeavor Presents the nuts and bolts of untangling the typical knots in project execution in a step-by-step format Applies to all types of projects, including technical, manufacturing, financial, science, engineering, and personal projects Provides a structured guide to the application of project management techniques Uses the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) framework from the Project Management Institute (PMI) as the platform for the topics covered, coupled with a systems view Addresses technical and managerial aspects of projects in every industry

This book presents a new framework for leadership in the construction industry which draws from the authentic leadership construct. The framework has three major themes: self-leadership, self-transcendent leadership, and sustainable leadership. Despite its significance, leadership has not been given due importance in the construction industry as focus is placed on managerial functionalism. At the project level, even with the technological advances in the industry in recent years, construction is realized in the form of people undertaking distinct interdependent activities which require effective leadership. The industry faces many challenges including: demanding client requirements and project parameters; more stringent regulations, codes and systems; intense competition in the industry; and threats from disruptive enterprise. In such a complex environment, technology-driven and tool-based project and corporate management is insufficient. It must be complemented by a strategic, genuine, stakeholder-focused and ethical leadership. Leadership in the Construction Industry is based on a study on authentic leadership and its development in Singapore. Leadership theories and concepts are reviewed; the importance of leadership in the construction industry is discussed; and the grounded theory approach which was applied in the study is explained. Many eminent construction professionals in Singapore were interviewed in the field study. Emerging from the experiences of the leaders documented in this book are three major themes: (1) self-leadership: how leaders engage in various self-related processes such as self-awareness, self-regulation, and role modeling. (2) self-transcendent leadership: how leaders go beyond leading themselves to leading others through servant leadership, shared leadership, spiritual leadership, and socially-responsible leadership; and, finally, (3) sustainable leadership or the strategies leaders employ to make the impact of their leadership lasting. A synthesis of these themes and their implications for leadership development is presented before the book concludes with some recommendations for current and aspiring leaders about how they can engage with them. This book is essential reading for all construction practitioners from all backgrounds; and researchers on leadership and management in construction.

Organisations increasingly look to project management to deal with short timeframes, tight budgets, changing requirements and risk management in everyday operations, as well as for major strategic projects. Project management knowledge and skills are now essential for professionals just about everywhere, from teachers, social workers and lawyers, to engineers, builders and accountants. Stephen Hartley's Project Management is based on the recognised global standard for project management, the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide), and it incorporates aspects of Agile, PRINCE2, Lean and other popular methodologies. It offers a thorough overview of the principles of project management, combined with tools and guidelines to manage projects of all sizes, from inception to evaluation. Written in an accessible and engaging style, Stephen Hartley's widely used text has been fully revised and updated. It focuses on shared responsibility, transparent documentation, reporting achievement over activity, and continuous improvement. It is illustrated with examples and case studies, and accompanied by a suite of downloadable templates and tools. 'Stephen Hartley is without doubt Australia's leading authority on project management. This book is the bible for any current or future project manager.' - Dr Tim Baker, author of The End of the Performance Review

Covers intrinsic basis for project management Presents the evolution of products in the classical era of introducing new products, needing project management Discusses the development of project alliances Includes the role of project management in advancing organizational goals Illustrates the early applications of project management

Project Management in Practice, 7th Edition presents an applied approach to the essential tools, strategies, and techniques students must understand to achieve success in their future careers. Emphasizing the technical aspects of the project management life cycle, this popular textbook offers streamlined, student-friendly coverage of project activity, risk planning, budgeting and scheduling, resource allocation, project monitoring, evaluating and closing the project, and more. Providing new and updated content throughout, the seventh edition's concise pedagogy and hands-on focus is ideally suited for use in one-semester courses or modules on project management. Clear and precise chapters describe fundamental project management concepts while addressing the skills real-world project managers must possess to meet the strategic goals of their organizations. Integrated throughout the text are comprehensive cases that build upon the material from previous chapters--complemented by wealth of illustrative examples, tables and figures, review questions, and discussion topics designed to reinforce key information.

Lead change through strategic alignment of project and process performance

Practical and filled with expert advice, "Strategic Project Portfolio Management: Enabling a Productive Organization" presents a clear framework for your organization to complete impactful strategic projects. Providing executive-level guidance to build a powerful and efficient process from initial adoption to portfolio alignment, this essential resource contains case studies from small to global multinational organizations, arming you with the insights to ensure your strategic projects are given the resources they need to deliver business impact.

This important guide
Shows executives how to align their projects and processes with their business strategy for compelling competitive advantageProvides cases from best in class organizations, showing how they were able to achieve results by using processes outlined in the bookReveals how technology is the key to developing new collaborative platforms and innovative work management environments that have not been possible until nowDefines a framework for assessing project portfolio management competence within your organization and driving momentum for compelling improvementsExplores how to go beyond project portfolio management to a holistic work management system

"Strategic Project Portfolio Management: Enabling a Productive Organization" offers the practical recommendations, guidance, and real world insights you need to immediately begin driving better project management strategy.

Project Portfolio Management

"Project Portfolio Management" (PPM) goes beyond the typical project management approach to offer a set of proven business practices that can help executives, program managers, and project managers bring projects into alignment with the strategies, resources, and executive oversight of the overall enterprise.

Step by step, this book shows how to take a project from the inception of a vision to the realization of benefits to the organization. "Project Portfolio Management" draws on project management expert Harvey A. Levine's years of research and distills the knowledge and best practices from dozens of leaders in the field to show how to select and implement the projects that will garner the best results. Throughout this important resource, Levine tackles the many challenges associated with PPM, including Ranking value and benefits Determining the size of the portfolio pipeline Assessing the impact of uncertainty on projects and portfolios Understanding the benefit and risk relationship Establishing a portfolio governance capability Managing the portfolio to maximize benefits Implementing PPM

Using "Project Portfolio Management" as a guide, project managers can create a healthy portfolio of projects that will ultimately improve an organization's effectiveness in using limited resources to support its goals.

This book explains engineering practice, what engineers actually do in their work. The first part explains how to find paid engineering work and prepare for an engineering career. The second part explains the fundamentals of engineering practice, including how to gain access to technical knowledge, how to gain the willing collaboration of other people to make things happen, and how to work safely in hazardous environments. Other chapters explain engineering aspects of project management missed in most courses, how to create commercial value from engineering work and estimate costs, and how to navigate cultural complexities successfully. Later chapters provide guidance on sustainability, time management and avoiding the most common frustrations encountered by engineers at work. This book has been written for engineering students, graduates and novice engineers. Supervisors, mentors and human resources professionals will also find the book helpful to guide early-career engineers and assess their progress. Engineering schools will find the book helpful to help students prepare for professional internships and also for creating authentic practice and assessment exercises.