Repetitive Project Scheduling: Theory and Methods is the first book to comprehensively, and systematically, review new methods for scheduling repetitive projects that have been developed in response to the weaknesses of the most popular method for project scheduling, the Critical Path Method (CPM). As projects with significant levels of repetitive scheduling are common in construction and engineering, especially construction of buildings with multiple stories, highways, tunnels, pipelines, power distribution networks, and so on, the book fills a much needed gap, introducing the main repetitive project scheduling methods, both comprehensively and systematically. Users will find valuable information on core methodologies, including how to identify the controlling path and controlling segment, how to convert RSM to a network model, and examples based on practical scheduling problems.

Software effort estimation is a key element of software project planning and management. Yet, in industrial practice, the important role of effort estimation is often underestimated and/or misunderstood. In this book, Adam Trendowicz presents the CoBRA method (an abbreviation for Cost Estimation, Benchmarking, and Risk Assessment) for estimating the effort required to successfully complete a software development project, which uniquely combines human judgment and measurement data in order to systematically create a custom-specific effort estimation model. CoBRA goes far beyond simply predicting the development effort; it supports project decision-makers in negotiating the project scope, managing project risks, benchmarking productivity, and directing improvement activities. To illustrate the method's practical use, the book reports several real-world cases where CoBRA was applied in various industrial contexts. These cases represent different estimation contexts in terms of software project environment, estimation objectives, and estimation constraints. This book is the result of a successful collaboration between the process management division of Fraunhofer IESE and many software companies in the field of software engineering technology transfer. It mainly addresses software practitioners who deal with planning and managing software development projects as part of their daily work, and is also of interest for students or courses specializing in software engineering or software project management.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the scientific track of the 7th Software Quality Days Conference, SWQD 2015, held in Vienna, Austria, in January 2015. The SWQD conference offers a range of comprehensive and valuable information by presenting new ideas from the latest research papers, keynote speeches by renowned academics and industry leaders, professional lectures, exhibits, and tutorials. The four scientific full papers accepted for SWQD were each peer reviewed by three or more reviewers and selected out of 13 high-quality submissions. Further, four short papers were also presented and are included in this book. The papers are organized into topical sections on risk management and inspection, change impact analysis and systems testing, and software and systems architectures.

Lean is a set of disciplines that can result in tremendous savings and profitability for companies. It can significantly reduce cycle times and increase customer satisfaction. Lean, however, must be applied efficiently and effectively to achieve optimum results. This book discusses project management concepts, tools, and techniques as they apply to managing Lean projects. It explains how you can apply the discipline of project management to fully harness the energy and power that Lean offers. Managing Lean Projects begins by discussing the major concepts and techniques that make Lean so powerful. It details the many benefits of Lean, along with the key challenges that must be overcome to fully reap its benefits. The book then goes on to describe the project management tools and techniques you can use to get the most out of Lean. It explains how the structure of each key project management process helps to keep the Lean project on course. The book devotes separate chapters to the project management processes for PDCA (plan, do, check, act) and DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve, control) Lean lifecycles. In both chapters, detailed case studies help to demonstrate the concepts presented in a real-world situation. The author includes numerous diagrams, examples, and checklists throughout the book to get you started quickly managing Lean projects. As Lean continues to pick up momentum across many industries, it becomes imperative that project managers learn how to use it to achieve the desired results. With this book, project managers will be well-equipped to lead, not just manage, their Lean projects to success and to the benefit of their organization and the people who work in it.

Whether a construction project turns out to be successful or not has a lot to do with the clarity of the client's objectives and how the client establishes and instils a culture throughout the project team. This book's focus is on defining and exploring those attributes of clients or organisations which enable clear communication, and as a result help ensure the project's success. For senior construction professionals, this book explains how to approach key aspects of projects so that the client's expectations can be anticipated and understood. It also provides information on how other parties can positively influence the outcome of the project and interact with their fellow stakeholders. Commentaries on real life projects illustrate how this is achieved in practice, and common pitfalls are pointed out to help you avoid them. Drawing on almost 40 years' UK and international experience of working on major construction projects in a variety of roles, the author provides clear insight into how to efficiently progress a project from inception through to completion. This is hugely valuable reading for client senior decision-makers, project managers, programme managers, design and construction leaders, and those studying all of these subjects.

Business Principles for Landscape Contracting, fully revised and updated in its third edition, is an introduction to the application of business principles of financial management involved in setting up your own landscape contracting business and beginning your professional career. Appealing to students and professionals alike, it will build your knowledge of financial management tools and enable you to relate their applications to real-life business scenarios. Focusing on the importance of proactive financial management, the book serves as a primer for students in landscape architecture, contracting, and management courses and entrepreneurs within the landscape industry preparing to use business principles in practice. Topics covered include: Financial management and accountability Budget development Profitable pricing and estimating Project management Creating a lean culture Personnel management and employee productivity Professional development Economic sustainability.

The publication of this book "Project Knowledge Management - Systematic Lea- ing with the Project Comparison Technique" by Erwin v. Wasielewski lls me with a special joy. It is a translation of the author's German book "Projektvergleic- technik" which I edited in 2003 in the GPM Deutsche Gesellschaft fur .. Proje- management e.V. series in Germany. I have closely watched the author's work on Project ComparisonTechnique since his rst publicationin 1978, and I have always admired the analytical exactness of his investigations. Unfortunately, as I have to admit in retrospect, v. Wasielewski's ideas were too far advanced. Maybe the fact that parametric analyseswere rarely used in Germanyalso hinderedthe propagation of the method at the time. Duringthe 1970sand early1980s,there was notalk about projectcharacteristics, project benchmarking, or project evaluation. The only exception was an evaluation model presented by Bruce Baker in 1979 during the world congress in Garmisch- Partenkirchen,but this can hardlybe comparedto the approachin this book.Almost nobody re ected on evaluation of project experiences, although in the USA for several years cost data of completed projects were being used to get parametric estimation equations. A chapter "Project Close-out" did not yet exist, and even later was to be found only in advanced technical literature.

The message conveyed in this work is that agility can be implemented anywhere. Accordingly, ten guidelines are presented for the adoption of agility to enable us to cope with changes in our lives, in our teams, and in our organizations. Since the authors advocate agility, the content is presented in the form of concise standalone chapters, allowing the reader to focus on the specific topic they wish to adopt in order to become agile.

Development projects that span different disciplines and groups often face problems in establishing a shared understanding of the project's purpose, deliverables, and direction. Creating Shared Understanding in Product Development Teams: How to 'Build the Beginning' uses research-based cases from TC Electronic, The Red Cross, Daimler AG, and Copenhagen Living Lab to demonstrate one approach to this problem complex. It shows how prototyping specific physical artifacts can function as drivers and focal points for creating the much needed shared understanding. Encompassing both the participant's and the facilitator's point of view, Creating Shared Understanding in Product Development Teams: How to 'Build the Beginning' provides both practical examples and theoretical explanation for the process of creating shared understanding. This book provides a toolbox and a practical guide for planning, executing, and facilitating workshops. The result is a clear outline of how to facilitate the creation of physical artifacts that enables and stimulates communication between team members, users, and stakeholders in order to create shared understanding of projects

Rightshore (R) - a registered trademark of Capgemini - is about organizing the distributed delivery process that embraces on-site, nearshore and offshore services. This book describes successful global delivery models utilizing industrialized methods to deliver SAP (R) projects from India. The first part is devoted to management concepts, service offerings and the peculiarities of working together with India. The second part features eight case studies from different industries and from around the world describing how India delivery centers have been successfully deployed in SAP (R) development projects.

As a companion to books on project-management theory, this book illustrates, in a down-to-earth, comprehensive style, how to put that theory into practice. In addition to the many examples that illustrate procedures, the book includes over 25 case studies, each one addressing a specific theme. Key topics, such as project selection, negotiations, planning and scheduling, cost and budgeting, project control, human resources, environmental impacts, risk management, and financial evaluation, are discussed, using a step-by-step approach. Beginning at the grassroots level, some cases are solved by hand to illustrate the mechanics of a procedure, while others are solved using advanced computer programs. In this way the reader has a clear idea of the problem, how and when to raise the issue, information needed (and who can provide it), how to solve it by hand, when possible, and also its resolution using the latest informatics tools.

The National Clean Energy Fund (NCEF), announced in the Government of India s Budget 2010-11, is seen as a major step in India's quest for energy security and reducing the carbon intensity of energy. Funding research and innovative projects in clean energy technologies, and harnessing renewable energy sources to reduce dependence on fossil fuels constitute the objectives of the NCEF. The NCEF s utilization of funds is considered to be rather low and disbursements poorly aligned with the fund s stated objectives, thus posing a potential risk of diluting the focus of NCEF with adverse implications for the much-needed research and innovation in the clean energy sector in India.
The book provides a detailed framework for promoting effective utilization and administration of NCEF. To this effect, it identifies the most promising avenues for utilization of NCEF resources for catalytic opportunities and deployment of new technologies. It also identifies and prioritizes the specific energy sub-sectors towards which the NCEF resources are directed. It also makes suggestions for designing a smart monitoring and evaluation framework for the NCEF.
This work provides significant information for the government so that appropriate mid-course corrections may be made in a timely manner. This will also be useful in honing the strategic thinking on a suitable energy-technology policy and an assessment of technology needs and other barriers to the clean energy sector in India."

Whether a construction project turns out to be successful or not has a lot to do with the clarity of the client's objectives and how the client establishes and instils a culture throughout the project team. This book's focus is on defining and exploring those attributes of clients or organisations which enable clear communication, and as a result help ensure the project's success. For senior construction professionals, this book explains how to approach key aspects of projects so that the client's expectations can be anticipated and understood. It also provides information on how other parties can positively influence the outcome of the project and interact with their fellow stakeholders. Commentaries on real life projects illustrate how this is achieved in practice, and common pitfalls are pointed out to help you avoid them. Drawing on almost 40 years' UK and international experience of working on major construction projects in a variety of roles, the author provides clear insight into how to efficiently progress a project from inception through to completion. This is hugely valuable reading for client senior decision-makers, project managers, programme managers, design and construction leaders, and those studying all of these subjects.

Covers the concepts, systems and skills of project management, identifying the three major elements of organisations: implementation, planning and procurement.

The Business of Projects broke ground when it was first published in 2005, by showing how leading businesses create and implement projects to drive strategy and innovation. Projects are used to coordinate activities with customers and suppliers and ensure that organisations become more dynamic and adaptable. The book extends the resource-based view of the firm to focus on the business lessons learned from the design and production of high-value complex products and systems (CoPS), which have always been project-based. As well as frameworks and management tools, it provides case studies of high-technology industries - such as telecommunications, flight simulation and medical devices - to show how projects are used to achieve strategic objectives, perform systems integration, organise productive activities, manage software, achieve organisational learning and deliver solutions for customers. This book is essential reading for project professionals, academics, students, engineers, managers and policy makers seeking a strategic, innovative perspective on projects.

Agile project management is a proven approach for designing and delivering software with improved value to customers. Agility is all about self-directed teams, feedback, light documentation, and working software with shorter development cycles. The role of the project manager with agile differs significantly from traditional project management in that there is minimal up-front planning. Agile for Project Managers will help project managers from any industry transition to agile project management. The book examines the project management component of agility, concentrating on industry standards, certifications, and being agile. It also compares agile methods to traditional project management methods throughout to provide readers with a clear understanding of the differences between the two. The book's focus is in alignment with the Project Management Institute (PMI (R)) Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP (R)) credential-making it an ideal resource for anyone preparing for the PMI-ACP (R) exam. Coverage includes: Agile as a project management methodology Agile teams Agile tools and techniques Flavors of agile Agile principles Agile certifications The book provides readers with the understanding required to decide which projects will benefit from agile. It also includes information that can help readers to assess their organizations' readiness for agile methods. Complete with a list of agile training providers, the book will help certified project managers make a smooth transition to agile project management and will provide newcomers with the basic knowledge needed to pass the PMI-ACP (R) exam, the first time around.

Projects are performed by people for people, with the key determinants of success being the relationships between project teams and project stakeholders. This web of relationships will either enable or obstruct the flow of information between people and, as a consequence, will largely determine project success or failure. Making Projects Work: Effective Stakeholder and Communication Management provides a framework for understanding and managing the factors required for achieving successful project and program outcomes. It presents guidelines to help readers develop an understanding of governance and its connection to strategy as the starting point for deciding what work needs to be done. Introduces the idea of an organization's communication ecosystem where information flows freely within and among all organizational layers Explores the importance of the relationships with the project's stakeholder community as keys to project success Describes the theoretical underpinnings of leadership Provides detailed analysis of the different types of project stakeholders Supplies guidance on developing the appropriate messages to meet project and stakeholder needs The book describes how to craft appropriate communication strategies for developing and maintaining successful relationships with stakeholders. It highlights the strengths and weaknesses of existing project controls and outlines effective communication techniques for managing expectations and acquiring the support required to deliver successful projects on time and under budget.

Are you attracted by the promises of agile methods but put off by the fanaticism of many agile texts? Would you like to know which agile techniques work, which ones do not matter much and which ones will harm your projects? Then you need "Agile " the first exhaustive, unbiased review of agile principles, techniques and tools.

Agile methods are one of the most important developments in software over the past decades, but also a surprising mix of the best and the worst. Until now every project and developer had to sort out the good ideas from the bad by themselves. This book spares you the pain. It offers both a thorough descriptive presentation of agile techniques and a perceptive analysis of their benefits and limitations.

"Agile " Serves first as a primer on agile development one chapter each introduces agile principles, roles, managerial practices, technical practices and artifacts. A separate chapter analyzes the four major agile methods: Extreme Programming, Lean Software, Scrum and Crystal.

The accompanying critical analysis explains what you should retain and discard from agile ideas. It is based on Meyer s thorough understanding of software engineering and his extensive personal experience of programming and project management. He highlights the limitations of agile methods as well as their truly brilliant contributions even those to which their own authors do not do full justice.

Three important chapters precede the core discussion of agile ideas: an overview, serving as a concentrate of the entire book; a dissection of the intellectual devices used by agile authors; and a review of classical software engineering techniques, such as requirements analysis and lifecycle models, which agile methods criticize.

The final chapters describe the precautions that a company should take during a transition to agile development and present an overall assessment of agile ideas.

This is the first book to discuss agile methods, beyond the brouhaha, in the general context of modern software engineering. It is a key resource for projects that want to combine the best of established results and agile innovations."

This work is the definitive guide for IT managers and agile practitioners. It elucidates the principles of agile risk management and how these relate to individual projects. Explained in clear and concise terms, this synthesis of project risk management and agile techniques is illustrated using the major methodologies such as XP, Scrum and DSDM. Although the agile community frequently cites risk management, research suggests that risk is often narrowly defined and, at best, implicitly treated, which in turn leads to an inability to make informed decisions concerning risk and reward and a poor understanding of when to engage in risk-related activities. Moreover, the absence of reference to enterprise risk management means that project managers are unable to clearly articulate scope or tailor their projects in line with the wider expectations of the organisation. Yet the agile approach, with its rich toolset of techniques, is very well equipped to effectively and efficiently deal with the risks that arise in projects. Alan Moran addresses the above issues by proposing an agile risk-management process derived from classical risk management but adapted to the circumstances of agile projects. Though his main focus is on the software development process, much of what he describes could be applied to other types of IT projects as well. This book is intended for anyone who is serious about balancing risk and reward in the pursuit of value for their stakeholders, and in particular for those directly involved in agile software development who share a concern for how risk should be managed. Whilst a thorough background in risk management is not presumed, a basic level of familiarity with or exposure to agility is helpful.

Project planning is generally accepted as an important contributor to project success. However, is there research that affirms the positive impact of project planning and gives guidance on how much effort should be spent on planning? To answer these questions, this book looks at current literature and new research of this under-studied area of project management. The author presents his findings from an extensive review of project planning literature that covers more than 270 sources. He also discusses new research that analyzes data from more than 1,300 global projects. The book confirms that the time spent on planning activities reduces risk and significantly increases the chances of project success. It also concludes that there can be too much planning and shows that the optimum ratio of planning to effort is 25%. The book examines the impact of project planning on different industries. It discusses research in the construction and information technology (IT) industries, and presents a case study of how to plan and track a software development project. The book also looks at the impact of geography on project planning and success. Intended as a basic tool in the library of any project manager or general manager, this book brings to light project planning techniques and information that have never been published previously. It is an important resource on how to plan projects properly and propel your career forward.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 6th Software Quality Days Conference (SWQD) held in Vienna, Austria, in January 2014. This professional symposium and conference offers a range of comprehensive and valuable opportunities for advanced professional training, new ideas and networking with a series of keynote speeches, professional lectures, exhibits and tutorials. The four scientific full papers accepted for SWQD were each peer reviewed by three or more reviewers and selected out of 24 high-quality submissions. Further, one keynote and ten short papers on promising research directions were also presented and included in order to spark discussions between researchers and practitioners. The papers are organized into topical sections on software process improvement and measurement, requirements management, value-based software engineering, software and systems testing, automation-supported testing and quality assurance and collaboration.

Library work often involves coordinating projects with many tasks and many stakeholders where cost and time limitations can be seen as opportunities. Project management can serve librarians well in their approach to a project. Learning to effectively manage those projects will help to work more effectively and to achieve goals. This book is designed to provide all library staffers at every level, in public, academic, school, and special libraries with an understanding of the basic tools of the project management methodology so that they may embark on projects with the expectation of success. The book is divided into three sections. The first section, Preparing for Project Management, includes the terminology, the philosophy, the people, and the return on investment of project management in libraries. The second section, Planning and Implementing Project Management, introduces the basics of the project management methodology as designed by the Project Management Institute. The third section, Library Resources, provides assistance in using the project management methodology for specific types of library projects, an introduction to agile project management, and success stories in library project management. The book includes many examples of project management tools and techniques as applied to library projects.

Relationship Management and the Management of Projects is a guide to successfully building and managing relationships as a project manager and the project business.

Relationship management is a core skill for any project business to develop capabilities and manage the interface with projects, providing guidance to project managers as they negotiate with business partners and co-ordinate between business functions. Whatever the structures and procedures an organization has and whatever the project management tools and techniques, they are only as good as the hands they are in. Yet relationship management, though a well-established discipline, is rarely applied to the process-driven world of project management.

This book is a much-needed guide to the process of enhancing these skills to boost firm performance, team performance and develop collaborative practices. Hedley Smyth guides you through the processes of relationship management examining the theory and practice. This book highlights the range of options available to further develop current practices to ensure a successful relationship management in all stages of a project s lifecycle.

Relationship Management and the Management of Projects is valuable reading for all students and specialists in project management, as well as project managers in business, management, the built environment, or indeed any industry."

Managing Projects in the Real World provides clear and actionable advice to project managers for recognizing, anticipating, and overcoming challenges associated with the human component of leading others. The mechanics of project management are rational and straightforward to learn. The art of project management is irrational and complex to learn. Project managers need to develop a repertoire of soft skills that are typically hard for them, since they rose through the ranks to that position by virtue of superior reasoning skills. But if a project manager cannot adjudicate the clash of personalities, finesse the friction between assigned and preferred roles, steer clear of hidden hazards, and diplomatically resolve overlapping assertions of competing authority--that project manager is in a world of trouble. From the human perils of project management, nobody is better qualified to rescue beleaguered project managers than Melanie McBride--veteran PM and author of the Intel blog, The Accidental Profession.She sheds light on those dark, dusty places that fall between the cracks of theory and best practice out in the real world where irate colleagues, unrealistic product launch dates, and virtual meetings reign supreme and run amok. In this book you'll find targeted discussions and specific techniques to empower you to meet the challenges that project managers face every day. The book is structured into project phases to help any project manager on any kind of project jump right to the tried and true solution for the challenge at hand. What you'll learn After reading Managing Projects in the Real World: The Tips and Tricks No One Tells You About When You Start, project managers will know: * How to execute basic project management tasks such as building dynamic schedules, developing risk management plans, holding others accountable, and conducting effective meetings. * How to navigate the tricky bits, such as unrealistic due dates and virtual meetings with multitasking attendees. * How to communicate effectively with project stakeholders and manage their expectations and different communication styles.* How to deal with stakeholders with classically difficult personas, such as bullies, micromanagers, visionaries, and prisoners. * How to continually improve in your PM craft and decision-making abilities. Who this book is for *Primary: project, program, and product managers *Secondary: any team leader or director