Skills for Managing Rapidly Changing IT Projects addresses management methodologies for projects that change rapidly in requirements and technology. These projects are most common among small to medium enterprises. This book addresses both the value and the skills that an IT project manager must have, and uses these values in a new methodology based on agile manifesto. This new methodology, called agile and defined project development (ADPD) merges the must be of agile manifesto with the needs of a controlled development environment such as that of the capability maturity model, which deals with aspects related to UML formalism.

This book analyzes the underlying theoretical principles of multi-objective linear programming problems with multi-choice parameters. It studies transportation problems on the same domain with extension to fuzzy stochastic criteria, and offers insights into sensitivity analysis through symmetric duality and complementarity using non-convex programming. These analytical presentations provide ample scope for researchers to contemplate real-world problems with an innovative vision. The formulation, analysis and solution procedures on inventory control models in the book use both deterministic and fuzzy parameters, and provide novel optimal inventory policies. The book discusses a wide range of optimal operational techniques for policy makers, government and private agencies in the fields of e-governance and agricultural crop insurance, which are crucial for developing countries. The recommendations address the gaps and remedies in various schemes that influence decision-making in the context of the economic development of such countries.

This book illustrates how goal-oriented, automated measurement can be used to create Lean organizations and to facilitate the development of Lean software, while also demonstrating the practical implementation of Lean software development by combining tried and trusted tools. In order to be successful, a Lean orientation of software development has to go hand in hand with a company's overall business strategy. To achieve this, two interrelated aspects require special attention: measurement and experience management. In this book, Janes and Succi provide the necessary knowledge to establish "Lean software company thinking," while also exploiting the latest approaches to software measurement. A comprehensive, company-wide measurement approach is exactly what companies need in order to align their activities to the demands of their stakeholders, to their business strategy, etc. With the automatic, non-invasive measurement approach proposed in this book, even small and medium-sized enterprises that do not have the resources to introduce heavyweight processes will be able to make their software development processes considerably more Lean. The book is divided into three parts. Part I, "Motivation for Lean Software Development," explains just what "Lean Production" means, why it can be advantageous to apply Lean concepts to software engineering, and which existing approaches are best suited to achieving this. Part II, "The Pillars of Lean Software Development," presents the tools needed to achieve Lean software development: Non-invasive Measurement, the Goal Question Metric approach, and the Experience Factory. Finally, Part III, "Lean Software Development in Action," shows how different tools can be combined to enable Lean Thinking in software development. The book primarily addresses the needs of all those working in the field of software engineering who want to understand how to establish an efficient and effective software development process. This group includes developers, managers, and students pursuing an M.Sc. degree in software engineering.

Practical Project Management is a realistic and easy-to-follow guide to managing projects for voluntary organisations. It will help you shape and structure the passion that drives your work in order to achieve positive results. The book leads you through the key stages of project management from preparation to delivery and discusses the activities and decisions you will need to succeed. It covers: * Key tools and models for project planning * Resource management and risk control * Budget planning and dealing with finances * Project evaluation and assessing social benefit Incorporating down-to-earth examples and case studies, this book is essential for everyone involved in project management for the voluntary sector and vital to those who are new to this area.

This book illustrates the Chinese wisdom hidden behind the project governance which is called "Taiji logic". "Taiji logic" is a set of dialectical ideals and approaches that are unique in the Chinese culture. The three pillars of "Taiji logic" are: identifying the conflicts based on the principle that Yin - Yang are not only opposite but also unitary, capturing the best time to reconcile conflicts with the laws of transformations of Yin - Yang, and finally, symphonizing conflicts with "Zhong-Yong" ideas to balance the needs of various stakeholders. This book aims to solve key issues in project governance from a special Chinese perspective: What is the essence of "Taiji logic"? How should one identify the major conflicts across various phases of project governance and the best time to reconcile them? What are the essential forces that help one to reconcile major conflicts? The fusion and collision of various cultures has made our world full of variety and conflicts. "Taiji logic" offers philosophical ideas and practical approaches to reconcile conflicts in project management.

There is a much better chance to politically establish a strategy in your company if strategy development is already tactically thought-out and all involved persons are included in an intelligent manner. This book demonstrates how to shape this process to ensure that a sustainable strategy is generated that ensures economic stability, uniquely positions the company and can readily be implemented. After all, strategy for its own sake is worthless - what counts is implementation and results. The centre stage of strategy process is taken by the intelligent use and combination of methodological tools. Numerous case studies from enterprises and medium-sized businesses illustrate strategy work in a vivid and clear manner. "

Government agencies tasked with managing environmental site cleanup strive to increase competition and decrease their environmental liabilities. Many utilize contracts that shift cost overrun risk to contractors. Cost-conscious contractors are transitioning more responsibility to project managers, with less budget and fewer staff to execute project support functions previously provided by company resource organizations.

Now many project managers feel like they re managing their own small business--completely in charge of their destiny. This has led to the ruin of many projects and even the demise of a few proud companies. Best Practices for Environmental Project Teams provides project managers and their teams, Government managers, and regulatory agencies with action-oriented guidelines for executing 9 essential business competencies.
Understand your Government Client Business ModelImplement a Flexible Environmental Quality Management SystemDevelop and Utilize User-Friendly Project WebsitesDevelop Superior ProposalsDevelop Superior Project Work PlansImplement More Rigorous Scope Management ToolsEffectively Control Field WorkUtilize Cause Analysis to Generate SolutionsDesign User-Friendly Work Processes for Project Teams"

This edited collection surveys and analyses the multidimensional problem of Hubris syndrome, and its deleterious effect on leadership within organisations. The study develops an extended metaphor of the social and political ill of Hubris as a virulent, communicable disease of dysfunctional leadership, illustrating its ubiquity and potential for serious harm. Taking a biological perspective to understand the possible underlying mechanisms as well as the environments in which hubris has been found to thrive, contributors emphasise the notion of prevention over cure. Divided into three sections, The Leadership Hubris Epidemic examines psychological, neuroendocrinological and neuropsychological approaches to the biology of Hubris, explores factors that encourage or inhibit its growth, and finally provides methods for preventing or retarding its development. This book has huge interdisciplinary appeal and scholars of biology, psychology, sociology, management, and politics will find the topic extremely useful, as well as anyone who is interested in the structure and governance of organisations.

Chris Termeer is said to be one of the few people that can clearly explain the vast complexities of the oil and natural gas industry in non-technical language for an average person. His book, Fundamentals of Investing in Oil and Gas, uses 250 + detailed pictures, graphs, and necessary visual illustrations, combined with thorough, comprehensive descriptions and details to aid the reader.

The book presents the development of the Construction Quality Assessment System (CONQUAS), Singapore's de facto quality performance measurement system, explains the application of the Quality Management System (QMS) to manage CONQUAS and identifies 33 critical success factors (CSFs) for achieving high CONQUAS scores. Through CONQUAS, the reader benefits from understanding how the Singapore government developed and implemented the first objective system for measuring what many building professionals have perceived to be elusive quality standards in the construction industry. The book presents both the theoretical concepts as well as the practical aspects to achieving strategic Project Quality Management that is anchored on the CSFs to building best practices. To realistically reflect the practical aspects and challenging issues faced by stakeholders in the construction industry, questionnaire surveys were conducted with building professionals to distinguish the importance level and extent of adoption of the 33 CSFs (identified from a comprehensive review of the extant literature) in influencing and affecting the achievement of high CONQUAS scores. These were further anchored by in-depth interviews with quality experts in the Singapore construction industry to provide a better understanding of issues relating to strategic Project Quality Management. Collectively, the empirical findings collated from the building professionals suggest that while the CSFs identified are known tenets of quality, these were still not being followed in their totality. A further case study was conducted through a formal set of in-depth interviews with the quality assurance team of a construction company who has direct involvement before, during and after their tremendous improvements in the CONQUAS scores attained. The strength of this book therefore represents a true account and reflections of real-life practices and experiences in the construction industry for contractors, quality managers and policy-makers to learn from. Although the context of this book relates to the Singapore experience, the lessons and recommendations are equally relevant and applicable to the global construction industry in both the developing and developed countries whose stakeholders (in both the public and private sectors) wish to understand how CONQUAS works, and how the CSFs identified can likewise be implemented for strategic Project Quality Management to building best practices. The book is therefore of interests to researchers, academia and practitioners in the construction industry as well as in other sectors of the economy (in Singapore and other countries) where learning points may be used for enhancing project quality management for buildings.

A volume in I.S.C.E. Book Series Managing the Complex Series Editors Michael Lissack and Kurt A. Richardson, ISCE Research "The Metis of Projects" addresses veteran project manager Ben Berndt's unease with the use of established (project) management frameworks given their general inefficacy. Despite the use of these frameworks, it is estimated that some 30% of projects still fail because they deliver too late, cost more than expected and/or lack quality. Often, projects and their environments are too complex to be controlled by rather linear frameworks. Where most practitioners define complexity as "complicated," most academics define complexity (more correctly) as interrelatedness. In recent years, the academic community has developed several "level-of-complexity frameworks;" however, these frameworks are not commonly known to practitioners and are therefore not regularly used. And, when examined further, these frameworks appear to be merely environmental scans, used to assess the level of complexity in the project management environment. But projects also carry inherent complexity; they are socially complex, and it is this social complexity that-paradoxically-needs management. Combined with personality assessments, social network theory is used here to glean a better understanding of the social complexity in a project. Berndt believes that, following Hugo Letiche and Michael Lissack's emergent coherence concept, managers should steer clear of frameworks in order to come to grips with the complex, and so he introduces whole systems methodologies, in which group understanding is used to continually set a next step. Berndt concludes his study by describing his multi-view, multi-tool participative project management style, which he thinks best aligns with (managing) the complex.

Green Construction is a specialized and skilled profession, and the author has extensive experience in this field. With this in mind, the reference is designed to provide practical guidelines and essential insights in preparing competent and professional looking ?Project Analysis Reports? and ?Project Status Reports?. The book also provides numerous tips on how to phrase the language of reports in a manner that is articulate and clearly understood by Real Estate Lenders and investors, as well as being an indispensable companion for both information and stimulus.
Written in a conversational manner, this book will clarify the nuts and bolts of green construction, finance, and cost monitoring? as a profession, and will outline the many attributes required to being successful in this field. Moreover, it will scrutinize the mechanics of organizing monthly meetings, contractor payment certifications, budgets, change orders, construction schedules, code compliance, waivers of lean, and much more.
Drawing on over 30 years of personal experience across the world - both as an employee and as an employer, the reader will learn how to plan and implement sound business strategies and form alliances in a global context. The book also offers important information and penetrating insights into the process of setting up and working as a due-diligence consultant. In a clear, practical style, it will be explained how to identify opportunities for business development and how to maximize return. It will also articulate how to meet new challenges as well as avoid many of the pitfalls along the way.
For the individual professional, this guide provides useful information and tips to help secure a high paying professional position. The book will include amongst other things, up-to-date information on hundreds of useful contacts. Topics covered in this guide include: types of services offered, the consultant's role on the construction loan team, what the lender needs to know, and marketing techniques. The guide will also include a comprehensive appendix that will contain numerous sample letters (e.g. for marketing and certification), building loan agreements, AIA forms, lender/consultant agreement, closeout documents and much more. Likewise included will be an extensive list of useful references from a variety of resources, and much more. Indeed, this handbook will be the most detailed & comprehensive program on the market. It meets all the criteria of a major work and will provide vital and absorbing reading.

Provides a detailed blueprint of how to conduct monthly meetings, investigations, understand typical client/consultant agreements, analyze contractor requisitions
Includes sample letters, reports, forms and agreements for easy reference.
Practical guidelines for preparing Property Analysis and Property Status Reports
Includes a glossary of important terms, abbreviations and acronyms

This book presents the concept of healthcare facilities management performance measurement (HCFMPM) using Ghana as a case study. It set forth in-depth theoretical and empirical underpinnings of performance measurement concepts for hospital facilities services, with the view to demonstrate critical performance dimensions to improve FM contributions and added value to healthcare delivery. The research approach adopted is mixed method encompassing qualitative interviews in case study setting and a questionnaire survey of sampled hospitals in Ghana. The book presents a number of useful tables, graphs as well as a pedagogic illustration of statistical analysis which are useful in understanding the concepts under reference. It develops a structural equation model for performance measurement of FM services. The book is of relevance to healthcare managers, facilities management practitioners and academics towards measuring and improving FM performance in hospitals. Although the data used in the analysis is based on the case study country Ghana, the result is by extension useful to several developing countries faced with the challenge to improve FM services delivery in public hospitals as well as other facilities management sectors.

This book analyses the relationships among product safety strategy and culture, concurrent engineering, new product development (NPD) processes and product safety performance. Product safety is a matter of enormous economic and societal concern, given the safety risks to consumers and the financial risks to producers. Nevertheless, a thorough conceptual understanding of the effects of NPD policies and practices is still largely missing, as several large-scale trends have made clarifying the role of product safety in its socio-economic context difficult, including: the rise of consumerism and the shift in the balance of power from manufacturers to customers and regulators; the internationalization of value chains and the fragmentation of markets worldwide; and technological change leading to a sophistication of products that rendered average consumers increasingly unaware of risk and potential accidents. This volume sets out to close the gaps among research, practice and policy, with an emphasis on advocating responsible product innovation. Through an in-depth study of the durable juvenile products industry, the authors discover important relationships, for example that top management involvement, safety-first culture and robust NPD processes are paramount in increasing product safety and decreasing product recalls in firms. On the other end of the spectrum, concurrent engineering does not automatically lead to product safety, they found no "magic bullet" through which product safety can be tied to the use of a particular tool, skill, or practice. Offering a dynamic framework for aligning the interests of multiple stakeholders, including manufacturers, regulators, and consumers, the authors provide a clearer understanding of product safety and its implications for scholars, students, policy makers, and practitioners in the areas of innovation management, product management, R&D management, and responsible research and innovation.

Project success rates haven't changed in 20 years...Learn why, and what you can do to improve them in your organization!Using examples and lessons learned from the failures and achievements of Antarctic explorers Robert Scott and Ernest Shackleton, and Mount Everest expedition leader John Hunt and others, this captivating guide provides powerful insights into the causes of project and program failure and how to manage them to significantly improve project success rates. This title has been recognized by the global PM community for its contribution and ingenuity. It has received the following industry honors: -Nomination for the prestigious PMI David I. Cleland Project Management Literature Award; WInner of the 2016 RiskNZ National Awards of Excellence Exemplar Award (RiskNZ is the peak sector and professional body in New Zealand bringing together those people and organisations managing risk); Chosen as The Book of the Month in PMI's inaugural Projectmanagement.com Book Club.

Successful management of very large IT projects is increasingly becoming vital to corporations worldwide. Driven mainly by the demands of global competition, rapid technological growth, and faster time to market, these projects often result in un-integrated systems, and are thus incapable of supporting coordination to meet organizational goals.""Managing Very Large IT Projects in Businesses and Organizations"" offers a unique perspective on the management and implementation of very large IT projects, discussing sub-project integration, risk management, IT project life cycle, leadership and team building, emerging technologies, corporate strategies, resource management, quality management, quality assurance, and other influencing factors of very large successful IT projects in organizations.

Innopreneur: 101 Chronicles on How Circumstance, Preparation and Brilliance Advance Innovation is a collection of short and inspirational views from multinational executives, political leaders, renowned professors and in-the-trenches professionals on what it takes to become a successful innovator in daily life. Whether an experienced entrepreneur, a seasoned marketing or R&D manager, or one small person with a big idea and the know-how to bring it to market, you'll gain insight into what it takes to create something sustainable with long-term demand. What does it really take to deliver new products and services? These 101 articles will inform and inspire the reflection, action and reassessment at the heart of effective innovation.

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

Every year the US federal government will spend roughly 100 billion dollars through competitive IDIQ (Indefinite Duration Indefinite Quantity) contracts. When you add in contracts awarded by State governments and commercial organizations using very similar processes you're looking at 700 billion dollars' worth of business. Getting a slice of that pie depends on how well you manage the contracting project. This is because IDIQs are essentially empty contract structures which then require a second round of winning task orders. For contracts with the government, this two-step structure which is specified in law and regulation, has specific pitfalls and opportunities which are rarely the subject of contract and project management training. Salesky's coaching style talks you through the specific challenges in the startup, management, and closing of the IDIQ. This book gives a pragmatic and best-practice description of the entire life cycle of this type of contract offering you the "inside advisor" you need to help you through the pragmatics issues of clients', performers', and bosses' expectations.

Large infrastructure projects generally involve multiple stakeholders such as government parties, local communities, and private organizations. New projects can create tensions between different stakeholder groups because different groups naturally have different interests and opinions. This book offers a view of how stakeholders are able to influence the project management's decision-making process as the project proceeds from the investment preparation phase, to the project execution phase, and on to the operations phase through various methods such as protests, legal battles, and even illegal activities. This book provides multiple case studies in aviation industry reflecting how large projects create dynamic contexts for stakeholder management and stakeholder behaviour as the project moves through different phases of its lifecycle.

A practical handbook for career project managers and those involved intermittently with projects throughout their career.
Brief and visually led, Managing Project Delivery gets to the point, giving you the knowledge and confidence to manage project benefits and increase the certainty of success.
Focused on the needs of engineering and technical Project Managers, but generic enough to support projects in other areas such as business change, IT and product development.
Supported by downloadable on-line project benefits management tool templates that enable the techniques developed in the book to be applied in practice.
Comprehensive real world case studies demonstrate the use of tools.
Successful projects are the basis for the business many successful organisations, but many professionals lack the basic skills required to manage projects successfully. This book shows how to maximise the outcomes of projects and to ensure that the benefits arising from projects -- large or small -- are fully realized by the business. This key outcome can be easily overlooked or sidelined by the need to keep projects on track.
Managing Project Delivery provides simple yet powerful tools to ensure that projects deliver on their goals in a controlled and accountable manner. It is the first of four project management titles that separately build skills and together provide a powerful project management resource.
* A practical handbook for career project managers and those involved intermittently with projects throughout their career.
* Brief and visually led, Managing Project Delivery gets to the point, giving you the knowledge and confidence to deliver projects and increase thecertainty of success.
* Focused on the needs of both engineering and technical Project Managers, but generic enough to support projects in other areas such as business change, IT and product development.
* Supported by downloadable on-line project delivery tool templates that enable the techniques developed in the book to be applied in practice.
* Comprehensive real world case studies demonstrate the use of tools.
* Project delivery is the third stage of the project lifecycle. This book shows how to maintain control and forecast the project outcome. Provides expert advice, tried-and-tested techniques and a delivery toolkit to address:
- Business alignment
- Value delivery
- Control and forecasting

Official reference material for the Portfolio Management Professional (PfMP) Credential ExaminationThis unique text provides a holistic view of project portfolio management (PPM) that includes people, process, tools, and techniques that work synergistically within the organization to produce portfolio decisions with the best chance of success. It illustrates the entire PPM process from strategic planning through portfolio evaluation and adjustment, including prioritizing objectives, identifying and evaluating candidate projects, selecting optimal portfolios using portfolio analysis, establishing project and portfolio performance metrics, measuring portfolio performance, and project portfolio governance. Rather than just an abstract discussion, Mastering Project Portfolio Management simulates real-world portfolio management through sample scenarios demonstrating advanced decision-making techniques and the use of decision-making software that readers are given access to. This book guides readers step-by-step through the entire project portfolio management process and is ideal for corporate and government training programs and as a primary text for graduate level academic courses.

This book examines agile approaches from a management perspective by focusing on matters of strategy, implementation, organization and people. It examines the turbulence of the marketplace and business environment in order to identify what role agile management has to play in coping with such change and uncertainty. Based on observations, personal experience and extensive research, it clearly identifies the fabric of the agile organization, helping managers to become agile leaders in an uncertain world. The book opens with a broad survey of agile strategies, comparing and contrasting some of the major methodologies selected on the basis of where they lie on a continuum of ceremony and formality, ranging from the minimalist technique-driven and software engineering focused XP, to the pragmatic product-project paradigm that is Scrum and its scaled counterpart SAFe (R), to the comparatively project-centric DSDM. Subsequently, the core of the book focuses on DSDM, owing to the method's comprehensive elaboration of program and project management practices. This work will chiefly be of interest to all those with decision-making authority within their organizations (e.g., senior managers, line managers, program, project and risk managers) and for whom topics such as strategy, finance, quality, governance and risk management constitute a daily aspect of their work. It will, however, also be of interest to those readers in advanced management or business administration courses (e.g., MBA, MSc), who wish to engage in the management of agile organizations and thus need to adapt their skills and knowledge accordingly.