Few software projects are completed on time, on budget, and to their original specifications. Focusing on what practitioners need to know about risk in the pursuit of delivering software projects, Applied Software Risk Management: A Guide for Software Project Managers covers key components of the risk management process and the software development process, as well as best practices for software risk identification, risk planning, and risk analysis. Written in a clear and concise manner, this resource presents concepts and practical insight into managing risk. It first covers risk-driven project management, risk management processes, risk attributes, risk identification, and risk analysis. The book continues by examining responses to risk, the tracking and modeling of risks, intelligence gathering, and integrated risk management. It concludes with details on drafting and implementing procedures. A diary of a risk manager provides insight in implementing risk management processes. Bringing together concepts across software engineering with a project management perspective, Applied Software Risk Management: A Guide for Software Project Managers presents a rigorous, scientific method for identifying, analyzing, and resolving risk.

This book shows executive, project, program, and portfolio managers how ethical behavior can ensure that an organization has proper governance. Improper governance and unethical behavior have led to such well-known financial disasters as Enron and Madoff Investments. The book arms managers with two important tools: Small Sins Allowed (SSA) and Line of Impunity (LoI), which together can be the foundation for renewed and vigorous corporate governance. SSA is a powerful tool that helps managers establish a level above which adherence to ethical standards is expected. LoI aids managers in identifying ethical fault lines that may exist in a company and helps to keep unethical behavior in check.

A thoroughly updated edition of the classic guide to project management of construction projects For more than thirty years, Construction Project Management has been considered the preeminent guide to all aspects of the construction project management process, including the Critical Path Method (CPM) of project scheduling, and much more. Now in its Sixth Edition, it continues to provide a solid foundation of the principles and fundamentals of project management, with a particular emphasis on project planning, demonstrated through an example project, along with new pedagogical elements such as end-of-chapter problems and questions and a full suite of instructor's resources. Also new to this edition is information on the Earned Value Analysis (EVA) system and introductory coverage of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Lean Construction in the context of project scheduling. Readers will also benefit from building construction examples, which illustrate each of the principles of project management. This information, combined with the case studies provided in the appendix, gives readers access to hands-on project management experience in the context of real-world project management problems. * Features two integrated example projects one civil and one commercial fully developed through the text * Includes end-of-chapter questions and problems * Details BIM in scheduling procedures, Lean Construction, and Earned Value Analysis, EVA * Provides teaching resources, including PowerPoint slides, interactive diagrams, and an Instructor's Manual with solutions for the end-of-chapter questions Construction Management and Civil Engineering students and professionals alike will find everything they need, to understand and to master construction project management in this classic guide.

The calculus of IT support for the banking, securities, and insurance industries has changed dramatically and rapidly over the past few years. Consolidation and deregulation are creating opportunities and challenges never before seen. Unheard of just a few years ago, e-commerce has given birth to new infrastructures and departments needed to support them. And the Internet/Intranet/Extranet triple-whammy is the most critical component of most financial IT shops. At the same time, new intelligent agents stand ready to take on such diverse functions as customer profiling and data mining. Get a handle on all these new and newer ripples with Financial Services Information Systems. Here, in this exhaustive new guide and reference book, industry guru Jessica Keyes gives you the no-nonsense scoop on not just the tried and true IT tools of today, but also the up-and-coming "hot" technologies of tomorrow, and how to plan for them. Financial Services Information Systems addresses challenges and solutions associated with: supporting the self-service revolution by servicing kiosks and ATMs efficiently and economically, straight-through processing for the securities industry, outsourcing business communications in the insurance industry, distributed integration as a cost-effective alternative to data warehousing, and putting inbound fax automation to work in financial organizations.

For companies to be successful, the management of an organization needs to understand how competence evolves and how it can be utilized and linked to the organization's goals. When executive managers understand this, there is a higher probability that the people working in the organization will be more satisfied with their working situation. Satisfaction increases because competence will likely be central in the organization, with focus on motivating people to develop new competence, healthy internal mobility, and organizational learning. Positively managing competence in most cases leads to a win-win situation for the company and the individual. This book describes how we as individuals, as well as organizations, can be efficient in the development and utilization of competence. It takes two perspectives of competence and connects them in a project-intensive and knowledge-intensive context. The first perspective is the "Lemon," which focuses on individual competence and the role of organizational culture. The Lemon framework takes the concept of competence based on knowledge and experience and explains how a person can apply knowledge and experience to different contexts. It changes the concept of competence from being static to being agile and dynamic. The second perspective of competence is the "Loop," which models how organizations can manage not only to the benefit of organizational strategies and goals but also to an individual's future career. The Lemon and the Loop are the basic tools to make competence and performance management agile and effective. This book presents practical ways to acquire new knowledge and skills. One method is REPI (Reflection, Elaboration, Practicing/Participation, and Investigation), which can be used for training, coaching, competence development, agile performance management, and much more. Readers of the book are given new insight into the concept of competence and how both people and organizations ca

This practical handbook offers a comprehensive guide to efficient project management. It pursues a broad, well-structured approach, suitable for most projects, and allows newcomers, experienced project managers, and decision-makers to find valuable input that matches their specific needs. The Project Management Compass guides readers through various sections of the book; templates and checklists offer additional support. The handbook's innovative structure combines concepts from systems engineering, management psychology, and process dynamics. This international edition will allow to share the authors' experience gained in many years of project work and over thousands of project management and leadership seminars conducted for BWI Management Education in Zurich, Switzerland. This second, entirely revised edition of the Project Management Handbook is based on the fundamentals of the previous standard work and is aligned with the German 5th edition. It now covers a large number of new or updated topics. This work has also been updated to help with the IPMA certification and offers a comprehensive reference table for all competence elements of the Individual Competence Baseline of IPMA (R) (ICB4).

Aligning an organization's goals and strategies requires specifying their rationales and connections so that the links are explicit and allow for analytic reasoning about what is successful and where improvement is necessary. This book provides guidance on how to achieve this alignment, how to monitor the success of goals and strategies and use measurement to recognize potential failures, and how to close alignment gaps. It uses the GQM+Strategies approach, which provides concepts and actionable steps for creating the link between goals and strategies across an organization and allows for measurement-based decision-making. After outlining the general motivation for organizational alignment through measurement, the GQM+Strategies approach is described concisely, with a focus on the basic model that is created and the process for creating and using this model. The recommended steps of all six phases of the process are then described in detail with the help of a comprehensive application example. Finally, the industrial challenges addressed by the method and cases of its application in industry are presented, and the relations to other approaches, such as Balanced Scorecard, are described. The book concludes with supplementary material, such as checklists and guidelines, to support the application of the method. This book is aimed at organization leaders, managers, decision makers, and other professionals interested in aligning their organization's goals and strategies and establishing an efficient strategic measurement program. It is also interesting for academic researchers looking for mechanisms to integrate their research results into organizational environments.

Organizations that rely on computing technology for survival understand the critical importance of managing projects that meet strategic goals and objectives. The diversity of business globalization and electronic commerce combined with the unceasing pace of technical change continues to challenge efforts for more proficient project management techniques. Presenting the tools you need to meet the challenges of the new business environment, New Directions in Project Management covers best practices in all areas of managing software development projects - practices that have been determined by measurable results not vague ideologies. In addition to a comprehensive treatment of software development project management, this book covers managing outsourced projects, team- and consensus-building, requirements definition, systems integration, measurement and metrics, and quality assurance testing. Rather than force-feeding a particular vision of project management and one methodology, the integrated approach combined with detailed concepts and techniques presented here offer you valuable advice and guidance for your project's success. Successful planning for the challenges of the new business environment will remain complex, but not unachievable. In this environment, project management cannot be viewed only as a solitary management activity but as a set of dynamic principles that can be cultivated and improved through practical experience. This demands the best of your skills. Covering software development project management from all sides, New Directions in Project Management gives you the advantage.

The first manufacturing book to examine time-based break-even analysis, this landmark reference/text applies cost analysis to a variety of industrial processes, employing a new, problem-based approach to manufacturing procedures, materials, and management. An Introduction to Manufacturing Processes and Materials integrates analysis of material costs and process costs, yielding a realistic, effective approach to planning and executing efficient manufacturing schemes. It discusses tool engineering, particularly in terms of cost for press work, forming dies, and casting patterns, process parameters such as gating and riser design for casting, feeds, and more.

"Focuses on functional, aesthetically pleasing, mechanically reliable, and easily made products that improve profitability for manufacturers and provide long-term satisfaction for customers. Offers concrete, practical insight immediately applicable to new product design and development projects."

Every year technology projects face hard decisions about how to mitigate risk and address challenges as teams work on creating useful solutions to deliver promised business value. Those decisions impact scope at every step and help to evolve it until the final product is delivered and implemented. Scope can longer be set in stone!This book will help project teams understand how and when scope changes and evolves as a part of a living-development process by answering the ultimate question: ""Are we doing the right things the right way?"" Going Beyond the Waterfall explains how to define scope at the outset of a project. It provides a solid model for predicting and managing solution scope across a project life cycle where the decisions and actions of every team member contribute to that evolutionary process. In addition, it identifies the impacts that key tasks and activities will have on scope and how each can be managed effectively to prevent unnecessary scope creep and reduce run-away projects.

For close to three decades, Fundamentals of Project Management has helped people tackle the complexities of the job. Succinct and easy to read, the book simplifies concepts, answers questions, and helps tame the chaos that can erupt as projects move from planning to completion. The Sixth Edition of this trusted bestseller offers the practical guidelines and tools project managers have come to expect, along with new information explaining changes to the PMBOK (R) Guide, 7th Edition. Updated tools, techniques, examples, and exercises clearly explain how to: Clarify project goals and objectives Manage stakeholders in the planning process Form a project risk plan Create a communication plan (NEW) Leverage current post-pandemic project trends (NEW) Identify challenges leading virtual project teams Use a work breakdown structure Develop solid estimates (NEW) Leverage different technologies to support virtual work (NEW) Maximize communication in the absence of visual clues Produce a workable schedule Improve procurement management Manage change requests Lead the project team effectively Control and evaluate progress at every stage Close the project and review lessons learned (NEW) Create and sustain trust in a virtual team (NEW) Manage project recovery when crises hit (NEW) Avoid the faulty fix (NEW) Execute the project reset (NEW) Manage the risk of project recovery And more Project mishaps are all too common, but often easy to avoid. With its practical, step-by-step approach, this book gets both new and experienced managers up to speed on the fundamentals-the first crucial step for completing projects on time and on budget.

Effective risk and opportunity management is key to the successful delivery of any major engineering and construction project. This book looks at how all those involved can manage risk and capitalise on the opportunities that uncertainty present. The authors of this book highlight that uncertainties should be managed rather than avoided. This book will look at simple projects with a small team, to megaprojects where some hundreds of people are involved, and the consequences of delays or unforeseen costs. However, while the obvious risks can be planned for, the authors argue that it is often the opportunities in these situations that can have unexploited potential. This book is about opportunity management seen from the owner's perspective. It will be an invaluable resource for those studying Engineering both undergraduate and postgraduate and set out ways in which projects should be managed from planning to completion. This book is also a great tool for those working in project management and the construction industry. While there are many books that demonstrate effective construction management, this book is the first of its kind to emphasise that there is opportunity in uncertainty, and possibility in the unexpected.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tagging is now mandated by the department of defense and many of the world's largest retailers including Wal-Mart. In order to stay competitive, more than 200,000 manufacturers and suppliers must develop strategies for integrating RFID technologies into their supply chains. RFID in Logistics: A Practical Introduction provides businesses and other relevant concerns with an authoritative step-by-step guide to the implementation and diverse applications of this revolutionary communications technology. Survey RFID applications in entertainment, credit devices, wireless communications, healthcare, and libraries Learn about both active and passive system components testing models Examine best practices for integrating RFID technology into the supply chain Combining techniques from computer, electrical, and industrial engineering, RFID in Logistics: A Practical Introduction supplies the basic instruction needed to develop and implement RFID technology.

Projects are at the core of all management activities because they directly will contribute to the operational and financial success of the organization. Further, projects are of strategic importance; they are integral to strategic plan and its operationalization. Since sophistication in project management will positively impact the operational profit margin, the desire for sophistication, and the motivation for excellence in project management is almost universal. Independent of the source of the underlying noble motivation, the pace at which an organization achieves that desired sophistication will directly depend on how much time, effort, and support, is dedicated to the enhancement of project management processes, procedures, and tools. A high level of project management sophistication can be an exceptionally advantageous credential for the enterprise, because this credential can be used as a competitive edge for advancing one contractor among the other members of the bidder pool. If an organization has reached a high level of project management maturity, the organization should regard that as a reason for extreme pride among competitors. Even in sophisticated organizations, the transition to virtual projects should be after verifying that there is extensive formality in managing projects, because formalization of project management processes is far more important in virtual teams than it is in traditional teams. Proposals are preludes to externally-funded projects, and portfolios are either collections of projects or collections of proposals. This book describes the attributes, procedures, and policies that reflect sophisticated organizations.

The natural gas business consists of two major aspects, sourcing and transportation, and distribution has been a growing area of interest to industry, government and academia. With the emphasis on promoting natural gas sector, there is an increasing need to have a well documented book that deals with the business issues, particularly the transportation and distribution of this sector, specifically aimed at petroleum engineers and professionals. This book fills this gap to provide structured material that deals with managerial and regulatory aspects with an applied technical perspective wherever needed.

Much has been written about Building Information Modelling (BIM) driving collaboration and innovation, but how will future quality managers and engineers develop digital capabilities in augmented and video realities, with business intelligence platforms, robots, new materials, artificial intelligence, blockchains, drones, laser scanning, data trusts, 3D printing and many other types of technological advances in construction? These emerging technologies are potential game changers that require new skills and processes. Digital Quality Management in Construction is the first 'how to' book on harnessing novel disruptive technology in construction quality management. The book takes a tour of the new technologies and relates them to the management of quality, but also sets out a road map to build on proven lean construction techniques and embed technologically based processes to raise quality professionals' digital capabilities. With the mountain of data being generated, quality managers need to unlock its value to drive the quality of construction in the twenty-first century, and this book will help them do that and allow those working in construction Quality Management to survive and thrive, creating higher quality levels and less waste. This book is essential reading for quality managers, project managers and all professionals in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction industry (AEC). Students interested in new and disruptive technologies will also learn a great deal from reading this book, written by a professional quality manager with nearly thirty years' experience in both the public and private sectors.

Large projects are complex undertakings representing major investments. Often problems arise because of failure at the start of a project in terms of establishing governance, choosing the appropriate concept, analyzing the proposal and environment, and maximizing the utility of the investment, all within complex and political decision-making structures. As a result, many projects fail even though they were implemented successfully, simply because the project concept was wrong. While attention has been paid to project execution, this area is under represented in literature. However, considerable advances have been made, both practical and in putting the behaviour and management of major projects on a proper theoretical basis. This volume therefore provides a resume of the state of this domain. It is a guide for practitioners, decision-makers and their advisors, as well as students. It takes a narrow view of the project, widening to place it within the organization, then the organizational nexus, and finally the political environment, to give a holistic view on how bad ideas can be avoided and good ideas developed into successful projects.

Lean is about building and improving stable and predictable systems and processes to deliver to customers high-quality products/services on time by engaging everyone in the organization. Combined with this, organizations need to create an environment of respect for people and continuous learning. It's all about people. People create the product or service, drive innovation, and create systems and processes, and with leadership buy-in and accountability to ensure sustainment with this philosophy, employees will be committed to the organization as they learn and grow personally and professionally. Lean is a term that describes a way of thinking about and managing companies as an enterprise. Becoming Lean requires the following: the continual pursuit to identify and eliminate waste; the establishment of efficient flow of both information and process; and an unwavering top-level commitment. The concept of continuous improvement applies to any process in any industry. Based on the contents of The Lean Practitioners Field Book, the purpose of this series is to show, in detail, how any process can be improved utilizing a combination of tasks and people tools and introduces the BASICS Lean (R) concept. The books are designed for all levels of Lean practitioners and introduces proven tools for analysis and implementation that go beyond the traditional point kaizen event. Each book can be used as a stand-alone volume or used in combination with other titles based on specific needs. Each book is chock-full of case studies and stories from the authors' own experiences in training organizations that have started or are continuing their Lean journey of continuous improvement. Contents include valuable lessons learned and each chapter concludes with questions pertaining to the focus of the chapter. Numerous photographs enrich and illustrate specific tools used in Lean methodology Check: Identifying Gaps on the Path to Success Transactional Processes contains chapters on implementing Lean, Kanban systems, line balancing, Heijunka-leveling, and the +QDIP process plus case studies of machine shop and transactional implementations. The implementation model describes the different approaches to Lean, compares them to Toyota, and explains each implementation model.

What are my chances of completing this project successfully? What could prevent me? How can I anticipate potential threats? These are the kinds of questions you are likely to ask yourself when you become responsible for an important project. And these are the kinds of question Reducing Project Risk will help you answer. Drawing on examples from a variety of business activities as well as on their own extensive experience, the authors propose a systematic approach to dealing with risk. They provide both a conceptual framework and the practical techniques for identifying, analysing and controlling risks of any type. Among other things you will learn: c how to carry out an objective review of the factors involved c how to recognize the warning signs so that you can head off trouble before it strikes c how to take care of the 'people side' of project management. Here is a book that will be welcomed not just by professional project managers but by anyone using human and material resources to accomplish a complex task.

Projects are the engines that drive innovation from idea to commercialization. In fact, the number of projects in most organizations today is expanding while operations is shrinking. Yet, since many companies still focus on operational excellence and efficiency, most projects fail--largely because conventional project management concepts cannot adapt to a dynamic business environment. Moreover, top managers neglect their company's project activity, and line managers treat all their projects alike--as part of operations. Based on an unprecedented study of more than 600 projects in a variety of businesses and organizations around the globe, "Reinventing Project Management" provides a new and highly adaptive model for planning and managing projects to achieve superior business results.

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