Manufacturing companies work endlessly to make process improvements, yet they are often hard to implement and even harder to sustain. The reason: companies often stumble when communicating why the methodologies are being used and how to sustain the improvements. Communication for Continuous Improvement Projects demonstrates how to communicate change, create confidence in the new processes, and empower employees. It shows how to be an effective change agent by utilizing tools that make sense while being competitive in the business market. The book explores how the proper tools, communication, and management make the Lean Six Sigma methodologies work. It includes a Continuous Improvement Toolkit that is an easy reference for what tool to use and when and how to effectively teach the tools to employees who are not necessarily engineers. Communicating these tools is the most difficult part of using the tools. The author details the implementation of the actual tools that create confidence and explains Lean Six Sigma in a way that will make employees want to jump on board. Result-driven decisions can be made from the methodologies described in this book, making processes quantifiably better with sustainable results. Extensive and informative, the book takes the guesswork out of the art of continuous improvement through communication.

Managing Knowledge in Project Environments illustrates how knowledge management (KM) contributes to successful project work. KM is widely practised in project environments, but managers don't always recognise the knowledge aspects of their work and tend to treat KM as a series of specific activities rather than a way of making project work produce better outcomes in different contexts. To overcome this challenge, the authors present KM as an integral part of project work and explain it using principles: KM fundamentals that apply anywhere. A series of context factors provides readers with a framework for understanding and thinking about what KM means for their context: their goals, their projects, their organisations and their working environments. Hidden KM is exposed, myths are debunked and practical guidance explains how to build KM into projects and portfolios. The approach is consistent with current guidance including the BS ISO management systems standard for KM and the seventh edition of APM's 'Body of knowledge'. The aim is to help project professionals, sponsors, PMO members and others who can make a difference manage knowledge more effectively in project environments. Managing Knowledge in Project Environments offers everyone involved in project work a definitive short guide to the subject.

The increasingly multilateral and regional nature of security building has given great prominence to cross-cultural aspects of international dialogue. The case studies in this collection examine how and when cultural elements affect arms control and security-building negotiations and policies. They treat issues such as religious, communal and normative orientations towards war and peace; the impact of legacies of conflict, colonialism and state building; attitudes towards regional and multilateral relations; cultural styes of diplomacy and negotiation; the nature of civil-military relations; the societal outlooks on authority, violence and conflict management. Discussing a range of states and regions - the East-West experience, Latin America, China, Southeast Asia, India and the Arab-Israeli conflict - the contributors elaborate a concept of security culture that draws together the diplomatic, political, strategic and social elements athat influence seurity policy-making.

Environmental remediation has brought significant improvements to industrial sites and surrounding communities throughout the nation. It's also become notorious for high budget overruns and frequent schedule delays, as environmental remediation's technological aspects become subject to political, managerial and economic concerns.
Modern Project Management (MPM) Processes offer a new framework for remediation programs, geared to increased efficiency and precise troubleshooting. Environmental consultant and certified project management professional (PMP) Timothy J. Havranek has helped various companies put MPM into practice: now, he brings his techniques to the environmental remediation industry at large.
Melding traditional project management structure and advanced strategic planning techniques to the needs of environmental remediation, Modern Project Management Techniques for the Environmental Remediation Industry presents this major innovation: a standardized planning process, applicable to all types of remediation projects.
Every participant in an environmental remediation effort can mutually benefit from Modern Project Management Techniques for the Environmental Remediation Industry.
Environmental consultants will discover precise budget and schedule-planning skills-quite an advantage in their increasingly competitive industry. Customers will also know what to consider when selecting an environmental services company, and discover advanced methods for reducing project costs and durations.
MPM: it's bringing new vitality and purpose to environmental protection. Put it into practice with the benefit of Havranek's real-life experience.

After more than 50 years as a manager and VE pioneer, Richard J. Park presents Value Engineering: A Plan for Invention. Park demonstrates how to adopt VE as a thinking process that can enable you to increase your problem solving skills, cultivate innovation, reduce costs, improve productivity, and more.

Features

Learn how architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) firms work to improve sustainability objectives and advance new ideas about creating more livable cities, workplaces, and campuses as they create greater operational efficiency. Location intelligence is changing how land development and large infrastructure projects take shape. From new residential construction to planning a modern urban experience to building a high-speed rail system, a geographic approach helps pave the way to better, more sustainable designs. In Designing Our Future: GIS for Architecture, Engineering & Construction, see how the AEC industry is implementing geographic information systems (GIS) to improve workflows, bring context to large undertakings, and increase collaboration between governments, contractors, partners, and the public. With GIS, architects, engineers, and construction professionals are discovering new efficiencies, gaining deeper insights about complex projects, and transforming the way they plan, design, build, and operate in the built and natural environments. In this collection of case studies and "how to" guidance, gain an overview of how GIS was used to: Reduce the carbon footprint and mitigate future climate-related damage from a cross-country, high-speed rail project in the US Document all above and below ground assets such as utility services, electric, gas, surface water and sewer drainage for a local transportation agency Plan maintenance for and respond to hazards from aging structures and vulnerable hillsides using drones in Japan Designing Our Future: GIS for Architecture, Engineering & Construction also includes a "next steps" section that provides ideas, strategies, tools, and actions to help jump-start your own use of GIS. A collection of online resources, including additional stories, videos, new ideas and concepts, and downloadable tools and content, complements this book. -- Keith Mann

Innovation contributes to corporate competitiveness, economic performance and environmental sustainability. In the Internet era, innovation intelligence is transferred across borders and languages at an unprecedented rate, yet the ability to benefit from it seems to become more divergent among different corporations and countries. How much an organization can benefit from innovation largely depends on how well innovation is managed in it. Thus, there is a discernible increase in interest in the study of innovation management. This handbook provides a comprehensive guide to this subject. The handbook introduces the basic framework of innovation and innovation management. It also presents innovation management from the perspectives of strategy, organization and resource, as well as institution and culture. The book's comprehensive coverage on all areas of innovation management makes this a very useful reference for anyone interested in the subject. Chapter 5 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781315276670

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.

Uncertainty affecting projects and project oriented business is a growing concern and an area of increasing research and development worldwide. New kinds of social problems, unexpected changes in client and individual values, restructuring of legislation, the increasing amount of international operations and constant shortening of product life time are just a few factors causing seriously increasing risks. This text presents skills, techniques, knowledge and experience of managing risks in projects. Many different types of projects are addressed spanning development, software, re-engineering, engineering and construction. Topics covered in the book include the value of learning from case projects, the implementation of systematic risk management and the skill of modelling and understanding project risks and opportunities. This book should be of interest to project managers and researchers.

Learn the fundamentals of SAP Enterprise Project and Portfolio management Project Systems (PS), Portfolio and Project Management (PPM) and Commercial Project Management (CPM) and their integration with other SAP modules. This book covers various business scenarios from different industries including the public sector, engineering and construction, professional services, telecom, mining, chemical, and pharmaceutical. Author Joseph Alexander Soosaimuthu will help you understand common business challenges and pain areas faced in portfolio, program and project management, and will provide suitable recommendations to overcome these challenges. This book not only suggests solutions within SAP, but also provides workarounds or integrations with third-party tools based on various Industry-specific business requirements. SAP Portfolio and Project Management addresses commonly asked questions regarding SAP EPPM implementation and deployment, and conveys a framework to facilitate engagement and discussion with key stakeholders. This provides coverage of SAP on-premise solutions with ECC 6.08 and SAP PPM 6.1 deployed on the same client, as well as S/4 HANA On-Premise 2020 with integration to BPC and BI/W systems. Interface with other third-party schedule management, estimation, costing and forecasting applications are also covered in this book. After completing SAP Portfolio and Project Management, you will be able to implement SAP Enterprise Portfolio and Project Management based on industry best practices. For your reference, you'll also gain a list of development objects and a functionality list by Industry, and a Fiori apps list for Enterprise Portfolio and Project Management (EPPM). What You Will Learn Understand the fundamentals of project, program and portfolio management within SAP EPPM Master the art of project forecasting and scheduling integrations with other SAP modules Gain knowledge of the different interface options for scheduling, estimation, costing and forecasting third party applications Learn EPPM industry best practices, and how to address industry-specific business challenges Leverage operational and strategic reporting within EPPM Who This Book For Functional consultants and business analysts who are involved in SAP EPPM (PS, PPM and CPM) deployment and clients who are interested and are in the process of having SAP EPPM deployed for their Enterprise.

Project Management covers the full range of issues of vital concern to IT managers working in today's hurry-up, budget-conscious business environment. The handbook provides valuable advice and guidance on how to get projects finished on-time, within budget, and to the complete satisfaction of users, whether a high-tech, low-tech, financial, manufacturing, or service organization. Project Management Handbook brings together contributions from an all-star team of more than 40 of experts working at leading enterprise organizations and consulting firms across America, and around the world. With the help of dozens of fascinating and instructive case studies and vignettes, reporting experiences in a wide range of business sectors, those experts share their insights and experience and extrapolate practicable guidelines and actions steps that project managers can put to work on their current projects.

Offers coverage of each important step in engineering cost control process, from project justification to life-cycle costs. The book describes cost control systems and shows how to apply the principles of value engineering. It explains estimating methodology and the estimation of engineering, engineering equipment, and construction and labour costs; delineates productivity and cash-flow analysis; and more.

Bridging the gap between the quantitative viewpoint of management science and the practical, day-to-day needs of project cost management, this well-balanced reference/text offers comprehensive coverage of an integrated cost management program. Emphasizing a systematic approach to cost control, Cost Management of Capital Projects presents the use of method study techniques to increase the effectiveness of procedures and improve the productivity of resources...addresses risk management...describes the planning phase of capital projects and demonstrates how scheduling and cost estimating are used to monitor performance...pinpoints methods to identify misleading information that may enter the system...defines productivity and production...outlines a system that measures performance against predetermined standards...explains how to control performance...and much more. Written by an acknowledged expert in both the industrial and academic aspects of the discipline, Cost Management of Capital Projects is an indispensable reference for cost engineers; and engineering, construction, and project managers; as well as an incomparable text for all upper-level undergraduate, graduate, and continuing-education students in business and engineering.

Developing a large-scale software system in C++ requires more than just a sound understanding of the logical design issues covered in most books on C++ programming. To be successful, you will also need a grasp of physical design concepts that, while closely tied to the technical aspects of development, include a dimension with which even expert software developers may have little or no experience.

This is the definitive book for all C++ software professionals involved in large development efforts such as databases, operating systems, compilers, and frameworks. It is the first C++ book that actually demonstrates how to design large systems, and one of the few books on object-oriented design specifically geared to practical aspects of the C++ programming language.

In this book, Lakos explains the process of decomposing large systems into physical (not inheritance) hierarchies of smaller, more manageable components. Such systems with their acyclic physical dependencies are fundamentally easier and more economical to maintain, test, and reuse than tightly interdependent systems. In addition to explaining the motivation for following good physical as well as logical design practices, Lakos provides you with a catalog of specific techniques designed to eliminate cyclic, compile-time, and link-time (physical) dependencies. He then extends these concepts from large to very large systems. The book concludes with a comprehensive top-down approach to the logical design of individual components. Appendices include a valuable design pattern "Protocol Hierarchy" designed to avoid fat interfaces while minimizing physical dependencies; the details of implementing an ANSI C compatible C++procedural interface; and a complete specification for a suite of UNIX-like tools to extract and analyze physical dependencies. Practical design rules, guidelines, and principles are also collected in an appendix and indexed for quick reference.
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This unique reference interweaves information on the three major overlapping parts of the total project program: programs (defined as techniques, procedures, and methods), people skills (defined as experience, application, and analytical ability), and the culture of project groups (defined as project commitment and working togetherness). Summarizing the skills necessary for an economic construction program, Effective Project Management Through Applied Cost and Schedule Control presents a detailed evaluation of current project skill levels...reveals a direct correlation between project team-building and cost/schedule control...offers rules of thumb for establishing and developing the scope of a project...suggests value management procedures for creating cost-effective construction designs...delineates a wide range of analytical trending techniques...covers change control and risk analysis...elucidates the procurement needs of a project...and more.

Portfolio management consists mainly of making decisions about which initiatives to undertake, which initiatives not to pursue, and which resources are to be allocated to which portfolio component. At least, that's how it is most commonly presented in textbooks and courses. Indeed, it is all of that, but it is also so much more. Portfolio management is, of course, about making these decisions, but, more accurately, it is about making them with the goal of creating value for an organization's wide population of stakeholders, both internal and external. This value is not only expressed in financial terms but also in social terms. The portfolio should create value for all stakeholders, who thereby support the portfolio organization and enable it to sustain itself. Portfolio management is about the realization of strategic vision, achieving a purpose, and developing an intelligent way of using resources to benefit stakeholders. This requires the ability to find a balance among the different dimensions of portfolio governance and among the constraints constantly shaping and reshaping the business environment. This is what portfolio management is truly about; this is what organizational management is about. The Four Pillars of Portfolio Management: Organizational Agility, Strategy, Risk, and Resources takes readers on a journey navigating the dimensions and constraints to be balanced and integrated as part of the portfolio and organizational decision-making process. By balancing the requirements of strategic alignment with the exposure to risk and by reconciling resource demands with capability, a portfolio manager can develop and sustain an organization despite the constant and dynamic evolution of the business environment. This book explains how to manage portfolios that create the agility all organizations require to survive and thrive.

Learning, Unlearning and Re-learning Curves (Volume IV of the Working Guides to Estimating & Forecasting series) focuses in on Learning Curves, and the various tried and tested models of Wright, Crawford, DeJong, Towill-Bevis and others. It explores the differences and similarities between the various models and examines the key properties that Estimators and Forecasters can exploit. A discussion about Learning Curve Cost Drivers leads to the consideration of a little used but very powerful technique of Learning Curve modelling called Segmentation, which looks at an organisation's complex learning curve as the product of multiple shallower learning curves. Perhaps the biggest benefit is that it simplifies the calculations in Microsoft Excel where there is a change in the rate of learning observed or expected. The same technique can be used to model and calibrate discontinuities in the learning process that result in setbacks and uplifts in time or cost. This technique is compared with other, better known techniques such as Anderlohr's. Equivalent Unit Learning is another, relative new technique that can be used alongside traditional completed unit learning to give an early warning of changes in the rates of learning. Finally, a Learning Curve can be exploited to estimate the penalty of collaborative working across multiple partners. Supported by a wealth of figures and tables, this is a valuable resource for estimators, engineers, accountants, project risk specialists, as well as students of cost engineering.

PgMP Exam Practice Test and Study Guide, Fourth Edition is the book you need to pass the Program Management Professional (PgMP) exam the first time around. It reflects recent revisions based on PMI's Standard for Program Management - Third Edition (2013).Based on best practices that complement PMI's standards, this is the most comprehensive and up-to-date resource available to help you prepare for the exam with new and changed terminology. It includes a list of the major topics covered on the exam organized by the five performance domains'strategic program management, program life cycle, benefits management, stakeholder management, and governance as presented in the Program Management Professional Examination Content Outline. It also includes helpful tips on how to make the most of the time you have available to prepare for the exam. Just like its bestselling predecessors, this indispensable study guide includes 20 multiple-choice practice questions for each domain along with a comprehensive answer key. The program life cycle domain includes 20 questions for each of the five phases. Each question also has a plainly written rationale for each correct answer with bibliographic references for further study.Two challenging, 170-question practice tests that simulate the actual exam are included in the book and online, so you can retake them as many times as necessary. They also include a rationale and reference.Scores for the online tests are presented as if each question is rated similarly, but this edition also includes a new component: the authors own weighting system for the level of difficulty for each question. This system will show you what they feel meets the exam's criteria for Proficient, Moderately Proficient, and below Proficient. You then will see your scores by domain in both approaches.Supplying an in

As executives build and nurture their organization's strategic agility in today's turbulent, uncertain business environment, the ability to lead strategic change has become more critical than ever. The Strategic Project Leader: Mastering Service-Based Project Leadership, Second Edition will help project managers lead with confidence in temporary, ambiguous team structures that execute risk-laden work in an increasingly agile project environment. Like the first edition, this edition encourages readers to take ownership of their leadership agenda and become disciplined in the processes of building a framework of leadership skills. Readers are introduced to a new role: the service-based project leader. This role serves the entire project organization by creating a meaningful experience for team members, customers, and critical stakeholders. The book provides practical guidance to help you move from project manager to service-based project leader. Detailing a framework for developing and refining leadership skills, it explains how to build a leadership competency pyramid and then execute a self-directed plan for building leadership competencies. The leadership competency pyramid includes an intuitive model that will be helpful to project managers at any level. The book elaborates on the components of each layer of the pyramid and how each layer relates to the others. A chapter is dedicated to each layer of the pyramid, with supporting evidence for the necessity of each of these layers, as well as practical advice on how to build and practice these component layers.

In the fluid world of changing business environments and variables affecting projects, a style of project management that primarily relies on maintaining the Iron Triangle, that tenuous mix of schedule, scope, and budgets, is no longer the sole path to success. Today's project management demands a focus on leadership of the kind that anticipates and embraces change, challenges the status quo, and inspires teams. Developing these skills requires a mastery of emotional intelligence, courage, critical thinking, and a desire to become a true leader dedicated to developing success. Whether you are participating in a project for the first time or you've been doing projects for decades, you know the very essence of a project is to return value that gains a competitive edge and propels the organization forward into new frontiers. Whether you believe the best results are earned through agile, waterfall, or a mix of methodologies, project leadership is the secret weapon that will maintain and grow professional relevance, knowledge, and value in today's workforce. Through a series of notable lessons in human history and behavior, The Human Factor in Project Management takes you on a journey of self-discovery to define your capabilities and gaps, while building your leadership skills. In your role as a project manager, project sponsor, product owner, or champion, the book challenges you to question the choices you make in a series of stories where you are the main character. This guide to career and personal growth forces you to look beyond the limitations of a Gantt chart, spreadsheet, or a Kanban board to evaluate the value from every tool you use and every action you take.

Roughly half of all project managers have to lead customer projects as profit centers on contractor side with two big objectives: making the customer happy and bringing money home. Customer projects are a high-risk business on both sides, customers and contractors, but the dynamics of this business have so far been mostly ignored in literature. The book is intended to fill this gap. The book helps project managers better understand the dynamics of customer projects under contract from business development through handover and find solutions for common problems. A central aspect is international contract laws, an often underestimated factor in projects.

"Explores how engineering teams can ensure success by using strategic project planning properly. Provides a proven question-and-question format to facilitate completion of all types of projects. Focuses on decision-making, resolving major conflicts and finding ways for team members to work together, changing the strategic direction of major projects, and identifying and managing risks. Presented in a 8 3/8 x 11 spiral-bound workbook."

A seminal collection of research methodology themes, this two-volume work provides a set of key scholarly developments related to robustness, allowing scholars to advance their knowledge of research methods used outside of their own immediate fields. With a focus on emerging methodologies within management, key areas of importance are dissected with chapters covering statistical modelling, new measurements, digital research, biometrics and neuroscience, the philosophy of research, computer modelling approaches and new mathematical theories, among others. A genuinely pioneering contribution to the advancement of research methods in business studies, Innovative Research Methodologies in Management presents an analytical and engaging discussion on each topic. By introducing new research agendas it aims to pave the way for increased application of innovative techniques, allowing the exploration of future research perspectives. Volume II explores a range of research methodologies including the Spatial Delphi and Spatial Shang, Virtual Reality, the Futures Polygon and Neuroscience research.

Covering the roles and responsibilities of the project manager, this second edition describes requirement specifications, work breakdown structures, project control and risk management, and offers new information on motivation, matrix arrangements, and project records. Discussing the anatomy of a project planning and control and techniques, the authors describe the project manager's entire range of responsibilities from initial planning to directing personnel, controlling work, and reporting results. The appendices cover work breakdown structure paradigms, cost versus time profiles, and checklists to assess work done.

In Manifesto for an Independent Revolutionary Art Andre Breton and Diego Rivera, under the effects of German fascism and Russian Stalinism in society, argued that art can only impact society and be revolutionary if it becomes independent of any social constructs. Almost six decades later, in the rise of what became known as "relational aesthetics", the field of multidisciplinarity is expanding and many artistic projects for social change claim to be multidisciplinarity. However, such projects show that we are still far from a broad discourse of multidisciplinarity. Multidisciplinarity takes a step towards a down-to-earth discussion of the relation between disciplinary discourses and grand narratives in three different projects, focusing mainly on its artistic, cultural and management aspects. Indeed, drawing from the eclectic construction of these three multidisciplinary projects, this volume serves to bridge the gap between the theoretical debates of disciplinary discourses and the harshness of everyday life in communities where projects for social change are being implemented. Presenting a panoptical view that places academic research side by side with daily life, Multidisciplinarity unveils the bigger picture of both projects and interdisciplinary discourses. This insightful volume will appeal to students and researchers interested in fields such as Project Management, Multidisciplinarity, Culture Studies and Organisational Studies.