Thousands of project management–related books have been written. Why is Optimizing Project Work, Management, and Delivery different? This book represents the authors’ experiences gained from looking at the problem of project management for 50 years and wondering why projects cannot be more successful. Experience from various management models and techniques has helped but still does not fit reality or provide accurate forecasts. Industry surveys have compiled the root causes of project failure, and yet they persist. Is there no answer to this problem? As the book explains, the management solution is not in the models or the theory but is found in how they are mapped against the actual target project characteristics. This is the book’s unique strength. There are major coverage gaps in current project management models that also need to be recognized. All of the existing models are correct in some ways, and yet each is also wrong. The book starts by reviewing popular models and related topics that help construct the building blocks of an integrated model structure, which is at the core of this book. The integrated model described here is meant to be a decision-oriented view related to the project life cycle rather than a cookbook of success steps. Project management is too complex for a cookbook approach. This text helps managers find that right path.

This book is designed to be a quick guidelines-oriented approach to the topic of project management. It contains the essential management practices required to produce successful project outcomes. Guidelines for Achieving Project Management Success helps the non-technical reader who might have been originally put off by a more robust treatment of project management. It uses the 80/20 rule where 80% of the project management problem may originate from just 20% of the cause. The book includes easy to understand examples illustrating key topics and offers advice and references for further reading. The book also helps the reader on how to define what the target is with the project and how to execute it to get the desired results. The primary audience is individuals who are seeking a readable description of the project management processes. The book is also useful for an academic program where project management is secondary to the primary topic.

Thousands of project management–related books have been written. Why is Optimizing Project Work, Management, and Delivery different? This book represents the authors’ experiences gained from looking at the problem of project management for 50 years and wondering why projects cannot be more successful. Experience from various management models and techniques has helped but still does not fit reality or provide accurate forecasts. Industry surveys have compiled the root causes of project failure, and yet they persist. Is there no answer to this problem? As the book explains, the management solution is not in the models or the theory but is found in how they are mapped against the actual target project characteristics. This is the book’s unique strength. There are major coverage gaps in current project management models that also need to be recognized. All of the existing models are correct in some ways, and yet each is also wrong. The book starts by reviewing popular models and related topics that help construct the building blocks of an integrated model structure, which is at the core of this book. The integrated model described here is meant to be a decision-oriented view related to the project life cycle rather than a cookbook of success steps. Project management is too complex for a cookbook approach. This text helps managers find that right path.