Most of the project management books on the market are basically textbooks. They are dry to begin with, and don't focus on the practical advice that most people need to run their projects.Lessons in Project Management, Second Editiondoes not assume thatyou are a project manager building a nuclear reactor or sending a man to the moon. Instead, it focuses on the millions of people who manage normal, medium-to-large projects on an ongoing basis. Each case study in Lessons in Project Management contains anaccessible, easy-to-readanalysis of the challenges ofreal-world project management. Each problem is presented, thenfollowed by an examination of the solution, written in easy-to-understand language. What you'll learn How to understand a problem How tousethe authors' ten-step approach to project management How to resolve a given problem with methods appropriate to the size of the project About underpromising and underdelivering Tips on managing projects, such as developing rapport with project managers and team members Who this book is for

No prior project management experience is assumed.This bookis for the millions of people who manage projects, regardless of size.This book isquite helpful for managers in the middle ofa project who may be experiencingproblems. Table of Contents Understand the Characteristics of a Project Always Have an Identified and Committed Sponsor Report Status on All Projects Focus on Deadline Dates Apply Some Level of Project Management Discipline Define and Plan the Work Don't Microbuild or Micromanage the Workplan Hire a Diverse Project Team Define the Many Aspects of What Is In Scope and Out of Scope Use the Big Three Documents Use Scope Change Management Collect Metrics Give Performance Feedback Routinely Ensure Issues Management Is Everyone's Responsibility Shorten Long Meetings to Sharpen the Focus Identify the Root Cause of Problems Use Quality Assurance Techniques to Validate Project Status Cancel Projects That Lose Business Support Use Risk Management to Respond to Discover Potential Problems Focus Your Quality Management on Processes, Not People Don't Use Your Estimating Contingency for Scope Changes Develop a Communication Plan for ComplexProjects Scale Your Processes Based onProject Size Plan the ProjectEven If YouStart the Work at the Same Time Identifythe Critical Pathand How This Path Drives the Deadline Date ChangeAssumptions to Revise anEstimate Don'tForget Face-to-Face Communication on Your Project Make Qualitya Mindset and Ongoing Process Batch Small Scope Change Requests for Sponsor Approval Manage Your Vendor Projects Proactively Look for Risks Inherent to Your Project Get Sponsor Approval Before Investigating Large Scope Change Requests Make Sure the Cost of Collecting Metrics Does Not Exceed Their Value Use Multiple Estimating Techniques Keep YourSchedule Up to Date Use Issues Management toChoose the Best of Bad Alternatives Collect Metrics That Can Lead to Fundamental Improvements Evaluate All Risk Response Options in the Risk Plan Manage Client Expectations Use Milestonesto Track Overall Progress Catch Errors As Earlyas Possible Gain Sponsor Approval for Scope Changes Requiring Budget and DeadlineDeviations Be Proactiveto Accelerate the Project Schedule Use the Work Breakdown Structureto Identify All the Work Write Your Status ReportsFrom the Readers'Perspective Update Your Risk Plan Throughout the Project Don't Deliver More Than the Client Requested Make One Person Responsible for Each Activity Focus on Deadlinesto Keep Your Project from Wandering Gain Agreement on Project Metrics Ahead of Time

Accessible, easy to read case-studies in real-world project management challenges, each case study contains a story of the problem followed by an examination of the solution presented in easy to understand language. Most of the project management books I have read are basically textbooks. They are dry to begin with and don't focus on the practical advice that most people need to run their projects. My book does not assume you are a project manager building a nuclear reactor or sending a man to the moon. This book will focus instead on the millions of people who manage normal, medium to large projects on an ongoing basis. I think that this type of format will allow the readers to relate better to what they are reading, since it brings into play a project scenario and a practical project management lesson to learn. The reader will also recognize recurring characters that appear in multiple stories and will start to develop some empathy and interest for their struggle.