Project Management Absolute Beginner's Guide Book

Introduction......................................................................................................................1

About This Book......................................................................................................... 2

Who Should Read This Book?................................................................................... 4

How This Book Is Organized..................................................................................... 4

Conventions Used in This Book................................................................................ 5

I Project Management Jumpstart

1 Project Management Overview.............................................................................7

What Is Project Management…Exactly?.................................................................. 8

What Is a Project Exactly?.................................................................................... 8

Managing Projects..............................................................................................10

An Academic Look..............................................................................................10

What Is the Value of Project Management?..........................................................13

Why Are Projects Challenging?..............................................................................14

Growing Demand for Effective Project Managers ...............................................16

Trends in Project Management .............................................................................17

Additional Resources...............................................................................................18

2 The Project Manager..............................................................................................23

One Title, Many Roles.............................................................................................24

Key Skills of Project Managers................................................................................25

Qualities of Successful Project Managers..............................................................27

15 Common Mistakes of Project Managers..........................................................28

3 Essential Elements for Any Successful Project..................................................33

What Exactly Is a “Successful” Project?.................................................................34

Learning from Troubled Projects............................................................................35

Learning from Successful Projects..........................................................................38

Essential Project Manager Toolkit..........................................................................40

II Project Planning

4 Defining a Project...................................................................................................47

Setting the Stage for Success.................................................................................48

How Does Defining a Project Relate to Project Planning?..................................49

Project Definition Document...................................................................................50

Required Elements..............................................................................................50

Additional Elements to Consider......................................................................52

Project Definition Checklist.....................................................................................54

General.................................................................................................................54

Scope....................................................................................................................55

Stakeholders........................................................................................................55

Project Approach.................................................................................................56

Other.....................................................................................................................56

Acceptance..........................................................................................................56

5 Planning a Project...................................................................................................59

Key Project Planning Principles...............................................................................60

Important Questions Project Planning Should Answer........................................62

Building a Project Plan.............................................................................................64

Summary of Supplemental Project Plan Components.........................................72

Project Plan Checklist...............................................................................................74

6 Developing the Work Breakdown Structure.....................................................77

What Exactly Is a WBS? ..........................................................................................78

Isn’t WBS Just Another Name for the Project Schedule? ..............................81

Key Differences Between the WBS and the Project Schedule.......................83

Different Types of Breakdown Structures.........................................................84

Why Is the WBS Important?....................................................................................84

The Process of Building a WBS...............................................................................86

Getting Started....................................................................................................86

Guidelines for Effective WBS.............................................................................86

Knowing When to Stop......................................................................................88

7 Estimating the Work..............................................................................................93

Next Step in the Schedule Development Process ..............................................94

Managing the Risk, Managing the Estimates .......................................................96

Reasons for Estimating Woes ................................................................................97

Powerful Estimating Techniques and Methods ...................................................99

Best Practices..........................................................................................................101

8 Developing the Project Schedule..................................................................... 105

The Impact of the Project Schedule ....................................................................106

The Goal of the Schedule Development Process...............................................109

Key Inputs for Building a Schedule .....................................................................110

Creating a Schedule...............................................................................................111

Determining Task Relationships (Sequencing the Work)..............................113

Building the Preliminary Schedule...................................................................115

Perform “Reality” Check...................................................................................116

Shorten the Schedule.......................................................................................117

Walk Through the Schedule.............................................................................118

Presenting the Schedule...................................................................................119

9 Determining the Project Budget...................................................................... 123

The Impact of the Project Budget .......................................................................124

Principles of an Effective Budget..........................................................................125

Creating a Project Budget.....................................................................................126

Sources of Project Costs .................................................................................126

Develop Initial Budget......................................................................................129

Finalize Budget..................................................................................................130

Common Budget Challenges................................................................................131

III Project Control

10 Controlling a Project........................................................................................... 135

What Is Project Control? .......................................................................................136

PDA: The Principles of Project Control ..........................................................137

Components of Project Control.......................................................................138

Management Fundamentals for Project Control................................................139

Powerful Techniques for Project Control.............................................................141

Performance Reporting..........................................................................................144

Variance Responses ..............................................................................................146

Leveraging Earned Value Management Concepts.............................................146

Common Project Control Challenges..................................................................150

Lessons from Project Recoveries..........................................................................151

11 Managing Project Changes................................................................................ 155

What Exactly Is a Project Change and

What’s the Big Deal, Anyway?..............................................................................156

Project Change Types—More Than Scope....................................................157

Relation to Configuration Management and Organizational

Change Management.......................................................................................158

Fundamentals for Managing Project Change.....................................................159

What Causes Unplanned Scope Changes? ........................................................160

Essential Elements of a Project Change Control System...................................162

Principles............................................................................................................162

Guidelines..........................................................................................................163

Components......................................................................................................163

Powerful Techniques for Minimizing Project Changes.......................................165

Common Project Change Control Challenges....................................................166

12 Managing Project Deliverables......................................................................... 171

“Managing Project Deliverables” Means What Exactly? ..................................172

Why Do This? It’s Too Much Work.......................................................................173

Identify, Protect, and Track: The Principles of Managing Work Products.......174

Best Practices..........................................................................................................175

Configuration Management Plan..........................................................................180

Common Challenges and Pitfalls..........................................................................181

13 Managing Project Issues..................................................................................... 185

The Goals, Objectives, and Principles of Project Issue Management..............186

Key Features of Issue Management Systems......................................................187

Options for Issue Log.............................................................................................190

Best Practices..........................................................................................................191

Some Special Situations........................................................................................192

14 Managing Project Risks....................................................................................... 197

Key Risk Management Principles..........................................................................198

The Essential Process for Managing Project Risks..............................................199

Risk Response Options.....................................................................................201

Key Risk Management Tools............................................................................202

The Common Sources of Project Risk..................................................................203

Typical Problems....................................................................................................207

Powerful Risk Control Strategies...........................................................................209

Are You Sure It’s a Risk?........................................................................................210

15 Managing Project Quality.................................................................................. 213

What Is “Project Quality”?....................................................................................214

Unique Aspects of Managing Project Quality.....................................................215

Principles of Managing Project Quality................................................................215

Powerful Tools and Techniques for Project Quality...........................................217

Powerful Quality Strategies...................................................................................220

Typical Quality-Related Challenges.....................................................................221

IV Project Execution

16 Leading a Project................................................................................................. 225

More Than Managing............................................................................................226

Where Is Leadership Needed on a Project?.......................................................228

Twelve Keys to Better Project Leadership...........................................................230

Power of Servant Leadership Approach..............................................................233

17 Managing Project Communications.................................................................. 237

What Are Project Communications?....................................................................238

The Importance of Project Communications.......................................................239

Why Communicating Can Be Tough....................................................................240

Seven Powerful Principles......................................................................................242

Best Practices of Effective Project Communicators............................................244

General Communications Management.........................................................245

Communications Options.................................................................................246

Tips for Email (and Other Text-Only) Communications................................250

Status Reporting................................................................................................251

Meetings.............................................................................................................252

Interpersonal Skills............................................................................................253

18 Managing Expectations...................................................................................... 257

Value of Reviewing Stakeholder Expectation Management..............................258

Critical Aspects of Expectations...........................................................................259

Balancing Reality and Perception....................................................................259

Not Just Scope Management..........................................................................260

Seven Master Principles of Expectation Management.......................................264

Essential Elements of Managing Expectations...................................................266

Project Planning and Control Elements—A Quick Review...........................266

Leveraging Kickoff Meetings...........................................................................268

Requirements Management—The Difference Maker....................................269

19 Keys to Better Project Team Performance..................................................... 277

High-Performing Teams.........................................................................................278

Ten Key Principles..................................................................................................279

Proven Techniques.................................................................................................282

Special Situations...................................................................................................285

20 Managing Differences......................................................................................... 291

Five Key Principles.................................................................................................292

Proven Techniques for Leading Cross-Functional Projects...............................295

Proven Techniques for Leading Cross-Cultural Projects....................................298

Proven Techniques for Leading Virtual Projects.................................................298

21 Managing Vendors............................................................................................... 305

First, Let’s Clarify a Few Terms.............................................................................306

Ten Proven Principles of Vendor Management..................................................306

Twelve Tips for Buyers...........................................................................................309

Seven Tips for Sellers.............................................................................................311

Twelve Key Project Management Skills for Better Vendor Management........312

Stuff You Need to Know About Contracts..........................................................313

Conditions for a Legal Contract......................................................................313

Key Contract Elements.....................................................................................313

Primary Contract Types....................................................................................314

The Impact of Each Contract Type.................................................................315

22 Ending a Project................................................................................................... 319

Three Key Principles...............................................................................................320

Project End Checklist—13 Important Steps........................................................320

Common Project Closing Challenges..................................................................322

Methods for Ending a Contract or a Project.......................................................323

Terminating a Contract.....................................................................................324

Terminating a Project........................................................................................324

V Accelerating the Learning Curve…Even More

23 Making Better Use of Microsoft Project......................................................... 329

Understand This…and It All Becomes Easier......................................................330

Need-to-Know Features........................................................................................333

New Project Best Practices....................................................................................341

Keys to Making Resource Leveling Work............................................................345

Powerful Reporting Secrets...................................................................................347

More Insights to a Better Project Schedule.........................................................353

Project 2010—Get Fired Up!.................................................................................355

24 When Reality Happens........................................................................................ 361

What If I’m in a Project Management “Lite” Culture?.......................................362

What If I Can’t Develop a Detailed Schedule?...................................................364

What If I Must Manage to a Hard Milestone Date?...........................................365

What If I Have Difficult Resources?......................................................................368

What Can I Do About Turnover?..........................................................................369

Tips for Managing a Selection Process................................................................370

Tips for Managing a Testing Process...................................................................376

25 Intriguing Project Management Concepts and Topics................................. 383

Agile Approaches...................................................................................................384

Project Management Offices................................................................................386

Traits of Successful PMOs................................................................................388

Portfolio Project Management..............................................................................390

Governance Processes...........................................................................................391

Critical Chain Project Management......................................................................392

Web-Based Project Management and Collaboration Tools..............................395

Requirements Management Tools.......................................................................396

Mind Mapping Tools..............................................................................................398

Value of Certifications............................................................................................399

Project Management Training...............................................................................400