Project Management for New Managers and Management Assistants: How to Get Things Done in Less Time Book

Author Dedication     3
Acknowledgements     6
Foreword     14
Introduction     17
Determining the Project's Desired Results, Phases, & Life Cycle     21
Management to Project Management     25
What Is a Manager Today?     25
Finding Your Own Managerial Style     34
What Is a Project Manager?     39
What Is a Project, Exactly?     39
What Is Project Management?     40
How Is Project Management Deployed?     40
Why Use Project Management?     41
Preparing For Project Management     47
What are the Skills for Success?     51
Jdentifying, Jmplementing, & Measuring Your Project's Actions     57
Who Is Flying Your Plane?     59
How to Determine a Project's Phases     59
How to Determine a Project's Phases     59
Five Generic Phases of Project Management     60
Putting Processes and Phases Together     62
Systems Check     67
Demonstrate Project Need and Feasibility     71
Initiate Phase I     71
Plan Phase I     73
Execute Phase I     78
Building Your Team     78
The "Volunteered" Team Members     81
Put Benchmarks and Rewards in Place     82
Control and Close Phase I     82
Choose a Runway     85
Create the Project Plan (Part One)     87
Initiate Phase II     87
Describe the Project's Scope     88
Create a Work Breakdown Structure     88
Define the Project's Activities and Succession (Activity List)     98
Estimate the Duration of Each Activity     105
Assign Resources to Each Activity and Prepare the Schedule     112
Create the Project Schedule and its Associated Gantt Chart     122
Estimate the Costs     128
Clearing for Takeoff     135
Create the Project Plan (Part Two)     135
Create Your Project's Budget     136
Create a Variance Plan     138
Establish the Quality Constraints     140
Create a Communications Plan     142
Create a Risk Management Plan     149
Create the Project Plan     152
Close Phase II     152
Takeoff     155
Create a Draft of the Deliverables     155
Initiate Phase III     155
Plan Phase III      156
Meaningful Progress Meetings     156
Determine the Need for a Meeting     160
Effective Preparation     160
Begin on Time     162
Lead the Team to Participation     162
Close the Meeting     163
Tips on Meetings from the Project Managers     163
Execute & Control Phase III     167
Progress Reports     169
Change Requests     173
Abandoning a Project     175
Communicate With The Tower     179
Create the Deliverables     179
Controls     179
Initiate Phase IV     179
Plan Phase IV     180
Execute Phase IV     182
Effective Control Tools     182
Control Phase IV     183
Earned Value Management     184
Close Phase IV     187
Happy Landings     189
Test-Market & Release the Deliverables to Market     189
Initiate Phase V     189
Plan Phase V     189
Test-market the Deliverable     190
Execute and Control Phase V     193
Prepare for Final Deliverables     193
Prepare for Closure     193
Close Phase V     194
Terminating Your Project     194
Accept the Results of the Project     198
Rocket Tools: Propel Your Project Management Skills to the Stratosphere     201
Multiple Projects = Air Traffic Control     203
Assess the Scope of Deliverables     205
Assess Risks     212
Launch One Project Among Many     213
Manage People's Activities to Avoid Conflicts     214
Prepare the Statement of Work     216
Prepare Work Breakdown Structure     217
Interact with Other Project Members     217
Report Progress     218
Change, Inevitable Change     219
Software Is Not Rocket Science     223
Integrated Project Management Software     226
Software: Types     235
Effectively Using the Internet, Voice Mail, and Software     237
Voice Mail     237
E-mail.     238
Aliens Among Us?     241
Conclusion     245
Top Reasons Project Managers Succeed or Fail     249
Project Studies     259
Glossary     265
References     279
About the Author     285
Index      287