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Teach Yourself Project Management »

Book cover image of Teach Yourself Project Management by Philip Baguley

Authors: Philip Baguley
ISBN-13: 9780071599870, ISBN-10: 0071599878
Format: Paperback
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies, The
Date Published: July 2008
Edition: (Non-applicable)

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Author Biography: Philip Baguley

Phil Baguley learned about project management in a career that included senior line management roles in several multi-national corporations and consultancy in the U.K. and in Europe. He has also lectured on a number of management topics at the Anglia Business School. His writing has included articles for the technical press and many books.

Book Synopsis

Take charge of your projects with confidence

Do you need to run projects to schedule and to budget? Are you lacking confidence to tackle big projects? Do you need to create a solid team? Teach Yourself Project Management is a practical introduction to this essential skill. It explains and illustrates the what, why, where, when, and how of project management in an accessible format. Jargon-free and based on sound theory, with diagrams, useful ideas and pointers to appropriate methods and tools, it's THE book for anyone who wants to develop the skills of effective project management.

Table of Contents

Introduction1
1Projects, projects and projects3
Projects old and new3
Projects now4
How and why4
Big or small6
Concrete or ideas7
Work and play7
The Five Fundamentals8
Definitions10
The project boundaries11
The project life cycle13
Project priorities15
Projects and people15
Summary16
2Which project?17
Choice17
Uncertainty and risk18
Identify the risk19
Reducing the risk20
Yes or No22
Choosing22
Choosing without numbers23
Choosing by numbers26
Summary29
3Your project organization30
Organizing30
Organizations31
Structures, leaders and people32
Projects and organizations--the differences33
What sort of project organization?34
Project aspects35
Project organizations36
The Integrated project organization36
The Stand Alone project organization37
The Matrix project organization38
Your project organization39
Project procedures and specifications41
Summary45
4Plans for your project46
Planning--now or never46
Projects and planning47
Interdependency50
Bars and charts52
Networks56
Resources61
Activity slack61
What did we do last time?62
Project planning with computers62
Summary64
5Managing your project65
Management65
Managing projects vs day-to-day management66
Projects and managers67
Leaders and leadership68
Project managers and communication71
Project communications71
Project managers and negotiation72
Negotiating and bargaining73
Ways and means74
Project managers and motivation75
Summary77
6Your project team78
Why teams?78
What is a team?79
Good teams and bad teams80
How many81
Who--and Why82
The Team Charter84
Team building85
Project teams87
Summary90
7Managing your project money92
Money, money and money92
Cost, cost and more cost92
Hunches, guesstimates and estimates93
Information, data, facts and figures95
Top-down or bottom-up97
Top-down97
Bottom-up99
Below and above the line100
Budgets101
Summary103
8Monitoring and controlling your project104
Full steam ahead104
Monitoring105
Project monitoring--what and when106
The project plan and monitoring108
Milestones109
Limits109
ABC analysis110
The project budget and monitoring111
Earned value112
Monitoring--reports and meetings114
Controlling115
Summary117
9Solving your project problems119
Problems, problems and problems119
A perfect world120
Frequency and consequence120
Logic or intuition121
A Nominal Group122
Force Field analysis123
The Ishikawa diagram124
Pareto analysis126
CUSUM technique130
Summary132
10Closing your project133
Endings133
Closure and the project manager134
The closure process135
Closing the team136
Closing the project data banks137
Activity completion138
Project outcomes139
Project histories140
Project audits141
Post-project appraisals142
Summary143
11Key issues for project management144
Key issues144
Conclusion149
Glossary152
Further information157
Books157
Professional associations159
Some useful web sites161
Index162

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