Project Management Survival: A Practical Guide to Leading, Managing and Delivering Challenging Projects - Hardcover

Jones, Richard

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 074945010X ISBN 13: 9780749450106

Publisher: Kogan Page, 2007

Synopsis

This book is written for the person who finds themselves handed a major corporate project and is wondering how to see it through successfully without ending up on the candidacy list for the sack.

Written from a real-world perspective, this book provides you with a template for success based on project management techniques from the school of corporate hard knocks. Author Richard Jones shows you how to avoid project killers, such as inheriting an incompetent, scared, or doomed team. He also gives practical advice on getting to the truth of a project, getting the right initial plan, developing a genuinely workable plan, and reveals how to manage people so the project stays on track.

If you are tasked suddenly with managing a project in-house, the likelihood is that you will find that you are dumped in an impossible situation. This book shows you how to control the situation and come out on top.

About this title

About the Author

Richard Jones is a founding partner of Ventura Team LLP. He has managed projects for major companies including Shell, Universal Studios, BNFL, British Steel, Pilkington Glass and British Telecom.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Part I. Understanding Projects

1. What Are Projects and Why Do They Fail?

2. Dead Project Walking -- Why some projects must be killed

Part II. Where are We?

3. Diagnosing an Existing Project

Part III. Getting the Right Initial Plan

4. Leading Projects

5. Project Scope and Initation

6. Agreeing Objectives

7. Milestones

8. Refining Milestones

9. Activities/Work Breakdown Structure

10. Assigning Resources

11. Time Estimation

12. Resource Availability

13. Dependencies

14. Risk and Mitigation

Part IV. Getting the Plan Right

15. Optimizing the Plan

Part V. Staying on Track

16. Roles, Responsibilities and Communication

17. Updating the Plan

18. Monitoring Progress

19. Handling Issues

20. Controlling Change

21. Reporting

22. Project Closure

Appendix 1. The Changing Nature of Projects

Appendix 2. Project Management Software

Appendix 3. Project Management Approaches and Methodologies

Appendix 4. Problem-solving Techniques

Appendix 5. References and Resources

Edition details

• Publisher: Kogan Page
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 074945010X
• ISBN 13: 9780749450106
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256