Neal Whitten's No-Nonsense Advice for Successful Projects - Softcover

Whitten, Neal

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1567261558 ISBN 13: 9781567261554

Publisher: Kogan Page, 2004

Synopsis

There's no better way to learn the nuts and bolts of a profession than by having a mentor at your side. But most project managers and leaders don't have that advantage - and that's why Neal Whitten wrote this book.

Having Neal Whitten's No-Nonsense Advice for Successful Projects on hand is like having a mentor to guide you at every turn in the road. Neal shows you how to avoid a painful learning curve with a set of best practices for leading consistently successful projects.

In this book, Neal distills his 30 years of experience into tips and strategies that are easy to learn and apply to your projects. These strategies will give you a decisive competitive edge in leading projects and working with stakeholders, clients, and team members.

Learn How to:

• Run your project like you'd run your own business

• Become a "benevolent dictator" for the most effective leadership

• Recognize and deal with professional immaturity

• Deal with difficult people

• Master behaviors that will make your team leaders' jobs easier and benefit your own career

• Assess if you're too soft - and learn to make unpopular decisions if they're necessary to project success

• Create a culture that fosters the success of your project

• Gain the respect of your team members

• Avoid making long-term project commitments

• Manage to your top three problems

About this title

About the Author

Neal Whitten, PMP, is a veteran project management practitioner, mentor, author, speaker, and instructor. In Neal Whitten's No- Nonsense Advice for Successful Projects, he distills the experience gained working with thousands of people across hundreds of companies and projects. The result is a concise, readable guidebook filled with practical tips and strategies you can put to work immediately - and see results instantly!

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Leadership, Soft Skills, and You. Mind Your Own Business • Are You a Benevolent Dictator? You Should Be! • Ask for Help - or Become Part of the Problem • What Good Is a PM Mentor? • Is Your Professional Behavior Respected? • Recognizing and Dealing with Professional Immaturity • Behaviors to Master When Dealing with Your Leaders • Are You Too Soft? • Foster Interpersonal Communications • Turn Criticism into an Asset • Dealing with Difficult People • Don't Fear Failure • A Silver Bullet?

Roles and Responsibilities. Duties of the Effective Project Manager • Duties of the Effective Resource Manager • Duties of the Effective Project Sponsor • How Technical Must a Project Manager Be?

Project Initiation. Are You Learning from Project to Project? • Create the Desired Culture for Your Project

Project Planning. Should You Be Given a Project End Date? • Meet Minimum Requirements - Anything More Is Too Much • Do Not Make Long-Term Project Commitments • The Effect of Multitasking on Productivity • Contingency Buffer: Expect the Unexpected • Scope Creep: Runaway Train or Good Business?

Project Execution and Control. The Project Tracking Meeting • The Day After • Manage to Your Top Three Problems • Treat All Project Members Equally • Inspect What You Expect • Escalate Is Not a Dirty Word • Declare Your Project's Risk Value • How to Run an Effective Meeting • The S-Shape Curve 50/70 Rule

Project Closeout. Conducting a Post-Project Review



Promoting the Advancement of Project Management beyond Your Projects . Project Review Mentoring Workshops • The Project Manager/Resource Manager Leadership Workshop • How to Institutionalize Improvements in Your Organization

Edition details

• Publisher: Kogan Page
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1567261558
• ISBN 13: 9781567261554
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 258