Guide to Project Management: Getting it right and achieving lasting benefit

Paul Roberts

John Wiley & Sons, Jan 30, 2013 - Business & Economics - 368 pages

A veteran project manager shares his proven approach to getting the job done right, on schedule and within budget—every time!

Each year companies initiate projects in hopes of improving their bottom-lines and gaining a competitive advantage. Unfortunately, a good percentage of those projects either never get off the ground or, if they do, never come to fruition. According to veteran project manager, Paul Roberts, more often than not, projects fail because of a lack of organization-wide commitment to their success and an unwillingness to invest in proper project management. In this updated second edition of his popular guide, Paul clearly shows why projects of any scale require that an entire organization contribute to achieving results. He outlines a proven approach for engaging all stakeholders in the project management process. And he walks you through the four steps essential for successful management: initiation, planning, delegation, and closing.

• Author Paul Roberts has successfully managed projects at a variety of prestigious companies, including Pfizer and British Airways
• Clearly demonstrates how and why investing in project management, especially in this economy, can help you avoid, or minimize the impact of, schedule delays and cost overruns
• Offers expert advice and guidance on how to place project management a priority not just for the PM and project team, but organization-wide
• Supplies a wealth of clearly, easy-to-use flow charts, diagrams, tables and other useful project management tools

Contents

• Introduction to second edition: 1
• Introduction: 3
• The components of effective project management: 6
• Conceiving and prioritising projects: 27
• Project roles and responsibilities: 64
• Articulating the vision: 87
• Planning risks and rewards: 98
• Planning quality: 122
• Planning time and cost: 144
• Initiating projects: 168
• Project delivery: 206
• Support and assurance: 253
• Project closure and beyond: 270
• Embedding effective project management: 299
• Glossary: 331
• Index: 352

About the author

Paul Roberts has been managing projects for over 25 years and is a founding director of Fifthday (www.fifthday.com), a provider of project management expertise, education and resource. He has worked with some of the world's largest, most influential organisations, and many of the smallest, both public and private, helping them to embed the principles, techniques and culture of effective project management.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Guide to Project Management: Getting it right and achieving lasting benefit; The Economist
• Author: Paul Roberts
• Edition: 2
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, 2013
• ISBN: 111842171X, 9781118421710
• Length: 368 pages
• Subjects: Business & Economics / General; Business & Economics / Project Management