The complete idiot's guide to project management

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Title:

Personal Author:

Baker, Sunny

Publication Information:

New York : Alpha, 1998

ISBN:

9780028617459

Subject Term:

Industrial project management

Management

Added Author:

Baker, Kim

Available:*

Library	Item Barcode	Call Number	Material Type	Item Category 1	Status
Searching... PSZ KL	30000005016328	HD69.P75 B34 1998	Open Access Book	Book	Searching... Unknown

This Complete Idiot's Guide provides instructions for managing a project from the original concept through to completion and implementation. Included are tips and techniques for dealing with disasters and problems and a glossary on techical terms.

Author Notes

Sunny and Kim Baker have helped guide marketing and business-development projects for companies of all sizes since 1984. They have coordinated marketing programs, started companies, marketed new products, assisted major construction firms in building skyscrapers, and helped corporations reengineer their operations for efficiency.

Part 1 Project Management Power	p. 1
1 Projects, Projects Everywhere	p. 3
Why You Need a New Project-Oriented Outlook	p. 4
All Projects Are Work, but Not All Work Is a Project	p. 4
Above and Beyond the Ordinary Work	p. 5
If It's Not a Project, It's Just Plain Work	p. 6
A Balance Among Time, Resources, and Results	p. 6
How Can You Tell a Project When You See One?	p. 7
They're Not Always Created Equal	p. 7
How Many Projects Are You Responsible For?	p. 8
All Projects Great and Small	p. 8
The Next Step	p. 9
The Least You Need to Know	p. 10
2 The Process That Works	p. 11
Why Do You Need to Learn About Project Management?	p. 12
What Is Project Management All About?	p. 12
Putting You in Charge	p. 12
Okay, but Does It Really Work?	p. 12
It's Not Perfect, but It Sure Helps	p. 13
Tools for Modern Times	p. 14
All Projects Mundane and Marvelous	p. 14
Can Project Management Help You?	p. 14
The Five Phases of the Project Management Process	p. 14
A Rose by Any Other Name	p. 15
Getting Familiar with the Phases	p. 16
Project Phase 1 Initiating	p. 16
Project Phase 2 Planning	p. 17
Project Phase 3 Executing	p. 17
Project Phase 4 Controlling	p. 18
Project Phase 5 Closing	p. 18
How the Project Phases Work Together	p. 18
Not Just the Same Old Routine	p. 19
The Least You Need to Know	p. 19
3 The Rules of the Project Game	p. 21
Project Failure--The Reasons Are Simple	p. 22
12 Golden Rules of Project Management Success	p. 22
Rule 1 Thou Shalt Gain Consensus on Project Outcomes	p. 22
Rule 2 Thou Shalt Build the Best Team You Can	p. 23
Rule 3 Thou Shalt Develop a Comprehensive, Viable Plan and Keep It Up-to-Date	p. 24
Rule 4 Thou Shalt Determine How Much Stuff You Really Need to Get Things Done	p. 25
Rule 5 Thou Shalt Have a Realistic Schedule	p. 25
Rule 6 Thou Shalt Not Try to Do More than Can Be Done	p. 25
Rule 7 Thou Shalt Remember that People Count	p. 25
Rule 8 Thou Shalt Gain the Formal and Ongoing Support of Management and Stakeholders	p. 26
Rule 9 Thou Shalt Be Willing to Change	p. 26
Rule 10 Thou Must Keep People Informed of What You're Up To	p. 27
Rule 11 Thou Must Be Willing to Try New Things	p. 27
Rule 12 Thou Must Become a Leader	p. 27
You Can Do It!	p. 28
Keep Your Eyes on the Prize	p. 28
The Least You Need to Know	p. 28
4 You? A Project Manager?	p. 29
The Accidental Project Manager	p. 29
Dealing with Dual Responsibilities	p. 30
What Do You Need to Do?	p. 31
Learn to Plan and Act	p. 31
You Must Be a Manager and a Leader	p. 31
Focus on the Project's End	p. 32
The Leadership Roles of the Project Manager	p. 32
Interpersonal Roles	p. 32
Informational Roles	p. 33
Decisional Roles	p. 33
The Six Traits of Good Project Managers	p. 33
Trait 1 Enthusiasm for the Project	p. 34
Trait 2 The Ability to Manage Change Effectively	p. 34
Trait 3 A Tolerant Attitude Toward Ambiguity	p. 34
Trait 4 Team Building and Negotiating Skills	p. 35
Trait 5 A Customer-First Orientation	p. 35
Trait 6 Adherence to the Priorities of Business	p. 35
Be the Best You Can Be	p. 35
The Least You Need to Know	p. 36
Part 2 The Project Initiation Phase	p. 37
5 Identifying Projects That Are Worth Doing	p. 39
The First Step in Project Initiation: Deciding What to Do	p. 40
First Things First: Learning to Prioritize Projects	p. 40
Not Every Project Is Worth Doing	p. 40
Telling Good from Bad	p. 40
Eight Steps to Determine the Most Important Projects	p. 41
So, How Will It All Get Done?	p. 43
The Least You Need to Know	p. 44
6 Scoping Out the Goals for a Project	p. 45
Why Bother with the Goals? I Know What I Want to Do!	p. 46
Clear Project Goals Make Sense to Everyone	p. 47
Six Criteria for Setting Great Goals	p. 47
Criterion 1 Goals Must Be Specific	p. 48
Criterion 2 Goals Must Be Realistic	p. 48
Criterion 3 Goals Must Have a Time Component	p. 49
Criterion 4 Goals Must Be Measurable	p. 49
Criterion 5 Goals Must Be Agreed Upon	p. 49
Criterion 6 Responsibility for Achieving the Goals Must Be Identified	p. 50
Establishing Goals Step-by-Step	p. 50
Seeing Eye to Eye	p. 51
Objectives and Your Project	p. 51
Project Scope	p. 52
The Least You Need to Know	p. 52
7 Understanding Risks and Constraints	p. 53
Look at the Upside and the Downside	p. 54
Risky Business	p. 54
Break It Apart to Make It Doable	p. 55
Constraints	p. 56
Constraint 1 The Budget	p. 57
Constraint 2 The Schedule	p. 58
Constraint 3 The People	p. 58
Constraint 4 The Real World	p. 58
Constraint 5 Facilities and Equipment	p. 58
Constraint 6 Acts of God	p. 59
Managing Risks and Constraints	p. 59
The Least You Need to Know	p. 59
8 Building a Project Team	p. 61
The Project Team: Diversity and Skills	p. 62
The Core Team Members--Who Are They?	p. 63
The Other Team Members--Who Are They?	p. 64
Where Will the People Come From?	p. 64
Your Own Staff and Other People from Your Department	p. 65
Staff from Other Departments	p. 65
Contracting with Consultants, Outside Vendors, or Temporary Agencies	p. 66
Hiring and Training New Staff	p. 67
Individual Contributors Versus Team Players	p. 67
The Team Players	p. 68
Building the Best Team with What You Have Available	p. 68
Choose Me!	p. 69
Putting Your Best Foot Forward	p. 70
What About Next Time?	p. 70
The Least You Need to Know	p. 70
Part 3 The Project Planning Phase	p. 71
9 The Breakdown of Tasks: What Really Needs to Be Done?	p. 73
The All-Important Task	p. 74
Tasks: What Exactly Are They?	p. 74
A Tisket, a Task	p. 75
Over and Over Again	p. 76
The Work Plan and Your Project	p. 78
Five Steps to the Work Plan	p. 79
The WBS	p. 79
Levels and the WBS	p. 80
Plumbing the Depths	p. 82
Dividing the WBS	p. 82
The Least You Need to Know	p. 83
10 The Network Diagram: A Map for Your Project	p. 85
What's a Network Diagram?	p. 86
Why Do I Need a Network Diagram?	p. 86
The WBS and the Network Diagram	p. 87
Precedence Relationships in a Project Network	p. 88
How It Works: Symbols and Conventions	p. 89
Diagramming the Relationships	p. 89
Five Steps to Create a Network Diagram	p. 91
Step 1 List the Tasks Using the Task List of the WBS	p. 91
Step 2 Establish the Interrelationships Between the Tasks	p. 91
Step 3 Identify the Milestones You Want to Specify	p. 92
Step 4 Layout the Tasks and Milestones as a Network	p. 92
Step 5 Review the Logic of the Network	p. 93
Complex Time Relationships for Critical Projects	p. 94
When Is Enough Enough?	p. 95
Slaying the Goliaths of Project Networks	p. 96
When Is a Network a Waste of Time?	p. 96
Three Major Network Methods and Others You May Encounter	p. 97
Circles or Boxes? Who Cares?	p. 98
AOA and AON	p. 98
Tried and True Networks	p. 99
The Least You Need to Know	p. 100
11 Getting Who and What You Need: People, Supplies, and Other Stuff	p. 101
From Core Team to Complete Team	p. 102
The Seven Resources You Need	p. 102
Three More Things to Consider	p. 103
People First, Please	p. 103
Three Questions to Ask About the People You Need	p. 104
Matching Skills to Tasks on the WBS	p. 104
A Skills Inventory Can Help	p. 106
Call on Your Contacts and Supplier Networks, Too	p. 106
A Lifesaver After the Project Starts	p. 107
The Best of the Best: Making Your Selections	p. 107
Sometimes You Have to Compromise	p. 107
Planning for Outside Vendors and Suppliers	p. 108
Talking Turkey	p. 108
Snakes and Consultants	p. 109
Choosing the Outside Sources and Suppliers	p. 109
The Ghost in the Machine	p. 111
Don't Skimp on the Team's Needs	p. 112
From the Plan to the Stuff	p. 113
The Least You Need to Know	p. 113
12 Project Start to Finish--Establishing the Time to Get Things Done	p. 115
The Schedule or the Budget: Which Is First?	p. 116
The Schedule Synchronizes the Project	p. 116
Estimating Time: Your Best Guess at Effort and Duration	p. 117
Who You Gonna Call?	p. 118
Representative Team Members for Each Part of the Project	p. 118
Outside Vendors and Service Agencies	p. 118
Experienced Managers or Experts	p. 118
Management and Other Project Stakeholders	p. 118
Weighing the Risk	p. 119
Best Case and Worst Case--Compromising Between the Two	p. 119
The Confidence Factor	p. 119
Details, Details	p. 120
Putting It Down on Paper	p. 121
Schedule Charting Pros and Cons	p. 122
More on Gantt Charts	p. 122
Scheduling on the Network Diagram	p. 123
Revisions and the Schedule	p. 124
Learning Takes Time	p. 124
The Heat Is On	p. 124
Team Member Estimate Errors	p. 124
Dictate Doesn't Mean Doable	p. 125
The Just-In-Time Strategy for Scheduling Resources	p. 125
The Least You Need to Know	p. 126
13 The Steps to the Critical Path	p. 127
The Scheduling Assumptions for Your Project	p. 128
Estimating the Time to Complete Tasks Based on Available Resources	p. 130
How to Determine the Critical Path on Any Project	p. 131
Critical Path and Critical Tasks	p. 131
Float	p. 131
Establishing the Critical Path	p. 132
Critical Path: Myth or Reality?	p. 132
Use the Critical Path Worksheet to Calculate Path and Float	p. 132
Calculate the Dates on the Calendar	p. 135
Normalizing the Schedule	p. 136
Loading Up and Leveling Out	p. 136
Options for Adjusting the Schedule	p. 137
Adjusting a Schedule to Meet a Forced Deadline	p. 137
Chart the Final Schedule and See If It Works	p. 138
The Least You Need to Know	p. 138
14 Budgeting Options for Your Projects	p. 139
The Four Horsemen of the Project Apocalypse	p. 140
Developing Budgeting Skills	p. 141
Building a Budget	p. 142
Types of Budgeting Methods	p. 145
Bottom-Up Budgeting	p. 145
Top-Down Budgeting	p. 146
Refining the Budget	p. 146
Stuffing the Pillow with Money	p. 147
A U.S. Coast Guard Idea Perfect for Projects	p. 147
Master Budget Control	p. 147
Removing the Lid from the Pressure Cooker	p. 148
The Bottom Line	p. 148
The Least You Need to Know	p. 148
15 Putting It All Together: The Approved Plan	p. 149
Reasons to Plan in the First Place	p. 150
Putting It All Together	p. 150
Who Should Write the Project Plan?	p. 152
Create the Plan Yourself and Have It Reviewed	p. 152
Construct the Plan with the Key Players	p. 153
Break the Project Into Subprojects and Plan Accordingly	p. 154
From Plan to Approval	p. 155
When the Planning Phase Terminates a Project	p. 155
Other Issues That Can Sink a Plan	p. 156
Uncertainty and Risk--What Level Is Acceptable?	p. 156
The Reality Check Before Approval	p. 157
Checking It Twice	p. 158
"Let's Synchronize Our Watches..."	p. 158
Getting the Plan Approved	p. 159
A Presentation of Project Priorities	p. 159
Presenting Your Plan as an Outsider	p. 160
Approval at Last	p. 160
Bringing a Delayed Plan Back to Life	p. 161
From Plan to Action, Finally	p. 161
The Least You Need to Know	p. 162
Part 4 The Executing Phase	p. 163
16 Getting Started on the Right Track	p. 165
The Great Leap Forward	p. 166
Always Get Your Own Act Together First!	p. 166
Are You Ready?	p. 166
Do It Now and Do It Right	p. 166
The Formal Kickoff	p. 167
It's a Go	p. 167
Between Kickoff and Team Meeting: Use the Time Wisely	p. 168
The First Project Meeting	p. 168
One-on-Ones: The Individual Starting Events	p. 169
Step Up or Flub Up?	p. 170
Information Everyone Needs to Get Started	p. 170
More Things People Need to Know	p. 171
Avoid the Floating Start Date	p. 171
The Least You Need to Know	p. 172
17 Leadership and You: Taking the Bull by the Horns	p. 173
Going from Planner to Project Manager	p. 174
The Importance of Establishing Your Leadership	p. 174
Wearing the BIG Shoes	p. 175
A Style That Gets the Job Done	p. 176
How to Be a Leader	p. 176
Taking the Reins Through Communication	p. 176
Good Communication from a Real Leader	p. 177
Taking the Reins Through Visibility	p. 179
Use MBWA (Management by Walking Around)	p. 179
Avoid Management Fads	p. 180
Leading a Technical Project When You Don't Have Expertise	p. 180
Being All Things to All People	p. 180
The Leader in Times of Crisis	p. 181
The Least You Need to Know	p. 181
18 What an Organization	p. 183
Whose Team Is This?	p. 183
No Easy Task, but Someone Has to Organize These Guys	p. 184
Making Sure Everyone Is on the Same Train	p. 184
The Human Drama--Personality, Politics, and Corporate Culture	p. 185
The Proud, The Few, The Project Team	p. 186
On Becoming a Team--The Basic Ways to Organize People	p. 186
The Functional Project Organization	p. 187
The Pure-Project Organization	p. 188
The Matrix Organization	p. 190
The Mixed Organization	p. 193
Which Structure Should You Use?	p. 194
What If You Need Someone Else?	p. 194
Working with the Outsiders	p. 195
Managing Outside Resources	p. 195
The Care and Feeding of the Off-Site Team	p. 195
The Problem of Imposed Team Organizations	p. 196
Focus on the Launch	p. 197
The Least You Need to Know	p. 198
19 Operating Guidelines: Setting Up to Get Things Done	p. 199
The Things That Need to Get Done	p. 200
Formal and Informal Ways to Tell What's Going On	p. 201
Keep in Touch	p. 201
Start with the Open Door Policy	p. 201
Establish an Environment of Motivation	p. 202
Informal Meetings and One-on-Ones	p. 203
Administrative Procedures That Won't Hurt	p. 203
The Reports You May Need	p. 205
Simple Forms to Create Useful Reports	p. 206
Every Report Needs a Purpose	p. 207
Ask One Final Question Before You Start	p. 207
Every Report Needs an Audience	p. 207
Overdoing It	p. 208
Dear Diary--Do You Need One?	p. 208
Keeping People Up-to-Date	p. 209
The Bottom Line	p. 210
The Least You Need to Know	p. 210
20 Making Your Communications Count	p. 211
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Various Communications	p. 212
Selecting the Best Medium for Your Message	p. 215
Developing Effective Messages	p. 216
Listening Is Part of Communicating	p. 216
You Are Responsible for What Other People Hear	p. 217
The Least You Need to Know	p. 218
Part 5 The Controlling Phase	p. 219
21 Monitoring and Control: Keeping on Top of Schedules and Expenses	p. 221
Taking Charge and Getting Control	p. 222
Control Is a Good Thing	p. 222
Success Criteria for Project Control	p. 222
What Should You Monitor?	p. 223
What Monitoring Should Accomplish	p. 224
Getting a Handle on Project Status	p. 225
Make Status Reports Useful	p. 225
Compare, Compare, Compare	p. 225
The Project Review Meeting as a Control Process	p. 226
The Project Audit	p. 226
Monitoring and Controlling the Budget	p. 227
Why Status Reports Don't Tell the Whole Story	p. 228
Using Information from the Project Team	p. 229
Information from Other Sources	p. 229
Employing a Guru for Guidance	p. 229
What's Really Going On?	p. 230
Quality and Goal Assessment	p. 230
Putting It All Together	p. 231
Updating the Project Plan	p. 231
The People Side of Things	p. 232
Clue 'Em In	p. 232
The Least You Need to Know	p. 232
22 Conflicts: Resolving and Benefiting from Them	p. 233
Questions to Ask to Scope Out the Issue	p. 234
Conflicts Are Inevitable in Projects	p. 234
The Four Kinds of People Conflicts	p. 235
Goal Incompatibility	p. 236
Lack of Task Focus	p. 236
Administrative Procedures	p. 236
Role Uncertainty	p. 236
Technical Uncertainty	p. 236
Staffing and Resource Allocation	p. 236
Budgets and Costs	p. 237
Schedules	p. 237
Personality Clashes	p. 237
Conflicts Are Strongest at Project Initiation	p. 238
Ignore It or Solve It? What Should You Do?	p. 238
Resolving Conflicts: The Five Options	p. 238
Decide on the Best Approach	p. 239
Provide What's Needed	p. 239
Work It Out	p. 239
Know When to Ignore It	p. 239
Employ Brute Force	p. 240
Conflicts Aren't Always Negative	p. 240
The Least You Need to Know	p. 240
23 Changes, Changes, and More Changes	p. 241
Managing Change Is Part of Control	p. 242
The Battle Cry of Change: Flexibility	p. 242
The Marriage of Review and Change	p. 242
Slacking Off and Padding the Fall	p. 243
The Rules of Change	p. 243
Meddlers Beware!	p. 244
Communicate with Everyone!	p. 244
Change and Conflict Go Hand-in-Hand	p. 244
Darwin and the Origin of Species	p. 245
Understanding and Estimating the Impact of Changes	p. 245
The Steps for Measuring and Accommodating Change	p. 247
Comparing Changes with Trade-Off Analysis	p. 248
Use the Zero-Based Budget Approach	p. 250
Sometimes Quitting Is the Only Choice	p. 250
Kerzner's Proverbs	p. 251
Changing Your Hours to Stay Sane	p. 252
People Predictably Resist Change	p. 252
Frank and Open Discussion	p. 253
Dwell on the Positive, But Don't Cover Up the Negative	p. 253
Spell Out the Details	p. 253
Assure Team Members of Your Support	p. 253
The Least You Need to Know	p. 254
24 When Push Comes to Shove, You Can Always Negotiate	p. 255
The Three Sides of the Negotiating Table	p. 256
What Will You Negotiate For?	p. 256
Negotiations of All Sizes	p. 257
Centering	p. 258
The Other Side	p. 258
Who Has What?	p. 258
What to Do	p. 259
Negotiating Step By Step	p. 260
Get It in Writing!	p. 261
A Room with a View	p. 261
Negotiating Over Lunch	p. 262
Negotiating on the Phone	p. 262
Negotiating Electronically	p. 262
The Least You Need to Know	p. 262
25 Common Project Problems: Get Them Before They Get You	p. 263
The Floating Start Date	p. 264
There's Not Enough Time for Everything	p. 264
Too Many Reports and Not Enough Communication	p. 265
They Always Need It Faster	p. 265
The 90-Percent-Done Syndrome	p. 266
The Never-Ending Story of the Reorganization	p. 267
Moving Target Objectives	p. 267
The Key Person Always Quits	p. 268
Costs Spiral Out of Control	p. 268
The Staff Has More Enthusiasm Than Talent	p. 269
The Impossible Remains Impossible	p. 270
Politics, Politics, and More Politics	p. 270
Dopey Fads Mandated by the Boss	p. 270
A Parable of Last Resort	p. 271
A Bag of Tricks	p. 272
The Least You Need to Know	p. 272
Part 6 The Closing Phase	p. 273
26 Will the Last One Out Please Turn Off the Lights	p. 275
Is There Life After Project Termination?	p. 276
Why Is a Closing Phase Necessary?	p. 276
Closing a Small Project	p. 277
Closing a Large Project	p. 277
Under the Microscope, Again	p. 278
Project Shutdown	p. 278
Three Ways to Deep-Six a Workforce	p. 282
Inclusion	p. 283
Integration	p. 283
Extinction	p. 283
Give It Up!	p. 283
The Least You Need to Know	p. 284
27 The Final Evaluation: The Short and Long of It	p. 285
Understanding Why Some Projects Succeed and Others Flop	p. 286
Why Projects Don't Meet Their Goals	p. 286
Why Projects Succeed	p. 287
Your Evaluation of the Project	p. 288
Sit Down with Pen in Hand	p. 288
It's a Wrap! Time Now for the Final Report	p. 288
The Final Report	p. 288
Packaging Options for the Report	p. 289
The Executive Summary	p. 290
The Report, Part A	p. 290
The Report, Part B	p. 290
The Project Plan	p. 290
Miscellaneous Components	p. 290
Confidential Reports	p. 290
The Political Impact of Final Reports	p. 290
Who Accomplished What and How Well?	p. 291
The Bottom Line and You	p. 292
The Least You Need to Know	p. 292
Part 7 The Final Chapter	p. 293
28 Software for All Projects Great and Small	p. 295
Software that Simplifies the Details	p. 296
What Can Project Management Programs Do?	p. 296
So What's in It for Me?	p. 298
Simple Versus Complex Projects and the Software They Need	p. 298
The Types of Project Management	p. 299
Scheduling Programs	p. 299
Single-Project Programs	p. 299
Corporate-Level Programs	p. 299
Megaproject Programs	p. 300
Choices and More Choices	p. 301
How Do You Choose?	p. 301
Cost/Feature Analysis	p. 301
Ease of Use and Consistency of the Interface	p. 303
Flexibility to Adapt to Various Projects	p. 304
Compatibility with Other Programs	p. 304
Documentation and Support for the Program	p. 304
Reputation of the Product Manufacturer	p. 305
Word of Mouth Experiences	p. 305
Technical Support	p. 305
Things Project Management Software Can't Do	p. 306
Go Get Yourself Some!	p. 307
The Least You Need to Know	p. 307
A Project Lingo--A Glossary of Project Terms	p. 309
B Resources for Project Managers	p. 317
Index	p. 319

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Author Notes

Table of Contents