Product Overview

The Principles Of Project Management

Table Of Contents

- Here’s a look at the table of contents:

0. Preface
   • Who Should Read This Book?
   • What’s Covered In This Book?
   • The Book’s Web Site
     • Project Management Cheat Sheets
     • Updates and Errata
   • The SitePoint Forums
   • The SitePoint Newsletters
   • Your Feedback
   • Acknowledgments
   • Conventions Used In This Book
     • Tips, Notes, and Warnings
1. So What Is Project Management Anyway?
   • What Is Project Management?
   • Understanding the Project Life Cycle
     • Failure to Launch … or Land
   • Negative Perceptions of Project Management
     • It’s Boring
     • It Takes Too Long
     • It’s Too Hard
   • What Project Management Isn’t
   • Why You Need PM Skills
     • What’s In It for Me?
   • The Underlying Principles of Project Management
     • Doing PM Right Is an Investment In Making the “Real Work” Matter
     • People Problems Can’t Be Solved with Software
     • If it Doesn’t Add Value, it Won’t Get Done
     • The Best Tool Is the One that Works and Gets Used
     • The Best Way to Communicate Is the Way That Gets You Heard
     • Choosing the Right Tools and Processes Is the PM’s Most Important Job
   • Summary
2. Getting Started
   • Discovery: Finding the Projects
   • Picking the Best Projects
     • Identifying the Opportunities
     • Comparing the Opportunities
     • Ranking and Choosing Opportunities to Pursue
     • Spotting Bad Projects
     • Project, or Day-by-day Improvement?
     • Discovery Tools and Practices
   • Who Are All These People?
     • Stakeholders
     • Stakeholder Tools and Best Practices
   • Initiating Your Project
     • The Purpose of Initiating
     • The Process of Initiating
     • Initiation Tools and Best Practices
   • Seven Essential Steps for a Successful Initiation
   • Summary
3. Getting The Job Done
   • Planning
     • Why Plan?
     • What to Plan
     • How to Plan
     • Tools and Best Practices
   • Executing
     • Let Your Team Have Ownership
     • The Link to Personal Productivity
     • Tools and Best Practices
   • Controlling
     • Are You on Track?
     • Measuring Deliverables
     • Measuring Everything Else
     • Risks, Issues, and Bugs
     • Verification Versus Validation
     • Looping Back to Plan
     • Tools and Best Practices
   • Summary
4. Keeping It Smooth
   • Communication and Collaboration
     • Communication
     • Collaboration
     • Tools and Best Practices
   • Managing Change
     • Types of Change
     • Change Control
     • Tools and Best Practices
   • Summary
5. Following Through
   • Closing the Project
     • Knowing When You’re Done
     • Handling a Total Disconnect
     • Closing a Project
     • Tools and Best Practices
   • What Comes Next?
     • Defining Your Role
     • The Superstar Handover
     • Tools and Best Practices
   • Summary
   • Looking to the Future
     • The Next Project … and the Rest

1. Tools
   • Initiating
     • Project Proposal Template
     • Measuring Value Creation
     • Project Organization Chart
     • Communication Plan Template
     • Project Initiation Document
     • Typical Kickoff Meeting Agenda
   • Planning, Executing, and Controlling
     • Project Plan Template
     • Work Breakdown Structure
     • Gantt Chart
     • Risk Management Plan Template
     • Balance Quadrant
     • Estimation Techniques
     • Issue List Template
     • Project Status Update Template
     • Change Request Template
     • Planning Software
     • Tracking Software
   • Closing
     • Project Sign-off Template
     • Customer Feedback Questionnaire Template
     • Lessons Learned Summary Template
     • Project Documentation Template
   • Resources
     • Books
     • Blogs and Web Sites
   • Professional Qualifications
     • Associations and Qualifications
   • Glossary
   • Index