Project Management For Dummies

Title Page......Page 3
Copyright Page......Page 4
Table of Contents......Page 7
Introduction......Page 17
 Foolish Assumptions......Page 18
 Icons Used in This Book......Page 19
 Where to Go from Here......Page 20
Part 1 Getting Started with Project Management......Page 23
 Chapter 1 Project Management: The Key to Achieving Results......Page 25
   Understanding the three main components that define a project......Page 26
   Recognizing the diversity of projects......Page 27
   Describing the four phases of a project life cycle......Page 29
  Defining Project Management......Page 30
   Starting with the initiating processes......Page 32
   Outlining the planning processes......Page 33
   Examining the executing processes......Page 34
   Surveying the monitoring and controlling processes......Page 35
   Looking at the project manager’s tasks......Page 36
   Staving off excuses for not following a structured project-management approach......Page 37
   Avoiding shortcuts......Page 38
   Staying aware of other potential challenges......Page 39
   Questions......Page 40
   Answer key......Page 41
  Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 6......Page 42
 Chapter 2 Beginning the Journey: The Genesis of a Project......Page 43
  Gathering Ideas for Projects......Page 44
   Proposing a project in a business case......Page 45
  Developing the Project Charter......Page 47
   Performing a cost-benefit analysis......Page 48
   Conducting a feasibility study......Page 50
   Generating documents during the development of the project charter......Page 51
  Deciding Which Projects to Move to the Second Phase of Their Life Cycle......Page 52
 Chapter 3 Knowing Your Project’s Stakeholders: Involving the Right People......Page 53
  Developing a Stakeholder Register......Page 54
   Starting your stakeholder register......Page 55
   Ensuring your stakeholder register is complete and up-to-date......Page 60
   Using a stakeholder register template......Page 61
  Determining Whether Stakeholders Are Drivers, Supporters, or Observers......Page 63
   Deciding when to involve your stakeholders......Page 64
   Using different methods to involve your stakeholders......Page 67
   Making the most of your stakeholders’ involvement......Page 68
  Displaying Your Stakeholder Register......Page 69
  Confirming Your Stakeholders’ Authority......Page 70
  Assessing Your Stakeholders’ Power and Interest......Page 72
  Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 6......Page 73
 Chapter 4 Clarifying What You’re Trying to Accomplish — And Why......Page 75
  Defining Your Project with a Scope Statement......Page 76
   Figuring out why you’re doing the project......Page 80
   Drawing the line: Where your project starts and stops......Page 90
   Stating your project’s objectives......Page 91
   Working within limitations......Page 96
  Facing the Unknowns When Planning: Documenting Your Assumptions......Page 99
  Presenting Your Scope Statement in a Clear and Concise Document......Page 100
  Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 6......Page 101
 Chapter 5 Developing Your Game Plan: Getting from Here to There......Page 103
   Thinking in detail......Page 104
   Identifying necessary project work with a work breakdown structure......Page 106
   Dealing with special situations......Page 114
  Creating and Displaying Your Work Breakdown Structure......Page 117
   Considering different schemes to create your WBS hierarchy......Page 118
   Using one of two approaches to develop your WBS......Page 119
   Categorizing your project’s work......Page 120
   Labeling your WBS entries......Page 122
   Displaying your WBS in different formats......Page 123
   Improving the quality of your WBS......Page 126
   Using templates......Page 127
  Identifying Risks While Detailing Your Work......Page 128
  Documenting What You Need to Know about Your Planned Project Work......Page 130
  Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 6......Page 131
Part 2 Planning Time: Determining When and How Much......Page 133
 Chapter 6 You Want This Project Done When?......Page 135
   Defining a network diagram’s elements......Page 136
   Drawing a network diagram......Page 138
   Reading a network diagram......Page 139
   Interpreting a network diagram......Page 141
   Determining precedence......Page 146
   Using a network diagram to analyze a simple example......Page 149
  Developing Your Project’s Schedule......Page 154
   Taking the first steps......Page 155
   Avoiding the pitfall of backing in to your schedule......Page 156
   Applying different strategies to arrive at your picnic in less time......Page 157
   Determining the underlying factors......Page 165
   Finding sources of supporting information......Page 166
   Improving activity duration estimates......Page 167
  Displaying Your Project’s Schedule......Page 168
  Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 6......Page 172
 Chapter 7 Establishing Whom You Need, How Much of Their Time, and When......Page 173
  Getting the Information You Need to Match People to Tasks......Page 174
   Deciding what skills and knowledge team members must have......Page 175
   Representing team members’ skills, knowledge, and interests in a skills matrix......Page 179
   Using a human resources matrix......Page 181
   Identifying needed personnel in a human resources matrix......Page 183
   Estimating required work effort......Page 184
   Factoring productivity, efficiency, and availability into work-effort estimates......Page 185
   Reflecting efficiency when you use historical data......Page 186
   Accounting for efficiency in personal work-effort estimates......Page 187
  Ensuring Your Project Team Members Can Meet Their Resource Commitments......Page 189
   Planning your initial allocations......Page 190
   Resolving potential resource overloads......Page 192
   Coordinating assignments across multiple projects......Page 195
  Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 6......Page 196
 Chapter 8 Planning for Other Resources and Developing the Budget......Page 199
  Determining Non-Personnel Resource Needs......Page 200
   Looking at different types of project costs......Page 202
   Recognizing the three stages of a project budget......Page 204
   Refining your budget as you move through your project’s phases......Page 205
   Determining project costs for a detailed budget estimate......Page 207
  Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 6......Page 211
 Chapter 9 Venturing into the Unknown: Dealing with Risk......Page 213
  Defining Risk and Risk Management......Page 214
  Focusing on Risk Factors and Risks......Page 215
   Recognizing risk factors......Page 216
   Identifying risks......Page 220
   Gauging the likelihood of a risk......Page 221
   Estimating the extent of the consequences......Page 224
  Getting Everything under Control: Managing Risk......Page 226
   Choosing the risks you want to manage......Page 227
   Developing a risk-management strategy......Page 228
   Communicating about risks......Page 229
  Preparing a Risk-Management Plan......Page 230
  Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 6......Page 232
Part 3 Group Work: Putting Your Team Together......Page 233
 Chapter 10 Aligning the Key Players for Your Project......Page 235
   The functional structure......Page 236
   The projectized structure......Page 238
   The matrix structure......Page 240
  Recognizing the Key Players in a Matrix Environment......Page 243
   The project manager......Page 244
   Functional managers......Page 245
   The project sponsor......Page 246
   Upper management......Page 247
   Creating and continually reinforcing a team identity......Page 248
   Eliciting support from other people in the environment......Page 249
   Heading off common problems before they arise......Page 250
  Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 6......Page 251
 Chapter 11 Defining Team Members’ Roles and Responsibilities......Page 253
   Distinguishing authority, responsibility, and accountability......Page 254
   Delving into delegation......Page 255
   Sharing responsibility......Page 260
   Holding people accountable — even when they don’t report to you......Page 262
   Introducing the elements of a RAM......Page 266
   Reading a RAM......Page 268
   Developing a RAM......Page 270
   Ensuring your RAM is accurate......Page 271
   Realizing why a person micromanages......Page 273
   Gaining a micromanager’s trust......Page 274
  Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 6......Page 275
 Chapter 12 Starting Your Project Team Off on the Right Foot......Page 277
   Are you in? Confirming your team members’ participation......Page 278
   Assuring that others are on board......Page 280
   Filling in the blanks......Page 281
  Developing Your Team......Page 282
   Reviewing the approved project plan......Page 283
   Specifying team-member roles......Page 284
   Defining your team’s operating processes......Page 285
   Resolving conflicts......Page 286
   All together now: Helping your team become a smooth-functioning unit......Page 289
   Selecting and preparing your tracking systems......Page 291
   Establishing schedules for reports and meetings......Page 292
  Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Announcing Your Project......Page 293
  Setting the Stage for Your Post-Project Evaluation......Page 294
  Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 6......Page 295
Part 4 Steering the Ship: Managing Your Project to Success......Page 297
 Chapter 13 Tracking Progress and Maintaining Control......Page 299
  Holding On to the Reins: Project Control......Page 300
  Establishing Project Management Information Systems......Page 301
   The clock’s ticking: Monitoring schedule performance......Page 302
   All in a day’s work: Monitoring work effort......Page 308
   Follow the money: Monitoring expenditures......Page 313
   Heading off problems before they occur......Page 317
   Formalizing your control process......Page 318
   Identifying possible causes of delays and variances......Page 319
   Identifying possible corrective actions......Page 320
  Reacting Responsibly When Changes Are Requested......Page 321
   Responding to change requests......Page 322
   Creeping away from scope creep......Page 323
  Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 6......Page 324
 Chapter 14 Keeping Everyone Informed......Page 325
  I Said What I Meant and I Meant What I Said: Successful Communication Basics......Page 326
   Distinguishing one-way and two-way communication......Page 327
   Can you hear me? Listening actively......Page 328
  Choosing the Appropriate Medium for Project Communication......Page 330
   Just the facts: Written reports......Page 331
   Move it along: Meetings that work......Page 333
   Making a list (of names) and checking it twice......Page 335
   Knowing what’s hot (and what’s not) in your report......Page 336
   Earning a Pulitzer, or at least writing an interesting report......Page 338
   Regularly scheduled team meetings......Page 341
   Upper-management progress reviews......Page 342
  Preparing a Project Communications Management Plan......Page 343
  Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 6......Page 344
 Chapter 15 Encouraging Peak Performance by Providing Effective Leadership......Page 347
  Exploring the Differences between Leadership and Management......Page 348
  Recognizing the Traits People Look for in a Leader......Page 349
  Developing Personal Power and Influence......Page 350
   Understanding why people do what you ask......Page 351
   Establishing the bases of your power......Page 352
  You Can Do It! Creating and Sustaining Team Member Motivation......Page 354
   Increasing commitment by clarifying your project’s benefits......Page 355
   Encouraging persistence by demonstrating project feasibility......Page 356
   Letting people know how they’re doing......Page 357
   Providing rewards for work well done......Page 358
  Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 6......Page 359
 Chapter 16 Bringing Your Project to Closure......Page 361
  Staying the Course to Completion......Page 362
   Planning ahead for your project’s closure......Page 363
   Charging up your team for the sprint to the finish line......Page 364
  Providing a Smooth Transition for Team Members......Page 365
   Preparing for the evaluation throughout the project......Page 368
   Setting the stage for the evaluation meeting......Page 369
   Conducting the evaluation meeting......Page 371
   Following up on the evaluation......Page 372
  Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 6......Page 373
Part 5 Taking Your Project Management to the Next Level......Page 375
 Chapter 17 Using Newer Methods and Resources to Enhance Your Project Management......Page 377
   Understanding what drives the Agile approach......Page 378
   Taking a look at the elements of Agile when implemented through Scrum......Page 380
   Comparing the Agile and traditional (Waterfall) approaches......Page 381
  Using Computer Software Effectively......Page 382
   Looking at your software options......Page 383
   Helping your software perform at its best......Page 388
   Introducing project-management software into your organization......Page 389
   Defining social media......Page 390
   Exploring how social media can support your project planning and performance......Page 392
   Using social media to support your project communications......Page 393
  Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 6......Page 394
 Chapter 18 Monitoring Project Performance with Earned Value Management......Page 397
   Getting to know EVM terms and formulas......Page 398
   Looking at a simple example......Page 402
   Determining the reasons for observed variances......Page 404
  The How-To: Applying Earned Value Management to Your Project......Page 405
  Determining a Task’s Earned Value......Page 408
  Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 6......Page 412
Part 6 The Part of Tens......Page 413
  What’s the Purpose of Your Project?......Page 415
  What Constraints Must You Satisfy?......Page 416
  What Work Has to Be Done?......Page 417
  Who Will Perform the Project Work?......Page 418
  What Can Go Wrong?......Page 419
  Be a “Why” Person......Page 421
  Assume Cautiously......Page 422
  Acknowledge Good Performance......Page 423
  Be a Manager and a Leader......Page 424
Appendix: Combining the Techniques into Smooth-Flowing Processes......Page 425
Index......Page 429
EULA......Page 459