Modern Project Management : Successfully Integrating Project Management Knowledge Areas and Processes

For project managers in charge of complicated, 10-person-plus projects, one of the best ways to take control and produce predictable, repeatable results is to focus on both complex theory and practical techniques. Modern Project Management helps them do that, filling in the knowledge gaps and answering the questions of this often misunderstood process. By going through project management step-by-step, the book presents an integrated approach that balances theory, methods, psychology, and practice, and helps even novice project managers achieve superior results. Readers will learn how to: * Plan the project to maximize productivity * Motivate others to execute the plan * Analyze the actual results * Rework and tune the plan as the project is executed. Also included with this book is a project management toolset called Modern Manager. Easily installed on a personal computer, this software is far more than just a scheduler. It features tools designed to help project managers plan, estimate, monitor, and control projects. "Modern Project Management shows today's manager how to keep a project on time, under budget, and on target to achieve its stated goals. This comprehensive, step-by-step project management blueprint balances theory, practice, and even a bit of psychology to cover the five essential components of project execution - cost accounting, progress measurement, variance tracking and change control, performance evaluation, and productivity measurement. In addition, it fills in the knowledge gaps by asking and then answering every important question in the critical but often misunderstood project management process."--Jacket Annotation This book/CD-ROM package blends theory, methods, psychology, and practice to introduce project management. It covers project management basics, from planning a project to evaluating performance, measuring productivity, and rescuing a failing project. There is also material on more complex concepts such as variance analysis, productivity ratios, and quantification of risk. The CD-ROM contains software tools for project management that can be used for learning and for projects. Howes has 30 years of project management experience. Annotation copyrighted by Book News Inc., Portland, OR Cover......Page 2 Contents......Page 4 List of Illustrations......Page 10 Preface......Page 18 1 Introduction......Page 25 2 Project Planning......Page 37 3 Project Monitoring......Page 93 4 Project Performance Evaluation......Page 130 5 Productivity Measurement......Page 149 6 Alternate Views......Page 160 7 Interfacing Scheduling Systems......Page 195 8 Government Projects......Page 242 9 Risk Management......Page 262 10 Rescuing a Failing Project......Page 274 References......Page 283 Index......Page 285 Modern project management is a well-understood discipline that can produce predictable, repeatable results.