Project Management for Non-Project Managers

As a seasoned project management consultant and instructor for the American Management Association, author Jack Ferraro has gained years of experience bridging the gap between project managers and functional managers to help countless teams improve their performance. Now, in this practical guide he shares engaging stories and lessons from his experiences and reveals the project management methodology and processes that will give you the advantage to ensure your projects’ success--and advance organizational goals. Project Management for Non-Project Managers demystifies the jargon and processes of project management, encouraging functional managers to jump into the PM arena and arming them with step-by-step guidelines for mastering the most critical PM skills, including business analysis techniques, work breakdown structures, program sequencing techniques, and risk management methods. Great managers are experts at getting bottom-line results, but often do not understand their role in the success or failure of their organization's projects. As projects become more strategic and collaborative in nature, managers with even basic project-management knowledge are most capable of keeping projects business-focused. By switching gears from passive bystander to active owner of project strategies, you’ll keep your team’s projects on track and, as a result, increase their business value. This practical guide reveals the project management methodology and processes that will give you the advantage to ensure your projects'success--and advance organizational goals.As a seasoned project management consultant and instructor for the American Management Association, author Jack Ferraro has gained years of experience bridging the gap between project managers and functional managers to help countless teams improve their performance. In this book, he demystifies the jargon and processes of project management, encouraging functional managers to jump into the PM arena and arming them with step-by-step guidelines for mastering the most critical PM skills.In Project Management for Non-Project Managers, you will discover:business analysis techniques,work breakdown structures,program sequencing techniques,and risk management methods. Great managers are experts at getting bottom-line results, but often do not understand their role in the success or failure of their organization's projects. As projects become more strategic and collaborative, managers with even basic project-management knowledge are most capable of keeping projects business-focused.By switching gears from passive bystander to active owner of project strategies, you'll keep your team's projects on track and, as a result, increase their business value. Great managers are experts at getting bottom-line results, but often do not understand their role in the success or failure of their organization's projects. They balk at the arcane terminology and are unaware of how to use valuable project management techniques and tools—a knowledge gap that can be a serious career barrier! Functional managers with even basic project management (PM) knowledge are the best people for keeping projects business-focused. This new book demystifies the jargon and processes, encouraging managers to jump into the PM arena and arming them with strategies for increasing the business value created by their company's projects. Readers will discover: Advice for switching gears from passive bystander to active owner of projects Insights into four critical PM skills, including business analysis techniques, work breakdown structures, program sequencing techniques, and risk management methods Step-by-step guidelines, case studies, and... Introduction: promoting your book to bestseller Your big idea : assessing your book's worth The author's position The marketing platform Building your marketing platform Launching your public relations Take it away? The future of publishing Glossary Index. For functional managers striving and struggling to increase your team's productivity, these four basic project management skills are your key to project success. A seasoned project management consultant introduces critical project management skills, tools and techniques. Includes case studies, checklists and exercises Project management fundamentals for the key person often missing from the project team: the functional manager.