The Economist Guide to Project Management 2nd Edition : Getting It Right and Achieving Lasting Benefit

The components of effective project management -- Conceiving and prioritising projects -- Project roles and responsibilities -- Articulating the vision -- Planning : risks and rewards -- Planning : quality -- Planning : time and cost -- Initiating projects -- Project delivery -- Support and insurance -- Project closure and beyond -- Embedding effective project management.

A veteran project manager shares his proven approach to getting the job done right, on schedule and within budget—every time!

Each year companies initiate projects in hopes of improving their bottom-lines and gaining a competitive advantage. Unfortunately, a good percentage of those projects either never get off the ground or, if they do, never come to fruition. According to veteran project manager, Paul Roberts, more often than not, projects fail because of a lack of organization-wide commitment to their success and an unwillingness to invest in proper project management. In this updated second edition of his popular guide, Paul clearly shows why projects of any scale require that an entire organization contribute to achieving results. He outlines a proven approach for engaging all stakeholders in the project management process. And he walks you through the four steps essential for successful management: initiation, planning, delegation, and closing.

• Author Paul Roberts has successfully managed projects at a variety of prestigious companies, including Pfizer and British Airways
• Clearly demonstrates how and why investing in project management, especially in this economy, can help you avoid, or minimize the impact of, schedule delays and cost overruns
• Offers expert advice and guidance on how to place project management a priority not just for the PM and project team, but organization-wide
• Supplies a wealth of clearly, easy-to-use flow charts, diagrams, tables and other useful project management tools

From the Hubble space telescope that was launched with a malfunctioning device that resulted in all the pictures it took being blurred, to the extremely late completion of England's new national soccer stadium at Wembley, history is full of example of projects that damaged organisations because they were late, over budget, failed to deliver what they were meant to, or were complete disasters.This guide explains the principles and techniques of project management and how they are interconnected with the day-to-day management of a business. It is an invaluable handbook for helping firms deliver successful project outcomes and achieve lasting benefit through effective change. Many organisations do not change when they need to, nor do they change when they have to. If they did, fewer would fail. Like people, organisations, whether they are businesses or government departments, only change when they want to. Projects are embarked upon to bring about change and as such always involve a cultural shift-a new way of looking at things, adjustments to values and behaviours, even the abandonment of norms and sacred cows How to make sure that projects run to budget and schedule - and deliver the intended results. This book explains principles and techniques of project management and how they are interconnected with the day-to-day management of a business. It helps firms deliver successful project outcomes and achieve lasting benefit through effective change