Project Management (Collins Business Secrets)

well-known phrase in leadership coaching is that there is ‘no failure, only feedback’.

Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity

The power of ‘five whys’ is strikingly illustrated by an example adapted from Valerie Iles and Kim Sutherland’s Organisational Change, where a lapse in patient care could be traced back to a decision about the organization’s core strategy: Bedpan not received by patient.

Project management and business strategy
Association of Project Management Project Risk Analysis and Management Guide (APM Publishing, 2004) ISBN 978-1-903494-1-7
Association of Project Management Project Management Body of Knowledge
(APM Publishing, 5th edn 2006) ISBN 978-1-903494-13-4
Laufer, A. and Hoffman, E.J. Project Management Success Stories (John Wiley, 2000) ISBN 978-0471360070
Levine, H. Practical Project Management – Tips, Tactics and Tools (John Wiley, 2002) ISBN 978-0471203032
Maylor, H. Project Management (Pearson, 1999) ISBN 978-0273704317
Nokes, S. and Kelly, S. The Definitive Guide to Project Management (FT Press, 2008) ISBN 978-0273710974
O’Connell, F. Simply Brilliant: The competitive Advantage of Common Sense (Pearson) ISBN 978-0273720775
Phillips, J.J., Bothell, T.W. and Snead, G.L. The Project Management Scorecard: Measuring the Success of Project Management Solutions (Butterworth-Heinemann, 2002) ISBN 978-0750674492
Reiss, G. Project Management Demystified (Taylor & Francis, 2007) ISBN 978-0415421638
Sun Tzu The Art of War (Shambala, 1991 edn) ISBN 978-1599869773
Team leadership and communication
Belbin, R.M. Management Teams: Why They Succeed or Fail (Butterworth-Heinemann, 2010) ISBN 978-1856178075
Briner, W., Geddes, M. and Hastings, C. Project Leadership (Gower, 1990) ISBN 978-0-566-07785-2
Charvet, S.R. Words that Change Minds: Mastering the Language of Influence (Kendall/Hunt, 1995) ISBN 978-0787234799
Covey, Stephen R. 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change (Simon and Schuster, 2004) ISBN 978-0743272452
Marlier, D., Parker, C. and Mobilizing Teams International Engaging Leadership – Three Agendas for Sustaining Achievement (Palgrave Macmillan, 2009) ISBN 978-0230577527
Morrell, M. and Capparell, S. Shackleton’s Way (Nicholas Brealey, 2001) ISBN 978-1857882117
Wiseman, R. The Luck Factor (Arrow, 2004) ISBN 978-1401359416
Selected online resources/ project software
Basecamp: Collaboration tool that allows you to manage small and medium-sized projects online. www.basecamphq.com
Copper: Popular and comprehensive online resource, with several different subscription options available. US-based. www.copperproject.com
Merlin and Project X: Medium-sized project planning tools for Mac OS (as opposed to Windows) users. www.projectx.com www.projectwizards.net
Microsoft (MS) Project: A widely used planning, scheduling and estimating tool. Comes into its own for larger projects, with an ‘enterprise’-level version that enables multi-site working. http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/project/default.aspx
Milestone Simplicity: Scheduling software that integrates with Microsoft programs www.kidasa.com/Simplicity
Primavera SureTrak: The ‘little brother’ of the Primavera family of project management software. www.oracle.com/applications/primavera/primavera-suretrak.html
Project in a Box: Software and services for project managers from single users through to corporations. www.projectinabox.org.uk
Projectp

The first step in evaluation should occur at the planning stage.

OODA Loop. The process of monitoring and controlling a project involves looking at the forces affecting the project, attempting to understand the causes and responding appropriately. One approach increasingly used in projects is known as the OODA Loop.
O = Observe. What is happening that may affect the project now or in the future?
O = Orient. How should the project’s orientation in the wider environment affect your decisions?
D = Decide. What conclusions does this lead to?
A = Act. How will you turn your decisions into action?

you are a role model for the project team

Forming – an initial ‘honeymoon’ period, with team roles and purpose as not yet defined.
Storming – jostling for position, with clarity of purpose unlikely, but team roles not fully defined.
Norming – mutual trust and confidence grow; the beginnings of shared leadership emerge.
Performing – a high level of mutual understanding means that the team is now significantly greater than the sum of its parts.

Good risk management can make the difference between a viable and a non-viable project.

“If anything can go wrong, it will”