Project Management for Non-Project Managers

Organizations are developing project managers from within more and more. Employees who are proficient in their area of expertise are being asked to take on project management. This book explores the basic concepts and fundamentals of project management. Project management processThe first lesson focuses on the project management process: highlighting the importance of effective project management, who's involved with projects, and an introduction to the four phases of the project management process. Project manager roleThe second lesson focuses on the project manager role: highlighting typical roles a project manager must fill to be successful, the value of the project manager, how to deliver the right amount of project management, and how to manage small to medium projects. This book will provide individuals who are not professional project managers with the knowledge required to build a solid understanding of the fundamentals of project management, helping them transition to the role of project manager. Today's business world is a complex and rapidly changing place. Organizations and individuals cannot survive without accepting and embracing change. Change involves your situation: something is different; a bigger office, a new colleague, the reorganization of staff responsibilities. Transition involves a journey; it is the process of disengagement, transformation, and acceptance of change. Put simply, change is the event and transition is the process that takes you there. While it is important to know the terms, concepts, techniques, and skills that are involved in project management, it is even more important to be able to put these to work on the job. A project manager is expected to deal with intangible issues such as human dynamics, establishing authority, and managing people and expectations. This often requires a complex balance of personal and practical skills. Project management is about the management of people, but it is also about managing the way an organization works, and the way the people within it work. As a project manager, you will need to realize that people are inseparable from process. It is not only practical skills, but leadership ability, management skills, and the ability to communicate that are imperative to successful projects. Benjamin Franklin wrote, "For want of a nail the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe the horse was lost; and for want of a horse the rider was lost, being overtaken and slain by the enemy, all for want of care about a horseshoe nail."A small problem overlooked in the early stages of project management can grow to be a critical failure in the later stages. The Initiating and Planning phases of project management are vital to the success of the project. Without the proper tools and information, effective project management is impossible. Imagine what would happen if the head chef of a busy restaurant didn't have the right ingredients for the evening menu. What do you think would happen if she didn't have a plan for efficiently preparing all of the meals during the supper rush?If you don't initiate your project properly, you might not have everything you need to meet your goals. And if you don't plan your project well, you might not meet your goals on time - or at all. This book examines the importance of properly initiating and planning a project, and explores ways to make your initiating and planning efforts more effective. Your project plan is complete. Tasks are clearly outlined, the schedule is in place, and the money is budgeted to the cent. You're getting ready to dig in and start the actual work. You're feeling confident that the project is going to go exactly as planned. How could anything go wrong?Managing is the third phase of project management. You may be tempted to think now that the planning is over the rest of the project will be easy.