This comprehensive exploration of the project management processpresents the tools, steps, and processes of project management anduncovers the critical thinking -- the why -- vital to projectmanagement excellence. Incorporating Kepner-Tregoe?s renowned andeffective problem-solving and decision-making processes, the bookguides you through the core activities of projectmanagement?planning, solving problems, making decisions, andassessing risk. It positions projects within an organization?s"performance environment," an understanding of which is essentialfor effective team performance and alignment. Offering acombination of overarching insights into organizational dynamics,as well as specific processes and practices for effectivemanagement, this is a resource no project leader -- and no projectteam member -- should be without.
Autorentext
ANDREW LONGMAN is a partner and Vice President of Marketing at Kepner-Tregoe, a consultancy specializing in strategic and operational decision making and critical thinking, with headquarters in Princeton, New Jersey.
JIM MULLINS is a Senior Consultant and Worldwide Product Manager for eThink®, Kepner-Tregoe's enterprise-wide software product for tracking and improving organizational problem solving and decision making.
www.kepner-tregoe.com
Klappentext
The Rational Project Manager
"Change for business today is not a spectator sport. Translating strategic vision into bottom-line results requires discipline, execution, and participationa theme that resonates throughout The Rational Project Manager. Longman and Mullins present a commonsense approach to executing against opportunities that is grounded in logic and resourcefulness."
George W. Buckley Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Brunswick Corporation
"The Rational Project Manager provides much-needed insights and tools for leaders at all levels. The bane of any leader's worklife is those initiatives that lack focus, engender poor decision making, and are misaligned with organizational culture and goals. Given the ambiguity, complexity, and change that are the new baseline assumptions in the workplace, The Rational Project Manager's simple, flexible approach fills an important gap overlooked by most books on the subject."
Steve Schloss Vice President, Human Resources Time Inc.
"The Rational Project Manager does a terrific job of dealing with both the art and discipline of project management. It focuses on the critical thinking that is essential to project success and also provides a wide array of tools and techniques for driving up performance."
John Case President and Chief Executive Officer Electrolux Home Care Products North America
"Significant projects frequently are planned and executed by cross-functional teams of people who don't normally work together. For a project to be completed successfully, the team and each team member must quickly develop both goal and role clarity. Kepner-Tregoe's rational process tools, including the project management tools well described in this book, have been critical to improving my organization's ability to execute projects and have become a core part of our culture."
Ray Baxter President and Chief Executive Officer Interbake Foods LLC
"Half the trouble in modern life comes from ambitious projects gone awry. Some were not thought-through before they were embarked on. Others started with good intentions but fell apart when their leaders could not adapt to changing circumstances or keep their team moving toward the proper goal. The sensible principles laid out in this clear and useful book would go a long way toward making both public and private organizations more effective. Personally, I'd start by passing out copies throughout the U.S. government."
James Fallows National Correspondent The Atlantic Monthly
Zusammenfassung
This comprehensive exploration of the project management process presents the tools, steps, and processes of project management and uncovers the critical thinking -- the why -- vital to project management excellence. Incorporating Kepner-Tregoe?s renowned and effective problem-solving and decision-making processes, the book guides you through the core activities of project management?planning, solving problems, making decisions, and assessing risk. It positions projects within an organization?s "performance environment," an understanding of which is essential for effective team performance and alignment. Offering a combination of overarching insights into organizational dynamics, as well as specific processes and practices for effective management, this is a resource no project leader -- and no project team member -- should be without.
Inhalt
1. The Missing Pieces of the Project Management Puzzle.
Project Management as the New Imperative.
Project Management Unplugged.
Project Management in Action.
The Stuff of Projects.
Today's Projects: What Makes Them Different?
Today's Game Is Speed.
Disembodied Goals.
The Ebb and Flow of Today's Teams.
The Competition for Resources.
The Revolving Door.
The Penchant for Complexity.
Projects Aren't Going Away.
The Missing Pieces of the Project Management Puzzle.
What's Ahead.
2. Project Definition.
Why Are We Doing This Project?
State the Project.
Develop Objectives.
Develop the Work Breakdown Structure.
Identify Resource Requirements.
Additional Definition Topics.
3. Project Planning.
Assign Responsibility.
Sequence Deliverables.
Schedule Deliverables.
Schedule Resources.
Protect and Enhance the Plan.
Enhance the Plan.
Additional Planning Topics.
Planning Summary.
4. Project Implementation.
Are You Ready to Do the Work?
Start to Implement.
Monitor the Project.
Modify the Project.
Closeout and Evaluate.
Additional Implementation Topic.
Implementation Summary.
5. Managing People in Projects.
Influencing People.
The Performance System.
Involving People.
Communicating with People.
Meetings and Communication.
Summary.
6. Project Decision Making and Problem Solving.
Situation Appraisal.
Decision Analysis.
Problem Analysis.
Decision-Making and Problem-Solving Summary.
7. Installing Project Management within an Organization.
Ensuring Systematic Use of Project Management.
Installing Project Management.
How Should You Install Project Management in Your Organization?
A Final Word on Project Management.
Index.