Project Management
Strategic Design and
Implementation
This Third Edition of Project
Management has been put together with the objective of contributing to the improvement of
the reader's knowledge of, skills in, and attitudes concerning project management, and in
so doing shaping the reader's philosophy of the theory and practice of project management.
I use the term philosophy in the sense of a body of thought a way of thinking that
underlies the project management discipline.
There are three attributes of
a project management philosophy. First is knowledge a familiarity with project management
theory and practice applied to contemporary organizations. Second is skill the ability to
apply knowledge of project management to the concepts, processes, and techniques of the
discipline. Finally, there is the development of a set of attitudes values and aspirations
that facilitates the ability to work with all of the project stakeholders in designing and
implementing strategies to accomplish project purposes.
Managers and professionals
engaged in project management who aspire to be effective contributors to their
organizations will find that this book will help them. The format of the book is adaptable
to many different uses. Readers may apply the sections and topics in whatever order best
suits their purposes.
Part 1, Introduction,
consists of two chapters that introduce project management and describe the processes that
are involved in the practice of this discipline.
Part 2, The Strategic Context
of Projects, shows how projects are used in strategic management as a means for dealing
with changes in the organization. A description of when projects should be used, how to
manage the project stakeholders, strategic issue management, and the role of the board of
directors are also included in this part.
Part 3, Organizational Design
for Project Management, presents in three chapters how projects can be organized and how
authority and responsibility can be delegated to the project team and its supporting
stakeholders.
Part 4, Project Operations,
contains four chapters concerned with planning, information systems, control, and project
termination.
Part 5, Interpersonal
Dynamics in the Management of Projects, looks at communication patterns, team building,
and the matter of leadership in attaining project and enterprise purposes.
Part 6, The Cultural
Elements, considers the use of project teams in maintaining continuous improvement in the
management of an enterprise. The second chapter in this part provides insight into the
cultural ambience in which projects are best managed.
Part 7, New Prospects,
provides insight into how project management has fostered the use and growth of
alternative teams in the strategic management of the enterprise. The final chapter of this
book makes some predictions as to what project management might become in its future as a
key building block in the management discipline.
The reader who wishes to do
further reading about project management should refer to the references in the footnotes
throughout the text. The reader is also encouraged to use the cases mentioned at the end
of each chapter as a learning technique; these cases have been drawn from the practice of
project management by experts who have not only survived, but prospered in the management
of their challenging projects.
Good reading!
560 pages