July 2018
Print ISBN: 9781773380889
Overview
Many books for introductory project management courses are written with heavy detail and are designed for experienced project managers running large-scale projects. In this slim guide, skilled expert Dave C. Barrett prepares students to manage projects with a “let’s walk before we run” approach, offering the perfect amount of detail for students new to the field who are lacking practical project experience. Learning only the most critical project management concepts and processes, students are taken through an ongoing case study that follows a moderately sized project from its initiation to completion.
This new book offers the actual project management documents produced during the case study and will equip readers with a solid understanding of why each of the processes are used, why the decisions are made, and how the pieces of project management fit together. Suitable for any discipline or industry, Understanding Project Management promises to be a light, engaging, and quick read.
Related Titles
Table of Contents
CONTENTS
Preface vii
Acknowledgements viii
PART I INTRODUCTION AND THE INITIATING PHASE 1
Chapter 1 • Understanding the Project Environment 2
Chapter 2 • Starting the Project 15
PART II THE PLANNING PHASE 25
Chapter 3 • Stakeholder Planning 27
Chapter 4 • Scope Planning 36
Chapter 5 • Schedule Planning 48
Chapter 6 • Budget Planning 78
Chapter 7 • Project Team Planning 89
Chapter 8 • Quality Planning 99
Chapter 9 • Risk Planning 105
Chapter 10 • Communications Planning 118
PART III THE EXECUTING PHASE 127
Chapter 11 • Executing the Plan 128
Chapter 12 • Managing Disruptions to the Plan: Issues and
Change 140
Chapter 13 • Managing the Human Resources Aspects of the
Project 152
Chapter 14 • Reporting the Status of the Project 164
PART IV PROJECT PROCUREMENT AND THE CLOSING PHASE 171
Chapter 15 • Project Procurement 172
Chapter 16 • Closing the Project 183
PART V AGILE PROJECT MANAGEMENT 195
Chapter 17 • An Overview of Agile Project Management 197
Appendix • The Case Study Project Management Documents 214
References 253
Reviews
“Too often texts on the field of project management are more complex than the projects themselves, but not this one. Dave C. Barrett has managed to demystify project management with this incredibly useful business text. Taking readers step-by-step through the phases of the project management lifecycle as well as a case study (woven seamlessly through the book), this text demonstrates a simple, straightforward, effective approach that will assist readers in managing projects of any size, for businesses of any type.”
— Nicole Priatel, PMP, Professor, School of Business, Project Management Graduate Certificate, Algonquin College
“ Dave C. Barrett takes on the complex topic of project management and cuts through the jargon by simplifying the concepts through a series of fundamental principles and processes. It is easy to read with lots of tips, cases, and examples. More importantly, relevant project management terms, processes, and documents are specifically demonstrated. Everyone, from beginners to the most experienced project managers, will learn something useful.”
— Dean A. Bulloch, Professor, School of Business, Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning
Instructor Resources
The Instructor's Manual for Understanding Project Management includes:
- Instructor guide
- PowerPoint Slides
- Project document templates
- Scheduling software
- Test bank with multiple choice and short answer questions
