This book is organized in the order of the steps you’ll use to manage
your project. Fortunately projects are mostly linear—they have a beginning, a middle, and an end—so a book, which is also linear,
lends itself well to walking you through the steps you’ll need to create
great projects.
✔ Chapter 1. The Basics. Learn the basic characteristics of a project
and how projects differ from the normal way that work
gets done. Discover why you should be using the new approach
to project management instead of the old approach. Explore
the types of people who typically work on projects and
what the role of each should be. Finally, learn the four phases
of any project and what’s required in each phase if you’re going
to create a successful project.
✔ Chapter 2. Initiating a Project. Discover what each section of
the charter, the document that starts or initiates a project,
should contain. Learn how to complete a charter. Set up an issues
list and a lessons-learned list, in preparation for the next
project phase, and assemble your project team.
✔ Chapter 3. Leading the Project Team. Projects are done
through people and part of the role of the project leader is
leading the team. Learn the key principles for leading teams
and why team participation in the project management process
is so important. Then walk through the five stages of team development
to discover how to create a high performing team.
Finally, assess your own skills as a project leader.
✔ Chapter 4. Kicking Off the Project. The kick-off meeting is
when the team is assembled for the first time and they’re introduced
to the project. It sets the tone for the rest of the
project. Learn how to conduct a kick-off meeting the right
way. Walk through a sample agenda of what to do and how
to do it.
✔ Chapter 5. Planning the Scope. The scope defines what will be
done by the project. Planning the scope sets the stage for
INTRODUCTION
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TEAMFLY
everything else that happens in the project, so it’s important to
do it right. Discover how to set an appropriate target for your
project. Learn how to recognize the different types of customers
and to define the customer’s need appropriately.
✔ Chapter 6. Organizing the Project. Learn the right way to
break a project down into manageable pieces and how to organize
those pieces into chunks of work that can be assigned to
someone on the team. Explore the composition of the team to
make sure you’ve included the right people and learn what is
required to effectively empower a team.
✔ Chapter 7. Assessing Risk. Problems occur in every project.
The key to keeping chaos at bay is preventing as many of the
problems from occurring as possible. As we review the risk
assessment process we’ll answer a number of questions: Who
should be invited to the risk assessment meeting? What’s the
best way to identify risks? How can the risks be analyzed after
they have been identified? How can the risks be avoided,
if possible?
✔ Chapter 8. Developing a Schedule. Every project needs a
schedule; most projects need two types of schedules: one that
depicts the big picture of the project, which is used to communicate
the schedule to people outside the team, and one that
helps the team manage the deadlines for the project. Walk
through the steps of creating both types of schedules. Learn
what to do if you can’t meet your deadlines.
✔ Chapter 9. Developing a Budget. All projects consume resources
and most cost money. However, not all projects require
a project budget, although all projects ought to create one.
Learn how to estimate costs and create a spending estimate to
include in your project plan.
✔ Chapter 10. Assembling the Plan. After you’ve worked
through the steps of planning, you’re ready to assemble the project plan document and get it approved. Learn what should
be in a project plan and how to write the executive summary.
Include a process for how you’ll manage changes to the plan
after it’s been approved.
✔ Chapter 11. Team-Based Tools. In addition to the project
management tools that have been covered thus far, you’ll need
a few decision-making tools to help you get through the rest of
the project. Learn how to effectively brainstorm, organize, analyze,
and then make decisions on ideas or issues generated by
the team.
✔ Chapter 12. Executing the Plan. After the plan is approved,
it’s time to get to work. However, as you complete the
work, it’s important to continually monitor the progress of
the project to make sure it stays on track. You’ll also need to
continually assess the environment to determine if any new
risks have popped up that weren’t anticipated in the risk
assessment.
✔ Chapter 13. Closing Out the Project. You’re almost there.
You’ve finished the work and you’re ready to disband. But
wait! You still need to evaluate the customer’s satisfaction,
summarize the lessons that were learned throughout the
course of the project, and assemble a close-out report. Then,
it’s time to celebrate. Congratulations. You’re done!
✔ Chapter 14. Summing Up. Review the key elements of effective
team participation and the seven keys to success for any
project.
Project management is a process, like a journey down the yellow brick
road. We’ll walk through the steps of project management together, discovering
new territory, melting any fears and solving problems you’ve experienced in the past, revisiting old haunts, and, finally, making it to
the emerald city of greater project success.
Project management isn’t just for project managers anymore. If
you’re not a project manager, but you’re aspiring to be one or you’re
working on a project team and want to do a better job, this book is for
you.
