Most of the project management books on the market are basically textbooks. They are dry to begin with, and don't focus on the practical advice that most people need to run their projects. Lessons in Project Management, Second Edition does not assume that you are a project manager building a nuclear reactor or sending a man to the moon. Instead, it focuses on the millions of people who manage normal, medium-to-large projects on an ongoing basis.

Each case study in Lessons in Project Management contains an accessible, easy-to-read analysis of the challenges of real-world project management. Each problem is presented, then followed by an examination of the solution, written in easy-to-understand language.

The format allows you to more easily relate to the book, since it brings into play a project scenario with practical project management lessons to be learned. You'll also recognize recurring characters who appear in multiple stories, and you'll start to develop some empathy for and interest in their struggles.
What you’ll learn

How to understand a problem
How to use the authors' ten-step approach to project management
How to resolve a given problem with methods appropriate to the size of the project
About underpromising and underdelivering
Tips on managing projects, such as developing rapport with project managers and team members

Who this book is for

No prior project management experience is assumed. This book is for the millions of people who manage projects, regardless of size. This book is quite helpful for managers in the middle of a project who may be experiencing problems.
Table of Contents

Understand the Characteristics of a Project
Always Have an Identified and Committed Sponsor
Report Status on All Projects
Focus on Deadline Dates
Apply Some Level of Project Management Discipline
Define and Plan the Work
Don’t “Microbuild” or Micromanage the Workplan
Hire a Diverse Project Team
Define the Many Aspects of What Is In Scope and Out of Scope
Use the “Big Three” Documents
Use Scope Change Management
Collect Metrics
Give Performance Feedback Routinely
Ensure Issues Management Is Everyone’s Responsibility
Shorten Long Meetings to Sharpen the Focus
Identify the Root Cause of Problems
Use Quality Assurance Techniques to Validate Project Status
Cancel Projects That Lose Business Support
Use Risk Management to Respond to Discover Potential Problems
Focus Your Quality Management on Processes, Not People
Don’t Use Your Estimating Contingency for Scope Changes
Develop a Communication Plan for Complex Projects
Scale Your Processes Based on Project Size
Plan the Project Even If You Start the Work at the Same Time
Identify the Critical Path and How This Path Drives the Deadline Date
Change Assumptions to Revise an Estimate
Don’t Forget Face-to-Face Communication on Your Project
Make Quality a Mindset and Ongoing Process
Batch Small Scope Change Requests for Sponsor Approval
Manage Your Vendor Projects Proactively
Look for Risks Inherent to Your Project
Get Sponsor Approval Before Investigating Large Scope Change Requests
Make Sure the Cost of Collecting Metrics Does Not Exceed Their Value
Use Multiple Estimating Techniques
Keep Your Schedule Up to Date
Use Issues Management to Choose the Best of Bad Alternatives
Collect Metrics That Can Lead to Fundamental Improvements
Evaluate All Risk Response Options in the Risk Plan
Manage Client Expectations
Use Milestones to Track Overall Progress
Catch Errors As Early as Possible
Gain Sponsor Approval for Scope Changes Requiring Budget and Deadline Deviations
Be Proactive to Accelerate the Project Schedule
Use the Work Breakdown Structure to Identify All the Work
Write Your Status Reports From the Readers’ Perspective
Update Your Risk Plan Throughout the Project
Don’t Deliver More Than the Client Requested
Make One Person Responsible for Each Activity
Focus on Deadlines to Keep Your Project from Wandering
Gain Agreement on Project Metrics Ahead of Time