OneStop Project Management Book
About The book
ONESTOP PROJECT MANAGEMENT can be used by students and professionals interested in expanding and fine tuning their project management skills and knowledge. This book is a tool that can be tailored to allow project managers to exploit strengths and identify, develop and improve on current limitations. While depicting a clear vision and defined goals, it guides novices through all facets of operations. This instrument is a refreshing reference for developed organizations as it streamlines processes and provides support in all areas. It raises the right questions to allow project managers to identify potential problems, define a focus and utilize effective planning strategies from the project’s conception to final product.
Onestop Project Management is an essential resource in the toolbox of Project Managers today. Whether you are a novice or seasoned professional, Onestop Project Management will guide you step by step, from the simplest to the most demanding projects. From Project Risk Management through Human Resource to Quality Management, each topic is covered in detail. Included in this book are valuable templates that will guide managers and save days off even the most complex projects. Also, tips and test questions similar to the certification exam are included to help future managers gain certification. This is one resource that you should not leave behind; knowledge is, indeed, power. Your future success as a Project Manager may very well depend on what you learn from reading Onestop Project Management!
About the Authors
Dr. Archie Addo, PMP
With experience of over 20 years within interdisciplinary projects and academic fields of study he has demonstrated the effective use of Project Management techniques. He has successfully lead projects with responsibilities including multi-discipline, multi-million dollar projects utilizing internal and external resources.
Dr. Addo holds a PhD in Computer Information Systems (CIS) with emphasis in Electronic Commerce, Cryptography and Expert Systems and is certified by the Project Management Institute as a Project Management Professional.
Ken Agar, MEd. (Admin)
Ken Agar is an entrepreneurial educator. Ken has over 30 years experience in Education at all levels and has worked throughout the world. His experience includes, Vice President of a University, Senior School Administrator, and a teacher of children, young adults, and adults.
Educated in Canada and the United States, Ken has brought the concepts and principles of entrepreneurship to the classroom in practical and dynamic programs. Currently Ken has published on effective learning in entrepreneurship and published a textbook on how to build strategies for successful teaching.
Muthu Shanmugam, MS
Muthu Shanmugam is a longtime software consultant with more than 15 years of programming experience. He has designed and developed large scale web-based applications for various clients spanning multiple industries including media, telecommunications.
He is creating innovative web applications for Absolut-e Data com with the help of awesome team in India. He now focuses exclusively on Ruby on Rails and iPhone development. Some of the latest applications released are www.pairworks.com, www.pureapp.com, and www.eduHelp.in.
Srini Centhala, BE
Srini is an information technology architect and entrepreneur who has extensive experience over 18 Years in building very large Systems for Fortune 100 clients. As the founder of Absolut-e Data Com, Inc. he has focused his team on creating web based applications such as www.eServicePlace.com, and www.OneStopProject.com.
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The Absolute One Stop Project Management book is a new approach to learning project management. The book has been developed to address the issues faced by the broad range of people who deal with the challenges of projects on a regular basis. The purpose of this book is to be a guide to developing project management skills and competencies for the professional, the novice, and organizations or companies. The significant advantages of the book are the approach to the knowledge of project management, the presentation of the material and the structure of the book.
The best place to begin using this book is Chapter 1 Building on Knowledge. You will be introduced to the reasons why a novice, a professional or an entrepreneur should use this book. A brief needs assessment is provided for each category so that an effective approach to the material can be created by the individual. This initial planning and development will give you the advantage of focusing on those areas that are important to you. The authors have also provided a realistic case study to work with. The material is correlated to the Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK) published by the Project Management Institute (PMI). Real examples of projects are provided with annotations and processes are described as well as put in a visual format through diagrams. Each chapter of the book provides applications of the concepts discussed
This book is unique in the approach to learning project management. Firstly, there is a case study which is followed throughout the work. Directed questions are provided to help you understand the concepts and annotations from the authors are provided. You will see how projects are developed. There are also other projects that have been written to serve as exemplars for you to compare your ideas with the authors’ suggestions and how other project managers approach the same problems, issues and challenges.
Each of the processes required to bring a project to successful conclusion are shown in diagrams or flow processes to demonstrate relationships and provide examples of how the process works. The case studies then provide an example of how to apply the process. You will have the opportunity to consider the case study for the book, how to apply the concepts to it and how they are applied to other projects. Therefore, you will have the opportunity to integrate the concepts of project management.
To assist in the development of professional skills in preparation for PMP certification, careful attention has been given to the PMBOK and how to effectively study for the certification. There are three major tools used in the book:
- Self study questions
- Discussion questions
- Application questions on cases
The book provides questions (with answers and rational) similar to the certification exams. However, more importantly, questions are also posed to help the learner develop a deeper understanding of the material rather than a rote response. The extended questions provide a method to understand the use of completed project management documents and the provided annotations.
Throughout the book, direct examples of how the planning and process are completed – This includes steps required for initiating, executing and closing various types of projects. Templates and forms are provided for use in your projects and completed examples are provided to help guide you in using the form or template in a project.
The book is divided into 4 broad areas. The first section includes Chapters 1 to 3 which provide an introduction to the field of study. This section identifies the basic structure of a project and the purposes for undertaking a project. By understanding the structure of a project it enables the project management team to efficiently manage the project and therefore avoiding the issues and challenges of implementing a project. Not knowing the appropriate structure and procedure sequence may cause failure in either not being able to deliver the end product or creating too great a demand on the resources of the organization
The second area is Chapter 5 which details with theprocesses of Project Management which are the internal process and workings of a project. This is perhaps the most technical section of the book. To assist you in understanding the processes diagrams have been used to show relationships as well as how the inputs and outputs of the various processes will create a working plan for the project. To assist in this section templates have been provided in the appendix. These can and should be used by all who are involved in managing resources and projects.
A detailed description of processes has been provided in the explanation of the concepts. Each process is described in terms of:
- Inputs that are required to create the process.
- Tools and techniques that are required to use the inputs to create the output of the process.
- Outputs that are objective of the process created from the Inputs and tools & techniques.
Since project management is a system that proceeds in a sequential manner this method demonstrates what information you need at each stage or in specific processes, how to use that information to implement at process and what the final result should be given the inputs and operations. It is important to note that some processes tend to be cyclical and therefore the work may go from input to output and returning in a feedback loop to being an input again.
Chapters 5 to 14 comprise the third broad area. Each of the chapters deals with specific areas of knowledge that are needed in Project Management. The Knowledge areas discussed are
- Project Integration Management
- Project Scope Management
- Project Time Management
- Project Cost Management
- Project Human Resource Management
- Project Quality Management
- Project Communication Management
- Project Risk Management
- Project Procurement Management
The discussion in these chapters provides the insight on why the processes described in Chapter 4 are important and provide a guideline to work within the projects. In general these chapters address topics such as:
- How to boost team performance
- Bringing the project under budget
- Better meetings in less time
- Creating a financial plan
- Carrying out a feasibility study
- Documenting the project
- Leading the project
- Reducing stress on your project
- Defining the scope of the project
- Determining the required resources
- Hiring the right staff on the project
- What to do when your project encounters problems
The last major area of the book, the Appendix, contains some of the most useful tools for project management. Here you will find actual projects which have been completed in classes with the instructor’s comments as well as a document of a real project that was carried out. A glossary of all of the terms used in the book is provided to provide a ready explanation of the specific language of project management. One of the significant benefits found in the Appendix are the templates for use in developing a plan for a project. These are provided with the express purpose of putting useful tools into the hands of Project Managers.