INTRODUCTION

Project managers and other professionals working on projects depend on four competences. First is knowledge, the understanding of project management theory, concepts, and practices. Second is skill, the capability to use techniques and tools of the profession to obtain the proper results. Third is ability, the capability to integrate and use knowledge and skills in an effective manner. Fourth is motivation, the capability to develop and maintain the proper values, attitudes, and aspirations that helps all project stakeholders to work together for the betterment of the project.

Project managers and other professionals will find that this book provides valuable summary information on the building and enhancement of their competences in working in the project management environment. The format of the book is adaptable to the user looking up a topic area of project management and finding fundamental summary guidance on how individual competences can be developed and enhanced. If the user wishes to gain further insight into a topic area, the references at the end of each topic area provide additional information.

The format of the book provides for an organization of the topic areas by major heading. Users who want basic summary information in these topic areas can use whatever order best suits their purposes.

Section 1, The Discipline of Project Management, includes such topics as project success and failure, project management competence, project management philosophy, ethics in project management, project life cycle, project management process, and program management. This section provides a framework for understanding the discipline of project management.

Section 2, Project Organizational Design, provides standards for how an appropriate organizational design can be constructed for the management of projects. Authority-responsibility-accountability and the basic concepts of how to organize a project are explored in this section. Also included are working in projects and the project office. A user who wants some models on how to get the project stakeholders organized will find valuable information in this section.

Section 3, Alternative Project Applications, deals with the topic of the growing interest in the field of project management, namely, how project management can be used to deal with nontraditional projects as elements in the strategic management of the organization. Several examples of alternative project applications are given.

Section 4, The Strategic Context of Projects, puts forth the notion of projects as building blocks in the design and execution of organizational strategies. In this section, enterprise senior managers are charged with the responsibility of maintaining oversight over the selection and use of projects and project portfolios, to facilitate the development of new and improved products, services, and organizational processes. The use of portfolio project management as an umbrella for unrelated projects in organizational strategy is also provided.

Section 5, Project Leadership, suggests standards and processes for project managers and others to use in providing a sense of direction and commitment for managing the people associated with a project. The key message is that a competent person can lead and manage a project team and should know the difference between leadership and managership. A general description of overall team leadership is also presented.

Section 6, Project Initiation and Execution, addresses key considerations to be evaluated when selecting a project to support organizational purposes, how to prepare winning proposals, and how to start up a project. Further topics discussed include contract negotiations and administration, managing quality in projects, and project termination.

Section 7, Project Planning and Control, presents the basic means and methodology on how to plan for projects and how to maintain monitoring, evaluation, and control over the resources used on a project. How to establish and use earned value management to monitor and control projects is also presented. The many subtopics in this section are building blocks in the management functions of planning and control.

Section 8, The Project Culture, provides insight into how the cultural ambience of a project and its stakeholders can influence the outcome of the project. Roles and responsibilities of the project team, project manager competence, the positive and negative aspects of teams, and the political process in project management are presented.

Section 9, Project Communications, describes the concept and use of a project management information system, communication in project meetings, negotiations, and other important considerations involved in the exchange of information during the management of a project.

Section 10, Improving Project Management, provides a prescription for how project stakeholders can manage their project responsibilities during some of the major challenges that arise in the management of projects. The topic area of assessing organizational project competence is provided to give insight into some of the major forces that are shaping the roles and responsibilities of senior managers associated with projects in the enterprise.