Project Management For Dummies

Jonathan L. Portny, MBA, PMP®, has more than 15 years of experience in the field of project management and is a certified Project Management Professional. His father, Stanley E. Portny, PMP®, was an internationally recognized expert in project management and the author of all previous editions of Project Management for Dummies.

• Introduction 1About This Book 2Foolish Assumptions 2Icons Used in This Book 3Beyond the Book 4Where to Go from Here 4Part 1: Getting Started With Project Management 7Chapter 1: Project Management: The Key to Achieving Results 9Determining What Makes a Project a Project 10Understanding the three main components that define a project 11Recognizing the diversity of projects 12Describing the four phases of a project life cycle 14Adopting a Principled Approach to Project Management 16Starting with stewardship and leadership 17Continuing with team and stakeholders 18Delivering value and quality 19Handling complexity, opportunities, and threats 20Exhibiting adaptability and resilience 22Thinking holistically and enabling change 23What Happened to Process Groups and Knowledge Areas? 25Do You Have What It Takes to Be an Effective Project Manager? 26Questions 27Answer key 27Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 7 28Chapter 2: I’m a Project Manager! Now What? 31Knowing the Project Manager’s Role 31Looking at the project manager’s tasks 32Staving off excuses for not following a structured project management approach 32Avoiding shortcuts 33Staying aware of other potential challenges 35Aligning with the Four Values that Comprise the Code of Ethics 36The price of greatness is responsibility 36R-e-s-p-e-c-t, find out what it means to your project 37Maintaining fairness 37Honesty is the best policy 38Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 7 39Chapter 3: Beginning the Journey: The Genesis of a Project 41Gathering Ideas for Projects 42Looking at information sources for potential projects 43Proposing a project in a business case 43Developing the Project Charter 45Performing a cost-benefit analysis 46Conducting a feasibility study 48Generating documents during the development of the project charter 49Deciding Which Projects to Move to the Second Phase of Their Life Cycle 50Tailoring Your Delivery Approach 51For the organization 52For the project 53Identifying the Models, Methods, and Artifacts to Use 54Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 7 60Chapter 4: Knowing Your Project’s Stakeholders: Involving the Right People 63Understanding Your Project’s Stakeholders 64Developing a Stakeholder Register 64Starting your stakeholder register 65Ensuring your stakeholder register is complete and up-to-date 70Using a stakeholder register template 71Determining Whether Stakeholders Are Drivers, Supporters, or Observers 73Deciding when to involve your stakeholders 75Using different methods to involve your stakeholders 78Making the most of your stakeholders’ involvement 78Displaying Your Stakeholder Register 79Confirming Your Stakeholders’ Authority 80Assessing Your Stakeholders’ Power and Interest 82Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 7 84Chapter 5: Clarifying What You’re Trying to Accomplish — And Why 85Defining Your Project with a Scope Statement 86Looking at the Big Picture: Explaining the Need for Your Project 90Figuring out why you’re doing the project 90Drawing the line: Where your project starts and stops 100Stating your project’s objectives 101Marking Boundaries: Project Constraints 106Working within limitations 106Dealing with needs 109Facing the Unknowns When Planning: Documenting Your Assumptions 109Presenting Your Scope Statement in a Clear and Concise Document 110Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 7 111Chapter 6: Developing Your Game Plan: Getting from Here to There 113Divide and Conquer: Breaking Your Project into Manageable Chunks 114Thinking in detail 114Identifying necessary project work with a work breakdown structure 116Dealing with special situations 124Creating and Displaying Your Work Breakdown Structure 127Considering different schemes to create your WBS hierarchy 128Using one of two approaches to develop your WBS 129Categorizing your project’s work 130Labeling your WBS entries 132Displaying your WBS in different formats 133Improving the quality of your WBS 136Using templates 137Identifying Risks While Detailing Your Work 138Documenting What You Need to Know about Your Planned Project Work 140Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 7 141Part 2: Planning Time: Determining When and How Much 143Chapter 7: You Want This Project Done When? 145Picture This: Illustrating a Work Plan with a Network Diagram 146Defining a network diagram’s elements 146Drawing a network diagram 148Analyzing a Network Diagram 149Reading a network diagram 150Interpreting a network diagram 151Working with Your Project’s Network Diagram 156Determining precedence 156Using a network diagram to analyze a simple example 160Developing Your Project’s Schedule 164Taking the first steps 165Avoiding the pitfall of backing in to your schedule 166Meeting an established time constraint 167Applying different strategies to arrive at your picnic in less time 167Estimating Activity Duration 172Determining the underlying factors 173Considering resource characteristics 174Improving activity duration estimates 174Displaying Your Project’s Schedule 176Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 7 179Chapter 8: Establishing Whom You Need, How Much of Their Time, and When 181Getting the Information You Need to Match People to Tasks 182Deciding what skills and knowledge team members must have 183Representing team members’ skills, knowledge, and interests in a skills matrix 187Estimating Needed Commitment 189Using a human resources matrix 189Identifying needed personnel in a human resources matrix 191Estimating required work effort 192Factoring productivity, efficiency, and availability into work-effort estimates 193Reflecting efficiency when you use historical data 194Accounting for efficiency in personal work-effort estimates 196Ensuring Your Project Team Members Can Meet Their Resource Commitments 198Planning your initial allocations 198Resolving potential resource overloads 200Coordinating assignments across multiple projects 202Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 7 205Chapter 9: Planning for Other Resources and Developing the Budget 207Determining Non-Personnel Resource Needs 208Making Sense of the Dollars: Project Costs and Budgets 210Looking at different types of project costs 210Recognizing the three stages of a project budget 212Refining your budget as your project progresses 213Determining project costs for a detailed budget estimate 215Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 7 219Chapter 10: Venturing into the Unknown: Dealing with Risk 221Defining Risk and Risk Management 222Focusing on Risk Factors and Risks 223Recognizing risk factors 224Identifying risks 226Assessing Risks: Probability and Consequences 229Gauging the likelihood of a risk 230Estimating the extent of the consequences 232Getting Everything under Control: Managing Risk 234Choosing the risks you want to manage 235Developing a risk management strategy 236Communicating about risks 237Preparing a Risk Management Plan 239Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 7 240Part 3: Group Work: Putting Your Team Together 243Chapter 11: Aligning the Key Players for Your Project 245Defining Three Organizational Environments 246The functional structure 246The projectized structure 248The matrix structure 250Recognizing the Key Players in a Matrix Environment 253The project manager 253Project team members 255Functional managers 255The project owner 256The project sponsor 256Upper management 257Working Successfully in a Matrix Environment 258Creating and continually reinforcing a team identity 258Getting team member commitment 259Eliciting support from other people in the environment 259Heading off common problems before they arise 260Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 7 261Chapter 12: Defining Team Members’ Roles and Responsibilities 263Outlining the Key Roles 264Distinguishing authority, responsibility, and accountability 264Understanding the difference between authority and responsibility 265Making Project Assignments 265Delving into delegation 266Sharing responsibility 271Holding people accountable — even when they don’t report to you 272Picture This: Depicting Roles with a Responsibility Assignment Matrix 276Introducing the elements of a RAM 277Reading a RAM 278Developing a RAM 280Ensuring your RAM is accurate 281Dealing with Micromanagement 284Realizing why a person micromanages 284Gaining a micromanager’s trust 285Working well with a micromanager 286Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 7 286Chapter 13: Starting Your Project Team Off on the Right Foot 287Finalizing Your Project’s Participants 288Are you in? Confirming your team members’ participation 288Assuring that others are on board 291Filling in the blanks 292Developing Your Team 293Reviewing the approved project plan 294Developing team and individual goals 295Specifying team member roles 295Defining your team’s operating processes 296Supporting the development of team member relationships 297Resolving conflicts 297All together now: Helping your team become a smooth-functioning unit 300Laying the Groundwork for Controlling Your Project 303Selecting and preparing your tracking systems 303Establishing schedules for reports and meetings 304Setting your project’s baseline 305Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Announcing Your Project 305Setting the Stage for Your Project Retrospective 306Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 7 306Part 4: Steering the Ship: Managing Your Project to Success 309Chapter 14: Tracking Progress and Maintaining Control 311Holding On to the Reins: Monitoring and Controlling 312Establishing Project Management Information Systems 314The clock’s ticking: Monitoring schedule performance 315All in a day’s work: Monitoring work effort 322Follow the money: Monitoring expenditures 327Putting Your Control Process into Action 330Heading off problems before they occur 330Formalizing your control process 331Identifying possible causes of delays and variances 333Identifying possible corrective actions 334Getting back on track: Rebaselining 334Reacting Responsibly When Changes Are Requested 335Responding to change requests 336Creeping away from scope creep 337Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 7 338Chapter 15: Keeping Everyone Informed 339I Meant What I Said and I Said What I Meant: Successful Communication Basics 340Breaking down the communication process 341Distinguishing one-way and two-way communication 341Can you hear me now? Listening actively 342Choosing the Appropriate Medium for Project Communication 344Just the facts: Written reports 345Moving it along: Meetings that work 346Preparing a Written Project Progress Report 350Making a list (of names) and checking it twice 350Knowing what’s hot (and what’s not) in your report 351Earning a Pulitzer, or at least writing an interesting report 352Holding Key Project Meetings 355Regularly scheduled team meetings 356Ad hoc team meetings 357Executive leadership progress reviews 357Preparing a Project Communications Management Plan 358Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 7 359Chapter 16: Encouraging Peak Performance by Providing Effective Leadership 361Exploring the Differences between Leadership and Management 362Recognizing the Traits People Look for in a Leader 363Developing Personal Power and Influence 365Understanding why people do what you ask 365Establishing the bases of your power 367You Can Do It! Creating and Sustaining Team Member Motivation 368Increasing commitment by clarifying your project’s benefits 369Encouraging persistence by demonstrating project feasibility 370Letting people know how they’re doing 371Providing rewards for work well done 372Leading a Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive Project Team 373Diversity is an asset worthy of inclusion 374Equity is a choice – choose it 375Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 7 375Chapter 17: Bringing Your Project to Closure 377Staying the Course to Completion 378Planning ahead for your project’s closure 379Updating your initial closure plans when you’re ready to wind down the project 380Charging up your team for the sprint to the finish line 380Handling Administrative Issues 381Providing a Smooth Transition for Team Members 381Surveying the Results: The Project Retrospective Evaluation 384Preparing for the evaluation throughout the project 384Setting the stage for the evaluation meeting 386Conducting the evaluation meeting 387Following up on the evaluation 389Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 7 389Part 5: Taking Your Project Management to the Next Level 391Chapter 18: Using Newer Methods and Resources to Enhance Your Project Management 393Taking a Look at the Agile Approach to Project Management 394Understanding what drives the Agile approach 394Taking a look at the elements of Agile when implemented through Scrum 396Comparing the Agile and traditional (Waterfall) approaches 397Using Computer Software Effectively 398Looking at your software options 399Helping your software perform at its best 404Introducing project management software into your organization 406Using Social Media to Enhance Project Management 407Defining social media 408Exploring how social media can support your project planning and performance 409Using social media to support your project communications 411Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 7 412Chapter 19: Monitoring Project Performance with Earned Value Management 413Defining Earned Value Management 414Getting to know EVM terms and formulas 414Looking at a simple example 418Determining the reasons for observed variances 420The How-To: Applying Earned Value Management to Your Project 421Determining a Task’s Earned Value 425Relating This Chapter to the PMP Exam and PMBOK 7 429Part 6: The Part of Tens 431Chapter 20: Ten Questions to Ask Yourself as You Plan Your Project 433What’s the Purpose of Your Project? 433Whom Do You Need to Involve? 434What Results Will You Produce? 434What Constraints Must You Satisfy? 435What Assumptions Are You Making? 435What Work Has to Be Done? 435When Does Each Activity Start and End? 436Who Will Perform the Project Work? 436What Other Resources Do You Need? 437What Can Go Wrong? 437Chapter 21: Ten Tips for Being a Better Project Manager 439Be a “Why” Person 439Be a “Can Do” Person 440Think about the Big Picture 440Think in Detail 440Assume Cautiously 440View People as Allies, Not Adversaries 441Mean What You Say and Say What You Mean 441Respect Other People 441Acknowledge Good Performance 442Be a Manager and a Leader 442Appendix: Combining the Techniques Into Smooth-Flowing Processes 443Index 449