Project Manager, 2nd edition
Mastering the Art of Delivery

By Richard Newton
ISBN: 9780273723424
December 2009
Financial Times (Division of Pearson Education)
315 Pages
$62.50 Paper Original

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“ … [shows what] what really makes projects and project managers successful. A must read for everyone interested in understanding what levers to pull to improve their delivery capability.”Perry Childs, Director, Childs Consulting.

'A simply written and well structured book that is a crucial support for both experienced project / programme managers and people new to the project management environment.” Paul Gilhooley, Project Director, Openreach (a BT Group business)

' If you are serious about your project management career, put down your PRINCE2 manual and read this ' Vince Hines BSc MAPM MACostE MIoD Managing Director, Wellingtone Ltd

Processes don't drive projects; people do.

Successful project management is ultimately about effective communication, and more broadly, effective people management. Most books, however, deal largely with process - the mechanical, methodological side, and play down the human side.

The Project Manageris a fresh approach to project management: it moves beyond the formal methodologies and techniques to shed light on the core skills that will make you a great project manager. It puts the project manager centre stage and provides you with an invaluable set of experience-based lessons, tips, and advice to help you consistently deliver the results you want.

Whether you are a project manager yourself, or someone who works with or recruits project managers, this book will be essential reading.

DISCOVER WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW AND DO TO BE A GREAT PROJECT MANAGER

Consistently deliver exceptional projects on time and to budget

Whether you are just starting out in project management, or have a few years under your belt and want to achieve real mastery, The Project Manager will deliver.

This fully updated second edition covers:

• The most important project management tools and techniques – a concise survey of the critical methods
• How to get your project started
• What actually is your project?  Understanding the importance of scope and how best to define it
• Getting the best out of your project team
• Communications – learning to understand who your customers and stakeholders are; what they want; and how best to communicate with them
• Managing your project effectively
• What is successful delivery?
• When to constructively kill a project
• Change management

Richard Newton specialises in complex change problems, helping companies to improve change and project management capabilities. Through his work, whether in strategic, operational or project roles, Richard advocates simple yet highly structured approaches. Richard splits his time between running his company, Enixus Ltd, and writing. Richard has also written Managing Change, Step by Step and The Project Manager’s Book of Checklists

Contents

Preface  ix

Introduction

The secret art

Why read this book?

A brief word on job titles

Work-streams, projects, programmes and portfolios

A short overview of the contents

1  Some basics

What is a project? What is project management?

What is a project manager?

Who are projects for?

What is success?

2  Listening and talking

The most important chapter in the book

Your audience – whom you must listen and talk to

Listening – learning to understand what the customer wants

Communicating with your audience

3  What actually is your project?

The importance of understanding scope  

The key scoping questions

4  Some key traits

The sense of ownership and involvement

Good judgement – project management style

Project management judgements – summary

A touch of creativity

5  Getting your project started

Planning

Estimating

Resourcing

Budgeting

Thinking about contingency and risk

Mobilising

Projects in the real world – common practical issues to overcome

6  Personal styles

Styles to avoid

Styles to encourage

7  Managing your project

What should you manage?

How do you know to take management action?

How should you manage?

Change control and management

Decision making

8  The team

Getting the best from the project team

9  The limits of knowledge

The generalist vs the specialist

What should project managers not do?

Specialist skills that should be recognised as not being the project manager’s job

10  The mechanics of project management

The project manager’s toolkit

What more can you learn?

11  Knowing when to say ‘no’

When do you actually need a project manager?

Knowing the danger signals

Constructively killing projects off

Just say ‘no’

12  The wider context  

Strategy and projects

Operations and projects

Programme management

Portfolio management

Change management

Benefits management

Governance

13  Closing thoughts

Quick reference guide – summary contents

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