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Smart Things to Know about Managing Projects

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Smart Things to Know about Managing Projects

Capstone,

15 min read
10 take-aways
Text available

What's inside?

Approach project management just as you would any big task: break it down into individual steps and tread carefully.

Editorial Rating

6

Qualities

  • Well Structured
  • For Beginners

Recommendation

Author Donna Deeprose takes you inside the process of setting up and coordinating a project. Her book, a project in itself, no doubt, is as clear and well-organized as the work plan you’ll be able to create when you finish reading it. As befits an author in the hands-on "Smart Things to Know" series, Deeprose provides charts, tables and worksheets for designing project activities, as well as a dandy summary of key points at the end of each chapter. She addresses planning in detail and offers examples of how to organize and present your project’s master plan. While she does not skimp on straightforward logistics, the author emphasizes complex projects, where you have to plan for multiple activities and work with a team of people handling tasks of varying intricacy. Some of the general ideas about planning might be fairly familiar and obvious, but getAbstract.com recommends this book for its greatest strength: a solid presentation of specific procedures.

Summary

Getting Results on Time and in Budget

If your company is addressing projects by deploying cross-functional teams, you will need more than cooperation to succeed, although that’s a great start. You have to define your project activities carefully, and then plan and establish precise systems to coordinate different activities. The standard reference work that you may want at hand, A Guide to Project Management Body of Knowledge, is published by the professional organization of project managers (who have dubbed it the PMBOK(r) for short).

A project is not just a collection of chores, big and small. Rather, it is the work you need to get done in order to achieve particular results in a set time period based on a specified budget. Such a project involves a temporary set of tasks leading to a unique product or service. It has a specified start and finish, although the results can last long after the project is completed. Working on a project is like traveling a road to reach a goal. You need a map to guide you, but you know you’re going to make course corrections as you travel.

Projects vs. Operations

Projects and operations both demand being flexible, working...

About the Author

Donna Deeprose is the author of two books on work teams, The Team Coach and Recharge Your Team, as well as How to Recognize and Reward Employees. She is the co-author of an adaptable business simulation, Teams@work.

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