Managing Business Projects The Essentials

Managing Business Projects: The Essentials differs from many other project management textbooks. Foremost, it is about business projects as opposed to construction or engineering projects. Although many techniques, like schedule management, apply to both, they are usually applied differently. As its title conveys, the book explains the essential techniques and perspectives needed for business projects to be successful. The focus is on small- and medium-sized projects, up to $20 million, but often below $1 million. Some literature favors large and mega-projects, but for every mega-project, there are many thousands of smaller projects that are vital to the organization and could involve considerable complexity and risk. Nevertheless, the techniques outlined here also apply to mega-projects and their many subprojects; they even apply to some aspects of construction or engineering projects. This book does not aim to cover all project management techniques. In real life there is simply no time for sophisticated ‘should-dos.' Rather, it covers the essentials that apply to almost all business projects; these are unlikely to change in the future even as technology and methodologies advance. The driving idea, which is stated repeatedly, is to do the essentials and to do them consistently and well. Strong emphasis is placed on things that happen before, around, and after the project itself. So, while the basic disciplines like engaging with stakeholders, managing scope, schedules, costs, risks, issues, changes, and communication, are thoroughly explained, other important aspects are covered. These include: governance of a project and of a portfolio of projects, project selection with its financial and non-financial aspects, effective use of the business case through to benefits realization, procurement, outsourcing and partnership, and also the agile mindset that is valuable beyond Agile projects. Besides project managers and sponsors, thisbook is intended for people who are working in business or government, at any level, or for MBA students. It offers perspectives that enable them to learn more from their everyday experience. It is not aimed at undergraduate students, although many would benefit from the contents.

Part 1. Overview of the Book and of Business Project Management1. Introduction to the Book2. Business Projects and Their Management3. Methodology from Unusual Angles4. The Business Project Environment Part 2. Core Elements of Business Project Management5. Engaging with Stakeholders6. Project Definition7. Scope Definition8. Project Estimating9. Project Scheduling10. Managing Project Quality11. Managing Project Risk12. Progress and Cost Tracking13. Project Teams and Organization14. Managing Project Issues15. Project Change Control16. Project Monitoring, Control, and Communication17. Governance of a Project18. Closing the Project Part 3. Special Topics Related to Business Project Management19. Governance for a Portfolio of Projects20. The Business Case End-To-End21. Project Selection – Financial and Non-Financial Criteria22. Project Procurement, Outsourcing, and Partnership23. OCM – Organizational Change Management24. Contracts for Business Projects25. Project Review26. Ethical Conduct and Adherence to Legislation27. Project Negotiation28. Managing International Projects29. Dealing with Some Realities in Business Projects30. Agile Approaches31. Digital Tools for Project Management32. Trends: The Future of Business Project Management Part4. Wrap Up of the Book and Study Materials33. Wrap Up and How to Achieve Success34. Study Guide35. Quizzes and Answers36. Cases to Support Your Learning37. Answers for Cases Appendix 1: Glossary of Terms and AcronymsAppendix 2:Scheduling Theory: Precedence DiagramsAppendix 3: Two Useful Templates

Frank Einhorn has specialized in project management since 1992, with a focus on business projects enabled by IT. He graduated with a BSc Honours in Electrical Engineering, and after gaining several years of engineering experience overseas, returned to do an MBA at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Then followed a career with IBM involving IT consulting, architecting IT solutions, systems engineering management, account and sales management, HR management, and finally project management. He worked with customers in many industries, but mainly banking, insurance, mining, and public sector utilities. Frank became a PMP (Project Management Professional) in 1995. From 2003 he did freelance project management and consulting. Besides the PMI standards, he is familiar with PRINCE2 and the methodologies used in IBM and several of its customers. Since 2010 Frank has also been a sessional lecturer at Wits University Business School, and currently convenes their executive education programmes in project management. In 2018, he completed a PhD at the University of Johannesburg focused on the effective use of business cases.