Understanding Project Management: A Practical Guide

In the second edition of Understanding Project Management, skilled expert Dave C. Barrett offers a well-updated, practical real-world guide for current and aspiring project managers. Using concise and approachable language, the second edition features new concept illustrations, a greater consistency with the Project Management Body of Knowledge terminology, and additional case studies in the updated instructor resources. Taking the reader through an ongoing case study from initiation to completion, the text reinforces the importance of managing key aspects of a project, including its scope, quality, schedule, and budget, and explores the less tangible challenges that can often derail a project or lead to its success.

This newly updated edition offers authentic project management documents produced alongside the project case study and equips readers with a solid understanding of why specific processes are used, why certain decisions are made, and how pieces of project management fit together. Suitable for any discipline or industry, Understanding Project Management, Second Edition, promises to be an engaging and worthwhile read.

FEATURES:

• Additional key terms, illustrations, practical examples, and references to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, Sixth Edition
• Readers follow an ongoing case study, gaining insight into the thought processes and resulting actions of a project manager, including the creation of project documents
• Robust instructor resources include new case studies that can be used for in-class activities and case study extensions of additional situations and problems to discuss with students

Understanding Project Management offers a concise, practical guide to initiating, planning, executing, and closing a project. In clear, accessible language, Dave C. Barrett reviews fundamental concepts; the importance of taking into consideration scope, time, cost, quality, human and material resources, and risks; and less tangible factors that derail a project or lead to its success. Structured around an ongoing case study, the text gives readers the opportunity to see a project from inception to completion from a project manager’s point of view. By following the thought processes of the project manager, including her development of documentation, readers will understand why specific decisions are made, how issues are resolved, and how information is communicated among team members and with stakeholders. The text concludes with an overview of Agile delivery, an alternative to traditional project management.

New to this edition are additional examples and illustrations to further demonstrate key concepts and updated terminology aligned with the Project Management Institute’s Project Management Body of Knowledge. Supplementary resources are available to instructors, including additional case studies, chapter-specific slides, a test bank, and template documents. Applicable to any industry and project, the second edition of Understanding Project Management is the ideal how-to resource for aspiring and practising project management professionals.