Visual Project Management

Visualizing Project Management

Project management is widely recognized as the new frontier in productivity, quality assurance, and product development—a vista of opportunity in an otherwise shrinking corporate landscape. Fortune magazine compared the deepening cuts in middle management to the extinction of the dinosaur—with project managers cast as wily mammals evolving to rule the corporate jungle. If you would rather be a mammal than a dinosaur, it's time to adapt to the changing business environment. But project management is a complex and perilous process—the failure rate among project teams is alarmingly high—and few succeed without an open mind, a tenacious spirit, and a good teacher.

Visualizing Project Management offers the combined wisdom of three of the best and most experienced project managers in the business. Kevin Forsberg and Hal Mooz have trained more than 20,000 project managers in hundreds of organizations, including GTE, AT&T, NASA, and Whirlpool. Drawing on hands-on management experience at IBM, Intel, and Lockheed, the three authors present a time-tested, field-proven approach to learning, mastering, and implementing the project management process. They define 10 essential elements of project management and present models that illustrate how each element fits into the overall project picture. Planned, sequential project cycle events are separated from situational management and leadership elements, which are portrayed in a three-dimensional model.

Supplemented with outstanding graphic charts and helpful analogies, the book features succinct sections and an engaging, easy-to-follow style to help accelerate comprehension. Its quick-access structure makes it a handy reference for established project managers and a wise long-term investment for students and trainees.

You can't avoid the changes brought to corporate managerial structure by increased global competition and the blinding pace of technological innovation. You can, however, face those changes, embrace them, and forge a new and exciting future for yourself and your organization. Visualizing Project Management introduces that future, anticipates its opportunities and pitfalls, and helps you adapt your talents and abilities in order to grow and thrive in the business climate of the twenty-first century.

an innovative approach to project management— clear, precise, and detailed

Project management is the wave of the future. In this unparalleled guide, three major figures in project management draw upon decades of experience to bring you the most reliable, authoritative, and practical resource available for mastering the tools and techniques of project management. Using clear, succinct language, helpful analogies, and memorable visual aids, they show you how to visualize the universal project cycle, see opportunities when they arise, and avoid pitfalls along the way. They demonstrate how visualization can help you make the tough decisions within the project framework, follow through with your successes, and correct errors before the damage gets out of hand.

This superlative guide to managing projects successfully

Defines the essential elements for visualizing project management such as common vocabulary, commitment to teamwork, and project cycle planning

Presents a unique orthogonal model that separates the sequential project cycle from situational leadership and management components

Provides exceptional graphic charts and 3-D models to help you visualize every piece of the project puzzle and see how it fits into the overall picture

Regardless of your current position or specialty, Visualizing Project Management helps you ensure a prosperous future in an increasingly unpredictable business climate.

Kevin Forsberg, Ph.D., is coprincipal of the Center for Systems Management where he serves international clients in project management. He has 40 years of experience in the project management environment and earned the NASA Public Service Medal for his contributions to the Space Shuttle Program.

Hal Mooz is co-principal of the Center for Systems Management, one of two prosperous training and consulting companies he established that specialize in the disciplines associated with project management. He is co-founder of the Certificate in Project Management program at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Howard Cotterman is President of Cognitive Corporation which specializes in computer-based training. His 30 years of project management experience began with the development of IBM's first microprocessor and includes development and manufacturing projects at NCR, Intel, and Rockwell International.