Introduction
Jargon-free
Written in a similar tone and style to her previous 2 books, Practical Project Stakeholder Management, and Practical Remote Team Leadership, her latest offering is a welcome change from many jargon-heavy texts about project management.
This concise book is packed with many of the core concepts and subjects that Emanuela covers in her popular short project management courses.
Key skill
With project management becoming a key skill in many jobs in recent years, the recovery from the Covid pandemic is only likely to accelerate this trend.
Most people develop their project management skills through practical experience, supplemented by project management training where they can learn the theory. This book will help anyone who wants to apply the theory on their projects.
Standards and approaches
Sometimes though, the plethora of project management approaches such as PRINCE2, and standards such as the PMBOK Guide can be a source of frustration to many people who don’t necessarily want to go down the road of professional certification.
Right at the start of the book, the author explains that it is not the choice of project management method which delivers project success. Often, project failures come about because the focus was on a scripted methodology, rather than understanding the spirit of the methodology.
It is this insight which informs the remainder of the book.
Practical skills
In this book, the author condenses best-practice project management methods into a very practical and easy to read guide. All the best practices in the book will also complement the approaches of popular methods such as PRINCE2 and the PMBOK Guide standard.
Real world experience
The book is based upon the author’s extensive real-world experience. Her insight has enabled her to focus on the things which really matter when setting up and executing projects. Packed with an extensive list of templates, the reader will find these customisable templates fit most projects.
Chapters
The book follows a logical flow, starting with some core project management definitions before moving on to explaining the project life cycle. The key roles of the project management team are explained, along with the core concept of the project management triangle. The book then explains what you need when starting up a project, and the importance of a business case.
One of the examples of the author’s real-world experience is her recommendation to use a clarifications log. This seeks to eliminate ambiguity with the aim of seeking clarity. Over the years, this has proven to be one of the author’s ‘best friends’ when managing projects. Although it is a very simple concept, like many of the tools and techniques she recommends in the book, it is effective.
The book then moves on to explain the OSCARRSS (that’s her simple, sensible, scalable project plan). Knowing what to write into a project plan is one of the greatest challenges that a project manager needs to overcome on a project. This is covered in several chapters which explain how to set SMART objectives, how to define and prioritise scope, and clarify constraints and assumptions.
Risk management, stakeholder management and issue and change management are key aspects to any project, and these are covered in the book and all come with practical processes and templates.
Remaining core elements of the project plan are covered, including how to make a realistic and achievable project schedule, and how to estimate and set a budget. The book then moves onto describing status reporting and how to track project progress and includes her 5 top tips for keeping a project on track. What to do when closing a project is also covered.
The author finishes off the book with some practical advice about standardising on a project methodology. She includes her project management mantras based upon her own experience, and some pointers towards the key ‘soft-skills’ which any project manager needs to be effective in their role.
As a quick and easy guide to project management to help you get up and running with your projects, this book is one of the best I have read. Free of jargon and with plenty of real-world examples, this book is a must-have addition to the toolkit of any aspiring or experienced project manager.
Availability
Barnes and Noble
Format: Nook book BN ID: 2940163020478
Amazon
Format: Paperback, Kindle BN ID: 979-8683072964
Kobo
Format: EPUB 2 BN ID: 1230004183631
