Highlights for Readers

Ch. 1: Introduction to Project Management Project Management is planning a one-time undertaking and then seeing it through to completion with customers successfully using the deliverables created. Covered in Chapter 1 are: Project Success Project Life Cycles and Project Roles

Introduction Topics Project Success: Project Life Cycles Customer success, meeting agreements, business success, participant success Project Life Cycles Traditional planning (waterfall): plan all first, then execute Agile (adaptive): high level plan first, then detailed planning and executing Key Project Roles Sponsor, project manager (PM), and team

Overview of Remaining Chapters Selecting and Initiating a Project Engaging your Team and Other Stakeholders Determining What Your Project will Deliver Project Scheduling Budgeting and Baselining Your Project Directing Project Performance Appendix: Templates

Ch. 2: Selecting and Initiating a Project To best achieve organizational objectives, it is critical to select a good portfolio of projects and get them off to a good start. Covered in Chapter 2: Selecting Projects Initiating Projects with Charters

Selecting Projects Projects are investments and part of the work portfolio of the organization Organizations have limited time and people Projects compete with other work for selection Executives should select, prioritize, resource, and govern projects Some organizations have a project management office to oversee project work

Initiating Projects with Charters Charters help everyone: Understand the project and why it is important, Commit to the project, Reject impractical projects. Charters include: 3 Ws: What, why, when 3 Rs: Risks, resources, routines, 3 Cs: communication needs, collection of knowledge, commitment. The team drafts the charter and the sponsor approves with changes

Summary of Selecting and Initiating Projects A portfolio of projects are often selected by a team of executives to best achieve organizational goals subject to resource limits. An individual project is ideally initiated by the PM and team drafting a charter which they take to the sponsor for approval possibly with adaptations.