Larry Richman - Successful Project Management

Successful Project Management

Third Edition

Third Edition

Larry Richman

Some material in this course has been adapted from Project Management Step-by-Step, by Larry Richman. Copyright 2002 Larry Richman. Published by AMACOM, a division of the American Management Association International, New York, NY. Used by permission of the publisher. All rights reserved. http://www.amacombooks.org .

2011 American Management Association. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

ISBN-10: 0-7612-1488-7

ISBN-13: 978-0-7612-1488-5

Printed in the United States of America.

AMACOM Self Study Program
http://www.amaselfstudy.org/

AMERICAN MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION
http://www.amanet.org

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Successful Project Management, Third Edition, is the introductory course in AMAs self-study program on project management. This practical, concise course covers the fundamentals of project management, focusing on practical skills you can apply immediately to complete projects on time, on budget, and on target.

This course teaches you how to use proven strategies in large or small projects to clarify the objectives, avoid serious errors of omission, and eliminate costly mistakes.

Gain the skills to:

Set measurable project objectives and create a practical plan to achieve them.

Manage the time, cost, and scope of the project.

Lead the project team and manage relationships effectively and productively across the spectrum of project stakeholders.

Modern project management is a premier solution in business and nonprofit organizations. Project managers find success using a structured approach to project planning, scheduling, resourcing, decision making, and management.

This course isnt just for project managers. Team members need to know how to carry out their part of the project, and business executives need to understand how they must support project management efforts in the organization. Now you can master the skills and techniques you need to bring projects in on schedule, and on budget, with Successful Project Management. No matter how complex or extensive your project, youll understand how to exercise the strict planning, tracking, monitoring, and management techniques needed to stay on top of every project.

Course Objective: Develop skills to plan and execute projects to ensure that they meet agreed goals of time, cost, and scope.

Larry Richman is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) with 30 years of experience. As the Director of the Publications and Media Project Office of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, he leads a project office that manages 8,000 printed, audiovisual, software, and Web projects each year in 185 languages. He has also developed and implemented computer-assisted project management systems. Mr. Richman has authored thirteen books, including four on project management, as well as articles in professional journals.

Mr. Richman specializes in teaching the basic principles and processes of project management. As a management consultant, he provides one-on-one coaching to executives and managers and has taught hundreds of corporate employees in classroom settings. Mr. Richman holds an M.S. in Instructional Science and lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.

This course consists of text material for you to read and three types of activities (the pre- and post-test, in-text exercises, and end-of-chapter review questions) for you to complete. These activities are designed to reinforce the concepts introduced in the text portion of the course and to enable you to evaluate your progress.

Both a pre-test and post-test are included in this course. Take the pre-test before you study any of the course material to determine your existing knowledge of the subject matter. Submit one of the scannable answer forms enclosed with this course for grading. On return of the graded pre-test, complete the course material. Take the post-test after you have completed all the course material. By comparing results of the pre-test and the post-test, you can measure how effective the course has been for you.

To have your pre-test and post-test graded, please mail your answer forms to:

Educational Services
American Management Association
P.O. Box 133
Florida, NY 10921

All tests are reviewed thoroughly by our instructors and will be returned to you promptly.

The most important component of this course is the text, where the concepts and methods are presented. Reading each chapter twice will increase the likelihood of your understanding the text fully.

We recommend that you work on this course in a systematic way. Reading the text and working through the exercises at a regular and steady pace will help ensure that you get the most out of this course and retain what you have learned.

In your first reading, concentrate on getting an overview of the chapter content. Read the learning objectives at the beginning of the chapter first. They will act as guidelines to the major topics of the chapter and identify the skills you should master as you study the text. As you read the chapter, pay attention to the headings and subheadings. Find the general theme of each section and see how that theme relates to others. Dont let yourself get bogged down with details during the first reading; simply concentrate on understanding and remembering the major themes.

In your second reading, look for the details that underlie the themes. Read the entire chapter carefully and methodically, underlining key points, working out the details of examples, and making marginal notes as you go. Complete the activities.

Interspersed with the text of each chapter you will find a series of activities. These can take a variety of forms, including essays, short-answer quizzes, or charts and questionnaires. Completing the activities will enable you to try out new ideas, practice and improve new skills, and test your understanding of the course content.

After reading a chapter and before going on to the next chapter, work through the Review Questions. Answering the questions and comparing your answers to those given will help you grasp the major ideas of that chapter. If you perform these self-check exercises consistently, you will develop a framework in which to place material presented in later chapters.

The American Management Association will continue to grade examinations and tests for one year after the courses out-of-print date.

If you have questions regarding the tests, the grading, or the course itself, call Educational Services at 1-800-225-3215 or send an e-mail to ed_svc@amanet.org.

.

Successful Project Management

Third Edition