Verzuh - The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management

Cover image: iStock.com/marigold_88

Cover design: Wiley

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Copyright 2016 by Eric Verzuh. All rights reserved

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with the respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom.

For general information about our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at (800) 762-2974, outside the United States at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002.

Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Verzuh, Eric.

The fast forward MBAba in project management / Eric Verzuh. Fifth edition.

1 online resource. (Fast forward mba series)

Revised edition of the author's The fast forward MBAba in project management, 2011.

Includes index.

Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.

ISBN 978-1-119-08667-3 (pdf) ISBN 978-1-119-08658-1 (epub)
ISBN 978-1-119-14822-7 (hardback); ISBN 978-1-119-08657-4 (paperback)

1. Project management. I. Title.

HD69.P75

658.404dc23

2015032111

The following downloadable forms mentioned in the book are available online from www.VersatileCompany.com/FFMBAinPM. Original purchasers of this book can then open, edit, and print any of the documents using Microsoft Word or other word processing software.

1. Checklist for Successful Projects
2. Project Proposal
3. Stakeholder Analysis
4. Project Charter
5. Statement of Work
6. Small Project Statement of Work
7. Responsibility Matrix
8. Definition Checklist
9. Risk Analysis Template
10. Risk Log
11. Home Landscape Action Plan
12. Planning Checklist
13. Kickoff Checklist
14. Communication Plan
15. Task Assignment
16. Meeting Agenda
17. Status Report
18. Control Checklist
19. Closure Report
20. Change Log
21. Change Request
22. Issues Log

Project management remains a dynamic field, moving forward through the accumulated effort of many thousands of professionals who face new, interesting challenges and then generously share their lessons learned during conferences, at trade shows, through associations and over coffee with friends.

I have the privilege to both travel with the project management movement and to record the journey. To all of the project teams and project leaders who continue to innovate and move the state of the art forward, I wish to thank you for your example and the freedom with which you share what you learn.

There are, of course, particular friends and colleagues that made a direct contribution to this fifth edition, and to whom I owe particular recognition.

Don Kingsberry and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, who do so much for improving lives around the world, will now be contributing to excellence in project management. Thank you for sharing the details of your Enterprise Project Management Office.

Robert Cooper is a world-renowned expert on new product development. For this edition he offered his insights on the most current practices for launching successful new products. Working with Dr. Cooper is a delight and an education.

Tim Creasey enthusiastically accepted my invitation to contribute his expertise on change management, the practices that motivate employees to change their behavior in support of project goals. Tim and his company, Prosci, are building a body of research in this field and are tireless advocates of the value of change management on projects. I appreciate his willingness to become involved in this book and to accept my editorial direction.

Mandy Dietz epitomizes the synthesis required to effectively lead projects. She long ago mastered the science of project management, and she is expert at integrating additional concepts from process management and leadership. I rely on her facilitation skills to delight our customers and appreciate her contribution to this edition with insights on stakeholder management.

Donna McEwen has a gift for translating her substantial leadership experience into practical advice in a manner that is constantly engaging. She has been a valued member of our team for well over a decade. Donna ensured the new content on Scrum and product development stayed relevant to project managers.

Both Sam Huffman and Tony Johnson examined and updated the chapters they had developed for previous editions, on Microsoft Project and PMP Exam Preparation, respectively. I appreciate the friendship and support of these two experts.

At the risk of missing other friends who spent time discussing this edition, I wish to recognize several who made valuable suggestions: Ernie Baker, Ralph Kliem, Robin Nicklas, Dale Christenson, Jeff Lynch, Jon Wagner, and Barry Otterholt.

Richard Narramore, my editor at John Wiley & Sons, excels at the role of catalyst, expanding my vision for this edition and providing the critical voice of the customer. Seventeen years ago, an editor at Wiley took a risk on an unpublished author. I am very grateful for the opportunity that Wiley provides and the partnership that continues.

My wife, Marlene Kissler, again played the critical role of sounding board and editor. This book is readable because she reads it first.

Eric Verzuh

Eric Verzuh is president of The Versatile Company, a project management training and consulting firm based in Seattle, Washington.

His company trains thousands of professionals every year in the fundamentals of successful project management, including how to get the most out of Microsoft Project. Versatile's consulting practice focuses on helping firms establish consistent, practical methods for managing their projects and implementing Microsoft's enterprise project management solution. The company's client list includes large corporations as well as government agencies, small companies, and nonprofit organizations.