IT Project Management Essentials, 2013 Edition

Written by project management experts with decades of experience IT Project Management Essentials is a hands-on resource guide for anyone assigned as a project manager through the process of designing, developing, and implementing an IT goal.

IT Project Management Essentials provides proven techniques for scheduling and management along with the essential tools, such as stakeholder analysis and reports, for managing all along the way. Written in a practical how-to style and organized to give you fast access to specific information, this book not only explains the project management process but also takes you step-by-step through the implementation of any IT goal.

IT Project Management Essentials delivers valuable, professional insights into every aspect of project management, including:

• Defining a Project
• Task Planning and Sequencing
• Schedule Development
• Budget Development
• Risk Analysis
• Managing Stakeholders
• Business Continuity Planning
• Project Information Security
• Legal Issues
• And much more!

IT Project Management Essentials keeps you alert to the important topics to look out for in any project. You'll find:

• Techniques for improving the quality of the project management process through the application of a Balanced Scorecard and Lean Six Sigma
• An explanation of Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) and how it applies to both the project creation process as well as the product creation process
• Complete coverage of disaster recovery/business continuity and how this can be built into both the project process as well as the final product
• Complete coverage of information security and the issues that the project manager must consider during the design and execution of a project

The 2013 Edition has been updated to include:

• A new PMO manual example
• Updated discussion of PMO functions and a new section on PMO manuals
• A new chapter on implementation
• A new chapter on service level agreements
• A new chapter on hiring project managers
• An example list of questions to test project management expertise and a template to mark PM candidate scores
• And much more!

• 1. What Is IT Project Management?
  • Six Project Management Elements
  • Project Management Basic Activities
  • Three Management Levels
  • Evaluating Project Viability
  • Asking the Correct Questions
  • Developing the Twenty Questions
  • ABCs of Project Management Issues
  • Some Project Management Advantages and Limitations
  • Using Essential Terms
• 2. Defining a Project
  • Project Initiation - Taking the First Step
  • Assembling a Project Notebook
  • Assembling a Project Charter
  • Project Definition and Scope
  • Defining Assumptions
  • Risk Management Plan
  • Scope Definition - Developing a Work Breakdown Schedule
  • Scope Definition - Developing a Responsibility Matrix
  • Project Scope Verification
  • Scope Management Plan
  • Project Steering Committee
• 3. Task Planning and Sequencing
  • Creating a Work Breakdown Structure
  • WBS Techniques
  • Numbering for Future Identification
• 4. Resource Planning
  • Build a Plan
  • Visualize What Is Needed
  • Team Members Required
  • Equipment (Machines)
  • Materials
  • Process (Method)
  • Environment
  • Planning the End-Game Now
  • Management Involvement
• 5. Time Estimation
  • Definition
  • Time Estimation Guidelines
  • Function Point Analysis Overview
  • COCOMO
  • Add Administrative Tasks to the Plan
  • Time Estimation Pitfalls
• 6. Schedule Development
  • Linking Tasks
  • Developing a Schedule
  • Milestones
  • Project Administration Time
  • Calendar
  • Gantt Charts
  • PERT/CPM Techniques
  • Refining a Schedule
• 7. Implementation
  • A Clean Handover to Support
  • Move to Production
  • Ongoing Maintenance
  • Customer Preparations
  • Follow Up
  • Hope for the Best, but Prepare for the Worst
• 8. Budget Development
  • Budgets Begin with Cost Estimates
  • Creating Cost Estimates
  • Refining Cost Estimates
  • Converting Estimates into a Budget
  • Revising a Budget
• 9. Risk Analysis
  • Risk Definition
  • Risk and Opportunity Are Two Sides of the Same Coin
  • Developing a Risk Management Plan
  • Categorizing Risk
  • Working the Critical Risks
  • Risk Mitigation
  • Managing Risk
• 10. Controlling Quality
  • Quality Process Definition
  • Controlling the Quality Effort
  • Continuous Improvement
• 11. Managing Stakeholders
  • Stakeholder Planning
  • Identifying Stakeholders
  • Typical Stakeholders
  • Meet the Stakeholders!
  • Stakeholder Communications
  • Know the Audience
  • Stakeholder Communications Plan
• 12. Project Management Office Processes and Tools
  • How to Do It
  • Project Portfolio Management
  • Processes and Tools
  • PMO Procedure Manuals
  • Resource Management
  • Project Status Reporting
  • Training
  • Program Management
• 13. Project Documentation
  • Project Documentation Essentials
  • Documentation Format
  • PMO Reference Library
  • Potential Project Documents
  • Project Scope and Definition Planning
  • Project Execution
  • Vendor Management
• 14. Project Kick-Off Meeting
  • The Importance of a Good First Impression
  • The Value of This New Project
  • Conducting This Project
  • The Big Finish
• 15. Service Level Agreements
  • SLAs Are a Focused Solution
  • Essential Elements of an SLA
  • SLA Template
• 16. Training the Project Team
  • The Role of the Project Manager
  • The Role of the Project Team Members
  • The Role of the Project Sponsor
  • The Role of the Project Support Team
• 17. Hiring Project Managers
  • Describe the Role
  • Interview Preparations
  • Meeting the Candidates
  • Extending an Offer
• 18. The Driven Project Manager
  • Careful Planning Is Essential
  • Relationships
  • Pressing Forward
• 19. Lean Six Sigma Applied to Project Management
  • Lean Processes Defined
  • Six Sigma - A Quick Primer
  • Traditional Six Sigma
  • Design for Six Sigma
• 20. PRINCE2: The UK Standard
  • What Is PRINCE2?
  • PRINCE2 Is Product Focused
  • PRINCE2's Eight-Step Process
  • Management of Risk
  • Quality in a Project Environment
  • Strengths and Weaknesses of PRINCE2
  • Certification in PRINCE2
  • How Does PRINCE2 Compare to PMI's PMBOK?
• 21. P2M - Project Management Japanese Style
  • The Tower of P2M
  • Project Management
  • Program Management
  • P2M Templates
  • P2M Certifications
• 22. Agile Project Management
  • Cultivating an Agile Culture
  • Features and Tasks
  • Estimate and Plan with Metrics
  • The Agile Development Cycle
  • Agile Methods and Best Practices
• 23. Scrum
  • Roles
  • Product Planning
  • Sprints
  • Fitting Scrum to the Team
• 24. Business Continuity Planning
  • Background
  • Identify the Critical Processes
  • Identify Risks (Threats)
  • Other Risk Considerations
  • Develop Action Plans to Address Risk
  • Planning the Next Step
  • Writing a Plan
  • Sources of Additional Information
• 25. Project Information Security
  • Adding Information Security to a Project
  • Information Security Basics
  • Risk Assessment
  • Information Security Processes
  • Information Security Plan
  • Offsite Support
  • Sources of Further Information
• 26. Capability Maturity Model Integration
  • Maturity Models
  • Level 1 - Initial (Chaos)
  • Level 2 - Managed
  • Level 3 - Defined
  • Level 4 - Quantitatively Managed
  • Level 5 - Optimizing
  • Using CMMI in Your Organization
  • Rating a Company's CMMI Level
• 27. Theory of Constraints
  • The Basics of Critical Chain Management
  • The Problem with Time Estimates
  • Project Management the Constraints Way
  • Executing a Project Using TOC
  • Software Tools
• 28. Operational Readiness Review
  • Preparing forthe ORR
  • Conducting the Review
• 29. Problem Solving for Project Managers
  • Process Problems
  • Define Problem
  • Gather Process Data
  • Process Analysis Tool Chest
  • Create Hypothetical Solution
  • Implementing the Change
• 30. Managing a Troubled Project
  • Don't Panic - Is There Really a Problem?
  • Call in the Project Doctor!
  • Diagnosing the Problem(s)
• 31. Virtual Project Management
  • The Virtual Worker
  • Establishing a Virtual Office
  • Leading a Virtual Team
  • Virtual Project Management Office
• 32. Greening Your Project
  • Green Technology in a Nutshell
  • The True Cost of New Technologies
  • Plan for Optimal Utilization
  • Include in the Operations Section of Your Plan
• 33. The Art of Requirements Gathering
  • Project Stakeholders: Each Holds a Piece of the Puzzle
  • Describing a Requirement
  • Assembling Specifications
  • Interrogation of Stakeholders
  • Validating the Project's Requirements
• 34. Prototyping for IT Projects
  • Utilizing Prototypes
  • Prototype Techniques
  • Ten Basic Questions for Prototype Design
  • Project Planning for Prototypes
  • Putting It All Together
• 35. Web 2.0 and Project Communications
  • Collaborating Using Web 2.0
  • Social Networking
  • Syndication