Project Management Basics in 60 Minutes - 2nd Edition

Tom Henricksen

Project Management Basics in 60 Minutes - 2nd Edition

Copyright © 2024 by Tom Henricksen

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First edition

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Contents

Preface

I. PROJECT MANAGEMENT BASICS

1. Why Do We Need Project Management?

2. Project Management Basics

3. Starting a Project

4. Planning a Project

5. Building a Project

6. Running a Project

7. Project Management Skills

8. Handling the Project Change

9. Completing a Project

10. Conclusion

11. Acknowledgments

12. Appendix: Project Management Terminology

II. COMMUNICATION FOR PROJECT MANAGERS

13. Connect to Communicate better

14. Did you hear me? Before speaking, listen first

15. Know what you’re going to say, how to communicate your message

III. TEAMWORK FOR PROJECT MANAGERS

16. Its Unparalleled Spirit for Teamwork

17. Remarkable Influence You Need To Know

18. Bottom Line Overcome Credibility Gaps

19. Astonishing Team Norms and Vulnerability Truth Are Out

About the Author

Preface

It has been a few years since this work was published. I wanted to expand it to give more value. The project manager role continues to be challenged with new responsibilities. For that reason, I added sections on communication and teamwork. Two vital areas to completing work.

I

Project Management Basics

Here are the basics updated for the second edition.

1

Why Do We Need Project Management?

I have to admit, I have not always understood how important project management is. The first few projects I worked on didn’t have a project manager, and I was able to complete them. Then I started to work on some larger projects with more people involved, and we had major issues meeting deadlines. There was little to no coordination between all of the developers and organizations involved.

A few years later, I worked with a project manager. We had a lot of status meetings that I thought were unnecessary. However, as the project progressed, those meetings helped us coordinate deliverables and meet objectives. Without those meetings and a lot of the planning the project manager did, we would have witnessed a disaster similar to previous projects without coordination.

I would like to discuss some of the major issues that can arise when we don’t have good project management. I have learned a few of these myself, and others I have gleaned from project management professionals.

Jump into Execution

One of the major issues that pushes projects off course is jumping into the execution phase immediately. If we are under pressure from management to complete something quickly, this method seems like a good idea. However, although you may show quick progress, it can lead to many common project management pitfalls.

No Clear Goals

When we start working right away, we neglect to answer some important questions, the first of which is, What is our goal? We may think we know what is supposed to happen. When we understand the underlying goals and objectives, we have a better chance of success. Clearly defined