What Executives Need to Know about Project Management / Edition 1

by International Institute for Learning, Harold Kerzner, Frank P. Saladis

Overview

As project management has evolved and matured, so has the executive's role in project management. To ensure the success of individual projects and the organization as a whole, today's executives are increasingly involved in activities such as capacity planning, portfolio management, prioritization, and strategic planning specifically for project management. In fact, more and more executives are becoming certified Project Management Professionals (PMPs).

What Executives Need to Know About Project Management offers executives a guide to project management, focusing on what they need to know and what they need to do. It provides step-by-step guidance to help executives get effective, well-resourced project management teams in place and ensure the success of any individual project.

The book begins with basic principles, including a detailed discussion of the three best practices that enable executives to ensure effective project management:

• Developing an environment where project management is viewed as a profession
• Securing key personnel for project management positions
• Creating opportunities for rewards and advancement through successful project management

Next, the book explores how executives serve as executive sponsors in project management teams, setting forth solutions to the many problems and challenges they face in this role, including managing disagreements, delegating authority, and accelerating projects.

The authors explain how the role of the executive sponsor changes depending upon the life-cycle phase of the project. For example, during the project initiation and planning phases, the sponsor may take on a very active role, ensuring that proper objectives are established and that the project plan satisfies the needs of the business as well as the needs of the client. During the execution phase, the sponsor may take on a less active role; however, the book shows how executive sponsors need to become involved when roadblocks appear, crises occur, and conflicts arise over priorities among projects.

Throughout the book, helpful illustrations clarify complex concepts and processes.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780470500811
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	08/17/2009
Series:	The IIL/Wiley Series in Project Management , #2
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

HAROLD D. KERZNER, PH.D., is Senior Executive Director at the International Institute for Learning, Inc., a global learning solutions company that conducts training for leading corporations throughout the world. He is a globally recognized expert on project, program, and portfolio management, total quality management, and strategic planning. Dr. Kerzner is the author of bestselling books and texts, including the acclaimed Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling, Tenth Edition.

FRANK P. SALADIS, PMP, is a Senior Consultant and Trainer for the International Institute for Learning, Inc. and editor of the allPM.com newsletter, a global project management publication. Mr. Saladis was awarded the 2006 Linn Stuckenbruck Person of the Year Award by the Project Management Institute. The award recognizes people who have made significant contributions to the Institute as leaders in project management. Mr. Saladis is the originator of International Project Management Day, held each year to celebrate and recognize project managers from around the world.

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR LEARNING, INC. (IIL) is a global leader in professional training and comprehensive consulting services in the areas of project, program, and portfolio management, PRINCE2^®, business analysis, Microsoft^® Office Project and Project Server, and Lean Six Sigma. IIL is an IIBA-endorsed education provider, a PMI^® charter global registered education provider, and a member of PMI's Silver Alliance Circle and Corporate Council.

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Table of Contents

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xiii

International Institute for Learning, Inc. (IIL) xv

Chapter 1: PROJECT MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES 1

The Triple Constraint 2

Types of Project Resources 4

Chapter 2: THE EVOLUTION OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT 7

Evolution 8

Project Objectives 10

Definition of Success 12

Velocity of Change 14

Authority and Job Descriptions 16

Evaluation of Team Members 18

Accountability 20

Project Management Skills 22

Management Style 24

Project Sponsorship 26

Project Failures 28

Improvement Opportunities 30

Resistance to Change 32

Chapter 3: THE BENEFITS OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT 35

Benefits 36

Quantifying the Benefits 60

Chapter 4: THREE CORE BEST PRACTICES 63

The First Best Practice 64

The Second Best Practice 66

The Third Best Practice 68

Chapter 5: ROLE OF THE EXECUTIVE AS A PROJECT SPONSOR 71

How Executives Interface Projects 72

The Executive Sponsor’s Role 74

Chapter 6: SPECIAL PROBLEMS FACING EXECUTIVES 185

Pushing Sponsorship Down 186

Committee Sponsorship 190

Handling Disagreements with the Sponsor 192

Knowing When to Seek Out the Project Sponsor for Help 194

Types of Sponsor Involvement 196

Placating the (External) Customers 198

Gate Review Meetings 200

Sponsorship Problems 202

The Exit Champion 204

Should a Sponsor Have a Vested Interest? 206

Project Champions versus Exit Champions 208

The Collective Belief 210

Advertising Sponsorship 212

Working with the On-Site Representatives 214

Kickoff Meetings for Projects 216

Taking the Lead 218

Rewarding Project Teams 220

Enterprise Project Management 222

Executive Involvement (with Trade-offs) 224

Chapter 7: NEW CHALLENGES FACING SENIOR MANAGEMENT 227

Measuring Project Management Success after Implementation 228

Success 230

Types of Values 232

Four Cornerstones of Success 234

Success versus Failure 236

High-Level Progress Reporting 238

Validating the Assumptions 240

Accelerating Projects 242

Project Manager Selection 244

Delegation of Authority 246

Visible Support 248

Channels of Communication 250

Avoid Buy-ins 252

Budgeting 254

Working Relationships 256

Chapter 8: ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES FOR EXECUTIVES 259

The New Role for Executives 260

Activities for a Project Management Office 268

The Executive Interface 270

Expectations 272

A Structured Path to Maturity 276

An Unstructured Path to Maturity 278

Conclusions 280

Index 283