Essential Project Management Skills

222 Pages·2010·5.432 MB·English

by  Kerry Wills

Essential Project
Management Skills
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Essential Project
Management Skills
Kerry R. Wills
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CRC Press
Taylor & Francis Group
6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300
Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742
© 2010 by Taylor and Francis Group, LLC
CRC Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business
No claim to original U.S. Government works
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
International Standard Book Number: 978-1-4398-2716-1 (Hardback)
This book contains information obtained from authentic and highly regarded sources. Reasonable efforts
have been made to publish reliable data and information, but the author and publisher cannot assume
responsibility for the validity of all materials or the consequences of their use. The authors and publishers
have attempted to trace the copyright holders of all material reproduced in this publication and apologize to
copyright holders if permission to publish in this form has not been obtained. If any copyright material has
not been acknowledged please write and let us know so we may rectify in any future reprint.
Except as permitted under U.S. Copyright Law, no part of this book may be reprinted, reproduced, transmit-
ted, or utilized in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented,
including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system,
without written permission from the publishers.
For permission to photocopy or use material electronically from this work, please access www.copyright.
com (http://www.copyright.com/) or contact the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. (CCC), 222 Rosewood
Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400. CCC is a not-for-profit organization that provides licenses and
registration for a variety of users. For organizations that have been granted a photocopy license by the CCC,
a separate system of payment has been arranged.
Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used
only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wills, Kerry R.
Essential project management skills / Kerry R. Wills.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4398-2716-1 (alk. paper)
1. Project management. I. Title.
HD69.P75W559 2010
658.4’04--dc22 2009051623
Visit the Taylor & Francis Web site at
http://www.taylorandfrancis.com
and the CRC Press Web site at
http://www.crcpress.com
K11341.indb 4 4/16/10 3:44:18 PM
CRC Press
Taylor & Francis Group
6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300
Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742
© 2010 by Taylor and Francis Group, LLC
CRC Press is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business
No claim to original U.S. Government works
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
International Standard Book Number: 978-1-4398-2716-1 (Hardback)
This book contains information obtained from authentic and highly regarded sources. Reasonable efforts
have been made to publish reliable data and information, but the author and publisher cannot assume
responsibility for the validity of all materials or the consequences of their use. The authors and publishers
have attempted to trace the copyright holders of all material reproduced in this publication and apologize to
copyright holders if permission to publish in this form has not been obtained. If any copyright material has
not been acknowledged please write and let us know so we may rectify in any future reprint.
Except as permitted under U.S. Copyright Law, no part of this book may be reprinted, reproduced, transmit-
ted, or utilized in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented,
including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system,
without written permission from the publishers.
For permission to photocopy or use material electronically from this work, please access www.copyright.
com (http://www.copyright.com/) or contact the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. (CCC), 222 Rosewood
Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400. CCC is a not-for-profit organization that provides licenses and
registration for a variety of users. For organizations that have been granted a photocopy license by the CCC,
a separate system of payment has been arranged.
Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used
only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging‑in‑Publication Data
Wills, Kerry R.
Essential project management skills / Kerry R. Wills.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4398-2716-1 (alk. paper)
1. Project management. I. Title.
HD69.P75W559 2010
658.4’04--dc22 2009051623
Visit the Taylor & Francis Web site at
http://www.taylorandfrancis.com
and the CRC Press Web site at
http://www.crcpress.com
vi  •  Contents
2.8 Additional Rigor: Process and Tools ............................41
2.8.1 Additional Planning .........................................43
2.8.2 Applicability ......................................................43
2.9 Changing Workforce: Specialized Resources .............45
2.9.1 High-Demand Resources ................................46
2.9.2 Missing the Big Picture .....................................47
2.10 Changing Workforce: Mobile Resources ....................48
2.10.1 Losing Key Resources Impacts Success ..........50
2.11 Summary of Impacts ......................................................52
Chapter 3 The New Project Management Skills ..............................55
3.1 Overview ..........................................................................55
3.1.1 Additional Rigor ................................................55
3.1.2 Consultative Approach ....................................56
3.1.3 Managing Information ....................................56
3.1.4 Leadership ..........................................................57
3.2 Additional Rigor .............................................................57
3.2.1 Diligent Project Planning .................................58
3.2.2 Use a Standard Methodology
for Delivery .........................................................73
3.2.3 Use Resources Intelligently ..............................75
3.2.4 Diligent Project Management ..........................83
3.2.5 Use Metrics Appropriately ...............................93
3.2.6 Improve Competencies .....................................97
3.3 Consultative Approach ................................................102
3.3.1 Relationship Focus ..........................................106
3.3.2 Influencing........................................................112
3.3.3 Self-Management ............................................122
3.3.4 Political Savvy ..................................................130
3.4 Managing Information ...............................................134
3.4.1 Proper Communications Planning ...............136
3.4.2 Gathering Information: Visibility .................140
3.4.3 Presenting and Sharing Information ............147
3.5 Leading the Team ........................................................154
3.5.1 Motivating Team Members ............................155
3.5.2 Empower the Team..........................................162
3.5.3 Be a Champion for the Team .........................169
3.5.4 Handling Conflicts and Difficult People ......175
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Contents  •  vii
Chapter 4 Summary .........................................................................181
4.1 Tying It All Together ....................................................181
4.1.1 Planning Is an Investment .............................182
4.1.2 Constant Diligence ..........................................184
4.1.3 Making Time for the Right Things ...............185
4.1.4 Recognizing That People Will Make
the Project Successful ......................................187
4.1.5 Be Conscious ....................................................188
4.1.6 Situational Adaptation ....................................188
4.2 Summary of Techniques and Skills ...........................190
References ............................................................................................195
Index ....................................................................................................197
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Preface
I have been in the project management field my entire career and have
read many books and trade journals in this domain, the majority of which
focused on specific techniques and disciplines, such as risk management
or the creation of a work breakdown structure. I studied similar topics
when I attended project management conferences and listened to the pre-
senters. As a result, I started to develop my own presentations for project
management conferences, which focused more on the skills required to be
successful than on specific techniques to use.
While I was organizing my thoughts on my presentation topic and
reflecting on my experiences, I realized that the landscape of projects was
changing; therefore, the skills required to manage projects also needed
to change. For example, based on my experience, it seemed that project
managers who are more consultative in their style are more successful
working in matrixed organizations and on complex programs. In the
process of giving these presentations and interacting with the audience, it
became equally apparent to me that there was a lot of content that could
be discussed—so much, in fact, that this topic could fill a book. This gave
rise to the present work.
The book is organized into four major sections. The first (Chapter 1)
introduces the concepts related to the changing project landscape and
their impact on projects. The second (Chapter 2) dives into the details
of nine trends within the project landscape and describes the challenges
created by these trends for project managers. Each trend is supplemented
with a relevant case study. The third section (Chapter 3) outlines the skills
required to be successful in this new environment and describes how to
gain these skills, as well as techniques that can be applied. Each of these
skills is also aligned with a case study in which the skills and techniques
were used. The last section (Chapter 4) ties together the evolution of the
project landscape, the challenges posed, and the new skills required. It
also provides a checklist of the skills and techniques in the context of dif-
ferent project scenarios.
ix
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