With the acceleration of technology and information, projects are becoming more complex, costly, and time-constrained -- and every year thousands of them get cancelled or end up costing significantly more than their original projections. Project and program managers are sorely in need of tools to help them avoid failure. Blueprint for Project Recovery provides readers with a proven, proceduralized methodology for identifying where and how projects went off course, and a defined plan of action to bring them back on track. Based on years of research and including a CD-ROM packed with all the forms, checklists and resources used in the text, the book gives readers an entire process for both evaluating and repairing projects gone off course, and guidance for planning them more effectively in the first place. The book is designed as an easy reference troubleshooting guide that readers can use immediately to solve all their project difficulties. Every project or program has exigencies that can cause problems with cost, schedule, or outcome. Blueprint for Project Recovery! is the ultimate antidote.

Engineering Design, Planning and Management, Second Edition represents a compilation of essential resources, methods, materials and knowledge developed by the author and used over two decades. The book covers engineering design methodology through an interdisciplinary approach, with concise discussions and a visual format. It explores project management and creative design in the context of both established companies and entrepreneurial start-ups. Readers will discover the usefulness of the design process model through practical examples and applications from across engineering disciplines. Sections explain useful design techniques, including concept mapping and weighted decision matrices that are supported with extensive graphics, flowcharts and accompanying interactive templates. Discussions are organized around 12 chapters dealing with topics such design concepts and embodiments, decision-making, finance, budgets, purchasing, bidding, communication, meetings and presentations, reliability and system design, manufacturing design and mechanical design. - Covers all steps in the design process - Includes several chapters on project management, budgeting and teamwork, providing sufficient background to help readers effectively work with time and budget constraints - Provides flowcharts, checklists and other templates that are useful for implementing successful design methods - Presents examples and applications from several different engineering fields to show the general usefulness of the design process model

A comprehensive, practical book on software management that dispels real-world issues through relevant case studies Software managers inevitably will meet obstacles while trying to deliver quality products and provide value to customers, often with tight time restrictions. The result: Software War Stories. This book provides readers with practical advice on how to handle the many issues that can arise as a software project unfolds. It utilizes case studies that focus on what can be done to establish and meet reasonable expectations as they occur in government, industrial, and academic settings. The book also offers important discussions on both traditional and agile methods as well as lean development concepts. Software War Stories: Covers the basics of management as applied to situations ranging from agile projects to large IT projects with infrastructure problems Includes coverage of topics ranging from planning, estimating, and organizing to risk and opportunity management Uses twelve case studies to communicate lessons learned by the author in practice Offers end-of-chapter exercises, sample solutions, and a blog for providing updates and answers to readers' questions Software War Stories: Case Studies in Software Management mentors practitioners, software engineers, students and more, providing relevant situational examples encountered when managing software projects and organizations.

This book is about biblical project management, principles, tools, techniques, and practices used by Nehemiah, a cupbearer to the King of the Persian Empire in the re-building of the wall around Jerusalem and its revitalization. It can be used as a manual for project recovery by project sponsors, owners, leaders, project managers and teams managing projects. The book has three parts: Part One deals with the characteristics and definitions of a project and biblical project management, the roles of a project manager, and the importance of stewardship in project management. There is also a brief overview of the Bible, its inspired writers, its impact, legal, financial, and project management systems. Part Two examines Nehemiah’s project recovery management methodology, and his incredible use of advanced project management tools and techniques are demonstrated by referring to the approaches that he used to re-build the wall and achieve spiritual revival in Jerusalem. The reader will learn: about Jerusalem in the time of Nehemiah how to prepare a project background and project definition report how to make successful interventions and to present the case for the recovery of a project to owners, sponsors, politicians and public officials how to conduct a detailed assessment of a troubled project how to do project reviews and document the variances in the scope of works, objectives, milestones, resources, quality, risks and expected deliverables, and to decide on the way forward about the capabilities required by the project manager to rescue projects such as courage; leadership; project management skills; technical competencies; project knowledge and understanding; wisdom; solving disputes; assessing the actual scope of works required; and evaluating the cultural, political, economic, social, environmental, and technical issues what to include in a final assessment report how to prepare the work breakdown structure, precedence network diagram; milestone plan, responsibility matrix, project organization, risk management plan how to develop the fifteen plans necessary for construction and control planning teamwork strategies, networking, project oversight, monitoring, tracking, construction management, stakeholders’ management and analyses, reasons why projects fail, the role of a project champion, and critical success factors for rescuing troubled projects Nehemiah’s project recovery management methodology how to revitalize and bring spiritual revival to a city how to conduct an ex-post evaluation of a project, and how to dedicate a project. Part Three discusses a) the significance-driven project manager; b) leadership; c) the significance of the walls, towers and gates around Jerusalem; d) how to follow the footsteps of Nehemiah, and e) power tools and power required for project managers.