Project Management in Product Development: Leadership Skills and Management Techniques to Deliver Great Products is written for new and aspiring project managers in product development. Although texts on project management are common, the material presented here is unique, instead focusing on product development, a challenging segment of project management because of the high level of uncertainty, the need for a robust set of problem-solving techniques, and a demand for broad cross-functional teams. The book also focuses on more than just project management techniques, including a thorough treatment of transformational and transactional leadership. Other topics covered include problem-solving techniques, development, and continuous improvement of processes required in product development, risk recognition and management, and proper communication with mangers and other stakeholders. Finally, project management techniques used in product development are presented, including the critical path method, scrum and XP, and Kanban/lean project development, along with the strengths and weaknesses of each. - Provides ways to successfully manage product development projects by teaching traditional and advanced project management techniques like Gantt, CPM, Agile, Lean, and others - Covers transformational and transactional leadership, how to create a vision and engage the team, as well as tactics on how to manage a complex set of tasks - Uses a practical, common sense approach to the day-to-day activities of a project manager, including project planning, project process development, problem-solving, project portfolio management, reporting, and more - Presents a thorough comparison of popular project management tools - Includes many examples, cases, and side-bars that are included throughout the book

Creating the Project Office is written for managers who are searching for ways to transform their organizations into more effective and efficient project-based workplaces. As this important book reveals, there is no more effective way to make that change than to create a project office tailored to the needs of the organization. While a project office model leads to better products from projects, it is also a vehicle for generating overall organizational change -- by transforming the organization from function-based to project-based. This model incorporates projects into the very fabric of the organizational strategy and revitalizes organizations, creates competitive advantage, and increases shareholder value.

Fully-updated Third Edition of the leading study resource for PDMA's New Product Development Professional certification exam The newly revised and updated Third Edition of PDMA Body of Knowledge (BoK) provides a singular reference for anyone currently involved in, or planning a career in product management and product innovation. It describes a proven framework for product innovation which is applicable to a wide cross-section of product and service industries at various levels of an organization. It is also the basis for candidates studying for PDMA's New Product Development Professional (NPDP) certification examination. The guide is divided into seven chapters, consistent with the seven product innovation topics used as a basis for the NPDP examination: management, strategy, portfolio, process, design and development, market research, and culture & teams. PDMA Body of Knowledge includes detailed coverage of topics including: The key factors that lead to successful product innovation management. The importance of strategy to product innovation success, hierarchy of strategies, and establishing the organization's direction via vision, mission, values, and more. The role of portfolio management in selection of the right product innovation projects for an organization. Description of various product innovation processes and the pros and cons of each. The application of tools and techniques at various stages of the design and development process. The application of market research throughout product innovation. The importance of the right culture and team development. The material provided can be applied to the full range of product development projects included in most company portfolios, such as new products or services, line extensions, cost reductions, and product or service improvements. This newly revised and updated Third Edition includes new case studies, examples, and chapter exercises, along with sample NPDP examination questions. PDMA Body of Knowledge is an essential study resource for those studying for PDMA's NPDP exam. The text is also highly valuable to product management professionals, consultants, instructors, and students seeking to increase their knowledge base

Turn Innovative Ideas into Products and Services—and Manage and Control Them Using Project Management Tools The first book to integrate project management and product development, Project Management in New Product Development shows you how to manage the translation of ideas into new products and services and get them to market cheaper, better, and faster using advanced project management tools and techniques. Packed with detailed case studies and illustrations, this unique book explains how to move new products and services quickly from concept to product to market as a managed and seamless process free of problems and delays. This project tool also shows how to ensure that bad products are stopped at gateway points, before they become product and project failures. Project Management in New Product Development features: The first integrated treatment of project management and new product development designed for modern, globally oriented firms Numerous case studies covering software, technology, electronics, construction, telecommunications, military, and aerospace 150 informative tables, figures, and graphics

Listed as one of the 30 Best Business Books of 2002 by Executive Book Summaries. Proactive Risk Management's unique approach provides a model of risk that is scalable to any size project or program and easily deployable into any product development or project management life cycle. It offers methods for identifying drivers (causes) of risks so you can manage root causes rather than the symptoms of risks. Providing you with an appropriate quantification of the key factors of a risk allows you to prioritize those risks without introducing errors that render the numbers meaningless. This book stands apart from much of the literature on project risk management in its practical, easy-to-use, fact-based approach to managing all of the risks associated with a project. The depth of actual how-to information and techniques provided here is not available anywhere else.

"With Kanban, every minute you spend on a software project can add value for customers. One book can help you achieve this goal: Agile Project Management with Kanban. Author Eric Brechner pioneered Kanban within the Xbox engineering team at Microsoft. Now he shows you exactly how to make it work for your team. Think of this book as {28}Kanban in a box.

Best practices for managing projects in agile environments—now updated with new techniques for larger projects Today, the pace of project management moves faster. Project management needs to become more flexible and far more responsive to customers. Using Agile Project Management (APM), project managers can achieve all these goals without compromising value, quality, or business discipline. In Agile Project Management, Second Edition, renowned agile pioneer Jim Highsmith thoroughly updates his classic guide to APM, extending and refining it to support even the largest projects and organizations. Writing for project leaders, managers, and executives at all levels, Highsmith integrates the best project management, product management, and software development practices into an overall framework designed to support unprecedented speed and mobility. The many topics added in this new edition include incorporating agile values, scaling agile projects, release planning, portfolio governance, and enhancing organizational agility. Project and business leaders will especially appreciate Highsmith’s new coverage of promoting agility through performance measurements based on value, quality, and constraints. This edition’s coverage includes: Understanding the agile revolution’s impact on product development Recognizing when agile methods will work in project management, and when they won’t Setting realistic business objectives for Agile Project Management Promoting agile values and principles across the organization Utilizing a proven Agile Enterprise Framework that encompasses governance, project and iteration management, and technical practices Optimizing all five stages of the agile project: Envision, Speculate, Explore, Adapt, and Close Organizational and product-related processes for scaling agile to the largest projects and teams Agile project governance solutions for executives and management The “Agile Triangle”: measuring performance in ways that encourage agility instead of discouraging it The changing role of the agile project leader