The Business of Projects broke ground when it was first published in 2005, by showing how leading businesses create and implement projects to drive strategy and innovation. Projects are used to coordinate activities with customers and suppliers and ensure that organisations become more dynamic and adaptable. The book extends the resource-based view of the firm to focus on the business lessons learned from the design and production of high-value complex products and systems (CoPS), which have always been project-based. As well as frameworks and management tools, it provides case studies of high-technology industries - such as telecommunications, flight simulation and medical devices - to show how projects are used to achieve strategic objectives, perform systems integration, organise productive activities, manage software, achieve organisational learning and deliver solutions for customers. This book is essential reading for project professionals, academics, students, engineers, managers and policy makers seeking a strategic, innovative perspective on projects.

The Right Projects Done Right! reflects the advances that have been made since the concern for managing multiple projects in organizations first emerged more than a decade ago. This book includes findings and solutions that address three vital questions: Has the right portfolio of projects been chosen to ensure that company strategy is implemented successfully? Have the right projects with the right scope been selected as candidates for the portfolio? Are the projects managed well? Dinsmore and Cooke-Davies help managers answer these questions by providing them with the information they need to implement an enterprise-wide project management environment.

Managing Business Projects: The Essentials differs from many other project management textbooks. Foremost, it is about business projects as opposed to construction or engineering projects. Although many techniques, like schedule management, apply to both, they are usually applied differently. As its title conveys, the book explains the essential techniques and perspectives needed for business projects to be successful. The focus is on small- and medium-sized projects, up to $20 million, but often below $1 million. Some literature favors large and mega-projects, but for every mega-project, there are many thousands of smaller projects that are vital to the organization and could involve considerable complexity and risk. Nevertheless, the techniques outlined here also apply to mega-projects and their many subprojects; they even apply to some aspects of construction or engineering projects. This book does not aim to cover all project management techniques. In real life there is simply no time for sophisticated ‘should-dos.' Rather, it covers the essentials that apply to almost all business projects; these are unlikely to change in the future even as technology and methodologies advance. The driving idea, which is stated repeatedly, is to do the essentials and to do them consistently and well. Strong emphasis is placed on things that happen before, around, and after the project itself. So, while the basic disciplines like engaging with stakeholders, managing scope, schedules, costs, risks, issues, changes, and communication, are thoroughly explained, other important aspects are covered. These include: governance of a project and of a portfolio of projects, project selection with its financial and non-financial aspects, effective use of the business case through to benefits realization, procurement, outsourcing and partnership, and also the agile mindset that is valuable beyond Agile projects. Besides project managers and sponsors, this book is intended for people who are working in business or government, at any level, or for MBA students. It offers perspectives that enable them to learn more from their everyday experience. It is not aimed at undergraduate students, although many would benefit from the contents.

Get an inside look at how successful project managers build their e-business skills. In this book, three e-business experts capture years of experience into this easy-to-follow reference. Deliberately focusing on e-business project management, integration, application, risk management, security and many of the soft skills not often evident in e-business management. The authors share with you proven architectural patterns that can help get you up and running quickly, while at the same time reducing your risks. Because today's economy demands that e-business initiatives emphasize profitability and return on investment, the authors also offer guidance on methods to minimize cost, yet ensure quality. This book offers a blueprint to project managers for avoiding such mistakes and for achieving success in the new digital economy. It also includes case studies, examples, references, and pointers to other materials. FEATURES OF THIS BOOK: Presents a framework for defining e-business architectures and concepts. Provides information regarding skill and knowledge requirements for a project manager during the implementation of an e-business solution. Provides proven project management strategies, risk management techniques, and application methods that cover most e-business requirements. Demonstrates how engaging the business strategy team is crucial to the success of the implementation and deployment of an e-business initiative Demonstrates how to guide the development and implementation of an web centric application to maximize the subject matter experts time and input Provides concrete tools and checklists that were designed for e-business projects AUDIENCE: Business executives who must determine which e-business solutions to implement and are conscious of the key drivers (such as time to market and cost to implement) that govern implementing these solutions. CIOs and CTOs who are responsible for implementing e-business solutions and choosing the architecture that will provide the underpinnings of these solutions . Project professionals who need to understand how to manage complex e-business applications using specific technologies . Academics who wish to understand the implementation approaches that practitioners use to implement e-business solutions .

This book addresses the project management tools and techniques in reference to innovation management analyzing global-local business scenarios, project environment, and administrative perspectives. It also details the financial, risk management, new project designs, complexities in managing innovation, and developing customer-centric innovation projects. Discussions in the book also deliberate on how innovation business project can be managed systematically to enhance organizational performance.

Written on the back of first-hand experience this book provides a solid framework for managing e-business projects. The book is primarily intended for current and prospective e-business project managers who wish to share ideas, experiences, and best practices. Recent market surveys indicate that many e-business projects fail due to project mismanagement. Various project management techniques from the IT sector can be successfully applied to e-business projects. This book shows which ones whilst also providing information on new techniques for situations that are unique. Based on real-world experience, 99 key success factors are discussed preparing the reader to manage e-business projects on time, on budget and to the satisfaction of clients.

In organizations these days, there are two cultures, two sets of expectations, two languages; that of the business-as-usual organization and separately that of projects. These cultures need to work together effectively. Unfortunately, the natural side-effect of two such different perspectives is misunderstanding, mutual incomprehension, and despite good intentions on both sides, failure to deliver desired benefits. In Bridging the Business-Project Divide John Brinkworth tackles these issues by examining: · symptoms - how do we know there is a problem? How is it manifested?; · causes - looking beyond the symptoms to consider the root causes; and · solutions - how addressing the root causes could lead to more successful projects. He offers an analysis that is initially focused on the main elements within the project lifecycle; covering the business perspective for each lifecycle step, then the project perspective, and finally a consideration of how these viewpoints can be bridged. He then switches to look at some of the common strands of activity that run through every project: quality, planning, HR, finance, reporting and benefits and provides a similar analysis. This is a wonderfully pragmatic book which understands that one of the most natural ways to connect projects and business-as-usual activities is by identifying the needs of both, where these diverge and, most importantly, how to bring them together.