E-book Category: Business, Management
E-book Title: Project Success Kit
Author: Adele Sommers, Ph.D
Book Description: Dear Colleague,
I know you've probably experienced at least ONE of these situations... - Your clients are chomping at the bit to get started on a new project, but you can already see that the timeline is too short and there aren't enough resources to do the job.
- Your boss has committed your time and expertise to a new undertaking, however, your team already feels that the focus is way outside of their areas of expertise.
- You're bidding on a project with a fixed budget and schedule, but the requirements are so vague and poorly defined that you feel queasy just thinking about giving an estimate.
- You're leading a project that's ballooning out of control due to "scope creep," but no one knows a firm, yet diplomatic way to set meaningful boundaries.
- You've been wanting to locate a planning tool to help you ask the right questions at the start of a project, but don't know where to find a good, comprehensive one.
- Your organization's new policies call for risk assessments on all new projects, yet your group doesn't have any idea of how to go about preparing them.
And so on...these are just some of the challenges you might have run into. You're probably wondering to yourself, "Does it really have to be this hard? Isn't there a systematic way to estimate the risks, time, and effort required to complete a project - a way that everyone can agree on and that we can also explain to our clients, our stakeholders, and our boss?"
Too Many Project Teams Simply Ignore the Risks
and Make the Mistakes That They
Could So Easily Avoid!
Maybe it's a just communication problem, or maybe people are just afraid to tell the truth the way they see it.
But they often turn their backs on their deepest concerns and hope optimistically that everything will be fine - and that the risks that secretly keep them awake at night will simply go away.
Sound familiar? Wouldn't you like to find a way to avoid the panic, stress, and let-down of a failed project? Whether you lead projects - or participate on projects that other people lead - you'll find this information of interest!
As a veteran of over 20 years of corporate life in a variety of large and small technology companies, managing software projects and contributing to many other project endeavors, I've learned, distilled, and time-tested a whole collection of techniques for handling some of the toughest situations and avoiding preventable problems that would otherwise drive your project into a ditch and eat away at your team morale like battery acid.
Because I'm convinced that YOU don't need to go through the process of learning the hard way, I've packaged all of my hard-won knowledge - all of the secrets I've learned, adapted, or invented while working in large, deep-pocket corporations - into a highly readable, concept-loaded "Project Success Kit" that anyone can use with any size business or budget.
Now, You Can Estimate and Plan
Highly Successful, Low-Risk Projects...
Even If You're Brand New to Project Management!
That's because I've packaged a host of methods and techniques that can greatly assist you and your team as you weigh the feasibility of taking on a project, ponder how you could minimize the risks if your organization believes the project is a must-do effort, and plan your approach accordingly if you decide to pursue the project.
For example, my Project Success Kit contains the "Quick-Start Guide to Project Risk Management," which includes a collection of tools and templates designed to help you avoid problems related to over-optimism, poor planning, or under-estimating project activities. It will greatly support your team's decision-making, communication, and collaboration skills.
Dozens of specialized skills and insights in the areas of project management, problem-solving, product development, testing, and team leadership have been condensed into this information-packed guide. It includes worksheets, forms, and examples that will aid every aspect of your team's estimating, risk analysis, and planning activities - even if you're brand new to project management!
Your team can start off with the basic tools
and gradually grow into the more advanced topics...
The basic and advanced worksheets and instructions will give your team a way to comfortably ease into risk management concepts and techniques - effortlessly and painlessly.
Hate math? Don't worry! Both basic and advanced worksheets have very simple formulas. But best of all, the electronic worksheets are interactive. All you do is enter your scores, and the worksheets will add or multiply the numbers for you, while you and your team focus your attention on the results!
The clearly defined processes will help eliminate much of the guesswork that plagues so many projects and makes the team members unable to agree on - or afraid to voice concerns about - the kinds of challenges they might face on a project.
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