Project management holds an important role in the success of a business or organization, as emphasized in many leading project management books. As a result, the demand for project managers has been rising in recent years. In addition to training or courses, reading specialised books on project management can be a great way for beginners to build their knowledge and skills.
What is Project Management?
Project management is the implementation of a carefully thought-out project plan, that typically involves the supervision of funds, time, and resources. Whether it be a creative project or a technical one, poor project management may lead to:
Missed deadlines
Going over budget
Wasted resources
Unclear communication
Poor quality of execution
To avoid these potential issues, it’s important to start learning and utilising the principles of project management for your next endeavours—but where exactly should you start?
Other than signing up for full-length project management courses, you can start small from now. Grab these 5 project management books from your nearby bookstore or library.
5 Project Management Books Recommendation
1. Project Management JumpStart by Kim Heldman
With the latest edition published in 2018, this project management book can help you “JumpStart” your project management practices. It’s meant for beginners, easing its readers into the complicated concept—but it doesn’t shy away from details or efficacy.
This book on project management treats its experience like a newbie’s project management course, including real-world examples and the project management life cycle. To break up heavy pieces of text, Heldman incorporates comprehensive illustrations and practical questions—so don’t fret if you aren’t the biggest reader.
About the Author:
With over 25 years of experience, Kim Heldman is a Project Management Professional (PMP), who has written an extensive catalogue on all things project management. From beginner courses to study guides, Heldman has authored it all.
2. Project Management: Absolute Beginner’s Guide by Greg Horine
This Beginner’s Guide makes the bold promise of success as a project manager, even if you have never run a project before. Alongside covering the basics, this book about project management pulls examples from both accomplished and failed projects.
This provides readers with the opportunity to understand what they should and shouldn’t do within the proper context. Written in an engaging style, this project management book is a solid option for individuals who are seeking valuable insight into the world of project management.
About the Author:
Greg Horine is another PMP certified author, with about 30 years of experience under his belt. He’s recognised for his people management prowess and problem-solving skills, and the five books about project management released throughout the years.
3. The Deadline: A Novel About Project Management by Tom DeMarco
DeMarco is really aware that information dumping is a certain way to scare away budding project managers. His novel keeps project management concise, without glossing over critical ideas.
Uniquely, this project management book is written as if it were fictional prose and not a serious, educational piece. It introduces concepts of project management through a main character named Tompkins, who is met with a distressed and disorderly team. Besides detailing key factors, this novel emphasizes soft skills like communication and empathy, among others.
About the Author:
Tom DeMarco is a seasoned author, engineer and consultant—with over sixteen books that fall under genres of both fact and fiction, DeMarco surely has a way with words. Including The Deadline, his literature has earned him awards.
4. The Lazy Project Manager By Peter Taylor
Refreshingly honest, this project management book doesn’t sugarcoat work and project management. It acknowledges that there should be a balance between grind and relaxation, and that laziness isn’t always negative.
He pushes the notions of working smarter and not harder—ultimately teeing up to strategic project management. Taylor emphasizes that planning should be at the forefront because there will be fewer mistakes to pick up after, if a project is well thought out. If you’re a beginner, seeking a project management method that is less traditional and rigid, this may be the book on project management that’s perfect for you.
About the Author:
Peter Taylor doubles as a keynote speaker and an author. Having spoken in over 26 countries, and written 31 published books, Taylor has amassed plenty of experience and testimonies on his professional reliability.
5. The Plugged-In Manager by Terri L. Griffith
Griffith offers her readers three main dimensions of project management—people, technology, and organization. By providing a clear-cut angle and a memorable figure of speech, she makes the concept of project management all the more digestible.
This project management book teaches you how to balance these three while staying adaptable to our modern-day, ever-changing industries. Through case studies and anecdotes from field leaders, this book on project management can come in handy to a curious beginner.
About the Author:
Operating within the realms of academia, this professor/author/keynote speaker strives to share the knowledge she has gained to the masses—a pursuit that does not seem to be slowing, seeing as how Griffith is currently putting research into work strategies.
Conclusion
In our current day and age, information and knowledge are abundant. To learn something, all you have to do is take that first step—there is nothing stopping you from gaining new skills and perspectives, the world is your oyster!
Besides books, if you are a creative, who is ready to start practicing project management, here are a couple of guidelines we have curated for your industry.
Author Bio
From Malaysia, Leia Emeera is a writer at TESSR and a published author. She has been putting pen to paper ever since she learned how to, and has an anthology to her name, titled 'Ten'. Leia loves music, games and her beloved labrador retriever, George. She aims to further her studies in English Literature and Creative Writing the moment her gap year ends. 'Till then, you will find her sitting behind a desk, writing with TESSR.
Connect with her on LinkedIn: Leia Emeera
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