What is Project Management, and Why should you care?
To put it broadly, project management is the implementation of a carefully thought-out project plan, that typically involves the supervision of funds, time and resources. While this only scratches the surface of what it entails, it is already evident that project management is an important practice that can greatly contribute to the success of a venture. 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 principals of project management for your next endeavours—but where exactly do you start?
Project management is not exactly something you can immediately pick up on after reading a summarised article, but full-length project management courses might not be an option for everyone. Time constraints, budgets or simply a lack of dedication may pose as an issue. So, instead of signing up for a training course, start small. Low pressure and low commitment, simply:
Dive into Project Management Headfirst with these 5 Books
1. Project Management JumpStart by Kim Heldman
With the latest edition published in 2018, this 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. The book 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 had never ran a project before. Alongside covering the basics, this written project management course pulls examples from both accomplished and failed projects. This provides readers the opportunity to understand what they should and shouldn’t do within proper context. Written in an engaging style, this 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 acutely aware that information dumping is a surefire way to scare away budding project managers. His novel keeps project management concise, without glossing over critical ideas. Uniquely, this 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 places emphasis on 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 book doesn’t sugarcoat work and project management. It acknowledges that there should be 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 emphasis 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 for a project management method that is less traditional and rigid, this may be the book 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 to project management—people, technology and organisation—that novice managers should “plug into”. By providing a clear-cut angle and a memorable figure of speech, she makes the concept of project management all the more digestible. This book teaches you how to balance these three while staying adaptable to our modern day, everchanging industries. Through case studies and anecdotes from field leaders, this book 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 couple of guidelines we have curated just 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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