Published: December 2012
Page Count: 332
ISBN (Digital): 978-1-4533-5244-1

Project Management: from Simple to Complex

Version 1.1
By Russell Darnall and John M. Preston

Included Supplements

Manual

Slides

Tests

Key Features

Emphasis on project profiling.
New project management model that offers different perspective and provides fresh insights into available management approaches from start to finish.
Exploration of personal dynamics and the roles they play in project management.
Customizable.

This textbook is suitable for the following courses: Introduction to Project Management and leadership courses in technical fields, such as nursing, engineering, and computers.

Darnall and Preston wrote this textbook in order to instruct the reader about how to manage projects well. Within this text, the authors provide a tool for profiling a project based on the complexity of the project and described the different project management approaches needed for the difference in project profiles. The text addresses the challenges posed by various levels of project complexity; it includes an overview of project management, learning techniques developed by the authors to assess the complexity level of a project, provides a cognitive map to which the students can refer to, and students will also learn about the most complex part of project management—dealing with people.

1.1 Project Management Defined

1.2 Project Defined

1.3 Project Context

1.4 Key Skills of the Project Manager

1.5 Introduction to the Project Management Knowledge Areas

1.6 Exercises

1.7 Web Exercise

1.8 Software and Technology Exercises

Chapter 2: Project Profiling

2.1 Using a Project Profile

2.2 Project Profiling Models

2.3 Complex Systems and the Darnall-Preston Complexity Index

2.4 Darnall-Preston Complexity Index Structure

2.5 Exercises

2.6 Software and Technology Exercise

Chapter 3: Project Phases and Organization

3.1 Project Phases

3.2 Project Organization

3.3 Using the Darnall-Preston Complexity Index to Measure Organizational Complexity

3.4 Exercises

3.5 Web Exercise

Chapter 4: Understanding and Meeting Client Expectations

4.1 Including the Client

4.2 Understanding Values and Expectations

4.3 Dealing with Problems

4.4 Nurturing a Feeling of Satisfaction

4.5 Exercises

4.6 Web Exercises

Chapter 5: Working with People on Projects

5.1 Working with Individuals

5.2 Working with Groups and Teams

5.3 Creating a Project Culture

5.4 Exercises

5.5 Web Exercises

Chapter 6: Communication Technologies

6.1 Types of Communication

6.2 Selecting Software

6.3 Exercises

6.4 Web Exercise

6.5 Software and Technology Exercises

Chapter 7: Starting a Project

7.1 Project Selection

7.2 Project Scope

7.3 Project Start-Up

7.4 Alignment Process

7.5 Communications Planning

7.6 Exercises

7.7 Software and Technology Exercise

Chapter 8: Project Time Management

8.1 Types of Schedules

8.2 Elements of Time Management

8.3 Critical Path and Float

8.4 Managing the Schedule

8.5 Project Scheduling Software

8.6 Exercises

8.7 Software and Technology Exercises

Chapter 9: Estimating and Managing Costs

9.1 Estimating Costs

9.2 Managing the Budget

9.3 Exercises

9.4 Software and Technology Exercise

Chapter 10: Managing Project Quality

10.1 Quality and Statistics

10.2 Development of Quality as a Competitive Advantage

10.3 Relevance of Quality Programs to Project Quality

10.4 Planning and Controlling Project Quality

10.5 Assuring Quality

10.6 Exercises

10.7 Software and Technology Exercises

Chapter 11: Managing Project Risk

11.1 Defining Risk

11.2 Risk Management Process

11.3 Project Risk by Phases

11.4 Project Risk and the Project Complexity Profile

11.5 Exercises

11.6 Web Exercise

Chapter 12: Project Procurement and Closure

12.1 Identifying the Need for Resources Outside the Organization

12.2 Procurement Plan

12.3 Selecting the Type of Contract

12.4 Procurement Process

12.5 Project Closure

12.6 Exercises

12.7 Web Exercises

Instructor’s Manual

The Instructor’s Manual guides you through the main concepts of each chapter and important elements such as learning objectives, key terms, and key takeaways. Can include answers to chapter exercises, group activity suggestions, and discussion questions.

PowerPoint Lecture Notes

A PowerPoint presentation highlighting key learning objectives and the main concepts for each chapter are available for you to use in your classroom. You can either cut and paste sections or use the presentation as a whole.

Test Item File

Need assistance in supplementing your quizzes and tests? Our test-item files (in Word format) contain many multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, and short-answer questions.

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Russell Darnall

Walden University

Russell W. Darnall has more than fifteen years managing large projects in the U.S., Ireland, India, and South America. He was a reviewer on the 1996 edition of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) the helped standardize the definitions of the field. He has written two books on project management including The World's Greatest Project that was published by the Project Management Institute and is a sought-after speaker for International Conferences on project management. Darnall won the Educator of the Year award 2004-2005 from the South Carolina Technical Education Association.

John M. Preston

Eastern Michigan University

John M. Preston is an Associate Professor at Eastern Michigan University in the Technology Management program in the College of Technology. He has authored or co-authored more than sixty books on using computer software and on the impact of technology on society. His work includes portions of the Go! textbook series for MS Office 2003 and Computer Literacy for the IC3 2005 and 2009 standards using both MS Office and OpenOffice.org. He wrote Computers in a Changing Society (2005) and Living Online (2009). Preston won the Educator of the Year award from the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) in 1994.