Book Description
Successful project management is increasingly vital to all organizations, driven by the demands of global competition, rapid technological growth, and faster time to market (just to name a few). For those in technology fields, project management skills are fast becoming a required core competency. And those who have mastered these skills continue to be in high demand worldwide, commanding higher salaries than those around them. But how does one extend those skills or acquire them in the first place? Fundamentals of Technology Project Management is a great place to start.

Of the hundreds of project management books on the market, precious few address the unique needs of the IT project manager. Unlike most other project management books, Fundamentals of Technology Project Management tackles the specific issues that technology professionals must face, such as understanding technology resources, managing project scope and feature creep, and meeting client expectations, among many others.

Whether you're a college student, a software engineer, or an IT professional, Fundamentals of Technology Project Management will help you gain a comprehensive understanding of the project management life cycle and learn how to manage it – from first steps on through to intermediate topics (as well as some advanced ones). Author Colleen Garton explains — in easy-to-understand language— not only the what but the how of IT projects. What's more, unlike general project management books, the examples and case studies in this book are all based on technology projects, making them far more relevant to the learner.

Also included is a content-rich CD-ROM loaded with features to make the life of any IT project manager (or the IT professional with project management responsibilities) far easier. There are document templates you can use for all phases of the project — from the initial RFP to closing reports. Plus, the author steps you through meeting agendas, status reports, cost analysis, technical specifications, and more. In addition to the document templates, you're provided with PowerPoint slides that can be modified and used for reporting progress to users and management.

The continuing rise in importance of project management cannot be denied. Let this book be your guide to becoming a more effective, more efficient IT project manager.

With Fundamentals of Technology Project Management you will:
- Discover the top ten reasons projects fail
- Master the five keys to project success
- Explore the six phases of the project lifecycle, step by step
- Review the documents necessary for good project management and learn how to complete them
- Understand the warning signs of a project in trouble and learn how to get it back on track
- Learn Quality Management and Quality Assurance practices in easy-to-understand terms
- Acquire practical ways to develop effective leadership and team-building skills


About the Author
Colleen Garton has worked in project management positions for successful technology and financial services companies such as LPL Financial and Intuit Inc., and has owned and operated two management and technical consulting companies. She lives in San Diego, California. Erika McCulloch is a former project manager for technology services and distribution companies such as IBM and Ingram Micro. She is currently working as a consultant and teaching industry-specific business practices and project management courses at California high schools. She lives in Oceanside, California.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
If you want to move up the technical hierarchy, you need to become a skilled, comfortable project manager. For many programmers, that￯﾿ﾽs a pretty big leap. This book will be your guide and companion. It's careful, patient, practical, and comprehensive. And, unlike many PM books, it￯﾿ﾽs focused on the specific challenges of managing technical projects.

Colleen Garton and Erika McCulloch bring well over 30 years￯﾿ﾽ experience to the table, and their book reflects it from the beginning of the project lifecycle all the way to project closure and point releases.

You￯﾿ﾽll start by understanding your (many) roles as a project manager, then walk through everything it takes to initiate a project successfully. There￯﾿ﾽs practical advice on generating preliminary cost and time estimates; building teams; planning effective QA/testing; creating proposal documents (RFIs, RFQ, RFPs, and so forth); and more.

The authors explain what to do as soon as you have the formal go-ahead; how to define deliverables, milestones, and functional and technical requirements; and how to run effective meetings -- especially your crucial kickoff meeting.

They systematically cover both technical issues (for instance, building a complete project plan with Microsoft Project, defining source and build control processes) and human issues (delegation, motivation, managing client expectations, what not to say in an email). You￯﾿ﾽll find insights into everything from methodologies (PMI, CMMI, Six Sigma) to documentation and technical support.

Perhaps most valuable, the authors￯﾿ﾽ ￯﾿ﾽvoice of experience￯﾿ﾽ on managing constraints, obstacles, and risks -- including how to recognize when trouble￯﾿ﾽs brewing. (Garton and McCulloch spend several pages on the classic ￯﾿ﾽhurry up and wait￯﾿ﾽ disorder, and the less famous but equally aggravating ￯﾿ﾽwait and hurry up￯﾿ﾽ syndrome.) Calm, focused, and realistic, this book will help you navigate even ￯﾿ﾽClass 5￯﾿ﾽ project whitewater. Bill Camarda, from the March 2005 Read Only

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Successful project management is increasingly vital to all organizations, driven by the demands of global competition, rapid technological growth, and faster time to market (just to name a few). For those in technology fields, project management skills are fast becoming a required core competency. And those who have mastered these skills continue to be in high demand worldwide, commanding higher salaries than those around them. But how does one extend those skills or acquire them in the first place? Fundamentals of Technology Project Management is a great place to start.

Of the hundreds of project management books on the market, precious few address the unique needs of the IT project manager. Unlike most other project management books, Fundamentals of Technology Project Management tackles the specific issues that technology professionals must face, such as understanding technology resources, managing project scope and feature creep, and meeting client expectations, among many others.

Whether you're a college student, a software engineer, or an IT professional, Fundamentals of Technology Project Management will help you gain a comprehensive understanding of the project management life cycle and learn how to manage it – from first steps on through to intermediate topics (as well as some advanced ones). Author Colleen Garton explains — in easy-to-understand language— not only the what but the how of IT projects. What's more, unlike general project management books, the examples and case studies in this book are all based on technology projects, making them far more relevant to the learner.

Also included is a content-rich CD-ROMloaded with features to make the life of any IT project manager (or the IT professional with project management responsibilities) far easier. There are document templates you can use for all phases of the project — from the initial RFP to closing reports. Plus, the author steps you through meeting agendas, status reports, cost analysis, technical specifications, and more. In addition to the document templates, you're provided with PowerPoint slides that can be modified and used for reporting progress to users and management.

The continuing rise in importance of project management cannot be denied. Let this book be your guide to becoming a more effective, more efficient IT project manager.

With Fundamentals of Technology Project Management you will:
- Discover the top ten reasons projects fail
- Master the five keys to project success
- Explore the six phases of the project lifecycle, step by step
- Review the documents necessary for good project management and learn how to complete them
- Understand the warning signs of a project in trouble and learn how to get it back on track
- Learn Quality Management and Quality Assurance practices in easy-to-understand terms
- Acquire practical ways to develop effective leadership and team-building skills