Читать книгу The Effective Project Manager - Michael Stratton - Страница 6

This book is conversational in tone. My intent is to present the ideas in this book in such a way that you feel like I’m in your living room, sitting across from you at your dinner table or chatting with you at a coffee shop. This book doesn’t offer a 10-step plan for a successful project management career because no plan can possibly address every project contingency. This book is a necessary guide for any coordinator of people and projects. You may be a planner, thinker, strategist, project manager, business owner, executive leader, business analyst, athletic coach, parent or simply an individual curious about ways to become more effective at work. Any way you slice it, you’ll benefit from reading this book.

Specifically, this book explains in easy-to-understand terms what you need to do in order to become the best project manager you can be—an Effective Project Manager (EPM) as I like to call it. The key themes are time management, people management and thoughtful production of work that matters. You need to be able to tell what work is the most important during any given hour spent on the job. You’ll learn how to accomplish this task by better understanding people and organizations. You’ll get people to tell you things by listening, planning and leading. You’ll turn into a doer who can handle any situation thrown at you. You’ll learn how to organize your thoughts and structure your planning process by using mind maps and pictures. You’ll find out how to track progress easily and give your teams proven processes to use. Finally, you’ll learn the common traits that all EPMs share.

There are all kinds of project managers in this world, and you need to decide what kind of project manager you want be and what type of organization you want to work for. Honesty and respect aren’t just buzz words. Honesty and respect are real things that matter to real people. If you’re honest and respectful, people know it and appreciate it. And if you’re not honest and respectful, how can you expect to lead people successfully?

The book is split into two parts. Part 1 focuses on how to manage yourself and includes tools that will help you become more effective in both your professional and personal life. Part 2 focuses on how to manage others. If you can manage yourself and manage others effectively, then you can lead almost any project. This book is supplemented by tools available at my website, www.effective-pm.com.

Throughout the book, I refer to various IT project methodologies such as waterfall and agile, but I don’t mean to endorse any of these methodologies. I endorse effectiveness. I refer to real-world experience and examples that have brought me success in my personal and professional life. No project methodology framework is going to make you 100% effective even if you follow the methodology to a tee. Life isn’t a 10-step process, and you shouldn’t run your projects as a 10-step process either.

This book includes a number of lists that summarize the most important EPM concepts and guidelines for easy reference. These tips belong to one of three categories: productivity, people or technology. The terms Effective Project Manager and its acronym, EPM, are used interchangeably.

Lastly, remember that project managers are doers. Project managers make things happen. Project managers are some of the most valuable people in an organization. They know who’s doing what and when. They know what’s holding the company back (people, processes or technology). They have process improvement suggestions. They understand how to be efficient. They have industry knowledge. They understand many different business functions within an organization. They track information. They have insight and valuable knowledge. Organizations that listen to their Effective Project Managers succeed in the marketplace. With these thoughts in mind, it’s my hope that you use the information in this book as a basis of becoming the very best Effective Project Manager that you can be!