Advanced Scheduling Handbook for Project Managers (2nd Edition)


Book Description

Advanced Project Scheduling Handbook: Know How to Navigate in Large, Complex Industrial Projects This updated, must-have practical handbook for Large, Complex Projects originated in the trenches of actual Project execution. It differs markedly from most handbooks on Project scheduling by taking the Project Manager's point of view. It thus fills a gap between Project management and Schedule professionals to create useful conversations in organizations. It is not a heavy and detailed bible, but rather a practical reference for Project practitioners in Large Projects. Those Projects require specific approaches to deal with size and complexity. Project Scheduling needs to reflect accurately the condition of the Project, coordinate effectively the work of all contributors and be used to define execution strategies. It is also used to support commercial claims. This handbook presents groundbreaking methods and principles to improve significantly the benefits and reliability of the Project Scheduling process. In this practical Handbook specifically written by and for the Project Manager, discover how to upgrade significantly the effectiveness of Project Scheduling for Large Complex Projects.




Advanced Scheduling Handbook for Project Managers


Book Description

Know How to Navigate in Large, Complex Projects! This must-have practical handbook for Large, Complex Projects originated in the trenches of actual Project execution. It differs markedly from most handbooks on Project scheduling by taking the Project Manager's point of view. It thus fills a gap between Project management and Schedule professionals to create useful conversations in organizations. It is not a heavy and detailed bible, but rather a practical reference for Project practitioners in Large Projects. Those Projects require specific approaches to deal with size and complexity. Project Scheduling needs to reflect accurately the condition of the Project, coordinate effectively the work of all contributors and be used to define execution strategies. It is also used to support commercial claims. This handbook presents groundbreaking methods and principles to improve significantly the benefits and reliability of the Project Scheduling process. In this practical Handbook specifically written by and for the Project Manager, discover how to upgrade significantly the effectiveness of Project Scheduling for Large Complex Projects.




Project Planning and Scheduling


Book Description

This is the only book that makes all planning methods and tools available to project managers at all levels easy to understand ... and use. Instead of applying techniques piecemeal, you'll take a cohesive, step-by-step approach to improve strategic and operational planning and scheduling throughout the organization. You'll master advanced scheduling techniques and tools such as strategic planning models and critical chain and enterprise project management. Includes time-and-error-saving checklists.




Advanced Project Management


Book Description

ADVANCED PROJECT MANAGEMENT AUTHORITATIVE STRATEGIES FOR IMPLEMENTING PROJECT MANAGEMENT Senior managers at world-class corporations open their office doors to discuss case studies that demonstrate their thought processes and actual strategies that helped them lead their companies to excellence in project management in less than six years! Following the Project Management Institute’s Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®), industry leaders address: Project risk management Project portfolio management The Project Office Project management multinational cultures Integrated project teams and virtual project teams




Practical Project Control Manager Handbook


Book Description

"In this book, you are taken through a pragmatic practitioner's journey of how to establish and run Project Control to give reliable management information enabling timely management intervention. The Project Control Manager Handbook is both informative and easy to read. It would sit comfortably in any Project Delivery professional's bookcase." - Jonathan Crone, Director of the Programme Management Office, High Speed 2 Ltd. Practical Project Control Manager Handbook: From Back-Office Manager to Trusted Project Strategist Project Control Managers when they exist in Projects are still too often focused on data-crunching and reporting. They do not deliver the potential immense value they could provide in terms of analysis, forecasting and strategic support. The ambition of this must-have handbook is to change this situation. It may well be the first ever Project Control Manager Handbook published. It originated in the trenches of actual Project execution: it is not a heavy and detailed bible, but rather a practical reference for Project practitioners to understand the principles and traps of of Project Control Management over the entire lifecycle of Large or Complex Projects. In addition, the handbook details best practice roadmaps for Project start-up, monitoring and close-out. This handbook complements our trilogy of Advanced Handbooks on Project Control functions (Cost Control, Schedule and Project Risk).




Project Management with Dynamic Scheduling


Book Description

The topic of this book is known as dynamic scheduling, and is used to refer to three dimensions of project management and scheduling: the construction of a baseline schedule and the analysis of a project schedule’s risk as preparation of the project control phase during project progress. This dynamic scheduling point of view implicitly assumes that the usability of a project’s baseline schedule is rather limited and only acts as a point of reference in the project life cycle. Consequently, a project schedule should especially be considered as nothing more than a predictive model that can be used for resource efficiency calculations, time and cost risk analyses, project tracking and performance measurement, and so on. In this book, the three dimensions of dynamic scheduling are highlighted in detail and are based on and inspired by a combination of academic research studies at Ghent University (www.ugent.be), in-company trainings at Vlerick Business School (www.vlerick.com) and consultancy projects at OR-AS (www.or-as.be). First, the construction of a project baseline schedule is a central theme throughout the various chapters of the book, and is discussed from a complexity point of view with and without the presence of project resources. Second, the creation of an awareness of the weak parts in a baseline schedule is discussed at the end of the two baseline scheduling parts as schedule risk analysis techniques that can be applied on top of the baseline schedule. Third, the baseline schedule and its risk analyses can be used as guidelines during the project control step where actual deviations can be corrected within the margins of the project’s time and cost reserves. The second edition of this book has seen corrections, additions and amendments in detail throughout the book. Moreover Chapter 15 on "Dynamic Scheduling with ProTrack" has been completely rewritten and extended with a section on "ProTrack as a research tool".




Construction Project Scheduling and Control


Book Description

An easy-to-follow guide to the theory and practice of project scheduling and control No matter how large or small the construction project, an efficient, well-thought-out schedule is crucial to achieving success. The schedule manages all aspects of a job, such as adjusting staff requirements at various stages, overseeing materials deliveries and equipment needs, organizing inspections, and estimating time needs for curing and settling—all of which requires a deep understanding on the part of the scheduler. Written by a career construction professional, Construction Project Scheduling and Control, Second Edition has been fully revised with up-to-date coverage detailing all the steps needed to devise a technologically advanced schedule geared toward streamlining the construction process. Solved and unsolved exercises reinforce learning, while an overview of industry standard computer software sets the tone for further study. Some of the features in this Second Edition include: Focus on precedence networks as a viable solution to scheduling, the main part of project control The concepts of Dynamic Minimal Lag, a new CPM technique developed by the author A new chapter on schedule risk management By combining basic fundamentals with advanced techniques alongside the robust analysis of theory to enhance real-world applications, Construction Project Scheduling and Control is an ideal companion for students and professionals looking to formulate a schedule for a time-crunched industry in need of better ways to oversee projects.




Practical Cost Control Handbook for Project Managers - 2nd Edition


Book Description

Keep Control of your Large, Complex Projects. Proper Cost Control and Forecasting must support the Project Manager's decision making; unfortunately, that is still rarely the case. This handbook explains how to improve significantly the odds of maintaining projects under control and taking the right decisions at the right time.




The Data-Driven Project Manager


Book Description

Discover solutions to common obstacles faced by project managers. Written as a business novel, the book is highly interactive, allowing readers to participate and consider options at each stage of a project. The book is based on years of experience, both through the author's research projects as well as his teaching lectures at business schools. The book tells the story of Emily Reed and her colleagues who are in charge of the management of a new tennis stadium project. The CEO of the company, Jacob Mitchell, is planning to install a new data-driven project management methodology as a decision support tool for all upcoming projects. He challenges Emily and her team to start a journey in exploring project data to fight against unexpected project obstacles. Data-driven project management is known in the academic literature as “dynamic scheduling” or “integrated project management and control.” It is a project management methodology to plan, monitor, and control projects in progress in order to deliver them on time and within budget to the client. Its main focus is on the integration of three crucial aspects, as follows: Baseline Scheduling: Plan the project activities to create a project timetable with time and budget restrictions. Determine start and finish times of each project activity within the activity network and resource constraints. Know the expected timing of the work to be done as well as an expected impact on the project’s time and budget objectives. Schedule Risk Analysis: Analyze the risk of the baseline schedule and its impact on the project’s time and budget. Use Monte Carlo simulations to assess the risk of the baseline schedule and to forecast the impact of time and budget deviations on the project objectives. Project Control: Measure and analyze the project’s performance data and take actions to bring the project on track. Monitor deviations from the expected project progress and control performance in order to facilitate the decision-making process in case corrective actions are needed to bring projects back on track. Both traditional Earned Value Management (EVM) and the novel Earned Schedule (ES) methods are used. What You'll Learn Implement a data-driven project management methodology (also known as "dynamic scheduling") which allows project managers to plan, monitor, and control projects while delivering them on time and within budget Study different project management tools and techniques, such as PERT/CPM, schedule risk analysis (SRA), resource buffering, and earned value management (EVM) Understand the three aspects of dynamic scheduling: baseline scheduling, schedule risk analysis, and project control Who This Book Is For Project managers looking to learn data-driven project management (or "dynamic scheduling") via a novel, demonstrating real-time simulations of how project managers can solve common project obstacles




Mastering Project Management


Book Description

Tens of thousands of readers rely on James Lewis's classic Project Planning, Scheduling & Control for hands-on help in bringing projects in on time and on budget. Now, this higher-level guide takes project managers beyond basic skills. Using the flexible and down-to-earth approach for which Lewis is famed, it covers advanced topics such as identifying customer requirements using QFD (quality function deployment); allocating resources for improved scheduling applying systems thinking; and using decision-support tools in project management.