Managing Projects in the Real World: The Tips and Tricks No One Tells You About When You Start (Paperback)

Managing Projects in the Real World provides clear and actionable advice to project managers for recognizing, anticipating, and overcoming challenges associated with the human component of leading others. The mechanics of project management are rational and straightforward to learn. The art of project management is irrational and complex to learn. 

Project managers need to develop a repertoire of soft skills that are typically hard for them, since they rose through the ranks to that position by virtue of superior reasoning skills. But if a project manager cannot adjudicate the clash of personalities, finesse the friction between assigned and preferred roles, steer clear of hidden hazards, and diplomatically resolve overlapping assertions of competing authority—that project manager is in a world of trouble.

From the human perils of project management, nobody is better qualified to rescue beleaguered project managers than Melanie McBride—veteran PM and author of the Intel blog, The Accidental Profession. She sheds light on those dark, dusty places that fall between the cracks of theory and best practice out in the real world where irate colleagues, unrealistic product launch dates, and virtual meetings reign supreme and run amok.  In this book you’ll find targeted discussions and specific techniques to empower you to meet the challenges that project managers face every day. The book is structured into project phases to help any project manager on any kind of project jump right to the tried and true solution for the challenge at hand.

What you’ll learn

After reading Managing Projects in the Real World: The Tips and Tricks No One Tells You About When You Start, project managers will know:

• How to execute basic project management tasks such as building dynamic schedules, developing risk management plans, holding others accountable, and conducting effective meetings.
• How to navigate the tricky bits, such as unrealistic due dates and virtual meetings with multitasking attendees.
• How to communicate effectively with project stakeholders and manage their expectations and different communication styles.
• How to deal with stakeholders with classically difficult personas, such as bullies, micromanagers, visionaries, and prisoners.
• How to continually improve in your PM craft and decision-making abilities.

Who this book is for

• Primary: project, program, and product managers 
• Secondary: any team leader or director

Table of Contents

1. How to Figure Out What’s Really Going On
2. Effective Meetings in The Real World
3. Team Building
4. The “Special” Ones
5. You Have to Do the Work
6. How to Develop a Robust Schedule
7. How To Say “No” to Unrealistic Target Dates
8. A Special Case: Planning for the Holiday Season
9. Leadership Showtime
10. Decision Making
11. Presenting Project Updates
12. Stakeholder Management
13. Communicating with Difficult People
14. Is Your Team Ready to Release
15. Leading When the Music Stops
16. You Really Ought to Be Doing This
17. Is Project Management Right for You?
18. Are You a Professional?
19. Getting Better at It