97 Things Every Project Manager Should Know

Table of contents

1. 97 Things Every Project Manager Should Know
   1. SPECIAL OFFER: Upgrade this ebook with O’Reilly
   2. Preface
      1. Permissions
      2. How to Contact Us
      3. Safari® Books Online
      4. Acknowledgments
   3. 1. Get Users Involved As Early As Possible
   4. 2. Avoid Whack-a-Mole Development
   5. 3. A Word Can Make You Miss Your Deadline
   6. 4. Make Project Sponsors Write Their Own Requirements
   7. 5. Favor the Simple Over the Complex
   8. 6. Pay Your Debts
   9. 7. Add Talents, Not Skills, to Your Team
   10. 8. Keep It Simple, Simon
   11. 9. You Aren't Special
   12. 10. Scrolling Through Time
   13. 11. Save Money on Your Issues
   14. 12. How to Spot a Good IT Developer
   15. 13. Developer Productivity: Skilled Versus Average
   16. 14. Size Matters
   17. 15. Document Your Process, Then Make Sure It Is Followed
   18. 16. Go Ahead, Throw That Practice Out
   19. 17. Requirement Specifications: An Oxymoron
   20. 18. Success Is Always Measured in Business Value
   21. 19. Don't Skip Vacations for the Project
   22. 20. Provide Regular Time to Focus
   23. 21. Project Management Is Problem Management
   24. 22. Empowering Developers: A Man Named Tim
   25. 23. Clever Code Is Hard to Maintain
   26. 24. Managing Human Factors in IT Project Management
   27. 25. Use a Wiki
   28. 26. The Missing Link
   29. 27. Estimate, Estimate, Estimate
   30. 28. Developers Unite—PMOs Are Advancing
   31. 29. Value Results, Not Just Effort
   32. 30. Software Failure Is Organizational Failure
   33. 31. A Voice from the Other Side
   34. 32. Keep Your Perspective
   35. 33. How Do You Define "Finished"?
   36. 34. The 60/60 Rule
   37. 35. We Have Met the Enemy...and He Is Us
   38. 36. Work in Cycles
   39. 37. To Thine Own Self Be True
   40. 38. Meetings Don't Write Code
   41. 39. Chart a Course for Change
   42. 40. IT Program Management: Shared Vision
   43. 41. Planning for Reality
   44. 42. The Fallacy of Perfect Execution
   45. 43. Introduce a More Agile Communication System
   46. 44. Don't Worship a Methodology
   47. 45. Don't Throw Spreadsheets at People Issues
   48. 46. One Deliverable, One Person
   49. 47. The Fallacy of Perfect Knowledge
   50. 48. Build Teams to Run Marathons, Not Sprints
   51. 49. The Holy Trinity of Project Management
   52. 50. Roadmaps: What Have We Done for You Lately?
   53. 51. The Importance of the Project Scope Statement
   54. 52. Align Vision and Expected Outcome
   55. 53. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
   56. 54. Avoiding Contract Disputes
   57. 55. You Get What You Measure
   58. 56. Don't Fall into the "Not Invented Here" Syndrome
   59. 57. Favor the Now Over the Soon
   60. 58. Speed Is Life; More Is Better
   61. 59. Building the Morale on Your Team
   62. 60. A Project Depends on Teamwork
   63. 61. Serve Your Team
   64. 62. The Fallacy of the Big Round Ball
   65. 63. Responding to a Crisis
   66. 64. Know Your Integration Points
   67. 65. Aggressively Promote Communication in Distributed Projects
   68. 66. Start with the End in Mind
   69. 67. Clear Terms, Long Friendship!
   70. 68. The Best Estimators: Those Who Do the Work
   71. 69. Communicating Is Key
   72. 70. A Project Is the Pursuit of a Solution
   73. 71. It's the People, Stupid
   74. 72. Documents Are a Means, Not an End
   75. 73. Can Earned Value and Velocity Coexist on Reports?
   76. 74. Scope Change Happens; Get Used to It
   77. 75. Buying Ready-Made Software
   78. 76. Project Sponsors—Good, Bad, and Ugly
   79. 77. Should You Under-Promise, or Over-Deliver?
   80. 78. Every Project Manager Is a Contract Administrator
   81. 79. Important, but Not Urgent
   82. 80. Teach the Process
   83. 81. The Fallacy of Status
   84. 82. What Do They Want to Hear, Anyway?
   85. 83. Recognize the Value of Team Morale
   86. 84. Engage Stakeholders All Through Project Life
   87. 85. The Value of Planning
   88. 86. Don't Always Be "The Messenger"
   89. 87. Effectively Manage the Deliverables
   90. 88. We Are Project Managers, Not Superheroes
   91. 89. Increase Communication: Hold Frequent, Instant Meetings
   92. 90. Flexibility Simplifies Project Management
   93. 91. The Web Points the Way, for Now
   94. 92. Developers Hate Status Reports, Managers Love Them
   95. 93. You Are Not in Control
   96. 94. Share the Vision
   97. 95. True Success Comes with a Supporting Organization
   98. 96. Establish Project Management Governance
   99. 97. 9.7 Reasons I Hate Your Website
   100. Contributors
   101. Index
   102. Colophon
   103. SPECIAL OFFER: Upgrade this ebook with O’Reilly