Ralph L. Kliem – författare

Creative companies are distinguished by their ability to adapt and thrive in a dynamic, changing economy. Their products and services stand out in the market, and these companies’ ability to be agile and innovative is key to their success.Creative, Efficient, and Effective Project Management supplies an in-depth discussion of creativity and its relationship to project management. Specifically, it explains how the tools and techniques of creativity can be used to enhance the five processes executed during a project: defining, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing.Establishing the groundwork for encouraging and sustaining creativity in your projects, the book details the benefits of integrating creativity in projects. It discusses common, and not so common, tools and techniques for developing project management deliverables and identifies the challenges that can arise when using creativity in a project. It also details ten little-known facts that can help you overcome the obstacles that often prevent organizations from tapping into the power of creativity in their projects.Each chapter includes a checklist and a case study on the application of the concepts presented. The book also indicates, where applicable, how the topics of discussion relate to the Project Management Institute's (PMI®) Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®).Creativity resides in everyone, but for the most part remains untapped. In this book, you will find thoughts, tools, and techniques that will enable you to tap into your team’s creative energy and direct it towards achieving your project goals and objectives.

The early explorers up through those of the early part of the last century were the supreme users of management practices that have been formalized today. Their expeditions had all the characteristics of a business project: goal setting, strategizing, applying finite resources, risk-taking, keeping people, dealing with competitors, and many others. During actual expeditions, the leaders faced many risks, issues, and conflicts that challenge the best leaders today, from small to large enterprises. Like all projects and business ventures, the expeditions met their goal, either partially or entirely, and in some cases even exceeded it or failed it completely.Management Lessons from the Great Explorers selects the most famous, and in some cases infamous, explorers to discuss and analyze the good and bad management practices—even though these explorers may have never called them management practices—they used before, during, and even after their expeditions. Each chapter provides historical background about one explorer and the details about their explorations. The chapters then discuss the challenges the explorers faced when planning and executing their expeditions and examine their successes and failures from a management perspective. The book will help managers to Manage unexpected and potentially catastrophic risks Set goals that open up new horizons Communicate effectively with team members Lead teams through hardships and difficultiesThe final chapter gives lessons learned that managers may take from the book and apply to their own business undertakings. These lessons include Learning from experience Having a strong sponsor and team Relying on data and information Applying risk management and adapting to changing circumstances Implementing unity of command and defining roles and responsibilities Identifying and understanding stakeholders Being decisive Being willing to say no

What are my chances of completing this project successfully? What could prevent me? How can I anticipate potential threats? These are the kinds of questions you are likely to ask yourself when you become responsible for an important project. And these are the kinds of question Reducing Project Risk will help you answer. Drawing on examples from a variety of business activities as well as on their own extensive experience, the authors propose a systematic approach to dealing with risk. They provide both a conceptual framework and the practical techniques for identifying, analysing and controlling risks of any type. Among other things you will learn: ¢ how to carry out an objective review of the factors involved ¢ how to recognize the warning signs so that you can head off trouble before it strikes ¢ how to take care of the 'people side' of project management. Here is a book that will be welcomed not just by professional project managers but by anyone using human and material resources to accomplish a complex task.

This work introduces Practical Project Management Methodology (P2M2), an international joint venture developed by three experienced project managers the provide useful steps applicable throughout the life cycle of a variety of projects. It covers areas from leading, defining and planning to organizing, controlling and closing. The two disks include 21 prepared forms and 300 activities for use in Microsoft Excel and Project for Windows.

In the information highway age Just-In-Time Systems--JITS--are becoming increasingly visible: customers want to purchase rather than develop customized computing systems and they want these systems now. JITS will allow for developing systems at the right time, in the right place, and at the right price to address the right needs. This is promoted by covenant relationships between customer and supplier; JITS developers recognize that all system development projects and their maintenance have commonalities. They can apply technical, operational, and managerial approaches to similar problems--the managemant structure or system components of a project, for example, may be applicable to similar projects and follow similar lifecycles. JITS developers, therefore, avoid reinventing the wheel.JITS will not appear overnight; its adoption will only come through evolution, not revolution. This incremental growth does not, however, imply that it's not revolutionary in substance. Managers, designers, programmers, engineers, analysts, planners, librarians, quality assurance specialists, customers, users, and suppliers of computing systems can benefit from this book.

The early explorers up through those of the early part of the last century were the supreme users of management practices that have been formalized today. Their expeditions had all the characteristics of a business project: goal setting, strategizing, applying finite resources, risk-taking, keeping people, dealing with competitors, and many others. During actual expeditions, the leaders faced many risks, issues, and conflicts that challenge the best leaders today, from small to large enterprises. Like all projects and business ventures, the expeditions met their goal, either partially or entirely, and in some cases even exceeded it or failed it completely.Management Lessons from the Great Explorers selects the most famous, and in some cases infamous, explorers to discuss and analyze the good and bad management practices—even though these explorers may have never called them management practices—they used before, during, and even after their expeditions. Each chapter provides historical background about one explorer and the details about their explorations. The chapters then discuss the challenges the explorers faced when planning and executing their expeditions and examine their successes and failures from a management perspective. The book will help managers to Manage unexpected and potentially catastrophic risks Set goals that open up new horizons Communicate effectively with team members Lead teams through hardships and difficultiesThe final chapter gives lessons learned that managers may take from the book and apply to their own business undertakings. These lessons include Learning from experience Having a strong sponsor and team Relying on data and information Applying risk management and adapting to changing circumstances Implementing unity of command and defining roles and responsibilities Identifying and understanding stakeholders Being decisive Being willing to say no

If a major event such as a terrorist attack, 7.2 earthquake, tsunami, or hacker attack were to disrupt business operations, would your organization be prepared to respond to the financial, political, and social impacts? In order for your company to be resilient, it must be ready to respond and recover quickly from the impact of such events. Business continuity is the discipline that can help your organization become truly resilient.Business Continuity Planning: A Project Management Approach explains how to deploy project management, risk management, business continuity, and business preparedness methods in a manner that will ensure organizational resiliency. With an emphasis on building business preparedness plans, it covers the fundamental principles of project management, risk management, business continuity, and business preparedness.Upon reading this book, you will learn how to apply project management to institute business continuity governance and to build and maintain business preparedness plans. You will also learn what’s required to conduct an effective business impact analysis.Detailing a proven plan for achieving business continuity and business preparedness, the book includes numerous diagrams, checklists, and tools to help you determine exactly what you must do to prepare for a serious event. It also explains how to test your continuity plans and evaluate preparedness processes to ensure your organization will be truly prepared to withstand or recover from the next emergency, disaster, or catastrophic event to affect your organization.

What are my chances of completing this project successfully? What could prevent me? How can I anticipate potential threats? These are the kinds of questions you are likely to ask yourself when you become responsible for an important project. And these are the kinds of question Reducing Project Risk will help you answer. Drawing on examples from a variety of business activities as well as on their own extensive experience, the authors propose a systematic approach to dealing with risk. They provide both a conceptual framework and the practical techniques for identifying, analysing and controlling risks of any type. Among other things you will learn: ¢ how to carry out an objective review of the factors involved ¢ how to recognize the warning signs so that you can head off trouble before it strikes ¢ how to take care of the 'people side' of project management. Here is a book that will be welcomed not just by professional project managers but by anyone using human and material resources to accomplish a complex task.

Creative companies are distinguished by their ability to adapt and thrive in a dynamic, changing economy. Their products and services stand out in the market, and these companies’ ability to be agile and innovative is key to their success.Creative, Efficient, and Effective Project Management supplies an in-depth discussion of creativity and its relationship to project management. Specifically, it explains how the tools and techniques of creativity can be used to enhance the five processes executed during a project: defining, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing.Establishing the groundwork for encouraging and sustaining creativity in your projects, the book details the benefits of integrating creativity in projects. It discusses common, and not so common, tools and techniques for developing project management deliverables and identifies the challenges that can arise when using creativity in a project. It also details ten little-known facts that can help you overcome the obstacles that often prevent organizations from tapping into the power of creativity in their projects.Each chapter includes a checklist and a case study on the application of the concepts presented. The book also indicates, where applicable, how the topics of discussion relate to the Project Management Institute's (PMI®) Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®).Creativity resides in everyone, but for the most part remains untapped. In this book, you will find thoughts, tools, and techniques that will enable you to tap into your team’s creative energy and direct it towards achieving your project goals and objectives.

If a major event such as a terrorist attack, 7.2 earthquake, tsunami, or hacker attack were to disrupt business operations, would your organization be prepared to respond to the financial, political, and social impacts? In order for your company to be resilient, it must be ready to respond and recover quickly from the impact of such events. Business continuity is the discipline that can help your organization become truly resilient.Business Continuity Planning: A Project Management Approach explains how to deploy project management, risk management, business continuity, and business preparedness methods in a manner that will ensure organizational resiliency. With an emphasis on building business preparedness plans, it covers the fundamental principles of project management, risk management, business continuity, and business preparedness.Upon reading this book, you will learn how to apply project management to institute business continuity governance and to build and maintain business preparedness plans. You will also learn what’s required to conduct an effective business impact analysis.Detailing a proven plan for achieving business continuity and business preparedness, the book includes numerous diagrams, checklists, and tools to help you determine exactly what you must do to prepare for a serious event. It also explains how to test your continuity plans and evaluate preparedness processes to ensure your organization will be truly prepared to withstand or recover from the next emergency, disaster, or catastrophic event to affect your organization.