The AMA Handbook of Project Management

Acomprehensive reference bringing together writers on all of the leading-edge topics in project management today, The AMA Handbook of Project Management compiles essays and advice from the field's top professionals to present a complete overview of everything you need to know as a project management professional.

Featuring new data on the Project Management Office and revised to reflect the accelerating pace of the current project management environment, this long-trusted guide covers everything from the basics to the history and future of project management, to your development as a project management professional. Whether you're a student, a certified project management practitioner, or someone who works on projects, you'll gain specific expertise on areas such as designing adequate organizational structres, generating and maintaining teamwork, managing the project life cycle, and much more.

Completely revised and fully up-to-date, this is the essential book on the field of project management.

Praise for the Previous Edition: "Invaluable in providing…Knowledge for real professionals…a reference book that should find a spot on any serious project manager's bookshelf."–-Technical Communication magazine

"The book's editors–-Paul Dinsmore and Jeannette Cabanis-Brewin–-should be commended for doing an excellent editorial job…[the editorial effort] is particularly significant in view of the fact that this handbook comprises work written by 42 distinct authors…All chapters are informative and well written…its objective is to put project management into its contemporary context, enabling readers to get up to speed on important issues in project management today. In my view, the book has done a fine job in achieving this objective."–-J. Davidson Frame, PMP, The Project Management Journal

Compatible with the most recent edition of the Project Management Institute's A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK)® and containing essays and advice from the field's top professionals–-The AMA Handbook of Project Management presents you with the critical concepts and theories that all project managers must master. Whether you're a student of project management, a current project management professional, or someone involved in projects, this long-trusted guide, now fully up-to-date, gives you the practical, how-to information you need to succeed in this complex, constantly growing field.

The book contains definitive models, case studies, advice, and in-depth solutions to specific project management dilemmas, providing you with indispensable guidance on various topics, from passing the Project Management Professional (PMP®) Certification Exam, to thriving in a specific organization or succeeding in your project management career. Presenting the best state-of-the-art literature in the theory and process of project management, this essential resource covers crucial project management skills including strategic planning; resource allocation; risk and change management; productivity and quality assessment; scope, cost, and time management; and much more.

Divided into clear, easy-to-reference sections, the book helpfully analyzes and clarifies the task of managing projects from every angle, beginning with a discussion of project management basics. Useful for both experienced practitioners and as a study guide, the opening section's chapters correspond with those of the most recent PMBOK® Guide, providing you with a clear understanding of the fundamental disciplines and processes required to ensure that projects are brought to successful completion.

Moving on to look at the history and current state of project management as a profession, The AMA Handbook of Project Management considers issues such as ethics, professionalism, and career development, highlighting the latest trends from a global viewpoint, and providing you perspective as to how they affect you as a project management practitioner.

The book next tackles the realities of organizational life, taking a close look at the specific challenges you will face as you move beyond the individual project. The book acquaints you with inescapable issues such as organizational culture and structure, alignment with strategy, and the synchronization of multiple projects.

Providing you with a glimpse of where the discipline of project management and the organizations in which it is practiced may be heading, the book then takes a careful look at new methodologies, organizational structures, and globally diverse teams, as seen by the field's most advanced thinkers and practitioners.

Finally, you'll gain a clear understanding of how project management fundamentals must be adapted to different industry and professional environments including construction and engineering, new product development, information technology, and others.

Projects are the essential life force of any organization. Packed with research-based information and advice from experienced practitioners–-as well as new information on agile project management, Six Sigma projects, the use of social media, and the alignment of strategy and projects–-the latest edition of The AMA Handbook of Project Management is a vital resource you'll want to have on your bookshelf.