Hone your project management skills
By Anoop K Menon
 Why do IT projects fail? The oft cited reasons are failure to show the benefits and overshooting of the budget. But it is overrunning of the schedule that has been the bug-bear of many IT projects. In fact, when my colleagues hit the field for our cover story on business intelligence in this issue, the project management aspect would make its way into the discussions. The missing element, it emerged, was the micro perspective in terms of tools at hand, the required skill sets, and managing with less. In addition there is the soft side because project management is also a people game, whether they are all at a single location or spread across geographies. The two books reviewed here address the macro and micro perspectives.
Madhavan S Rao, in Steering Project Success, addresses the evolving dimensions of project management and presents an innovative approach to managing project challenges. Rao is assistant VP at Satyam Computer Services, and heads its Innovation Enablers business.
According to the author, project management is undergoing a paradigm evolution from project control to empowerment of project teams. Project stakeholders are challenged with the need to be more responsive to changes, uncertainties and vulnerabilities in the environment which require the project team to think like entrepreneurs and leaders.
The essence of the book is captured in a framework of seven mantras which can enable project managers to be more successful and nurture entrepreneurship in their teams. The mantras are
1) Foreseeing the Bigger Picture
2) Investing in Customer and Team Education
3) Information Seeding
4) Perception Management
5) Learning to say a positive no and conditional yes
6) Steering the Comfort Level
7) Thinking $ for stakeholders.
The book has real-life project experiences summed up in a concise and reader-friendly description, approach, outcome and takeaway format, tied off with a relevant mantra.
 CAPM/PMP Project Management Certification by Joseph Phillips is a straightforward textbook for those aspiring to the certified associate in project management (CAPM) and project management professional (PMP) examinations. The first section provides a broad overview of project management in the context of CAPM and PMP. Part two details each of the knowledge areas and the PMI code of professional conduct.
The order of information presented is the same as in the guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, and serves as a guide to the industry bible, so to speak. The focus is on project management as a discipline rather than from an IT project perspective. The information and tools discussed inside could be innovatively used by the IT professional too.
The book comes with a CD-ROM that features two full practice exams, video training and the e-book. The author is PMP, CompTIA Project+, and its director of education for project seminars. The CompTIA Project+ is a globally recognized project management certification that provides validation of fundamental project management skills. It covers the entire project lifecycle from initiation and planning through execution, acceptance, support and closure.
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