Book Description
The Portable MBA in Project Management covers the most pressing topics in project management and features all the leading thinkers in the field. While most project management books address only the techniques for managing individual projects, The Portable MBA in Project Management widens the scope to include insights for managing project-based organizations. In doing so, this comprehensive volume will help managers combine the power of individual project successes to drive the organization to new levels of productivity and customer responsiveness. Eric Verzuh, best selling author of The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management, brings together the leading lights of project management in this volume, including Robert G. Cooper, Randall Englund, Jack Meredith and Neil Whitten. In addition to his role as editor, Verzuh draws on his own expertise to address how and why project management is a strategic strength, how to integrate project management into your enterprise, and several other topics for which he is well-known. Together they effectively address the full spectrum of the issues in project management today.


Book Info
Text offers the best thinking on the newest strategies as well as tried-and-true practices in managing projects and project-based organizations. Includes contributions of classic works on project selection, risk management, insights on working in virtual teams, and integrating project management capabilities into the enterprise.


From the Inside Flap
As the project management function has steadily grown in importance across almost every industry and time zone, it’s more vital than ever that today’s project manager have access to the latest and most comprehensive information available. The Portable MBA in Project Management offers the best thinking on the newest strategies as well as tried-and-true practices in managing projects and project-based organizations. Respected project management consultant Eric Verzuh brings together experts from leading consultancies and business schools and the result is a state-of-the-art MBA in project management–without the time and expense. Contributions to this book include classic works on project selection and risk management, as well as leading-edge insights on working in virtual teams and integrating project management capabilities into the enterprise. In Part One, Verzuh explores why project management is a vital strategic business strength, while Robert Graham and Randall Englund discuss the transformation of traditional businesses into project-based organizations. Part Two covers the project management discipline with Verzuh on action plans, project control, and risk management, while Jack Meredith and Samuel Mantel discuss project selection, and Ned Hamson discusses quality management. Part Three offers expert advice on project teams with Elaine Biech on teamwork, Neal Whitten on discipline, and Deborah Duarte and Nancy Snyder on critical team success factors. Part Four discusses managing project-based organizations with Verzuh on making project management an integral part of the enterprise, Robert Cooper on stage-gate new product development processes, Denis Couture on achieving project management maturity, and Robert Graham and Randall Englund on establishing an organizational environment for success. Written with a finger on the pulse of modern business, The Portable MBA in Project Management offers unparalleled coverage of everything executives and project managers need to know to leverage this proven discipline in any project-based organization.


Back Cover Copy
"Unlike most project management books, which focus solely on the nuts and bolts of managing single projects, The Portable MBA in Project Management focuses on the strategy, organization, and processes at work in the three tiers of a successful project-driven organization–the project, the program, and the enterprise. By integrating many critical success factors in this comprehensive guide, Eric Verzuh brings a new vision to the art and science of project management." –Chris Capossela, General Manager, Microsoft Project "Verzuh delivers with impact once again. Like his first book, this one is a ‘must have’ for all professionals in project management. Everyone–from project managers to CEOs of project-based organizations–can’t help but be successful after reading and applying the principles established here. This is truly a significant contribution from a first-rate author." –Ralph Kliem, author of The Project Manager’s Emergency Kit "Eric Verzuh has produced another solid, readable book. In the tradition of good project management, he has gone ‘cross functional’ and added outside expertise to his own impressive knowledge. Project management is about much more than technical tools, and so this book also explains the proper business approaches to running a project-driven organization." –Dr. Denis F. Cioffi, Director of the Project Management Program at The George Washington University author of Managing Project Integration A state-of-the-art education in project management from the leading thinkers in the field: Elaine Biech, President and Managing Principal, Ebb Associates Robert G. Cooper, President and cofounder, The Product Development Institute Denis Couture, President and cofounder, PCI Group Deborah L. Duarte, George Washington University Randall Englund, Associate, Strategic Management Group Robert J. Graham, Senior Associate, Strategic Management Group Ned Hamson, strategic innovation consultant Samuel J. Mantel Jr., Professor Emeritus, University of Cincinnati Jack R. Meredith, Editor in Chief, Journal of Operations Management Nancy Tennant Snyder, Vice President for Leadership and Strategic Competency Creation, Whirlpool Corporation Eric Verzuh, President, The Versatile Company Neal Whitten, President, Neal Whitten Group


About the Author
ERIC VERZUH, PMP, is President of the Versatile Company, a project management training and consulting firm based in Seattle, Washington. Versatile’s consulting practice focuses on helping firms establish consistent, practical methods for managing their projects. Its client list includes such large corporations as Adobe Systems, GE Capital, and Lockheed Martin, as well as government agencies and small businesses. Verzuh is a frequent keynote speaker at conferences on project management and is the author of The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management, also from Wiley.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

As the project management function has steadily grown in importance across almost every industry and time zone, it's more vital than ever that today's project manager have access to the latest and most comprehensive information available. The Portable MBA in Project Management offers the best thinking on the newest strategies as well as tried-and-true practices in managing projects and project-based organizations. Respected project management consultant Eric Verzuh brings together experts from leading consultancies and business schools and the result is a state-of-the-art MBA in project management -- without the time and expense. Contributions to this book include classic works on project selection and risk management, as well as leading-edge insights on working in virtual teams and integrating project management capabilities into the enterprise.

In Part One, Verzuh explores why project management is a vital strategic business strength, while Robert Graham and Randall Englund discuss the transformation of traditional businesses into project-based organizations. Part Two covers the project management discipline with Verzuh on action plans, project control, and risk management, while Jack Meredith and Samuel Mantel discuss project selection, and Ned Hamson discusses quality management. Part Three offers expert advice on project teams with Elaine Biech on teamwork, Neal Whitten on discipline, and Deborah Duarte and Nancy Snyder on critical team success factors. Part Four discusses managing project-based organizations with Verzuh on making project management an integral part of the enterprise, Robert Cooper on stage-gate new product development processes, Denis Couture on achieving project management maturity, and Robert Graham and Randall Englund on establishing an organizational environment for success. Written with a finger on the pulse of modern business, The Portable MBA in Project Management offers unparalleled coverage of everything executives and project managers need to know to leverage this proven discipline in any project-based organization.

SYNOPSIS