This Little Black Book shows you how to take charge of a big project, define it, and then break it down into smaller, more manageable phases. You will learn how to control a budget and schedule and lead a project team through to successful completion. You will find out how to anticipate problems and plan for them during the various project phases. And you will discover methods for establishing clear objectives for your project, even when they are not defined at the point of assignment.
Because it’s a long-term process, project management causes even well-organized managers to experience difficulty. But if you are accustomed to controlling routine work in your own department, you already understand recurring workload cycles, staffing limitations, and budgetary restraints—the same issues you’ll confront with projects.
Running a project is like starting up a new department. What distinguishes both activities from your other tasks is that there’s no historical budget, no predictable pattern to the problems or resistance points, and no cycle on which to base today’s actions.
Think of this Little Black Book as the foundation of the project structure you’ll create. That structure will take on a style, character, and arrangement of its own, but it must rest on a solid base of organizational skills, definition, and control. This book will show you how to take charge of even the most complex project and proceed with confidence in yourself and your project team. But protect this book, and be sure you can trust those who might see you reading it. Keep it locked up in your desk or briefcase, and never leave it out in the open where it may be borrowed permanently. This is your secret project tool; guard it well.
