How to Cheat at IT Project Management
By Susan Snedaker
HIGHLIGHT
Project management is one of the hottest sectors in the IT industry as corporations and government agencies continue trying to do more and spend less. Organizations that implement project management see an average 80% return on their PM investment, a 20% reduction in their project schedule, and an average 30% - 35% increase in successful project completions.* *Source: Giga Information Group |
Clear, Concise, Easy-to-Read Guide to Effective IT Project Management
Date: Sep 2005
Pages: 576 (est.)
User level: All |
DESCRIPTION
This book is written with the IT professional in mind. It provides a clear, concise system for managing IT projects, regardless of the size or complexity of the project. It avoids the jargon and complexity of traditional project management (PM) books. Instead, it provides a unique approach to IT project management, combining strategic business concepts (project ROI, strategic alignment, etc.) with the very practical, step-by-step instructions for developing and managing a successful IT project. It’s short enough to be easily read and used but long enough to be comprehensive in the right places.
KEY
SELLING POINTS
- 1. Project management has gained momentum in the marketplace. Book sales, training and certification demand have all increased in the past three years. More than 94% of respondents in a national survey said implementing project management added value to their organizations.
- 2. Companion Web site for the book provides dozens of working templates to help readers manage their own IT projects.
- 3. As IT jobs are outsourced, there is a growing demand for project managers to manage outsourced IT projects. According to Foote Partners, business analysts and project managers are among the top positions considered to be “safe” from outsourcing.
MARKET
INFORMATION
Since everyone working in IT could use this book, the market size can be estimated to be the same as the total size of IT education/information market. Even those with formal project management training or IT project management training will find this book useful since it covers both IT project management and essential IT business skills, something no other books on IT project management do.
The competing books tend to fall into three categories: 1. exam prep for the CompTIA IT Project Management exam, 2. adding IT information to an already knowledgeable project manager (see the second listing, above), or 3. A full-blown discussion of project management from an IT perspective.
Our book will be approximately 400 pages and will be in a category of its own as no other books incorporate barebones PM skills with strategic business/IT skills in a concise, easy-to-use format.
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR
Susan Snedaker, Principal Consultant and founder of Virtual Team Consulting, LLC has over 20 years’ experience working in IT in both technical and executive positions including with Microsoft, Honeywell, and Logical Solutions. Her experience in executive roles at both Keane, Inc. and Apta Software, Inc. provided extensive strategic and operational experience in managing hardware, software and other IT projects involving both small and large teams. As a consultant, she and her team work with companies of all sizes to improve operations, which often entails auditing IT functions and building stronger project management skills, both in the IT department and company-wide. She has developed customized project management training for a number of clients and has taught project management in a variety of settings. Ms. Snedaker holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) and a Bachelor’s degree in Management. She is a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE), a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT), and has a certificate in Advanced Project Management from Stanford University.
TECHNOLOGY
BACKGROUND
There is no specific technology covered in this book. Microsoft Project may be referenced. The IT project management topic is very timely and is gaining attention as companies (and employees) look for ways to do “more with less.” Baseline Magazine dedicated an entire issue (January 2005, Issue 039) to IT project management. |
