Project Management for the 21st Century, Second Edition [Paperback]

Bennet P. Lientz (Author), Kathryn P. Rea (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 012449966X | ISBN-13: 978-0124499669 | Publication Date: March 6, 1998 | Edition: 2

Project Management for the 21st Century, Second Edition focuses on proven methods and lessons learned for dealing with projects in many different industries and settings. It addresses issues of organization, process, and technology, and explores how modern technology tools such as the Internet and World Wide Web can support effective project management and project success. The authors, successful managers and consultants to companies and agencies in more than 15 industries, developed the materials in this book over six years of teaching and advising.
The Second Edition addresses the current trends in collaborative project management, group resource deconflicting and allocation, and information sharing. It expands the guidelines and the use of modern technology, and spends more time on project analysis and costing and issue management. There are two new chapters in the Second Edition: "Collaborative Scheduling" and "Project Management Using the Internet."

Key Features
* Explores how to use collaborative and team project management as well as information sharing and access for improved project productivity
* Recommends how to use the Internet, World Wide Web, intranets, database management systems, project management software and other technologies to improve project management effectiveness
* Includes managerial, technical, and behavioral aspects of project management
* Provides specific advice for dealing with more than 100 commonly encountered problems
* Addresses projects, programs, and products of all sizes
* Contains real life experiences
* Explains how to effectively manage project issues and opportunities
* Describes how to prevent project failure and resolve crises
* Serves as a practical guide for setting up and managing projects with minimal hassle and overhead
* Features a down-to-earth, common sense writing style

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for the Second Edition
"The book contains a wealth of ideas to help veteran project managers crystallize their experiences and improve the management of their current or next project. For new or prospective project managers, it offers tips and guidance to help set them on the right course."
--COMPUTING REVIEWS
"This is one of the best project management books for introducing employees to modern project management in an interesting way. Most project management books are very dry and lack realistic examples. Thus, it is difficult to motivate people to read and use such materials. This is a very practical, down to earth book that has many guidelines that you can use immediately as you read the book. The authors have developed a very creative and useful approach in dealing with project risk that associates project risk with unresolved issues. I highly recommend this book."
--A reader on Amazon.com
Praise for the First Edition
"Focusing on proven methods to deal with the economic climate and technologies currently facing managers, this text discusses how to employ technology effectively, covers organizational and behavioral aspects of project management, provides advice for dealing with 100 common problems, and serves as a practical guide to setting up and managing projects."
--PMI 1996 INFORMATION SOURCEGUIDE
"The authors have tremendous insight into the dynamics of teams and projects; they are strong in practical detail, communication, and ways to solve sticky problems. In presenting material never before available to the industry, they have created a welcome addition to any library."
--SUDIR JAIN, Integrated Management Systems, Inc. (IMSI), Ann Arbor, Michigan
"A good book for beginning project managers and leaders. It not only lends a historical perspective to demonstrate why project management has been valuable in affecting change, it presents ways in which to apply project management principles in practice today."
--JULIE M. WILSON, Project Management Professional, Pacific Mutual Life Insurance Company
"The book's greatest strengths are its readability, its generic coverage of the material, and its completeness."
--COMPUTING REVIEWS

From the Back Cover

Praise for the Second Edition:
"The book contains a wealth of ideas to help veteran project managers crystallize their experiences and improve the management of their current or next project. For new or prospective project managers, it offers tips and guidance to help set them on the right course."
--COMPUTING REVIEWS

The challenge of managing projects is to combine the technology of the future with lessons from the past. In the Third Edition of Project Management for the 21st Century, noted authors Bennet Lientz and Kathryn Rea provide a modern, proven approach to project management. Properly applied without massive administrative overhead, project management can supply structure, focus, and control to drive work to success. The table of contents summarizes their approach:

Part 1 Understanding the Changes and Trends in Projects
Part 2 Defining and Setting up Successful Project Plans
Part 3 Managing the Project
Part 4 Selecting and Using Modern Project Management Methods and Tools
Part 5 Dealing with Project Change, Ending a Project, and What to Do Next

Each chapter contains guidelines and steps to take next. Modern, historical, and hypothetical examples make the book easy to use and understand.

About the Authors
Bennet P. Lientz is a consultant, teacher, and researcher. He is Professor of Information Systems at the Anderson Graduate School of Management, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Dr. Lientz was previously Associate Professor of Engineering at the University of Southern California and department manager at System Development Corporation, where he was one of the project leaders involved in the development of ARPANET, the precursor of the Internet. He is the author of more than 20 books and 60 articles on information systems, planning, project management, and E-Business.

Kathryn P. Rea is president and founder of The Consulting Edge, Inc., which was established in 1984. The firm specializes in E-Business, information technology, project management, and financial consulting. She has managed more than 65 major technology-related projects internationally and has advised on or carried out projects in government, energy, banking and finance, distribution, trading, retailing, transportation, mining, manufacturing, and utilities. She has successfully directed multinational projects in China, North and South America, Southeast Asia, Europe, and Australia.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 339 pages
• Publisher: Academic Press; 2 edition (March 6, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 012449966X
• ISBN-13: 978-0124499669
• Product Dimensions: 14 x 8.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #788,930 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent general project management book, September 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Project Management for the 21st Century, Second Edition (Paperback)

This is one of the best project management books for introducing employees to modern project management in an interesting way. Most project management books are ver dry and lack realistic examples. Thus, it is difficult to motivate people to read and use such materials. This is a very practical, down to earth book that has many guidelines that you can use immediately as you read the book. Some of the strengths of the book are: 1) best description of matrix management; 2) use of collaborative tools in managing projects; 3) how to deal with multiple projects; 4) how to share resources across several projects; 5) how to deal with risk in projects. The authors have developed a very creative and useful approach in dealing with project risk that associates project risk with unresolved issues. I highly recommend this book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent proj. mgmt. book for all levels, September 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Project Management for the 21st Century, Second Edition (Paperback)

This book is very good for all types of projects. It covers setting up a project, organizing the work, managing a project, handling several projects at once, dealing with project issues and crises, using modern technology such as groupware and the Internet. The approach of establishing an issues data base and relating issues to specific tasks in a project is unique. It is very useful.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good guide to the project management practice., September 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Project Management for the 21st Century, Second Edition (Paperback)

This book is an excellent guide to the project management profession. It is, of course, a general book, but it provides a very good understanding of this practice for beginners or those who would like to get an overview of project management. Yet, it gives enough detail to make itself an extraordinary reference book for professionals of all interest levels. It contains very striking case studies of both successful and unsuccessful projects. It is also a good text book.