Project Manager Street Smarts: A Real World Guide to PMP Skills [Paperback]

Terri Wagner (Author), Linda Kretz Zaval (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0470479590 | ISBN-13: 978-0470479599 | Publication Date: July 7, 2009 | Edition: 1

Hands-on practice for the most common-and most difficult-project management tasks

Breaking into the field of project management is difficult, and the Project Management Institute requires that Project Management Professionals (PMPs) have on-the-job experience before earning their certification. This handy, task-based resource addresses the most common and the most challenging tasks Project Managers face and demonstrates how to perform these tasks.

The Street Smarts series is designed to help current or aspiring professionals put their certification to work for them. Full of practical, real world scenarios, each book features actual tasks from the field and then offers step-by-step exercises that teach the skills necessary to complete those tasks.

• Aimed at anyone looking to gain hands-on experience in the field of project management by offering a unique look at the daily routine of a project manager
• Offers a variety of real-world scenarios, covering everything from the most common tasks to the most demanding roadblocks
• Walks you through step-by-step instructions of working with a project: initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing
• Demonstrates defining a scope, developing a project charter, creating the work breakdown structure, managing resource allocation, and more

Designed to provide you with an accurate look into the field of project management, this book offers you a unique and insightful perspective on the demands of a project manager on a day-to-day basis.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Develop the skills you need in the real world

Hit the ground running with the street-smart training you'll find in this practical guide to project management. Using a "year in the life" approach, it gives you an inside look at the common responsibilities of project managers, with key information organized around the actual day-to-day tasks, scenarios, and challenges you'll face in the field. This valuable training tool is loaded with hands-on, step-by-step exercises covering all phases of project management, including:

• Initiating and planning the project

• Executing the project

• Monitoring and controlling the project

• Closing the project

An invaluable study tool

This no-nonsense book puts into practice all of the concepts found in A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide), Fourth Edition. Whether you are a Project Management Professional (PMP) seeking to update your skills, or are a novice project management practitioner, this book walks you through every step of managing a project, including:

• Defining and stating the scope

• Developing a project charter

• Building a master project management plan

• Creating and managing the work breakdown structure

• Obtaining approval and resources

• Measuring personnel and project performance

• Closing out contracts as well as the project

The Street Smarts series is designed to help current or aspiring IT professionals put their certification to work for them. Full of practical, real world scenarios, each book features actual tasks from the field and then offers step-by-step exercises that teach the skills necessary to complete those tasks. And because the exercises are based upon exam objectives from leading technology certifications, each Street Smarts book can be used as a lab manual for certification prep.

About the Author

Linda Kretz Zaval, PMP, is owner and managing member of 20/20 Solutions, LLC. An active member of the Project Management Institute (PMI), she is an internationally sought-after public speaker, project management instructor, and consultant. Terri Wagner, PMP, is President and founder of Mentor Source, Inc. She has taught project management in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, and Europe.

Product Details

• Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: Sybex; 1 edition (July 7, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470479590
• ISBN-13: 978-0470479599
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #560,540 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 3rd portion of a great trio for PMP, August 21, 2009

By 

Brian K. Seitz (Eatonville, Wa USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Project Manager Street Smarts: A Real World Guide to PMP Skills (Paperback)

The Project Manager Street Smarts: A Real World Guide to PMP Skills book that completes a trio from ybex PMP Exam Prep, I was half expecting to be the clunker of the collection. Again much to my surprise it well exceeded my expectations. Street Smart is not just an endless list of tips without context as may other books that label themselves street smart turnout to be. The book is rich with job aids, templates and guides that make actually doing the job of project management easier.

If you think a PM's role is just filling in task names and durations into Microsoft Project, tracking and printing schedules. This series is not for you. If you focus on the other 80% that truly influences a project to be successful, these are the books. While I may never take the PMI Exams, I feel confident that I could pass them after reading these and more importantly can apply the knowledge PMI is fostering in real world applications.