The Project Manager's Pocket Survival Guide [Paperback]

James Lewis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 21, 2003

Troubleshooting tips and techniques for keeping projects and management careers on track

Bestselling author James P. Lewis has become today's number one authority on the rules of project management in virtually any industry or environment. Now, in The Project Manager's Pocket Survival Guide, Dr. Lewis focuses on areas that are often the largest stumbling blocks to project managers both new and experienced, and provides the practical skills and hidden keys necessary for completing projects on time and within budget.

Providing numerous case studies of project management successes and failures in the field, this no-nonsense book explains how to maintain project consistency and success in today's environment of fast change and even faster innovation. Managers will obtain new tools and insights for:

• Understanding the politics of projects
• Running a successful, results-driven meeting
• Managing effectively in the project environment

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Priceless tips on how to keep your projects and your career on track from today's #1 expert on effective project management

In today's hyper-competitive business environment, where faster, cheaper, better is the mantra, and your reputation (and job security) is only as sound as the last project you managed, it isn't enough to be a competent PM, you need to be a great one. Now this book shows you how.

An engineer with a PhD in psychology, Jim Lewis spent 15 years as a project manager in high-tech industries and another 22 years as a world-class PM coach and trainer. In Project Manager's Survival Guide he goes beyond the metrics, planning diagrams and scheduling formats found in most books on the subject to share hard-won lessons about such nitty-gritty realities of project management as politics, personalities, motivation, teamwork, and leadership. From basic survival tips like: "Manage Expectations," "Never accept verbal change requests," and "Assume that you have the authority until told otherwise," to priceless pointers on how to be an effective leader and how to keep your career on track, Jim arms experienced and novice PMs alike with the knowledge and expertise needed to become a great project manager in any industry and any business environment.

About the Author

James P. Lewis, Ph.D. is founder and president of The Lewis Institute, Inc., and an influential thought leader on project management. He is the author of several books, including Working Together, The Project Manager's Desk Reference and Fundamentals of Project Management.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (July 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071416218
• ISBN-13: 978-0071416214
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,816,452 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

James P. Lewis, Ph.D., CIC is an experienced project manager, who teaches seminars on the subject throughout the world. His solid, no-nonsense approach is largely the result of the 15 years he spent in industry, working as an Electrical Engineer, engaged in the design and development of communication equipment. He held various positions, including Project Manager, Product Engineering Manager, and Chief Engineer, for Aerotron, Inc. and ITT Telecommunications, both of Raleigh, NC. He also was a Quality Manager for ITT Telecom, managing a department of 63 quality engineers, line inspectors, and test technicians.
Since 1980, Dr. Lewis has trained over 35,000 project managers. He is the author of 12 books on project management. He has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Psychology, both from NC State University in Raleigh. He is a member of the Project Management Institute, and is also a certified Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument practitioner and a Certified Integral Coach(R).
He is president of The Lewis Institute, Inc., a training and consulting company specializing in project management, which he founded in 1981. His company provides a project management certificate program to NC State University's Office of Professional Development. He lives in Fairview, NC, near Asheville.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best project management book I have every read, August 17, 2009

By 

John L. Osborne (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Project Manager's Pocket Survival Guide (Paperback)

I am an experienced construction project manager, and I really enjoyed this book, because it affirmed some things I already know to be true, and offered some additional ideas for me to consider, all written in a concise, honest way. I outlined it and bought copied for my friends to read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A reminder about the big picture, February 10, 2009

By 

Charles D. Schrock (Wheaton, IL United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Project Manager's Pocket Survival Guide (Paperback)

This is a good book to give reminders on some of the practical issues of project management, but it's not a guide to the more mundane project management issues. If you want to know "how to", then you might want to look elsewhere. However, if you're not terribly experienced and you have some project-management responsibilities, then this is a good read to help you remember some of the big picture issues that will make you successful.