Defining, Managing, and Measuring for Optimal Return
Overview
What's more important than whether a project is on time or on budget?
Whether it delivers value.
"What good is a project that's on time...on budget...and ends up
providing your organization with no bottom-line results whatsoever?
Whether it falls short of expectations, fails to ultimately be embraced
by the people in the company meant to be using it, or simply lands with
a thud in the marketplace, a project that doesn't truly deliver value is
worthless at best. It's great to be on time and under budget, but to
achieve positive results, project managers have to embrace an all-new
philosophy of what it is they do for their organizations.
Maximizing Project Value shows you how to put the emphasis on value when
managing a project, from the project's initial inception, all the way
through its completion, and even farther down the road to determine
whether it's of continuous worth to the company. This valuable guide
offers a step-by-step plan you can use to establish the value of a
project, identify value drivers and key performance metrics and then
track and report them, organize a team for accountability, and much
more. You'll get the tools and information you need to:
* Generate accurate value estimates in the proposal stage.
* Create a clear plan that identifies measurable and ongoing value.
* Establish buy-in from key players in your organization.
* Develop and use a process for managing the people responsible for
implementing the plan.
* Adapt your project to meet changing business objectives.
Far too many projects lose sight of their original purpose due to
shifting resources, changing organizational objectives, and other
unexpected developments. Maximizing Project Value provides a clear,
immediately usable blueprint for ensuring the kind of project success
that truly provides value to your organization."
About the Author
Jeff Berman is Vice President of PM tec, Inc., a leading project
management consulting firm. For more than 20 years, Jeff has helped
Fortune 500 companies including Gillette, Johnson & Johnson, FMC,
CertainTeed, and Cytec deliver measurable value from project
investments. He holds an M.B.A. and a B.S. in Industrial Engineering
from Northeastern University. His keynote speaking events have
included: Project Management Institute, American Production Inventory
Control Society, New England Summit of Project Management, Mid Atlantic
Project Summit, as well as many Fortune 500 client conferences. Jeff
lives in Phoenix with his wife and daughter. He can be contacted at
projectvalue@pmtec.com or www.pmtec.com.
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Table of Contents
"Acknowledgments
Introduction: Beyond ""on Time and on Budget""
The Speed2ValueTM Project Approach
Chapter 1 Defining the Project Business Case and Getting Buy-In from Top
Management
Business Case Process Life Cycle
Step 1: Determining the Need for a Project
Step 2: Initiating the Project
Step 3: Making the Business Case
Business Case ""Influencers and Supporters""
Seven Principles for Developing a Winning Business Case
Step 4: Project Selection Techniques
Step 5: The Business Case Approval Process
Chapter 2 Executing a Project with a Business Value Mind Set
Defining Project Value Drivers
Project Key Performance Indicators
Chapter 3 Achieving Project Value Through Stakeholder Management
Change Management
Stakeholder Management
Stakeholder Management as a Process
Stakeholder Communication
Chapter 4 Creating Organizational Alignment and Accountability
The Impact of Change
Accountability
Rewards and Incentives
Chapter 5 Establishing an Ongoing Project Performance Tracking Process
Reporting Mechanisms
Metrics Visibility
Correction Management
Chapter 6 Conclusion
Appendix A Project Business Case Exercises
Exercise A-1 Project Initiation Document
Exercise A-2 Initial Assessment
Exercise A-3 Risk Factors and Ratings
Exercise A-4 Resource Requirements
Exercise A-5 Total Project Cost Estimate
Exercise A-6 Financial Return
Appendix B Stakeholder Management Exercises
Exercise B-1 Sharing Your Experience with Change
Exercise B-2 Identifying Stakeholders
Exercise B-3 Assessing Stakeholders
Exercise B-4 Developing a Stakeholder Communication Plan
Exercise B-5 Establishing Stakeholder Accountability
Key Terms
Index"
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