Practical Project Management, Learning to Manage the Professional

The pressure's on. In today's economy, organizations must perform faster, better, and cheaper. Projects have to conform to ever-tightening schedules and budgets. Yet most technical professionals have no training in project management. For years, the construction and defense industries have implemented project management strategies - now 'Practical Project Management: Learning to Manage the Professional' focuses specifically on techniques proven to be effective in the instrumentation and automation field. Starting with an overview of what every project manager needs to know, this book serves as a practical tool for the instrumentation and automation professional. It defines each unique phase of a project and then provides practical knowledge in areas such as budget and cost estimates, contracts, negotiating, team building, scheduling, and choosing project management software. This book devotes special attention to often-neglected project completion and close-out activities, including tips for how to write and make the most of final project reports. In addition, the book includes a number of appendices that provide sample forms, contracts, and bids used for automation projects.Managers of automation projects are discovering that these proven techniques are highly effective to successfully complete large and small projects. 'Practical Project Management: Learning to Manage the Professional' goes beyond the scope of a simple how-to book. It provides a complete discussion of project management theory, along with practical managers, with a complete set of tools to save time and money.