This book focuses on the activities involved in initiating, planning, implementing and completing a project successfully. In short, the activities associated with the term, project management .

For simplicity, they are covered as if they follow a sequence of neatly compartmentalised activities that succeed each other in some pre-ordained order. In practice, life is much messier. It is a sequence of cycles, not a group of activities. Objectives, targets, plans and budgets are continually subject to review and revision to ensure that they still have a business rationale. Project outcomes often diverge considerably from the original draft plan.

The ideas you will find in this book can be applied to a wide range of projects that vary in size, complexity, cost and timescale. They are intended to be practical, to help you foresee potential problems and when they arise, to address them effectively. As well as covering the tools and techniques of project management, we also pay attention to the soft issues involved how to manage the people side of project management.

The book is organised into five main themes. The first explores the fundamental characteristics of a project and the stages of its life cycle. The other four then look in detail at each of the life cycle steps.

Your objectives are to:

• Explore what differentiates a project from other types of work and identify the essential stages in the project life cycle

• Define the vision, objectives and scope of a project with the project sponsors and key stakeholders