Project Management Success & Failure Books

Author: Penny Pullen & Ruth Murray-Webster
Publisher: Gower

If you need to make sound decisions in important but risky situations; work with groups to identify, prioritise and respond to risks, deliver value and, along the way, ensure the credibility of the process and the resilience of your organisation, "A Short Guide to Facilitating Risk Management" is for you.

BOOK AVAILABLE VIA GOWER-ARRAS PARTNER PAGE AT DISCOUNT

Author: J.A. Flinn
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Aimed at those who manage, sponsor, own or deliver IT projects, "The Success Healthcheck for IT Projects" should help managers identify and address those projects which consume resources and yet don't produce results for the business.

Author: Ralph R. Young, Steven M. Brady, Dennis C. Nagle Jr.
Publisher: Management Concepts

Numerous statistics say that more than 50% of all projects are failing. But there is little to no survey on the art of saving a failing project. It would be necessary to give any advice how to save these projects.
 

Authors: David Nickson, Suzy Siddons
Publisher: Kogan Page

Examines the causes of project management failures and what can be learnt from them. This book focuses on risk management - identifying risks and strategies to deal with them; how to support and lead project teams when things go wrong; how to turn a disaster into something positive; and guidance on what not to do.

Author: Harold Kerzner Ph.D.
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Demonstrates a selection of project management case studies documenting successful implementation of project management by real companies.

Author: Robert Mittelstaedt
Publisher: Wharton School

We read a lot about projects going wrong, in fact that's nearly all the headlines in recent years in relation to projects and project management. This book looks at mistakes from a corporate perspective – an intelligent and entertaining read.

Author: Francis Thomas Hartman
Publisher: Project Management Institute

Presents a set of principles for project management and details their theory and application, balancing tricks of the trade with research and case studies. Themes include communication with sponsors and clients, managing expectations of stakeholders, and flexibility. Material is written in an informal style, punctuated by success stories

Recommended by a reader

Author: Elle Bereaux
Publisher: Atlantic Publishing Co

The Complete Guide to Project Management is aimed at new Project Managers and Project Assistants and endeavours to give them a complete overview of their new role. It takes the reader through the whole process of running a successful project and gives them the tools required to do so.

Arras Book of the Month - March 2010

Author: Elizabeth Harrin
Publisher: British Computer Society

A short cut to project management experience: it summarises over 250 years' of experience from professional project managers. Anecdotes and tips are backed up with theory and references, along with case studies from the US, Holland, France, Australia as well as the UK. Filled with snappy, 'how-to' tips and ideas, project managers will benefit from solid, innovative ideas and learn tricks from professionals to help them deliver projects more successfully.

Authors: Jack J. Phillips, Ph. D; Timothy W. Bothell, Ph.D, G. Lynne Snead
Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann

The reason this book is useful is that it connects tactical processes with strategy through the Balanced Scorecard. The traditional approach to project management starts with a set of processes - defined in PMBOK for example - and applies these processes to the project in the hope that their use will improve the success probability of the project.

Author: Todd Williams
Publisher: Amacom

Portland, Oregon-based project turnaround guru Todd Williams taps into the failure of projects and putting them back onto the road to success, start-to-finish. As a lifelong surveyor, purveyor and saver of projects gone haywire, Todd helps his readers through 70 real-world examples and guidelines to avoid problems from the outset, plus tracking of the root causes of the problem and steps to get things back on track.

Review available later in 2011 (Title available June 2011)

Author: Lorraine Mavengere
Publisher: Paragon

Recommended by an Arras People website visitor

Lorraine tackles twelve foundational principles of success, the issues handled are all essential and vital to leading a successful life in business and otherwise. A fresh input is given to what are universal truths making them effective and achievable for anyone. Lorraine Mavengere not only spurs on the reader to pursue their dream but to create accountability for their life in the process.