Many books for introductory project management courses are written with heavy detail and are designed for experienced project managers running large-scale projects. In this slim guide, skilled expert Dave C. Barrett prepares students to manage projects with a “let’s walk before we run” approach, offering the perfect amount of detail for students new to the field who are lacking practical project experience. Learning only the most critical project management concepts and processes, students are taken through an ongoing case study that follows a moderately sized project from its initiation to completion.
This new book offers the actual project management documents produced during the case study and will equip readers with a solid understanding of why each of the processes are used, why the decisions are made, and how the pieces of project management fit together. Suitable for any discipline or industry, Understanding Project Management promises to be a light, engaging, and quick read.
Chapter 12: Managing Disruptions to the Plan: Issues and Change
Chapter 13: Managing the Human Resources Aspects of the Project
Chapter 14: Reporting the Status of the Project
Part IV: Project Procurement and the Closing Phase
Chapter 15: Project Procurement
Chapter 16: Closing the Project
Part V: Agile Project Management
Chapter 17: An Overview of Agile Project Management
Appendix: The Case Study Project Management Documents
References
Biography
Dave C. Barrett is a full-time Professor and Program Coordinator of Project Management at Conestoga College in Kitchener, Ontario. He joined Conestoga’s School of Business in 2004, after working 21 years in the private industry, where he led large-scale IT integration projects. Barrett holds Bachelor of Math and Master of Business Administration degrees as well as his Project Management Professional designation.
“ Dave C. Barrett takes on the complex topic of project management and cuts through the jargon by simplifying the concepts through a series of fundamental principles and processes. It is easy to read with lots of tips, cases, and examples. More importantly, relevant project management terms, processes, and documents are specifically demonstrated. Everyone, from beginners to the most experienced project managers, will learn something useful.”
— Dean A. Bulloch, Professor, School of Business, Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning
“Too often texts on the field of project management are more complex than the projects themselves, but not this one. Dave C. Barrett has managed to demystify project management with this incredibly useful business text. Taking readers step-by-step through the phases of the project management lifecycle as well as a case study (woven seamlessly through the book), this text demonstrates a simple, straightforward, effective approach that will assist readers in managing projects of any size, for businesses of any type.”
— Nicole Priatel, PMP, Professor, School of Business, Project Management Graduate Certificate, Algonquin College
“The textbook is truly one of the best. It gives readers an extensive understanding while being short, to-the-point, and easy to remember. I will definitely be keeping this book for my career and future studies!”
—Danielle Demeyere, Graduate, Bachelor of Public Relations, Conestoga College
“Very rarely do you find a textbook that explains the course so well that you read it once and feel like you know everything you need to know to write the exam. This book covers all the basics of project management so well and in a very simple language. I recommend that every student of project management read this to get a better hold on this subject.”
—Manpreet Kaur, Student, Administrative Business Management – Post Graduate Program, Conestoga College
“This book is a blessing in disguise. Most books have complicated terminology, which makes it difficult for students to focus on the subject. As an international student, I found this book very easy to understand as the language and concepts are illustrated in a very simple fashion. I feel that anyone who reads this book will be able to understand project management without trying too hard.”
—Nivedita Navali, Student, Administrative Business Management – Post Graduate Program, Conestoga College
“I cannot tell you how much it captured my interest. It is really clear and easy to understand, especially for an international student.”
—Poorya Rahmati, Student, Project Management – Post Graduate Program, Conestoga College
Instructor Resources
The Instructor’s Manual for Understanding Project Management includes:
Instructor guide
PowerPoint Slides
Project document templates
Scheduling software
Test bank with multiple choice and short answer questions
Contact your rep to view a supplement sample or request a download code.
All our eBooks are DRM protected and can only be read through the RedShelf Reader or RedShelf App.
RedShelf Reader offers on and offline access, text-to-speech, study tools, and more. It will save your notes, highlighting, study tools, and synchronize your account across devices, however:
eBooks cannot be downloaded to your device or desktop outside of the RedShelf Reader or to other eReading apps
eBooks cannot be printed in full
To learn more about our digital products please view our ebooks FAQ page.
What is a Reflowable ebook?
Reflowable eTextbooks respond to the size of the device they are viewed on, much like a typical website. This causes them to look different from a traditional book. They may also contain embedded audio, video, or interactive components in addition to the RedShelf Reader’s standard study tools.
What is a Fixed Layout eBook?
A fixed layout eTextbook maintains the look and the feel of a printed textbook. The text is fixed, and the screen size determines the size of the text. These eTextbooks work best on large-screen devices and do not contain any embedded media or interactive content.
