Project management software Books

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Book SynopsisIn this practical guide, author Kent Beck, creator of Extreme Programming and pioneer of software patterns, suggests when and where you might apply tidyings to improve your code while keeping the overall structure of the system in mind.

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Book Synopsis Don McGreal, in his role as VP of Learning Solutions at Improving (improving.com), is a hands-on agile consultant and instructor. He specializes in agile coaching at the enterprise and product management levels within larger organizations. Don is a Scrum.org Professional Scrum Trainer who has authored and taught classes for thousands of software professionals around the globe. He is also co-founder of TastyCupcakes.org, a comprehensive collection of games and exercises for accelerating the adoption of agile principles. Don is a course steward for the Scrum.org PTable of Contents About the Author Part I: Strategy Chapter 1: Agile Product Management Chapter 2: Vision Chapter 3: Value Chapter 4: Validation Part II: Scrum Chapter 5: Empiricism Chapter 6: Scrum Part III: Tactics Chapter 7: Product Backlog Management Chapter 8: Release Management Chapter 9: The Successful Product Owner Index

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Book SynopsisStephanie Ockerman has more than a decade of experience in both traditional waterfall and agile delivery approaches and has worked with implementations in leading large-scale technology programs, acting as a Scrum Master, and coaching Scrum Teams and organizations. She is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) through PMI and a Co-Active Coach trained by the Coach Training Institute. Stephanie is an active blogger and frequently speaks at agile and leadership conferences around the world.   Simon Reindl is an experienced developer, trainer, coach, and technologist. He has more than 20 years' experience helping organizations in the private and public sectors and all industries adopt new technology and improve the value delivered. He is qualified to lead the full range of Professional Scrum Training courses (PSF, PSD .NET, PSM, PSPO and SPS) as well as coach people at all levelswhethTable of ContentsForeword by Ken Schwaber xiiiForeword by Dave West xviiIntroduction xxiAcknowledgments xxviiAbout the Authors xxix Chapter 1: Continuously Improving Your Scrum Practice 1 Focus on Seven Key Areas to Improve Your Scrum Practice 2 Growing Scrum Requires a Team to Improve Other Capabilities 7 A Process for Continuous Improvement 12 Summary 21 Call to Action 22 Chapter 2: Creating a Strong Team Foundation 23 Forming a Team Identity 23 What Makes a Good Team Member? 24 Who Should Be on a Scrum Team? 27 How Do Scrum Teams Form Working Agreements? 29 What Does Self-Organization Look Like? 31 How Do Scrum Teams Collaborate? 36 How Do Teams Progress? 42 Summary 47 Call to Action 48 Chapter 3: Delivering “Done” Product Increments 49 What Is a Definition of “Done”? 50 Using Sprint Goals to Get to “Done” 55 Getting PBIs to “Done” Earlier in the Sprint 58 Limiting Work Items in Progress 62 Building in Quality from the Beginning 64 Quality Metrics 68 Tackling Technical Debt 70 Summary 74 Call to Action 74 Chapter 4: Improving Value Delivered 77 What Is Value? 77 Delivering Faster Is a Good Start, But Not Enough 78 Product Value and the Scrum Team 80 Using the Product Vision to Enliven Team Purpose, Focus, and Identity 81 Measuring Value 83 Inspecting and Adapting Based on Feedback 90 Summary 92 Call to Action 93 Chapter 5: Improving Planning 95 Planning with a Product Mindset 96 Creating Alignment 100 Product Backlog Refinement 101 Planning a Sprint 107 How Far Ahead to Refine 111 Planning Releases 112 Summary 113 Call to Action 114 Chapter 6: Helping Scrum Teams Develop and Improve 115 Using the Sprint Retrospective to Uncover Areas for Improvement 115 Identifying and Removing Impediments 118 Growing Individual and Team Capabilities 124 Being an Accountable Scrum Master 127 Summary 135 Call to Action 135 Chapter 7: Leveraging the Organization to Improve 137 Organizations Need to Evolve to Succeed 137 Developing People and Teams 138 Getting Comfortable with Transparency 144 A Culture of Accountability, Not a Culture of Blame 145 Letting Go of (the Illusion of) Control 146 The Real Power of the Iron Triangle 146 Funding Initiatives 148 “Being Agile” Is Not the Goal 152 Nail It Before You Scale It 153 Summary 154 Call to Action 154 Chapter 8: Conclusion and What’s Next 157 Business Agility Requires Emergent Solutions 157 Call to Action 160 Appendix A: A Self-Assessment for Understanding Where You Are 161 Business Agility 161 Effective Empiricism with Scrum 162 Effective Teamwork with Scrum 167 Analysis of Assessment Answers 168 Appendix B: Common Misconceptions About Scrum 169 Scrum Is Not a Methodology or a Governance Process 169 Index 175

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Book SynopsisLearn the principles of MIS as you explore the latest developments and industry trends with MIS 10. This practically focused approach helps you master foundational MIS concepts that will guide your career. You examine the latest topics, such as cloud computing, AR/VR, quantum computing and blockchain, with the most current MIS title on the market. Have you ever wondered what you would have done as a company leader in a critical moment? With this edition's MindTap digital experience, you can strengthen your decision-making skills with "YouDecide" -- new interactive case studies that bridge technology and business strategy and position you as the decision maker. You can also examine possible career paths with new career connection videos. Delve deeper into key course concepts with new concept videos and foundational case studies. In addition, MindTap's RSS feeds alert you to the latest advancements and trends for a stronger focus on today's real business world.Table of Contents1. Information Systems in Business. 2. Computers and Their Business Applications. 3. Data and Business Intelligence. 4. Personal, Legal, Ethical, and Organizational Issues. 5. Protecting Information Resources. 6. Data Communication: Delivering Information Anywhere and Anytime. 7. A Connected World. 8. E-Commerce. 9. Global Information Systems. 10. Building Successful Information Systems. 11. Enterprise Systems. 12. Supporting Decisions and Processes. 13. Artificial Intelligence and Automation. 14. Emerging Trends, Technologies, and Applications.

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Book SynopsisIn this collection of essays and articles, key members of Google's Site Reliability Team explain how and why their commitment to the entire lifecycle has enabled the company to successfully build, deploy, monitor, and maintain some of the largest software systems in the world.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review" The subtitle of this book says it is for 'ScrumMasters, Agile Coaches, and Project Managers,' however, its guidance and advice extend to anyone associated with an agile (Scrum) team. It will also certainly help team members better understand their relationship to the work ScrumMasters, agile coaches, and project managers do for the team. And, beyond this, the book can be valuable to anyone working in a coaching capacity with any group of people, expanding the book's application beyond agile-based efforts." -Scott Duncan, Agile Coach " Lyssa explains brilliantly how skills from professional coaching can be applied to coaching agile software development teams. What I love about this book is how Lyssa brings practical advice to life by relating it to everyday experiences we all recognize. An essential guide for every agile manager's bookshelf." -Rachel Davies, author of Agile Coaching " As I read this book I could actually hear Lyssa's voice, guiding me and sparking precious 'a-ha moments.' This truly is the next best thing to having an experienced and wise coach sitting by your side, helping you be the best coach you can be for your team." -Kris Blake, agile coach " Lyssa Adkins presents agile coaching in a gentle style with firm underpinnings. She resolves the paradox of how coaching can help a team to self-organize, and shows how a nurturing environment can push teams to perform better than ever." -Bill Wake, Industrial Logic, Inc. " I love Lyssa's three qualities of an agile coach-loving, compassionate, uncompromising-sweet. Every chapter offers a compelling blend of philosophy and action, framework and freedom, approach and avoidance, as any agile book should. Coaching Agile Teams is a good candidate to become dog-eared on my desktop rather than looking good on my bookshelf. The depth and quality of expertise that Lyssa sought, sampled, and sounded out along her own coaching journey have been synthesized in her own voice of experience." -Christopher Avery, Responsibility Process mentor, www.LeadershipGift.com " In my experience with agile projects, the agile coach is one of the most important roles to get right. Coaching Agile Teams by Lyssa Adkins gives the details and practical insights for what it takes to be a great agile coach." -Dave Hendricksen, software architect, Thomson-Reuters " I remember the first time I met Lyssa at a Scrum gathering in Orlando, and realized very quickly how inspirational she would become in the agile community. This book encapsulates her thoughts and ideas into a fantastic literary work that, I believe, fills a void in our community. We knew the role of a coach was needed, but for a long time we were not sure what that role actually was. We struggled as a community to explain what to do, when to do it, and what to do next. Lyssa not only collates all of the things we as coaches aspire to be, but has provided some great advice with realistic direction on how to be the best coach you can be for your team." -Martin Kearns, CSC + CST, Principal Consultant, Renewtek ply. Ltd.Table of ContentsForeword by Mike Cohn xiii Foreword by Jim Highsmith xv Acknowledgments xvii Introduction xix About the Author xxv Part I: It Starts with You 1 Chapter 1: Will I Be a Good Coach? 3 Why Agile Coaching Matters 4 The Agile Coaching Context 5 Let’s Get Our Language Straight 8 Move Toward Agile Coaching 9 An Agile Coach Emerges 15 Native Wiring 16 Make Agile Coaching Your Personal Expression 18 A Refresher 18 Additional Resources 19 Chapter 2: Expect High Performance 21 Set the Expectation 22 Introduce a Metaphor for High Performance 23 The Destination Never Comes 29 A Refresher 30 Additional Resources 30 References 31 Chapter 3: Master Yourself 33 Start with Self-Awareness 35 Recover from Command-and-Control-ism 40 Prepare for the Day Ahead 43 Practice in the Moment 46 Be a Model for Them 53 Support Yourself 53 Always Work on Yourself 54 A Refresher 55 Additional Resources 55 References 56 Chapter 4: Let Your Style Change 59 Agile Team Stages 60 Agile Coach Styles 64 Feel Free to Let Your Style Change 67 A Refresher 70 Additional Resources 70 References 70 Part II: Helping the Team Get More for Themselves 73 Chapter 5: Coach as Coach-Mentor 75 What Is Agile Coaching? 76 What Are We Coaching For? 77 Coaching at Two Levels 78 Coaching People One-on-One 83 Coaching Product Owners 97 Coaching Agile Coaches 107 Coaching Agile Managers 109 A Refresher 114 Additional Resources 114 References 115 Chapter 6: Coach as Facilitator 117 Wield a Light Touch 119 Facilitate the Stand-Up 119 Facilitate Sprint Planning 123 Facilitate the Sprint Review 128 Facilitate the Retrospective 132 Facilitate During Team Conversations 136 Professional Facilitator and Agile Coach 142 A Refresher 143 Additional Resources 143 References 144 Chapter 7: Coach as Teacher 145 Teach During the Team Start-Up 146 Teach New Team Members 169 Use Teachable Moments 170 Teach Agile Roles All the Time 170 A Refresher 180 Additional Resources 181 References 181 Chapter 8: Coach as Problem Solver 183 An Agile Problem Solving Rubric 185 Problems Arise and Are Sought 186 See Problems Clearly 192 Resolve Problems 196 A Refresher 200 Additional Resources 201 References 201 Chapter 9: Coach as Conflict Navigator 203 The Agile Coach’s Role in Conflict 204 Five Levels of Conflict 204 What Level of Conflict Is Present? 207 What Should You Do About It? 211 Carrying Complaints 217 Unsolvable Conflict 221 A Last Word on Conflict 225 A Refresher 226 Additional Resources 226 References 226 Chapter 10: Coach as Collaboration Conductor 229 Collaboration or Cooperation? 231 From Cooperation to Collaboration 232 Build Individual Collaborators 233 Surplus Ideas Required 238 Build the Team’s Collaboration Muscle 239 Reveal the Heart of Collaboration 251 A Refresher 253 Additional Resources 253 References 254 Part III: Getting More for Yourself 257 Chapter 11: Agile Coach Failure, Recovery, and Success Modes 259 Agile Coach Failure Modes 260 Where Do Failure Modes Come From? 261 Recover from Failure Modes 263 Agile Coach Success Modes 266 Practice, Practice 268 A Refresher 269 Additional Resources 269 References 270 Chapter 12: When Will I Get There? 271 Agile Coach Skills 272 Beyond a List of Skills 279 A Refresher 285 Additional Resources 286 References 286 Chapter 13: It’s Your Journey 287 Agile Coach Journeys 288 A Refresher 305 Additional Resources 305 References 305 Index 307

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Book SynopsisAll scheduling software is difficult to learn for a number of reasons. None have the optimal settings when installed and templates, views and default options need to be adjusted to obtain the best possible performance. Usually the Help files do not connect the user to real life situations and do not explain the practical use of functions. Furthermore, there are many flicks and switches with obscure names that are difficult to understand or decide what they do or which are important. These issues make learning the software very difficult without a comprehensive guide written by an experienced user. Investing in a book written by Paul E Harris will address all these issues and allow you to setup the software properly and understand all the obscure functions letting you become productive more quickly and enhance your career opportunities and salary with a solid understanding of the software. Microsoft® Project 2021 is a minor update of Microsoft® Project 2019 and therefore this book covers versions 2013, 2016, 2019 2021 and 365. This book is aimed at showing project management professionals how to use the software in a project environment. This book is an update of the author’s last book “Planning and Scheduling using Microsoft® Project 2013, 2016 and 21. It has revised workshops and incudes the new functions of Microsoft Project 2021. This publication was written so it may be used as: • A training manual, or • A self teach book, or • A user guide. The book stays focused on the information required to create and update a schedule with or without resources using Microsoft® Project by: • Concentrating on the core functions required to plan and control a project. • Keeping the information relevant to each topic in the appropriate chapter. • Providing a quick reference at the start of each chapter listing the chapter topics. • Providing a comprehensive index of all topics. The book is aimed at: • Project managers and schedulers who wish learn the software, however are unable to attend a training course, or require a reference book. • Project management companies in industries such as building, construction, oil & gas, software development, government and defence who wish to run their own software training courses or provide their employees a good practical guide to using the software. • Training organizations who require a training manual to run their own courses. This book is written by an experienced scheduler, who has used the software at the sharp end of projects and is not a techo. It draws on the author's practical experience in using the software in a wide variety of industries. It presents workable solutions to real day to day planning and scheduling problems and contains practical advice on how to set up the software and import data.Trade ReviewWhile there is a heap of information and opinions out there relating to MS Project, there are few sources of knowledge at the depth we need to use the tool properly. An incredibly flexible tool, MS Project caters to the novice right through to the advanced user. As people’s level of skill and scheduling maturity grows, so too does their needs and expectations of the tool. Paul has brought us an excellent reference, building on his 20 years experience using this and other scheduling tools. With changes made in MS Project and the popularity and function of MS Project Server growing, the need to schedule, update and report consistently becomes so much more important. This book is a guide; it is a reference and so much more. Martin Vaughan, Director, Core Consulting Group, elbourne, AU, www.coreconsulting.com.auTable of Contents1 INTRODUCTION 2 CREATING A PROJECT SCHEDULE 3 NAVIGATION AND SETTING THE OPTIONS 4 CREATING PROJECTS AND TEMPLATES 5 DEFINING CALENDARS 6 ADDING TASKS 7 ORGANIZING TASKS USING OUTLINING 8 FORMATTING THE DISPLAY 9 ADDING TASK DEPENDENCIES 10 NETWORK DIAGRAM VIEW 11 CONSTRAINTS 12 FILTERS 13 TABLES AND GROUPING TASKS 14 VIEWS AND DETAILS 15 PRINTING AND REPORTS 16 TRACKING PROGRESS 17 CREATING RESOURCES AND COSTS 18 ASSIGNING RESOURCES AND COSTS TO TASKS 19 RESOURCE OPTIMIZATION 20 UPDATING PROJECTS WITH RESOURCES 21 PROJECT OPTIONS 22 MICROSOFT PROJECT SERVER 23 MORE ADVANCED SCHEDULING 24 TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES FOR SCHEDULING 25 APPENDIX 1 – SCREENS USED TO CREATE VIEWS 26 INDEX

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Book SynopsisAll scheduling software is difficult to learn for a number of reasons. None have the optimal settings when installed and templates, views and default options need to be adjusted to obtain the best possible performance. Usually the Help files do not connect the user to real life situations and do not explain the practical use of functions. Furthermore, there are many flicks and switches with obscure names that are difficult to understand or decide what they do or which are important. These issues make learning the software very difficult without a comprehensive guide written by an experienced user. Investing in a book written by Paul E Harris will address all these issues and allow you to setup the software properly and understand all the obscure functions letting you become productive more quickly and enhance your career opportunities and salary with a solid understanding of the software. Microsoft (R) Project 2021 is a minor update of Microsoft (R) Project 2019 and therefore this book covers versions 2013, 2016, 2019 2021 and 365. This book is aimed at showing project management professionals how to use the software in a project environment. This book is an update of the author's last book "Planning and Scheduling using Microsoft (R) Project 2013, 2016 and 21. It has revised workshops and incudes the new functions of Microsoft Project 2021. This publication was written so it may be used as: * A training manual, or * A self teach book, or * A user guide. The book stays focused on the information required to create and update a schedule with or without resources using Microsoft (R) Project by: * Concentrating on the core functions required to plan and control a project. * Keeping the information relevant to each topic in the appropriate chapter. * Providing a quick reference at the start of each chapter listing the chapter topics. * Providing a comprehensive index of all topics. The book is aimed at: * Project managers and schedulers who wish learn the software, however are unable to attend a training course, or require a reference book. * Project management companies in industries such as building, construction, oil & gas, software development, government and defence who wish to run their own software training courses or provide their employees a good practical guide to using the software. * Training organizations who require a training manual to run their own courses. This book is written by an experienced scheduler, who has used the software at the sharp end of projects and is not a techo. It draws on the author's practical experience in using the software in a wide variety of industries. It presents workable solutions to real day to day planning and scheduling problems and contains practical advice on how to set up the software and import data.Trade ReviewWhile there is a heap of information and opinions out there relating to MS Project, there are few sources of knowledge at the depth we need to use the tool properly. An incredibly flexible tool, MS Project caters to the novice right through to the advanced user. As people's level of skill and scheduling maturity grows, so too does their needs and expectations of the tool. Paul has brought us an excellent reference, building on his 20 years experience using this and other scheduling tools. With changes made in MS Project and the popularity and function of MS Project Server growing, the need to schedule, update and report consistently becomes so much more important. This book is a guide; it is a reference and so much more. Martin Vaughan, Director, Core Consulting Group, elbourne, AU, www.coreconsulting.com.auTable of Contents1 INTRODUCTION 2 CREATING A PROJECT SCHEDULE 3 NAVIGATION AND SETTING THE OPTIONS 4 CREATING PROJECTS AND TEMPLATES 5 DEFINING CALENDARS 6 ADDING TASKS 7 ORGANIZING TASKS USING OUTLINING 8 FORMATTING THE DISPLAY 9 ADDING TASK DEPENDENCIES 10 NETWORK DIAGRAM VIEW 11 CONSTRAINTS 12 FILTERS 13 TABLES AND GROUPING TASKS 14 VIEWS AND DETAILS 15 PRINTING AND REPORTS 16 TRACKING PROGRESS 17 CREATING RESOURCES AND COSTS 18 ASSIGNING RESOURCES AND COSTS TO TASKS 19 RESOURCE OPTIMIZATION 20 UPDATING PROJECTS WITH RESOURCES 21 PROJECT OPTIONS 22 MICROSOFT PROJECT SERVER 23 MORE ADVANCED SCHEDULING 24 TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES FOR SCHEDULING 25 APPENDIX 1 - SCREENS USED TO CREATE VIEWS 26 INDEX

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Book SynopsisGitOps and Kubernetes introduces a radical idea—managing your infrastructure with the same Git pull requests you use to manage your codebase. In this in-depth tutorial, you’ll learn to operate infrastructures based on powerful-but-complex technologies with the same Git version control tools most developers use daily. GitOps and Kubernetes is half reference, half practical tutorial for operating Kubernetes the GitOps way. Through fast-paced chapters, you’ll unlock the benefits of GitOps for flexible configuration management, monitoring, robustness, multi-environment support, and discover tricks and tips for managing secrets in the unique GitOps fashion. Key Features · Multiple-environments management with branching, namespace, and configuration · Access Control with Git, Kubernetes, and Pipeline · Using Kubernetes with Argo CD, JenkinsX, and Flux · Multi-step deployment strategies like Blue-Green, Canary in a declarative GitOps model For developers familiar with Continuous Delivery principles and the basics of Git and Kubernetes. About the technology The tools to monitor and manage software delivery and deployment can be complex to set up and intimidating to learn. But with the “GitOps“ method, you can manage your entire Kubernetes infrastructure with Git pull requests, giving you a single control interface and making it easy to assess and roll back changes! Billy Yuen, Alexander Matyushentsev, Todd Ekenstam, and Jesse Suen are principal engineers for the Intuit platform. They are widely recognized as industry leads in GitOps for Kubernetes, having presented numerous related talks at industry conferences.

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Book SynopsisRob Cole is an agile coach and author with a passion for getting the best out of individuals, teams and organisations. He has a special interest in thorny challenges, especially when there are non-negotiable constraints. Always hands-on, Rob works closely with businesses to implement innovative, best-practice based solutions and to help steer them through any choppy waters - emerging confident, fully self-sufficient and ready for the challenges ahead. Rob is also the co-author of Brilliant Project Management and Brilliant Agile Project Management, both published by Pearson Business.Table of ContentsTable of Contents -Introducing Agility 1 – Everything Is Agile• What it means to be agile and why it’s a game changer.• The phenomenal spread of agile around the business world; why agile is taking the business world by storm.• Markets develop and customers constantly want new things; agile tools and techniques embrace change;• Agile can be applied to everything – way beyond the popular IT and tech applications.• Agile won't mess things up - it's not a gamble.• The focus on working smarter, not harder and getting results fast.• Checks are built in so it’s impossible to go wildly off track.• Like traditional methods, agile can still fail but it fails fast and inexpensively.• A word of warning; common misunderstanding and booby-traps with agile.• Unsuccessful projects usually fail at the start and agile avoids the perennial problem of starting on false assumptions.• Agile delivers results and free up time for more important stuff.• Everyone is agile some of the time and some people are agile all the time.• Agility is infectious.• Agile organisations achieve more than agile project teams.• Start small and go viral.• There’s minimal risk and immediate results – so what is there to lose? 2 – Focus On Results• Producing results is the only thing that matters and business value is the main driver.• It’s essential to have a vision, to know what the end goal is and that’s what business value is measured against.• The vision, the end goal. provides a measure of success for all individual tasks and projects.• Don’t sweat the small stuff - individual tasks are only a means to an end.• Measure success by results and against progress towards the end goals, not by how much graft you put in.• A minimal investment is required to get going with agile and there’s no time like the present.• It’s easy to start small if necessary, often that’s the best approach.• Agile handles anything from individual tasks and personal ventures to business projects can be handled.The Golden Triangle: Prioritising, Time Boxing and Change Management. 3 – Prioritising• Prioritising is much more than creating a to-do list.• It’s not an unnecessary overhead, it lays the foundation for doing the right things in the right order.• The vision and end goals provide guiding lights.• Define a backlog working towards the vision/end goals.• Write up the deliverables not the activities e.g. new backlog board not go to B&Q.• Work out the size of tasks using story pointing or t-shirt sizes.• Get it all down but keep an eye on the minimum needed to succeed – what must be done?• Be wary of too many bells and whistles, the nice-to-haves.• Prioritise the backlog based on business valueConstantly review the backlog, a healthy backlog changes regularly.• Be driven by priorities not external pressure.• Make all outputs specific, tangible and measurable.• Remember that saying ’No’ is always an option. 4 – Time Boxing• Time boxing is easy to understand and even easier to use.• Time boxing puts an end to overspending; both time and hard cash.• Open ended tasks are a recipe for disaster.• Be mindful of the Law of Diminishing Returns and the 80/20 Rule.• Time box everything! No excuses.• Plan on the basis of regular deliveries to the business. Every two weeks is a popular option.• Allocate tight but achievable time boxes to get the best results.• Control distractions and other time stealers.• Stick to your guns and never tolerate overruns. 5 – Change Management• Change is essential for survival, standing still is not a viable option.• Change is important, not something to be curbed or penalised.• Agile embraces change with open arms.• Incremental deliveries are vital.• Inspect and adapt is the agile mantra.• A changing backlog is a healthy backlog.• Learns from mistakes but waste time searching for scapregoats.• Have a strategy but think now and avoid 5 year plans.• Plan in a maximum of 12 month chunks – only worry about where you want to be next year; elements of the organisations may not always get agile but even they like annual planning. 6 – Agile Tools & Techniques• The best of tools available featuring Scrum and Kanban.• Overview of the tools available for managing backlogs and workflows.• Simple agile frameworks for a light touch approach.• Upscaling to more complex ventures and projects.• Ways to implement meaningful and useful metrics.• The importance of avoiding an obsession with technology and processes. 7 – Resource Management• Agile techniques focus on effective resource management.• People are a pivotal resource.• Being Lean – the characteristics of agile thinking.• What is takes to be agile, how to think act and behave.• Getting the best out of people and teams.• Training vs. coaching and mentoring.• Be wary of evangelists and false prophets.• Managing an agile transformation – remember there might well be pain!• Getting leopards to change their spots.• Applying agile principles at a personal level.• Reaping the benefits of delegating and outsourcing.• The importance of positive working relationships.• A healthy body and mind helps promotes agility and productivity. 8 – Learning Fast• The importance of building an open, honest learning culture.• Mistakes are inevitable, just don’t repeat them• Reduce waste by learning from mistakes and mitigating against disasters.• Reap the benefits of repeating what do you do well.• Build in continuous improvement to maximize productivity.• A practical guide to looking back and learning, formats for retrospectives and lessons learned sessions.• Common mistakes and traps to avoid.

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Book SynopsisThis book explains the principles of IT-related project management, including project planning, monitoring and control, change management, risk management and communication between project stakeholders. Each chapter includes an overview of the learning objectives, detailed discussion of the syllabus content, activities and multiple choice questions for self-assessment in line with the BCS Foundation Certificate in IS Project Management. This new edition introduces the latest project management thinking, terminology and standards.Trade Review'This book is a comprehensive and modern guide to managing projects in an IT environment. It covers all the core information you need to start, deliver and complete a project, with a strong focus on core project management competencies. If you're studying for the related exam, this is an easy-to-use textbook where the authors clearly explain the main concepts. The end of section questions help you really grasp the ideas and see how you can put them into practice. There's a case study running through the book that helps bring the techniques to life. This goes beyond a basic project management book to be a useful text for people working in IT environments, as it covers concepts like pair programming, testing and other aspects of completing projects successfully while juggling the complexities of a technical environment. Recommended.' -- Elizabeth Harrin FAPM * Director, Otobos Consultants Ltd *Table of Contents1. Projects and Project Work 2. Project Planning 3. Monitoring and Control 4. Change Control and Configuration Management 5. Quality 6. Estimating 7. Risk 8. Project Organisation

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Book SynopsisKeep projects on track Microsoft Project 2019 is a powerhouse project management, portfolio management, and resource management tool. Whether you're a full-time project manager or manage projects as part of a larger set of duties, Microsoft Project 2019 For Dummies will get you thinking and operating at the level of a project management guru. Written by a noted project management pro, this book covers the ins and outs of Microsoft Project. Throughout the book, you'll find project management best practices and tips for keeping any project on schedule and under budget. Reference the full set of Microsoft Project 2019 featuresLearn to think like a project management professionalGet into the nuts and bolts of Project for better productivityCreate a task schedule that keeps a project movingIdentify the golden rules that keep projects on track With Microsoft Project 2019 For Dummies, you'll soon get a grip on all the powerful features of this popular project management software. No matTable of ContentsIntroduction 1 About This Book 1 Foolish Assumptions 2 Icons Used in This Book 3 Beyond the Book 3 Where to Go from Here 3 Part 1: Getting Started with Project 2019 5 Chapter 1: Project Management, Project 2019, and You 7 Introducing Project Management 7 Defining project manager 8 Identifying what a project manager does 9 Introducing Project 2019 10 Getting to Know You 11 Navigating Ribbon tabs and the Ribbon 13 Displaying more tools 17 Tell Me What You Want to Do 18 Chapter 2: Starting the Project 19 Creating the Project Charter 20 Introducing the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) 22 Organizing the Work 23 Starting the Project 24 Entering project information 25 Weighing manual scheduling versus automatic scheduling 27 Entering the WBS 29 Entering tasks 30 Importing tasks from Outlook 32 Inserting hyperlinks 34 Inserting one project into another 35 Promoting and demoting: The outdent-and-indent shuffle 36 Saving the Project 37 Chapter 3: Becoming a Task Master 39 Creating Summary Tasks and Subtasks 39 How many levels can you go? 41 The project summary task 41 Moving Tasks Up, Down, and All Around 43 Moving tasks with the drag-and-drop method 43 Moving tasks with the cut-and-paste method 44 Now You See It, Now You Don’t: Collapsing and Expanding the Task Outline 44 Showing Up Again and Again: Recurring Tasks 47 Setting Milestones 48 Deleting Tasks and Using Inactive Tasks 49 Making a Task Note 50 Chapter 4: The Codependent Nature of Tasks 53 How Tasks Become Dependent 54 Dependent tasks: Which comes first? 54 Dependency types 55 Allowing for Murphy’s Law: Lag and lead time 58 Setting the Dependency Connection 59 Adding the dependency link 59 Words to the wise 61 Understanding that things change: Deleting dependencies 62 Chapter 5: Estimating Task Time 65 You’re in It for the Duration 66 Tasks come in all flavors: Identifying task types 66 Effort-driven tasks: 1 + 1 = ½ 69 Estimating Effort and Duration 70 Estimating techniques 71 Setting the task duration 72 Controlling Timing with Constraints 74 Understanding how constraints work 74 Establishing constraints 75 Setting a deadline 76 Starting and Pausing Tasks 77 Entering the task’s start date 77 Taking a break: Splitting tasks 78 Chapter 6: Check Out This View! 81 A Project with a View 81 Navigating tabs and views 82 Scrolling around 84 Reaching a specific spot in your plan 85 More Detail about Views 86 Home base: Gantt Chart view 86 Resourceful views: Resource Sheet and Team Planner 87 Getting your timing down with the Timeline 88 Going with the flow: Network Diagram view 89 Calling up Calendar view 90 Customizing Views 91 Working with view panes 91 Modifying Network Diagram view 96 Resetting the view 100 Part 2: Managing Resources 101 Chapter 7: Creating Resources 103 Resources: People, Places, and Things 103 Becoming Resource-Full 104 Understanding resources 104 Resource types: Work, material, and cost 105 How resources affect task timing 105 Estimating resource requirements 107 The Birth of a Resource 107 Creating one resource at a time 108 Identifying resources before you know their names 109 Many hands make light work 110 Managing Resource Availability 111 Estimating and setting availability 112 When a resource comes and goes 113 Sharing Resources 114 Skimming from resource pools 114 Importing resources from Outlook 116 Chapter 8: Working with Calendars 119 Mastering Base, Project, Resource, and Task Calendars 120 Setting the base calendar for a project 120 Understanding the four calendar types 120 How calendars work 121 How one calendar relates to another 121 Scheduling with Calendar Options and Working Times 122 Setting calendar options 123 Setting exceptions to working times 124 Working with Task Calendars and Resource Calendars 126 Setting resource calendars 127 Making the change to a resource’s calendar 128 Creating a Custom Calendar Template 130 Sharing Copies of Calendars 132 Chapter 9: Assigning Resources 135 Finding the Right Resource 135 Needed: One good resource willing to work 136 Custom fields: It’s a skill 137 Making a Useful Assignation 138 Determining material and cost-resource units 138 Making assignments 139 Shaping the contour that’s right for you 142 Benefitting from a Helpful Planner 144 Chapter 10: Determining a Project’s Cost 147 How Do Costs Accrue? 148 Adding up the costs 148 When will this hit the bottom line? 149 Specifying Cost Information in the Project 150 You can’t avoid fixed costs 150 Entering hourly, overtime, and cost-per-use rates 152 Assigning material resources 153 How Your Settings Affect Your Costs 155 Part 3: Before You Baseline 157 Chapter 11: Fine-Tuning Your Plan 159 Everything Filters to the Bottom Line 159 Setting predesigned filters 160 Putting AutoFilter to work 161 Creating do-it-yourself filters 163 Gathering Information in Groups 165 Applying predefined groups 166 Devising your own groups 166 Figuring Out What’s Driving the Project 169 Inspecting tasks 169 Handling task warnings and suggestions 170 Chapter 12: Negotiating Project Constraints 173 It’s about Time 174 Applying contingency reserve 174 Completing a task in less time 175 Getting What You Want for Less 178 The Resource Recourse 179 Checking resource availability 179 Deleting or modifying a resource assignment 180 Beating overallocations with quick-and-dirty rescheduling 181 Finding help 182 Leveling resources 182 Rescheduling the Project 186 Chapter 13: Making the Project Look Good 187 Looking Good! 188 Formatting the Gantt Chart 188 Formatting taskbars 188 Zeroing in on critical issues 191 Restyling the Gantt chart 192 Formatting Task Boxes 193 Adjusting the Layout 195 Modifying Gridlines 197 Recognizing When a Picture Can Say It All 199 Creating a Custom Text Field 200 Chapter 14: It All Begins with a Baseline 205 All about Baselines 205 Saving a baseline 206 Saving more than one baseline 207 Clearing and resetting a baseline 209 In the Interim 210 Saving an interim plan 211 Clearing and resetting an interim plan 212 Part 4: Staying on Track 213 Chapter 15: On the Right Track 215 Developing a Communications Management Plan 216 Gathering data 216 Applying a tracking method 217 Using the tracking tools 218 For everything, there’s a view 219 Tracking Work for the Record 220 Specifying the status date 221 Remaining on track 222 Determining the percent complete 222 Recording start and finish information 223 Knowing what to do when John works three hours and Mary works ten 224 Uh-oh — we’re in overtime 226 Specifying remaining durations for auto-scheduled tasks 227 Entering fixed-cost updates 228 Moving a Task 229 Update Project: Sweeping Changes 230 Tracking Materials 232 Tracking More Than One: Consolidated Projects 233 Consolidating projects 233 Updating consolidated projects 235 Chapter 16: Project Views: Observing Progress 237 Seeing Where Tasks Stand 238 Baseline versus actual progress 238 Lines of progress 238 Delving into the Detail 241 Tracking Progress Using Earned Value Management 244 Calculating Behind the Scenes 246 Earned-value options 246 An abundance of critical paths 247 Chapter 17: You’re Behind — Now What? 249 Using Project with Risk and Issue Logs 250 Printing interim plans and baselines 250 Printing task notes 251 What-If Scenarios 253 Sorting tasks 253 Filtering 254 Examining the critical path 255 Using resource leveling (again) 257 Determining which factors are driving the timing of a task 258 How Adding People or Time Affects the Project 259 Hurrying up and making modifications 259 Throwing resources at the problem 259 Shifting dependencies and task timing 261 When All Else Fails 262 Taking the time you need 263 Finding ways to cut corners 263 Chapter 18: Spreading the News: Reporting 265 Generating Standard Reports 266 What’s available 266 Overviewing the dashboard reports 267 Creating New Reports 268 Gaining a new perspective on data with visual reports 270 Creating a visual report 270 Fine-Tuning a Report 271 Dragging, dropping, and sizing 272 Looking good! 273 Spiffing Things Up 274 Call the Printer! 277 Working with Page Setup 277 Getting a preview 282 Printing, at last! 283 Working on the Timeline 283 Adding tasks to the Timeline 284 Customizing the Timeline 285 Copying the Timeline 286 Chapter 19: Getting Better All the Time 287 Reviewing the Project 288 Learning from your mistakes 288 Debriefing the team 290 Comparing Versions of a Project 291 Building on Success 293 Creating a template 293 Mastering the Organizer 294 Part 5: The Part of Tens 297 Chapter 20: Ten Golden Rules of Project Management 299 Roll with It 299 Put Your Ducks in a Row 300 Expect the Unexpected 301 Don’t Put Off until Tomorrow 302 Delegate, Delegate, Delegate 302 Document It 303 Keep the Team in the Loop 303 Measure Success 304 Maintain a Flexible Strategy 305 Learn from Your Mistakes 305 Chapter 21: Ten Cool Shortcuts in Project 2019 307 Task Information 307 Resource Information 308 Frequently Used Functions 309 Subtasks 310 Quick Selections 310 Fill Down 310 Navigation 310 Hours to Years 311 Timeline Shortcuts 311 Quick Undo and Repeat 312 Appendix: glossary 313 Index 321

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Book SynopsisAll scheduling software is difficult to learn for a number of reasons. None have the optimal settings when installed and Layouts, User Preferences and default options need to be adjusted to obtain the best possible performance. Usually the Help files do not connect the user to real life situations and do not explain the practical use of functions. Furthermore, there are many flicks and switches with obscure names that are difficult to understand or decide what they do or which are important. These issues make learning the software very difficult without a comprehensive guide written by an experienced user. Investing in a book written by Paul E Harris will address all these issues and allow you to setup the software properly and understand all the obscure functions letting you become productive more quickly and enhance your career opportunities and salary with a solid understanding of the software. This book is an update of the author’s Primavera P6 Version 8 to 22 book and has been written so it may be used with any software industry version. The book is packed with screen shots, constructive tips and contains workshops with solutions at the end of each chapter for the reader to practice the skills taught. It has been written so it may be used with either the Professional Project Management Client version or the Enterprise Project Portfolio Management Optional Client. The book is aimed at: 1. People who wish learn the software but are unable to attend a training course and find the software reference manual hard going. 2. Project management companies who wish to run their own software training courses or provide their employees with an alternative text to the vendor supplied user manual. 3. Training organizations requiring a training manual to run their own training courses. The book is designed to teach planners and schedulers in any industry how to setup and use the software in a project environment. It explains in plain English and in a logical sequence, the steps required to create and maintain an unresourced and resourced schedule. It tackles some of the more complex aspects of the software that the user manual does not address. It highlights the sources of information and the methods that should be employed to produce a realistic and useful project schedule. The book provides advice on how on how the many software options may be applied to projects environments and it aims to teach readers how to plan and control projects created within the software package and stays focused on explaining how to use Primavera to schedule projects by: 1. Concentrating on the core functions required to set up an enterprise environment and how to plan and control projects. 2. Providing command lists at the start of each chapter as a quick reference. 3. Providing a comprehensive table of contents and index of all topics. The book is intended to be used: 1. As a self-teach book, or 2. A user guide, or 3. A training manual for a three-day training course, instructor PowerPoint slide shows are available from the author. This book is written by an experienced scheduler, who has used the software at the sharp end of projects and is not a techo. It draws on the author's practical experience in using the software in a wide variety of industries. It presents workable solutions to real day to day planning and scheduling problems and contains practical advice on how to set up the software and import data.Trade ReviewThe latest release of the Oracle Primavera P6 PPM manual adds to the already impressive collection of project management concepts and project management software training manuals written by Paul Harris. The Oracle Primavera P6 PPM manual expands the previous version of the book to create a comprehensive guide for creating and managing projects using the P6 PPM client. The book follows a logical approach to project schedule development, enabling the user to progress from the definition of project attributes, to the definition of WBS, activities and relationship, and the subsequent creation of resource assignment and the development of the project coding structures. Common to other guides written by Paul, the manual allows the user to learn through self- paced training as well as allowing the content to be delivered in a classroom workshop environment. The extent of the material covered by the book ensures that the manual remains a source of useful reference even after the initial training has been completed. Paul’s many years of experience as project controls practitioner is reflected in the content of the book, with informative tips on the practical use the software features incorporated throughout the book’s chapters. I recommend Paul’s book to anyone who wants to enhance their knowledge about Oracle Primavera P6 application. The presence of Paul’s books in many organisations focused on successful project delivery is recognition of their value to all project management practitioners. Jan Hanak, Managing Director, Keen Science Pty Ltd. The P6 PPM Manual by Paul Harris is a well-crafted guide into the concepts and functionality of Oracle Primavera P6. The manual contains 30 chapters of essential information that P6 users will require to get the most out of this complex scheduling tool. It makes the critical distinction between planning and tracking a non-resourced and a resourced plan and explains the necessary processes in a clear and concise manner. Most chapters are reinforced with a workshop and this gives students the all-important “hands on” time with the software. I believe that this is the best way to understand and learn a new software tool and the workshop data is practical and relevant. The P6 topics are introduced in a logical manner that follows the PMBOK Project Lifecycle stages. Once the P6 interface is understood, the process of building a project is undertaken. The main deliverables are defined in the WBS, the work is broken down into activities, logic is added, calendars are defined and scheduling is undertaken. There are a considerable number of preferences and settings that influence the scheduling calculations and all are explained in a timely and precise fashion. I have been teaching Primavera scheduling to a wide range of industries for over 10 years and I believe that Paul’s training material offers the best combination of functional and practical training, delivered in a style that is easy to comprehend. Tom Grant MSc BSc, Principal, TAG ConsultancyTable of Contents1. INTRODUCTION 2. CREATING A PROJECT PLAN 3. STARTING UP AND NAVIGATION 4. CREATING A NEW PROJECT 5. DEFINING CALENDARS 6. CREATING A PRIMAVERA PROJECT WBS 7. ADDING ACTIVITIES AND ORGANIZING UNDER THE WBS 8. FORMATTING THE DISPLAY 9. ADDING RELATIONSHIPS 10. ACTIVITY NETWORK VIEW 11. CONSTRAINTS 12. GROUP, SORT AND LAYOUTS 13. FILTERS 14. PRINTING AND REPORTS 15. SCHEDULING OPTIONS AND SETTING A BASELINE 16. UPDATING AN UNRESOURCED SCHEDULE 17. USER AND ADMINISTRATION PREFERENCES AND SCHEDULING OPTIONS 18. CREATING ROLES AND RESOURCES 19. ASSIGNING ROLES, RESOURCES AND EXPENSES 20. RESOURCE OPTIMIZATION 21. UPDATING A RESOURCED SCHEDULE 22. OTHER METHODS OF ORGANIZING PROJECT DATA 23. GLOBAL CHANGE 24. MANAGING THE ENTERPRISE ENVIRONMENT 25. MULTIPLE PROJECT SCHEDULING 26. UTILITIES 27. EARNED VALUE MANAGEMENT WITH P6 28. WHAT IS NEW IN P6 VERSIONS 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 AND 23 29. TOPICS NOT COVERED IN THIS PUBLICATION 30. INDEX

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Book SynopsisThis comprehensive study guide delivers complete coverage of every topic on the CompTIA Project+ examThis fully updated self-study guide and professional resource shows how to successfully manage projects and prepare for the challenging CompTIA Project+ exam. CompTIA Project+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide (Exam PK0-005) walks you through each step of the project management process, covering critical strategies for on-time and within-budget projects. Youâll get complete explanations of every objective on the CompTIA Project+ exam along with end-of-chapter summaries, quizzes, and exercises that reinforce key points.Coverage includes: Initiating the project Developing project plans Working with management Managing project scope Creating the budget Building a project plan Organizing a project team Managing teams Implementing the project plan Revising the project plan

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Book SynopsisThe book is aimed at Project Management Professionals who are casual or new users and understand the software basics but require a short and snappy guide. It is the sort of book that may be read without a computer on the bus, train or plane.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisYou think agile techniques might be for you, but your projects and organization are unique. An "out-of-the-box" agile approach won't work. Instead, unite agile and lean principles for your project. See how to design a custom approach, reap the benefits of collaboration, and deliver value. For project managers who want to use agile techniques, managers who want to start, and technical leaders who want to know more and succeed, this book is your first step toward agile project success. You've tried to use an off-the-shelf approach to agile techniques, and it's not working. Instead of a standard method or framework, work from agile and lean principles to design your own agile approach in a way that works for you. Build collaborative, cross-functional teams. See how small batch sizes and frequent delivery create an environment of trust and transparency between the team, management, and customers. Learn about the interpersonal skills that help agile teams work together so well. In addition to seeing work and knowing what "done" means, you'll see examples of many possible team-based measurements. Look at tools you can use for status reporting, and how to use those measurements to help your managers understand what agile techniques buy them. Recognize the traps that prevent agile principles from working in too many organizations, and what to do about those traps. Use agile techniques for workgroups, and see what managers can do to create and nurture an agile culture. You might be surprised at how few meetings and rituals you need to still work in an agile way. Johanna's signature frankness and humor will get you on the right track to design your agile project to succeed. What You Need: No technical expertise or experience needed, just a desire to know more about how you might use agile in your project.

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Book SynopsisGet to grips with the LangChain framework from theory to deployment and develop production-ready applications. Code examples regularly updated on GitHub to keep you abreast of the latest LangChain developments. Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBook. Key Features Learn how to leverage LLMs’ capabilities and work around their inherent weaknesses Delve into the realm of LLMs with LangChain and go on an in-depth exploration of their fundamentals, ethical dimensions, and application challenges Get better at using ChatGPT and GPT models, from heuristics and training to scalable deployment, empowering you to transform ideas into reality Book DescriptionChatGPT and the GPT models by OpenAI have brought about a revolution not only in how we write and research but also in how we can process information. This book discusses the functioning, capabilities, and limitations of LLMs underlying chat systems, including ChatGPT and Bard. It also demonstrates, in a series of practical examples, how to use the LangChain framework to build production-ready and responsive LLM applications for tasks ranging from customer support to software development assistance and data analysis – illustrating the expansive utility of LLMs in real-world applications. Unlock the full potential of LLMs within your projects as you navigate through guidance on fine-tuning, prompt engineering, and best practices for deployment and monitoring in production environments. Whether you're building creative writing tools, developing sophisticated chatbots, or crafting cutting-edge software development aids, this book will be your roadmap to mastering the transformative power of generative AI with confidence and creativity.What you will learn Understand LLMs, their strengths and limitations Grasp generative AI fundamentals and industry trends Create LLM apps with LangChain like question-answering systems and chatbots Understand transformer models and attention mechanisms Automate data analysis and visualization using pandas and Python Grasp prompt engineering to improve performance Fine-tune LLMs and get to know the tools to unleash their power Deploy LLMs as a service with LangChain and apply evaluation strategies Privately interact with documents using open-source LLMs to prevent data leaks Who this book is forThe book is for developers, researchers, and anyone interested in learning more about LLMs. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced developer, this book will serve as a valuable resource if you want to get the most out of LLMs and are looking to stay ahead of the curve in the LLMs and LangChain arena. Basic knowledge of Python is a prerequisite, while some prior exposure to machine learning will help you follow along more easily.Table of ContentsTable of Contents What Is Generative AI? LangChain for LLM Apps Getting Started with LangChain Building Capable Assistants Building a Chatbot like ChatGPT Developing Software with Generative AI LLMs for Data Science Customizing LLMs and Their Output Generative AI in Production The Future of Generative Models

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Book SynopsisAll scheduling software is difficult to learn for a number of reasons. None have the optimal settings when installed and Layouts, User Preferences and default options need to be adjusted to obtain the best possible performance. Usually the Help files do not connect the user to real life situations and do not explain the practical use of functions. Furthermore, there are many flicks and switches with obscure names that are difficult to understand or decide what they do or which are important. These issues make learning the software very difficult without a comprehensive guide written by an experienced user. Investing in a book written by Paul E Harris will address all these issues and allow you to setup the software properly and understand all the obscure functions letting you become productive more quickly and enhance your career opportunities and salary with a solid understanding of the software. This book is an update of the author’s Primavera P6 Version 8 to 20 book and the workshops have been updated so they start in the future. The book has been written so it may be used with any software industry version. The book is packed with screen shots, constructive tips and contains workshops with solutions at the end of each chapter for the reader to practice the skills taught. It has been written so it may be used with either the Professional Project Management Client version or the Enterprise Project Portfolio Management Optional Client. The book is aimed at: 1. People who wish learn the software but are unable to attend a training course and find the software reference manual hard going. 2. Project management companies who wish to run their own software training courses or provide their employees with an alternative text to the vendor supplied user manual. 3. Training organizations requiring a training manual to run their own training courses. The book is designed to teach planners and schedulers in any industry how to setup and use the software in a project environment. It explains in plain English and in a logical sequence, the steps required to create and maintain an unresourced and resourced schedule. It tackles some of the more complex aspects of the software that the user manual does not address. It highlights the sources of information and the methods that should be employed to produce a realistic and useful project schedule. The book provides advice on how on how the many software options may be applied to projects environments and it aims to teach readers how to plan and control projects created within the software package and stays focused on explaining how to use Primavera to schedule projects by: 1. Concentrating on the core functions required to set up an enterprise environment and how to plan and control projects. 2. Providing command lists at the start of each chapter as a quick reference. 3. Providing a comprehensive table of contents and index of all topics. The book is intended to be used: 1. As a self-teach book, or 2. A user guide, or 3. A training manual for a three-day training course, instructor PowerPoint slide shows are available from the author. This book is written by an experienced scheduler, who has used the software at the sharp end of projects and is not a techo. It draws on the author's practical experience in using the software in a wide variety of industries. It presents workable solutions to real day to day planning and scheduling problems and contains practical advice on how to set up the software and import data.Trade ReviewThe latest release of the Oracle Primavera P6 PPM manual adds to the already impressive collection of project management concepts and project management software training manuals written by Paul Harris. The Oracle Primavera P6 PPM manual expands the previous version of the book to create a comprehensive guide for creating and managing projects using the P6 PPM client. The book follows a logical approach to project schedule development, enabling the user to progress from the definition of project attributes, to the definition of WBS, activities and relationship, and the subsequent creation of resource assignment and the development of the project coding structures. Common to other guides written by Paul, the manual allows the user to learn through self- paced training as well as allowing the content to be delivered in a classroom workshop environment. The extent of the material covered by the book ensures that the manual remains a source of useful reference even after the initial training has been completed. Paul’s many years of experience as project controls practitioner is reflected in the content of the book, with informative tips on the practical use the software features incorporated throughout the book’s chapters. I recommend Paul’s book to anyone who wants to enhance their knowledge about Oracle Primavera P6 application. The presence of Paul’s books in many organisations focused on successful project delivery is recognition of their value to all project management practitioners. Jan Hanak, Managing Director, Keen Science Pty Ltd; The P6 PPM Manual by Paul Harris is a well-crafted guide into the concepts and functionality of Oracle Primavera P6. The manual contains 30 chapters of essential information that P6 users will require to get the most out of this complex scheduling tool. It makes the critical distinction between planning and tracking a non-resourced and a resourced plan and explains the necessary processes in a clear and concise manner. Most chapters are reinforced with a workshop and this gives students the all-important “hands on” time with the software. I believe that this is the best way to understand and learn a new software tool and the workshop data is practical and relevant. The P6 topics are introduced in a logical manner that follows the PMBOK Project Lifecycle stages. Once the P6 interface is understood, the process of building a project is undertaken. The main deliverables are defined in the WBS, the work is broken down into activities, logic is added, calendars are defined and scheduling is undertaken. There are a considerable number of preferences and settings that influence the scheduling calculations and all are explained in a timely and precise fashion. I have been teaching Primavera scheduling to a wide range of industries for over 10 years and I believe that Paul’s training material offers the best combination of functional and practical training, delivered in a style that is easy to comprehend. Tom Grant MSc BSc, Principal, TAG ConsultancyTable of Contents1. INTRODUCTION 2. CREATING A PROJECT PLAN 3. STARTING UP AND NAVIGATION 4. CREATING A NEW PROJECT 5. DEFINING CALENDARS 6. CREATING A PRIMAVERA PROJECT WBS 7. ADDING ACTIVITIES AND ORGANIZING UNDER THE WBS 8. FORMATTING THE DISPLAY 9. ADDING RELATIONSHIPS 10. ACTIVITY NETWORK VIEW 11. CONSTRAINTS 12. GROUP, SORT AND LAYOUTS 13. FILTERS 14. PRINTING AND REPORTS 15. SCHEDULING OPTIONS AND SETTING A BASELINE 16. UPDATING AN UNRESOURCED SCHEDULE 17. USER AND ADMINISTRATION PREFERENCES AND SCHEDULING OPTIONS 18. CREATING ROLES AND RESOURCES 19. ASSIGNING ROLES, RESOURCES AND EXPENSES 20. RESOURCE OPTIMIZATION 21. UPDATING A RESOURCED SCHEDULE 22. OTHER METHODS OF ORGANIZING PROJECT DATA 23. GLOBAL CHANGE 24. MANAGING THE ENTERPRISE ENVIRONMENT 25. MULTIPLE PROJECT SCHEDULING 26. UTILITIES 27. EARNED VALUE MANAGEMENT WITH P6 28. WHAT IS NEW IN P6 VERSIONS 8, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21 29. TOPICS NOT COVERED IN THIS PUBLICATION 30. INDEX

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