Project Team Leadership and Communication

Description

Project team leadership is challenging. You've been self-motivated your whole life. You've mastered the skills and technical expertise required by your field. Your colleagues and peers respect you as a professional and a friend. But nothing has prepared you for the host of challenges that come with leading a team: oppressive schedules, demanding customers, and people who just can't seem to get to work. This book takes a step-by-step approach in helping you to understand how to fulfil the expectations of a team leader -from gaining a basic grasp of what makes a project a project -to techniques in estimating time and creating schedules -to how to properly communicate reports, metrics, and numbers in a way that's relevant to those who care about your project. You'll learn how to: Understand the principles of leadership, and how they apply to you as a professional and those you work with Properly prioritize tasks, project schedules, and customer demands Analyze and manage the expectations of those important to the project through consistent, planned communication Build trust, foster commitment, and manage conflict within your team Identify and stop common project issues in their tracks and much more This edition features expanded resources including key terms and definitions, review questions and exercises, and practical, immediately applicable tools that accompany each chapter. Additionally, an appendix explaining Agile Methods and how modern project teams can benefit from new ways of organizing and performing project work is included. Instructional resources are available at lintwood.com/ProjectLeadership Brief Contents Detailed Contents About This Book Understanding Leadership The Leader's Title Leadership Styles Influence Motivators Matching Leadership with Culture Who We Lead The Discipline of Project Management Chapter Tool: Who We Are as Leaders Summary and Conclusion Key Terms Review Questions Exercises Notes Project Fundamentals What is a Project? The Project Environment Values, Needs, and Process Quality and The Project Triangle Defining Project Outcomes: A Layered Approach The Project's Early Stages Chapter Tool: Planning Project Quality Summary and Conclusion Key Terms Review Questions Exercises Notes Prioritization: The Core of Project Leadership Why is Prioritization So Essential? Estimation Methods Estimates vs. Commitments Accuracy and Precision Project Scheduling Project Tracking Risk Management Chapter Tool: Prioritizing Stakeholders Summary and Conclusion Key Terms Review Questions Exercises Notes Team Structure and Development What Makes a Team Successful? Team Structure Team Development Needs and the Team Building Trust Managing Conflict Achieving Commitment Embracing Accountability Focusing on Results Chapter Tool: Evaluating Your Team's Maturity Summary and Conclusion Key Terms Review Questions Exercises Notes Communication and Expectation Management The Importance of Project Communication Basic Communication Concepts Push/Pull Communication: A Hybrid Approach Communications within the Team: Meeting Success Ethics in Communication Communicating with Metrics and Reports Stakeholder Expectation Management Chapter Tool: The Quad Chart Summary and Conclusion Key Terms Review Questions Exercises Notes Pitfalls to Identify and Avoid Team Pitfalls Process and Product Pitfalls Chapter Tool: Pitfall "Hot Spots" Summary and Conclusion Key Terms Review Questions Exercises Notes Agile: The Future of Projects? The History of Agile Why Agile is Important Agile: A Group of Defined Processes Agile: A Set of Practices and Tools Agile: A Defined Set of Core Values and Principles Implementation in Your Organization Summary and Conclusion Key Terms Review Questions Exercises Notes Answers to Review Questions Index About the Author