This opening chapter lays the philosophical groundwork by defining what a project actually is—a temporary endeavor with a clear start and finish, delivering a unique product or service. It draws a sharp line between project work and operational "business-as-usual" activities. Portny introduces the iconic Triple Constraint (scope, time, and cost), framing project management not as bureaucratic paperwork, but as the strategic discipline of balancing these competing forces. You learn why projects fail (unclear objectives, shifting requirements, poor communication) and how a structured approach dramatically increases success rates, setting the stage for every technique that follows.
Chapter 2: I'm a Project Manager! Now What?
Targeted
at the reluctant or newly-minted PM, this chapter validates the
overwhelming feeling of being thrown into the deep end. It outlines the
daily realities—juggling competing priorities, managing upward pressure,
and herding uncooperative team members. More importantly, it provides a
survival checklist: assessing your organization's culture, identifying
your legitimate authority (or lack thereof), and building a personal
development plan. The core message is that you don't need to know
everything technically; you need to know how to ask the right questions and establish yourself as the central nervous system of the project from day one.
Chapter 3: Beginning the Journey – The Genesis of a Project
Portny
rewinds to the very inception of an idea, explaining how projects are
formally born. This chapter covers the crucial front-end work that many
PMs ignore: developing a business case, conducting a feasibility study,
and performing a cost-benefit analysis. It teaches you to differentiate
between a genuine organizational need and a pet project. Crucially, it
walks through the project selection process—how
executives prioritize initiatives against each other. By the end, you
understand that your job isn't just to execute, but to validate that the
project delivers tangible value before a single dollar is spent.
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