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Project Management FundamentalsProject Management Professional Certification
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Introduction
A project management professional is expected to be well-read and broadly experienced. An applicant for the PMI PMP certification exam is most successful with the test by approaching it with these professional expectations in mind.
Most of the resources listed here are either free or available at low cost. A few are important from a professional improvement perspective but are relatively expensive.
Recommended Study Materials
AccelTeam. Historical Perspective On Productivity Improvement.
http://www.accel-team.com/scientific/scientific_01.html.
Concise and well-researched. Project managers should read the section devoted to F. W. Taylor and Scientific Management.
Bledsoe, John D., Ph. D., P. E. From Concept to Bid: Successful Estimating Methods. R. S. Means Co., Inc. 1992.
Dr. Bledsoe lists four characteristics of a professional estimator: knowledge area competence, knowledge of techniques, mastery of tools, and an aggressive desire for constant improvement. These same guidelines are applicable to the professional project manager, too. This book is among the primary references for estimating in the construction trades.
Buckingham, Marcus and Curt Coffman. First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently. Simon & Schuster, New York. 1999.
The Gallup Organization conducted two mammoth research studies based on data collected in the last quarter of the 20th Century covering more than one million employees and over 80,000 managers. Two simple questions were asked: "What do the most talented employees need from their workplace?" and "How do the world's greatest managers find, focus, and keep talented employees?" The Four Keys to success were formulated from these studies. Every project manager concerned with human resources management will find these keys both enlightening and effective.
Clarkson, Kenneth W., et al. West's Business Law. West Legal Studies in Business. Eighth edition. 2001.
This definitive desktop reference on business law contains invaluable discussions of business risk and pure risk which are directly relevant to risk management from the project manager's perspective.
Dinsmore, Paul. Human Factors in Project Management. American Management Association. 1990.
Mr. Dinsmore cites original sources in his lucid and entertaining book. The pages devoted to conflict resolution are among the very best.
Drucker, Peter F. The Practice of Management. Collins [paperback]. 2006.
Peter Drucker is often quoted but seldom read. Originally published in 1954, this book was the first and, arguably, the most influential of Drucker's efforts. Its thesis is "that management of worker and work has as its ultimate goal the realization of the managerial vision for all members of the enterprise, and as its major means the assumption of significant responsibility and decision-making power by every worker. [p. 331]" Project managers will find this book to be a treasure trove of knowledge with respect to organizational structure, team management and leadership, effective communication, and the central role of projects in maintaining a successful enterprise.
Hendrickson, Chris.
Project Management for Construction, Second Edition. Department
of Civil and Electrical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh,
PA. 2000. [Updated frequently.]
http://pmbook.ce.cmu.edu/
Professor Hendrickson has placed his valuable college-level textbook on the Web. Conveniently hyperlinked, graced with pictures from construction of the PPG Tower in Pittsburgh, and supplemented with carefully crafted figures and post-chapter exercises, this book is a superb preparation for the PMP certification exam. In particular, the PMP test candidate should focus on chapters 5 "Cost Estimates," 10 "Fundamental Scheduling Procedures," and 11 "Advanced Scheduling Techniques."
Hoopes, James. False Prophets: The Gurus Who Created Modern Management and Why Their Ideas Are Bad for Business. Basic Books. 2003.
The historical roots of modern project management are deep and tangled. The Project Management Institute's guide to its body of knowledge either mentions, or refers to, or assumes knowledge of influential people such as Frederick Winslow Taylor, Henry Gantt, and W. Edwards Deming, among others. This book will edify you, astound you and, possibly, infuriate you. In any case, it will open your mind to the at-times shaky underpinnings of both modern management theory and significant portions of project management.
Horngren, Charles T. et al. Introduction to Management Accounting. Twelfth Edition. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. 2002.
Project management common practice borrows heavily from the best practices of management accounting. The authors define management accounting as "the process of identifying, measuring, accumulating, analyzing, preparing, interpreting, and communicating information that helps managers fulfill organizational objectives." Practitioners of project management can easily substitute the words project information to see the direct correspondence. All of the following project management concepts are rooted in management accounting: information relevance, decision making, optimal use of limited resources, discounted cash flows, minimum rate of return, and sensitivity analysis using accounting models.
Kerzner, Harold, Ph. D. Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Hoboken, NJ. Ninth edition. 2006.
The probability is high that this comprehensive desk reference on project management is part of the PMP exam question writer's resource set. The following chapters have been identified as highly relevant to the exam: 15 "Cost Control" and 19 "Contracts and Procurement."
Project Management Institute. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, Fourth Edition. PMI, Newtown Square, PA. 2008.
The glossary is the most effective portion of this book with respect to exam preparation.
Silbiger, Steven. The Ten-Day MBA. Revised Edition. Quill - William Morrow, New York. 1999.
Project management common practice borrows heavily from the best practices of business administration. This concise and wickedly irreverent presentation of MBA concepts and techniques contains nuggets of knowledge directly relevant to the financial management aspects which may appear on the PMP certification exam. Further, the book provides easy-to-understand explanations of decision tree analysis and stakeholder analysis.
Wideman, Max. Max's
Project Management Wisdom.
http://www.maxwideman.com/
This dynamic Web site is the brainchild of the chairman for the first Project Management Institute Body of Knowledge Guide (PMBOK Guide). In the opinion of many, the PM Glossary is superior to that found in the PMBOK Guide: it is fully sourced, allowing the intelligent reader to cross-check each definition and draw conclusions relevant to his or her project needs. Mr. Wideman also has a recommended reading list; click on Papers/Books on his site for the complete index.
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