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Title: Handbook of Project-based Management by J. Rodney Turner ISBN: 0-07-709161-2 Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education Pub. Date: November, 1998 Format: Hardcover

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Summary: Clear introduction into project management
Comment: J. Rodney Turner was Director of Project Management at Henley Management College (UK), where he used to run an MBA programme for project-based management. In 2001, he was Professor of Project Management at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, Netherlands. This book is part of the Henley Management Series and is split up six parts, with each part consisting of 2-to-7 chapters.

Part I - Introduction - provides an introduction into project management. Chapter I explains the difference between projects and operations, project objectives (managing scope, organization, quality, cost, and time), and the three dimensions of project management (objectives, management processes, and levels). Turner also gives an introduction into the structured approach to the management of projects, which is the basis/structure of the total book. This chapter is perhaps the most essential of the complete book.

Part II - The Context of Projects - describes the different settings of projects. The author describes projects for implementing corporate strategy, possible relationhip(s) to the parent organization, and strategic management of projects. These chapters are especially useful for specialists in order to understand and appreciate the place of projects within the overall organization.

Part III - Managing the Project Objectives - is the most comprehensive part of the book. It introduces methods, tools and techniques for managing the first dimension of project management, the five project objectives: scope, project organization, quality, cost, time, and the inherent risk. It also explains how to balance the systems and project objectives. Although most tools are explained in detail, there is better literature available for management of these methods, tools and techniques.

Part IV - Undertaking Projects - turns to the second dimension of project management, the management processes, and describes how the methods, tools, and techniques explained in Part III are applied to undertake project. It describes project definition, from project start-up via proposal and initiation, feasibility studies, design and appraisal, to the launch of the project. This Part III also discusses the execution and control, and the finalization and close-out of the project(s).

In Part V - Management Procedures and Systems, Turner describes how the tools and techniques from Parts II to IV have become formalized into standard systems and procedures. He explains some of the administrative procedures used and how they have been computerized into project management information systems. The author also look at what the systems can do, the different types of system available, and how to select and implement a system. The final chapter of this Part discusses the role of the project manager in building and maintaining the project team.

Part VI - Applications - compares the application of the processes introduced in the previous four Part to different types of projects. Turner classifies projects against three parameters: the position of the project in the life cycle of the product, the type of industry or technology of the project/parent organization, and the size of the project. The final chapter considers projects involving international collaboration and how different cultural approaches can conflict during the project management life cycle.

The book is useful as a starting point for students and as a reference for people experienced in project management. I personally keep the book as a reference (in combination with the Project Management Institute's Guide to the Project Management Book of Knowledge), but use additional, more detailed, literature for the different parts of the book. Please be aware that this book is written by an author with a engineering/construction-background so most of the examples are from these industries. Also note that the book is a very extensive piece of work consisting of 22 chapters, some 514 pages, and lots of figures and tables, so do not think that you can read it within a day.