The Project Manager's MBA: How to Translate Project Decisions into Business Success (Jossey-Bass Business & Management)

The Project Manager's MBA: How to Translate Project Decisions into Business Success (Jossey-Bass Business & Management)

by RobertGraham (Author), Dennis J . Cohen (Author)

Synopsis

Project managers are no longer judged by the technical success of their projects alone. They're also held accountable for their contributions to the company's financial goals. Yet most project managers don't have the business knowledge necessary to make project-based decisions that lead to bottom-line success. In this book, Dennis Cohen and Robert Graham, both former university professors and experienced project management consultants, provide the skills that, until now, could only be gained through a graduate degree and years of hands-on experience.

Cohen and Graham walk project managers through basic business concepts such as value creation, accounting and finance, strategy, and marketing. They connect these concepts to the decisions project managers face every day. And they make it easy to apply the resulting solutions on the job through a unique business systems calculator. Readers can use the online calculator in conjunction with the book to understand how different project variables affect business outcomes, to determine the overall impact of proposed project changes, and to evaluate the economic results of many decisions they make.

Cohen and Graham's principles apply equally to projects in business, non-profit, and government organizations. And each one is illustrated through case studies drawn from a range of industries, including pharmaceuticals, the technology sector, even the winemaking business. Whether the mandate is to get new products to market, improve the infrastructure, or better serve customers and clients, this book teaches project managers how to make day-to-day decisions from an upper-management perspective. And it provides a blueprint for planning and pitching potential projects that demonstrates a higher level of business savvy.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 336
Publisher: Jossey Bass
Published: 27 Nov 2000

ISBN 10: 0787952567
ISBN 13: 9780787952563

Media Reviews
This book touches on issues that are critical to a project'ssuccess but are frequently ignored by project managers. I considerthis a must-read for anyone who wants to manage projectseffectively. --Judd Kuehn, senior project management consultant, Chevron USA Inc.

Dennis Cohen and Bob Graham, two pioneers in the development ofproject management education materials, produce a book that furtherenhances their status as icons in the field. This book provides theknowledge and skill project managers need to integrate theirprojects into the total business enterprise. --Paul C. Dinsmore, author, Winning in Business with Enterprise ProjectManagement

Cohen and Graham have presented a provocative view of the projectmanager's role that will stretch, expand, and challenge skill-setsand perspectives. It will prompt project managers and their teamsto not only manage their projects well, but to look beyond to thelarger organizational and financial contexts in which theirprojects reside and contribute. This is a critical mindset andparadigm shift for tomorrow's successful project managers! --Robert Storeygard, project leadership specialist, 3M LearningCenter-Business Acumen-Project Management and Teamwork Group

This book is both timely and informative, a must-read, as theproject manager evoles from a project-centric focus to a businessfocus. Bob and Dennis use an easy-to-read style with lots ofexamples to transform abstract financial concepts into somethingless intimidating. --Gregory M. Willits, project managementprocess champion, Motorola
Author Bio

The Authors

Dennis J. Cohen is senior vice president and managing director of the Project Management Practice at Strategic Management Group.

Robert J. Graham has developed a consulting practice in project management and is the author of Project Management as if People Mattered and Creating an Environment for Successful Projects.

Both Cohen and Graham have presented papers on this and other project management subjects at conferences of the Project Management Institute and Project World.