Becoming a Better Project Manager

an

Project Management eBook

contents] [
Becoming a Better Project Manager
This content was adapted from Internet.com's Project Manager Planet Web site. Contributors: Morris Panner, Michelle LaBrosse, Amy Zuckerman, Cynthia West, Will Kelly, and Jed Simms.

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Five Steps to Becoming a Strategic Project Manager
Morris Panner

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Overcoming Project Jams
Michelle LaBrosse

Using ISO 9000 as a Project Management Tool
Amy Zuckerman

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Building Reusable Project Templates
Cynthia West

Reading GANTT Charts for Fun and Profit
Will Kelly

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Becoming a Better Project Manager, an Internet.com Project Management eBook. © 2008, Jupitermedia Corp.

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Becoming a Better Project Manager

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Five Steps to Becoming a Strategic Project Manager
By Morris Panner

T

he fate of the project manager is not all that different from that of IT — if we rewind the clock 10 or so years. It wasn't that long ago that upper management thought of IT as something akin to an auto repair shop: These people have talent, the logic went, and they get the job done, but we wouldn't consult with them for anything but repairs. Fast-forward to the present: Today, it's hard to find a top organization that doesn't have a CIO in the boardroom. IT is not just a business tool, but a business driver and CIOs are every bit as valuable as other C-level executives.

service professionals they lead. Bringing a project in on time and under budget is a mechanic's way of thinking. Investing in lead generation, employee satisfaction, customer loyalty, up-sell opportunities, branding, and other broader organizational goals is how a strategic project manager should examine each and every project (and how project managers will deliver bottom-line value to the organization, of course).

Five Steps for Change
The first step is to change how you think about projects. Project managers must stop thinking of