Effective project management is absolutely critical to the successful execution of any strategic plan. in fact, most strategies never get off the ground because there was no well-organized approach to project management.
Some organizations have project management offices and experienced team members to take on the challenge, while others divide project management duties among multiple people on the strategy team. Whether you have all the resources or not, a beginner or a pro, it’s always smart to learn the latest and greatest strategies. Here are eight of the best project management books to read in 2020, recommended by experts in various industries. (If you’re looking for strategy resources, here’s our list of the best strategy articles.)
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Here are eight of the best project management books to read in 2020, recommended by experts in various industries. click to tweet
1. scrum: the art of doing twice the work in half the time by jeff sutherland
“scrum is primarily used in software development, but I’ve found that its principles apply to every department in my company. Sutherland, who co-created the Scrum methodology, takes the proven processes that work in application development and makes them applicable to anyone trying to manage any type of project. his book is a fantastic guide to project management.”
reuben yonatan, founder and CEO, getvoip
2. the fast forward mba in project management by eric verzuh
“The book provides a high-level overview of project management and covers the finer details of the discipline. explains the importance of things like a communications plan and a stakeholder briefing. there are also a bunch of tactical templates that you can download and implement in your own business operations.”
raven beria, founder, brandalaxy
3. strategic project management made simple by terry schmidt
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“This book makes you question your goals before starting any project. what are you trying to accomplish? What is the purpose? and then how do you get there? Schmidt outlines a logical step-by-step process to help you take a strategic approach to designing action projects and initiatives. concepts better.”
gintaras steponkus, marketing manager, solid guides
Learn how to align projects with your organization’s strategy with this practical guide.
4. project management for humans: helping people get things done by brett harned
“In addition to focusing on project structures and technical management aspects, harned places equal emphasis on communication, facilitation and managing expectations. He exhibits all the traits of a good project manager, including communication skills, collaboration with cross-functional teams, and efficient resource management. Harned uses storytelling as a tool to help readers understand the concepts in this book, which I think is very effective.”
mike bran, founder, thrillappeal.com
5. project management for the unofficial project manager by suzette blakemore and james wood
“This is a great read for anyone feeling overwhelmed by leading cross-functional teams or smaller personal projects. It is crucial that all employees in today’s workforce have strong project management skills, even if they are not project managers. The book outlines useful ways for you to successfully set up and run project frameworks and schedules, and also provides recommendations for better communication from the beginning to the end of your project.”
ryan pitylak, how to, zenbusiness
6. project management guide for absolute beginners by gregory m. horine
“In addition to addressing the ‘hard’ processes required of project management, I would recommend this as one of the best project management books because it also provides training in ‘soft’ skills such as leadership, communication and teamwork. The latest edition keeps the reader in sync with recent industry changes and adds practical value by including helpful diagrams. The author’s knowledge and lessons helped me shorten the project management learning curve quite efficiently.”
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avinash chandra, founder & CEO, brandloom
7. traction: take control of your business by gino wickman
“This book goes beyond project management and delves into the vision of the growth of an organization, creating a strategic target against which all projects are judged. The tools and assessments in this book are vital in helping any leadership team know if teams are working on the right projects to achieve their vision and goals. because when you have the right goal (vision) with the right people to implement it, you’re tracking the right data, and you’re aware of any bumps in the road…you get traction.”
kimberly spencer, CEO + certified high-performance coach, crown yourselfenterpriss, llc
8. making things happen: mastering project management by scott berkun
“written authentically using a collection of real experiences, this book covers all the essential ingredients (idea generation, communication, management, strategies, planning, decision making and many other techniques) that are necessary and useful in Projects management. The author includes tips and techniques for technical and non-technical readers that he learned during his nine years of managing projects at Microsoft.
The concepts are to the point, using simple language with understandable guides and diagrams. This is a must-have business project management book that doesn’t get boring and helps you navigate challenging situations.”
aqsa tabassam, editor in chief, insidetechworld.com
all companies have projects that they must manage and execute, but very few do them well. These books can give you solid project management approaches to implement in your organization. And if you need help determining exactly which projects your teams should focus on (and how to eliminate the ones that waste time and money), check out the full guide below.
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