Project Management Tune-Up 101

If your employees have trouble remembering the goal of any given project is its completion, your managers have a tough road ahead, but no reason to panic. A recent book attempts to point you and your company in a more productive direction.

In "A Manager's Guide to Project Management: Learn How to Apply Best Practices," Michael B. Bender passes along tips to the senior executives who will ultimately be held accountable for the successes of the projects they approve and supervise.

Bender aims to illustrate how all your company's projects can fully support your goals and run effectively from start to finish. His approach emphasizes how projects executed the right way matter because they add value to your business.

"If this global economic cataclysm has taught us anything, it's that true, long-term growth must be based on real value added. The financial meltdown was created by misguided and disguised value," Bender says. "In today's dynamic global environment, your organization's ability to stay ahead of the value curve has never been more difficult or more important."

Bender attempts to show how to:

- Align project management with business strategy.

- Choose the right projects and oversee them effectively.

- Structure organizations to promote better project decision-making.

- Manage multiple projects in complex globalized environments.