Project Management in Practice

Offers streamlined, student-friendly coverage of all key areas of project management

Emphasizing the technical aspects of the project management life cycle, Project Management in Practice employs an applied approach to the essential tools, strategies, and techniques required to successfully plan and execute a project. The eighth edition of this leading textbook provides clear and reliable coverage of project activity, risk planning, budgeting and scheduling, resource allocation, project monitoring, project evaluation, and much more.

Designed for those preparing for or currently involved in the actual use of a project to achieve an objective, Project Management in Practice describes fundamental project management concepts and highlights the skills that project managers need to achieve an organization’s strategic goals. Easily accessible chapters feature cases that build upon the material from previous chapters, real-world examples, numerous tables and figures, end-of-chapter review questions, and discussion topics that reinforce key material.

With its concise pedagogy and hands-on focus, Project Management in Practice, Eighth Edition, is an ideal textbook for one-semester undergraduate and graduate courses or modules in business, engineering, and any curriculum where projects will play an important role in the success of the organization.

New to this Edition:

• New discussion of generative AI applications to projects and the role it plays in project management
• New discussions on sustainability, proven techniques for innovation, and managerial bias in developing and approving the business case for potential projects
• New non-packaged software approach to monitoring progress on a project that students can set up with a simple spreadsheet
• New supplement that discusses the PMBOK Guide® and the Standard for Project Management®
• New material on the varied interests of different stakeholders of a project
• Expanded coverage of mega- and inter-organizational projects
• Increased emphasis on the importance of visible organizational support and how to obtain it
• New content on relating a project to organizational strategy
• Added focus on the importance of achieving an organization’s target benefits for a project
• New discussion of measuring project success beyond standard measures of cost and time
• Updated coverage of the continuum from Agile to Waterfall project management
• New and revised references throughout

Wiley Advantage:

• Provides concise and pragmatic coverage of the fundamentals of project management
• Mirrors the project management life cycle, following the way an actual project is executed
• Employs a practical, hands-on approach using Microsoft Project and Crystal Ball risk analysis software
• Contains mini-cases, Excel spreadsheets, end-of-chapter exercises, tables, diagrams, figures, and a student-friendly icon-based layout
• Features an instructor’s manual and access to a companion website with PowerPoint slides, a test bank, and supplemental teaching resources

Jack R. Meredith is Emeritus Professor of Management at the Wake Forest University School of Business. Meredith has worked for organizations such as the US Army Corps of Engineers, Hewlett-Packard, and Douglas Aircraft Company. He has consulted for the National Research Council, the Institute of Advanced Manufacturing Sciences, and Warner-Amex, among others. He is the co-author of five textbooks, including Operations Management for MBAs and Project Management: A Strategic Managerial Approach. He served as the founding Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Operations Management Research.

Scott M. Shafer is Professor of Management at the Wake Forest University School of Business and the Associate Dean of MS in Analytics Programs. Previously, Dr. Shafer served as Associate Professor of Operation Management at Auburn University and Assistant Professor of Operations Management at the University of Miami. His publications have appeared in journals such as Management Science, Decision Sciences, and IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management. He is the co-author of five books in the fields of operations management, project management, and quantitative business modeling.