One project failure can spell financial disaster for a smaller business

Over ninety nine percent of businesses in Europe and the US are small and medium enterprises with less than 250 staff. They are an important source of employment, growth and innovation for these economies. Surveys show that on average SMEs spend around 30% of their turnover on projects, so this should be a high focus area, especially given that one project failure can spell financial disaster for a smaller business.

This book takes its readers though a lighter form of project management, designed to manage the risk of projects and put a repeatable and rigorous process in place, without imposing the large bureaucratic overheads required by project management methodologies such as PRINCE2 and PMP.

Small businesses can gain a competitive edge over their rivals by becoming better organised, controlling project costs and giving their customers the confidence that they are dealing with a professional project manager. Not only does this make the business run better and impress customers, but morale and retention increases when staff work in an organised set up.

Project Management for SMEs covers both the Agile and Waterfall development approaches and compares and contrasts the advantages of each.

Reviews

“There are some interesting stories shared that really point to the fact that the author knows his stuff. He’s definitely been there and done that and knows what works in real life.

It’s a slim book, easy to read, and convincingly makes the case for why project management should be adopted by small and medium-sized businesses. There’s a clear return on investment, and this book will help you make the case to your colleagues” – Elizabeth Harrin – A Girl’s Guide to Project Management

“I can recommend the book to managers in small to medium-sized companies who are responsible for running projects. If they follow the principles, process and advice laid out, they will have a much better chance of being successful with project delivery and giving their businesses the competitive edge that well implemented strategies can bring.” Linky van der Merwe – Virtual Project Consulting

“This is the best project management book I have read. Too many books on project management use acres of words to put across simple concepts. This book is different in that the ideas and suggestions are easily accessible to the reader, getting the key facts across in a concise and straightforward manner. The style of writing style is informative and entertaining with the author kept me engaged throughout. To me it is reminiscent of the one minute manager series in its delivery. It also provides one of the easiest to understand explanations of Agile I have come across. This in an essential read for project managers and would-be project managers in both small and large companies. It offers good insights into the sorts of soft skills that a project manager is going to need to be successful. Altogether, a great reference book with step by step guides on how to estimate, plan and execute a project.” – Diane Wray Amazon

“As someone who has managed many small to medium scale IT projects, I would say that a great deal of wisdom, experience and common sense has been distilled into an easy to digest format. This slim volume could be one of the best investments you or your company make.” – J A Gartside C Eng Amazon