Table of Contents
Introduction: Welcome to the Project Economy 1
From a world driven by efficiency to a world driven by change 3
The rise of the Project Economy 4
The path to becoming a project leader 6
The first project management book for everyone 8
Part 1 Project Fundamentals for Everybody
1 Projects Everywhere 15
From a World Driven by Efficiency to a World Driven by Change
Operations run the organization, but projects change the organization 16
The proliferation of projects in organizations 20
Projects after the pandemic 25
2 What Is a Project? 29
From Product Launches to Digital Transformations to Megaprojects
Definitions 29
Classification of projects 33
Examples of common projects 36
3 What Project Management Is Now 43
And Why It Needed to Be Reinvented
The reinvention of project management 44
Pushing the reinvention further 53
Part 2 The Project Canvas
4 Introduction to the Project Canvas 67
One Tool for Any Project: Traditional, Agile, or Hybrid
Simple, universal, and proven 68
Outline of the canvas parts 69
5 The Foundation 73
Purpose, Investment, Benefits
Purpose: Why are we doing the project? 75
Investment: How much will the project cost? 82
Benefits: What benefits and value will the project generate? 85
6 The People 97
Sponsorship, Resources, Stakeholders
Sponsorship: Who will be accountable for the project? 99
Resources: Who will manage the project, and which skills are needed to deliver the project? 108
Stakeholders: Who will benefit from and be affected by the project? 119
7 The Creation 129
Deliverables, Plan, Change
Deliverables: What will the project produce, build, or deliver? 131
Plan: How and when will the work be carried out? 142
Change: How will we engage stakeholders and manage the risks? 151
8 Putting the Project Canvas into Practice 165
Adopting the Canvas in Your Organization
How to use the Project Canvas 167
Writing the Project Canvas block by block 169
Case studies of the Project Canvas in action 175
Applying the Project Canvas to agile initiatives 182
Tips for introducing the Project Canvas in your organization 188
Example of an organization implementing the Project Canvas 191
Part 3 Individual and Organizational Project Competencies
9 Project Leadership 197
Competencies for Effective Project Management and Sponsorship
The growing need for effective project leaders 198
Project leadership qualities and competencies 203
10 Selecting and Prioritizing Projects 217
Managing Your Project Portfolio
Why prioritization helps 218
Benefits of managing a portfolio 226
The hierarchy of purpose: A better way to prioritize 235
11 The Agile and Project-Driven Organization 243
Building the Structure and Culture Needed for Project Success
How some Chinese companies embody organizational agility 245
Benefits of a lean, agile, and project-driven structure 250
Obstacles to becoming an agile and project-driven organization 251
Part 4 A Better Future through Projects
12 Project Managing a Better Future 265
Tomorrow's Innovations and Disruptions in Project Management
Crisis management is project management 266
Diversity (and diversity of thinking) and project success 274
The role of technology 280
The sustainability revolution 288
Conclusion: The Project Manifesto 297
Ready to succeed with your projects 301
Appendix: The Benefits Card 303
Notes 309
Index 319
Acknowledgments 327
About the Author 329
