 Gilder Media, a division of recorded books, presents Absolute Essentials of Project Management by Paul Roberts, narrated by Sean Grindel, Publishers Note. In this audio edition you'll hear references to figures, graphs and tables, present in the print and e-book formats of this book. Chapter 1 Introduction A first visit to New York is not complete without ascending the Empire State Building. Before arriving at the viewing platform, visitors are treated to an exhibition of memorabilia, which includes designs and plans from the 1930s when it was being built. Until one realises how sophisticated techniques were being used almost a century ago, it is easy to think that project management is a very modern undertaking. In point of fact, without it, the construction of 103 stories in a year and 45 days would have been almost impossible. Well, before the discipline was as widespread as it is today, mankind has been using projects. From the construction of churches, temples, roads and pyramids, to the development of today's most complex digital business systems, projects have been the vehicle to build and deliver things. We hear about them in the media and we use them in our personal and professional lives. In fact, they are so commonplace that we sometimes find ourselves involved in projects without even realising. A good deal has been written about the management of projects, not least by me, but when all of this wisdom is boiled down to the absolute essentials, most of what is left is good old-fashioned common sense. That's what lies at the heart of this book, the essence of what effective project management is all about. Without having to scour many other no-doubt excellent works, this small book brings together the most important project management principles and techniques. Significantly, this is not a book aimed at only project managers. The project manager is neither the only person involved in the management of the project, nor the most important. It takes a leadership and management team to deliver a project successfully. The leader of any project is its sponsor. This is the person who may have conceived the project, has secured its funding, and is held accountable for ensuring that the investment is outweighed by the benefits it promises to deliver. This book also has such people in mind. In producing a book which, by its own definition, is of a limited size and scope, it has been necessary to omit some related subject matter. Specifically, I have excluded an exposition on the soft skills which may be desirable and useful to those involved in projects. Whilst appreciating its importance, deli... Sample complete. Ready to continue?