The Project Manager's MBA

Project managers are no longer judged by the technical success oftheir projects alone. They're also held accountable for theircontributions to the company's financial goals. Yet most projectmanagers don't have the business knowledge necessary to makeproject-based decisions that lead to bottom-line success. In thisbook, Dennis Cohen and Robert Graham, both former universityprofessors and experienced project management consultants, providethe skills that, until now, could only be gained through a graduatedegree and years of hands-on experience. Cohen and Graham walk project managers through basic businessconcepts such as value creation, accounting and finance, strategy,and marketing. They connect these concepts to the decisions projectmanagers face every day. And they make it easy to apply theresulting solutions on the job through a unique business systemscalculator. Readers can use the online calculator in conjunctionwith the book to understand how different project variables affectbusiness outcomes, to determine the overall impact of proposedproject changes, and to evaluate the economic results of manydecisions they make. Cohen and Graham's principles apply equally to projects inbusiness, non-profit, and government organizations. And each one isillustrated through case studies drawn from a range of industries,including pharmaceuticals, the technology sector, even thewinemaking business. Whether the mandate is to get new products tomarket, improve the infrastructure, or better serve customers andclients, this book teaches project managers how to make day-to-daydecisions from an upper-management perspective. And it provides ablueprint for planning and pitching potential projects thatdemonstrates a higher level of business savvy.