The Project Manager's MBA

Cohen and Graham walk project managers through basic business concepts such as value creation, accounting and finance, strategy, and marketing. They connect these concepts to the decisions project managers face every day. And they make it easy to apply the resulting solutions on the job through a unique business systems calculator. Readers can use the online calculator in conjunction with the book to understand how different project variables affect business outcomes, to determine the overall impact of proposed project changes, and to evaluate the economic results of many decisions they make.

Cohen and Graham's principles apply equally to projects in business, nonprofit, and government organizations. And each one is illustrated through case studies drawn from a range of industries, including pharmaceuticals, the technology sector, even the wine-making business. Whether the mandate is to get new products to market, improve the infrastructure, or better serve customers and clients, this book teaches project managers how to make day-to-day decisions from an upper-management perspective. And it provides a blueprint for planning and pitching potential projects that demonstrates a higher level of business savvy.

Contents

• Preface
  
• Chapter 1: An Entrepreneurial Approach to Managing Projects
  
• Chapter 2: Accounting and Finance Basics for the Project Management Entrepreneur
  
• Chapter 3: Business Strategy: Where Are We Going and How Are We Going to Get There?
  
• Chapter 4: Project Management and Leadership Factors
  
• Chapter 5: Marketing and the Project Manager: Understanding the Customer and the Competition Too
  
• Chapter 6: Project and Post-Project Costs
  
• Chapter 7: Why Finance Matters for Project Managers
  
• Chapter 8: Decision Making with Business Systems Approach
  
• Chapter 9: The Project Venture Development Process
  
• Index