19 BOOKS FOR SUCCESSFUL PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Written by Magnus Doll. Originally published on PROJECKER Blog.

There are hundreds of project management books on the market and searching for the next one can be intimidating. Perhaps you don’t know where you should start reading? Or you are just on the hunt for another good project management book? If that’s the case, you will definitely find something for you in this article. It doesn’t matter if you are totally new to the project management topic or an advanced manager. I guarantee you will find something interesting on this list!
But as we all know, spare time as a project manager is very limited, so I decided to add four audiobooks to my list. That way you can listen to them on the go!

I categorized my list in 5 sections. So if you are looking for a specific one, you can jump to it.

• Beginners
• Advanced
• Agile
• Tips & Tricks
• Audiobooks

Did I miss one of your favorite books? Let me know in the comment section below!

#1 Project Management for Dummies

– Stanley E Portny

The book Project Management for Dummies is one of the most sold project management books. Just like in all the “Books for Dummies” you will get a great overview and learn the principles of successful project management.
Beside the project management 101, you will also learn how to develop a project schedule, how technology can be beneficial and how to organize a team. All of this information will help lead you to your success as a leader in project management.

#2 Making Things Happen: Mastering Project Management

– Scott Berkun

Author Scott Berkun draws conclusions from nine years of experiences at Microsoft to help explain to technical and non-technical readers what you need to be a successful manager for IT projects. In addition to the 16 topics focused on (ie. making good decisions or how not to annoy people), he also includes personal essays. The book suggests that you exercise different skills or ideas to practice these ideas at your job. Berkun adds practical tools and methods in Making Things Happen for a successful project.

#3 The Lazy Project Manager: How to Be Twice As Productive and Still Leave the Office Early

– Peter Taylor

I wrote about Peter a few articles earlier in my article 20 Project Management Blogs. This book will teach you the simple techniques of lazy project management. You will learn how to be more productive and spend more time outside the office, which leads to a better work life balance. His opinion is that only 20% of what people do really matters.
In this book you learn how to concentrate on your project management and work smarter. The book is written in a very smart way, and you will definitely enjoy reading it.

#4 The Project Management Answer Book, 2nd Edition

– Jeff Furman

This book helps to build you a solid foundation of project management information. If you read the first edition of The Project Management Answer Book, you found all the principles of project management. Now they have added both a new chapter with the basics of Scrum agile and some tips for PMP test. This book is helpful if you are preparing for a project management certification because if there is any essential to learn about project management, it is in there.
For a new project manager, the new edition will be very informative, because it covers the most common topics. While this book has some very interesting features and topics, it’s also one of the most expensive books you can purchase.

#5 Project Management Absolute Beginner’s Guide, 3rd Edition

– Gregory M. Horine PMP

With more than 23 years of project management experience Gregory M. Horine, certified as PMP and CCP focuses on the real basics of project management. There are topics like “lead a project, don’t just manage them” and “Use powerful control and reporting techniques, including earned value management”. It’s a beginner’s guide to modern project management, where you learn how to be successful in every task.

#6 Project Management Lite: Just Enough to Get the Job Done…Nothing More

– Juana Clark Craig

Project Management Lite wants to give the reader a guide to project managements and shows readers how they can complete projects without any problems, even if they never heard of project management before. If you have no idea where to start, this is the book that will lead your way step-by-step.
You may be surprised, but this book focuses on less theory and more on action with some great checklists or worksheets that you can use to lead your project to the finish line.

#7 Strategic Project Management Made Simple: Practical Tools for Leaders and Teams

– Terry Schmidt

In his book, Terry Schmidt describes new project management tools and methods, because many of the old ones are no longer sufficient. He offers a new system that provides all you need to get the results you want. The system is proven in many different work sectors and promises that you can work faster and more efficiently.

#8 Leading Successful PMOs: How to Build the Best Project Management Office for Your Business

– Peter Taylor

I had to mention the second book of Peter Taylor. This one is getting a little bit deeper into the project manager topic and if you liked the Lazy Project Manager, you will also enjoy this one. You will learn how to build a project management office that will lead to more efficient projects.
A project management office is the source of organization, documentation and implementing projects and Peter has some great tips to building those things!

#9 Rescue the Problem Project: A Complete Guide ti Identifying, Preventing, and Recovering from Project Failure

– Todd C. Williams PMP

Having any problems with a project? Then this book fits your needs perfectly. Todd C. Williams, who is a Project Management Professional, describes the techniques of how to identify the roots of trouble. The book also contains 70 real examples of what works, and what doesn’t.
The reason I chose this book is, because most of books are about how to manage a project, but not about what to do when it fails. This books offers information about that hidden piece.

#10 A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge

– Project Management Institute

This book is quite different than the others I named, but it is an important read, especially if you’re looking for a certification. The Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge is the number one book if you are working towards the Project Management Professional Certification. It offers all the important information to be successful on the exam. If you are buying this one, you should have a look at different editions, the latest is the 5th and they have an audio version available now as well.

You can find the last categories on our blog.

This article was originally published on PROJECKER.