This book doesn't offer a 10-step plan for a successful project management career because no plan can possibly address every project contingency. This book is a necessary guide for any coordinator of people and projects. You may be a planner, thinker, strategist, project manager, business owner, executive leader, business analyst, athletic coach, parent or simply an individual curious about ways to become more effective at work. Any way you slice it, you'll benefit from reading this book.

The Effective Project Manager explains in easy-to-understand terms what you need to do in order to become the best project manager you can be—an Effective Project Manager (EPM). The key themes of this book include time management, people management and thoughtful production of work that matters.

You need to be able to tell what work is the most important during any given hour spent on the job. You'll learn how to accomplish this task by better understanding people and organizations. You'll get people to tell you things by listening, planning and leading. You'll turn into a doer who can handle any situation thrown at you. You'll learn how to organize your thoughts and structure your planning process by using mind maps and pictures. You'll find out how to track progress easily and give your teams proven processes to use. Finally, you'll learn the common traits that all EPMs share.

The book is split into two parts. Part 1 focuses on how to manage yourself and includes tools that will help you become more effective in both your professional and personal life. Part 2 focuses on how to manage others. If you can manage yourself and manage others effectively, then you can lead almost any project.