A sobering new statistic indicates that less than half of all projects assigned to management are completed, done correctly, finished on time, and under budget. Project management is the discipline of organizing and managing resources so that projects meet their defined scope, time, and cost constraints. As a manager or assistant man- ager, you will be responsible for many projects, and you will be evaluated on their planning, coordination, and control from inception to completion, including meeting their quality requirements on time and within cost. Projects are critical to the success of any business or organization. They are the activities that result in new or changed products and services. They increase sales, improve customer satisfaction, reduce costs, improve the work environment, and result in countless other benefits. As a manager or assistant manager, you will be evaluated on the success of your project management skills. In this easy-to-read and comprehensive new book, you will learn planning strategies for each phase of project management and for everything from the start-up meeting, to the project's execution and closure, including its scope and information gathering requirements. You will learn how to create a project plan, assess its risk, manage multiple projects, manage organization-wide initiatives, implement project management concepts, and schedule, control, and manage contracts.