project sponsors. Billions of dollars rest on the shoulders of these `acci- dental project sponsors' and yet it is still a cause for concern that many major organisations do not provide the training, method or tool kit for these people. If I can help them perform and deliver more effectively, the time spent on this book will have been worthwhile. Unfortunately, the discipline of project management is generally made to look too complicated, is frequently misunderstood and often poorly practised at a business level. Consequently, it does not always deliver the promised rewards. Whether you are a senior executive, manager, project manager or `one of the infantry', I aim to make the `art of project manage- ment' clearer to you in this book by: G G G G G explaining the challenges faced by many organisations; outlining some lessons and advice from leading organisations; proposing a staged framework for managing individual projects; explaining the key roles which need to be fulfilled; showing how business leaders can manage and track all their projects as a portfolio through their life cycles;