Chapter 1. Introduction

Project management is a hot topic. The Project Management Institute lists 220 books on the subject at its online bookstore. Companies such as the American Management Association offer a wide range of public and in-house seminars, many of which focus on information systems projects. Companies around the world are sending their employees for training on how to get control of their projects, hiring trainers to come to their sites to conduct courses, or are engaging consultants to help them develop their project management expertise.

There is merit in all this activity. As the author of one of these books and an instructor at numerous seminars, I can attest, from feedback I have received, that people who read these books or attend these seminars learn better ways to organize, plan, and control the flood of details that constitute an average systems project. We are becoming better at completing projects on time, on budget, and in scope, and, ultimately, at delivering value to the customers who pay for them.