Project manager’s pocket guide

Today, organizations are becoming leaner, extra layers of middle managers are requiring specialists from marketing, engineering, accounting, and other departments to work together in ad-hoc project teams. Having no full-time, dedicated managers, these teams are often led by one of these specialists who may excel at his or her specialty, but does not necessarily have management experience. Typically, such team leaders must simultaneously make project contributions in their specialty while they try to manage the project. These “instant” project managers need help defining the project; initiating, planning, executing, and controlling project events; and figuring out how to bring project events to a timely conclusion. And they can't stop working for the many weeks it would take to acquire extensive management training.