How to Measure Anything in Project Management

Uncover common project management myths to improve project success How to Measure Anything in Project Management explains why popular methods for measurement in project management are flawed and describes how to conduct measurements that better inform decisions, reduce project risks, and improve the chance of project success. The authors argue that anything that matters to project management at all is measurable and that these measurements address many of the problems in project management. The authors leverage an exclusive survey on the state-of-the-art of measuring projects, new case studies of things that are seemingly hard to measure and a database, collected by Oxford Global Projects, of thousands of projects in software development, construction, energy, and many other fields, including some of the biggest projects in history. The book is accompanied by a set of useful spreadsheet-based "power tools" that support the more technical aspects of quantifying project risk, forecasting outcomes, and conducting seemingly difficult measurements. In this book, readers will learn: Why many of the methods they have been taught to use are little more than a type of “analysis placebo” Why many popular methods lead to extreme overconfidence in estimates How some of the most important measurements a project could conduct are currently rarely used How to Measure Anything in Project Management earns a well-deserved spot on the bookshelves of managers, executives, auditors, controllers, and consultants seeking to improve project performance through superior measurement methodology.

Uncover common project management myths to improve project success How to Measure Anything in Project Management explains why popular methods for measurement in project management are flawed and describes how to conduct measurements that better inform decisions, reduce project risks, and improve the chance of project success. The authors argue that anything that matters to project management at all is measurable and that these measurements address many of the problems in project management. The authors leverage an exclusive survey on the state-of-the-art of measuring projects, new case studies of things that are seemingly hard to measure and a database, collected by Oxford Global Projects, of thousands of projects in software development, construction, energy, and many other fields, including some of the biggest projects in history. The book is accompanied by a set of useful spreadsheet-based "power tools" that support the more technical aspects of quantifying project risk, forecasting outcomes, and conducting seemingly difficult measurements. In this book, readers will learn: Why many of the methods they have been taught to use are little more than a type of “analysis placebo” Why many popular methods lead to extreme overconfidence in estimates How some of the most important measurements a project could conduct are currently rarely used How to Measure Anything in Project Management earns a well-deserved spot on the bookshelves of managers, executives, auditors, controllers, and consultants seeking to improve project performance through superior measurement methodology.