The Project Manager's Partner is organised around 20 key project manager actions and results, and a significant portion of the book is devoted to providing new project managers with the tools to take any of these actions and get quality results.

This edition includes an introduction to project management (PM) basics, presenting the reader with just enough background on the field of PM to provide a foundation for using the tools.

Part I concludes by providing readers with a hands-on assignment designed to help them develop a unique Project Life Cycle as the foundation for a project they may be planning.

Building on this unique life cycle, Part II provides another assignment that encourages readers to identify which of the Key Project Manager Action Items in Part III they will need to start planning their projects - so the emphasis on hands-on performance begins early! The Project Manager's Partner also contains an entirely new discussion (with a samples and worksheets) on the distinction between estimating effort versus estimating durations for activities.

Finally, the author has drawn on his recent experiences to create many powerful new PM tools (guidelines, checklists, worksheets), with a total of 57 included in the book.

The Project Manager's Partner is designed so that it can stand alone and be of immediate value to novice project managers. The tools may be used out-of-sequence, so project managers need not read through the entire book to apply a tool. For example, if you are involved in developing a schedule, you may simply turn to the tool which deals with developing a schedule and get right to work.