Project management is critical to an organization’s success. With increased competition among organizations, there is a greater demand for project managers to oversee projects from conception to completion. A good project manager must be a strong leader, an effective communicator, and knowledgeable about the most recent project management methodologies and principles. Whether you are just starting out as a project manager or have decades of experience, here is a list of the top ten best project management books (from beginner to advanced) to help you advance your career.
1. Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Project Management
Greg Horine is the author.
Beginner’s level
This is one of the most popular beginner project management books. It covers all of the key project management concepts that every project manager should understand, from planning and control to getting started with agile project management. The 4th edition of the book has also been updated with all of the most recent and popular web-project management tools to prepare you for the most recent PMP Certification Exam.
2. Be Fast or Be Gone: Critical Chain Project Management in a Race Against the Clock
Andreas Scherer is the author.
Beginner’s level
If you enjoy reading fictional novels, this project management book is for you! The book describes Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM) through the eyes of two characters: Mike Knight and his son, Tim. When Tim is diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer, Mike quits his job to help a pharmaceutical company use CCPM to bring cancer’s only known treatment to market faster. The best thing about this book is that it makes a complicated topic like CCPM more interesting and approachable for a new project manager.
3. Project Management for People Who Aren’t Project Managers
Jack Ferraro is the author.
Beginner’s level
This book is exactly what the title implies: it is a project management book for people who aren’t project managers. You may already be implementing project management principles in your work as a functional manager without even realizing it. This book encourages all functional managers to enter the project management space by equipping them with critical project management skills such as work breakdown structures, risk management methods, performance reports, business analysis techniques, and program sequencing techniques.
4. Case Studies in Project Management
Harold Kerzner is the author of this work.
Intermediate
This is one of the best project management books, with case studies from Disney, Airbus, Motorola, the Olympics, and many other companies. Because case studies are essential for project managers, this book will provide you with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see project management in action for some of the world’s most prominent companies. This fifth edition of the book also focuses on Agile and Scrum methodologies, as well as preparation for the most recent PMP Certification Exam.
5. Making Things Happen: Mastering Project Management
Scott Berkun is the author of this piece.
Intermediate
This book is especially useful for project managers in the software industry. It is based on the author’s years of experience as a project manager for Internet Explorer, Windows, and MSN. It does not list specific project management methods, but rather focuses on the philosophy and strategy of good project management. This book covers topics such as “How not to annoy people,” “How to Make Things Happen,” “Making Good Decisions,” and “What to Do When Things Go Wrong.” It’s an interesting book that will help you with current and future projects.
6.Scrum-Agile Project Management
Ken Schwaber wrote this.
Intermediate
This book, written by Scrum’s co-creator, provides an introduction to all of Scrum’s rules and principles using simple, straightforward examples.
You will learn how to scale projects and solve complex problems using Scrum, as well as how to form a Scrum team, create artifacts and ceremonies, and apply other key Scrum principles. You will also learn about the Capability Maturity Model (CMM), which describes the best practices in software development.
7. Epiphanized: A Novel About the Unifying Theory of Constraints, Lean, and Six Sigma
Authors: Bob Sproull and Bruce Nelson
Advanced
This book provides a comprehensive view of how project managers can use Theory of Constraints (TOC) to increase an organization’s overall productivity.
It also provides crucial insights into how to implement TOC, Lean, and Six Sigma methodologies to achieve even better results. Part One covers the core concepts of TOC, Lean, and Six Sigma methodologies; Part Two provides a more in-depth explanation of each of these core concepts for those who want to explore them in depth.
8. The Lazy Project Manager: How To Be Twice As Productive While Still Leaving The Office Early
Author: Peter Taylor
Advanced
This book also emphasizes the significance of using TOC, Lean, and Six Sigma methodologies to achieve better results. It focuses on advanced project management techniques and skills to achieve superior on-time delivery as well as unprecedented levels of profitability. It also includes the well-known Pareto principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, which states that 80 percent of the consequences result from only 20 percent of the causes.
9. The Agile Mindset: Making Agile Processes Work
Gil Broza wrote this.
Advanced
This book provides an introduction to using the Agile mindset in project management. It provides valuable insights into the best Agile practices and tools, as well as how to make them work for your team. You will also learn about Agile’s four foundational values: putting people first, followed by products and processes, adaptation, early and frequent value delivery, and customer collaboration.
10. Advanced Multi-Project Management: Achieving Outstanding Speed and Results with Predictability
Gerald I. Kendall, PMP, and Kathleen M. Austin wrote this.
Advanced
This book describes an advanced multi-project management approach for completing projects faster and increasing the number of projects completed with the same resources. It also addresses the key issues that senior project managers face when implementing the right projects at the right time. You will learn how to manage the flow of active projects, create a strategic buffer, enable faster execution, and recover lost projects.
