Project Management Resource List

by Jeff Furman, PMP

If you want a quick and easy book on project management, this provides a quick reference guide. Set out in an easy question and answer format, it’s extremely handy for quick use. The common problems discussed here make this book a good one for both practical purposes and PMP study.

by Juana Clark Craig, PMP

Refreshingly free from jargon, this book is suitable for those new to project management. If you find yourself project managing with little idea of what you’re doing, the handy worksheets and checklists will help you easily and effectively execute your project without getting too technical.

by Harold Kerzner, Ph.D

If you’ve ever studied project management, you may have come across this one as part of your textbook list. And that’s because it offers an extremely comprehensive overview of the principles and practices that make up modern day project management. This edition features more than 30 new sections on PM processes like sponsorship, teamwork, and project closure.

by Scott Berkun

Written by celebrated project leader Scott Berkun, this book differs from your standard PM fare in that it offers a collection of essays on subjects from leadership, strategy, and decision making. This is a breath of fresh air compared to the outlined collection of subheadings and processes that make up most project management books. Berkun has led software projects for Microsoft for ten years, so you can trust that he knows his stuff!

by Jack Ferraro

This book breaks down project management jargon into terms that a complete beginner can understand. It’s a useful one for managers with lots of practical experience who are looking to get qualifications, as it provides an easy introduction into the language and theory of project management techniques and terminology.

by Paul Roberts

The author of this book, Paul Roberts is the founding director of change management consultancy fifthday.com. While this book does go over the process of project management, there is an interesting analysis on the importance of agreement and cohesion within an organisation, as well as engagement of stakeholders, in order to ensure the success of a project. There are also great visual aids such as charts and diagrams.

by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

The best decision for your project can be a tricky one to make, especially if you’re getting emotional during a stressful situation. This book offers insight into some simple processes that will help you make the best decision for the good of the task at hand.

by Jim Collins

From a list of Forbes 500 companies, Collins examines the common factors that mid-performing companies shared on their road to huge financial success. This book includes easy ways to compare your own business to these greats, as well as offering advice to better the performance of your projects.

by Tom DeMarco

Why not enjoy a good story as you learn about project management techniques? This quick novel tells the story of Tompkins, a recently kidnapped project manager with an intimidating deadline set out in front of him. Tompkins decides to split his massive staff of software developers into 18 teams to test different approaches and assumptions in the world of PM.

by Mike Cohn

This book is ideal for high players in the project management field who find themselves often facing complex and uncertain projects. Cohn offers practical advice in scheduling, planning, and estimating in order to make your agile project goals a reality.

by Edward Yourdon

This book is about those nightmare projects you may be asked to manage at some point in your career; those ones with unrealistic deadlines, aims, funding, and staff. There are helpful tips in here for maintaining your sanity and dealing with core issues to relieve the pressure on you and your team. The book has a particular focus on IT projects.

by Frederick P. Brooks, Jr.

A project management canon originally written in 1975, the new edition of this book offers expansion and wisdom that stands the test of time. There’s a particular focus on managing large IT and software projects by this ex-project manager of IBM.

by Patrick Lencioni

Another fictional tale imparting project management wisdom, this novel talks about the importance of leadership governing team dynamics. Kathryn Petersen is CEO of a company that looks poised to cash. The 5 dysfunctions of a team are discussed here, and a questionnaire is provided for managers to assess the state of their own team and to build strength.

by Stephen Barker and Rob Cole

Covered here is how to ensure your project’s success based on delivering what is promised in terms of budget, schedule, and concept. With some 35 years of experience in the industry of project management, the writers have substantial authority when it comes to their advice in staff training and all facets of the PM sphere.

by Mickey W. Mantle & Ron Lichty

For the software project managers of the world, Mantle and Lichty have written a guide to mitigating the management of often eccentric IT workers and developers. They share their techniques that are tried and true, and those that didn’t quite cut the mustard.

by Terry Schmidt

Written by the founder of ManagementPro.com, this book provides advice on the important questions you should ask before setting out on your project. There is also a methodology to help you break down the most complex of project goals in order to achieve them.

by Alistair Cockburn

You can have all the methodologies and guides under your belt in the world, but if your team is rubbish your project will fail. This book discusses how to best set up your team so they can get the job done with ease. It also discusses the lightweight software development methodology of Crystal Clear without compromising your budget.

by Peter Taylor

This book focuses on how to get the most out of your time os that you can reach optimum productivity. Taylor’s techniques aim to help you prioritise the most important part of the work day and achieve a good balance between work and relaxation that will help you avoid burning out.

by Harold R. Kerzner

This is a hefty reference manual that goes deep into the world of project management. As well as going over the key points that can make a project a success, it also features 25 case studies that exemplify these key tenets in order to bring them to life.

by Todd C. Williams

Not all projects you’ll be involved in are destined to succeed. This book talks about how to turn perceived failures into opportunities for learning and ensuring your success in the future. By analysing what went wrong and learning from other failed projects you can ensure your own project will be one well done.

Basecamp is the go-to tool for collaboration on project management tools. The interface allows for simple use between client and your team. Create and share different projects, discussions, to-do lists, documents and dates, on your smart device or on your computer. Basecamp’s basic plan starts at $20 a month.

Huddle is another app that lets you collaborate easily and intuitively to get your projects done efficiently. Huddle has a great file management system, as well as options to bundle Web, audio, and video conferencing. It's simple enough to start using right away.

Zoho Projects lets you set up complicated tasks thanks to its Gantt chart options. Intuitive and simple to use, there are detailed timesheet and reporting options including pre-made templates, and you can add as many users as you like. It's free, but it can be worth upgrading to the paid plan to get more than 10 MB worth of storage.

This management tool has a real focus on the financial side of project management. You can easily import expenses, track payments, and get your invoices paid directly with PayPal or other credit card payment options. Very useful come tax time!

This PPM tool is a quick install and quite easy to use. One of the stand-out features it offers is its What-if scenario and Capacity Planning that lets you prepare for real-world problems.

Bitrix24 is a project management system that offers features comparable to PM’s current go-to software, BaseCamp. You can add up to 12 users for free, and afterwards it is $99 per month, which can a be a little costly for small businesses or startups. However the features are excellent: employee workload planning, Gantt charts, layered task options, and great communications tools.

Asana is one of the most popular project management apps available, and free for up to 15 users. It's simple, and a great way for teams to keep in contact. The calendar function on the dashboard graphs tasks right on the dashboard, and can also be used on its Android app. It's only downside is that you can't use it offline.

Trello is a project management tool that lets you see your progress visually. It works by organising cards that represent your conversations and to-do lists onto a board that everyone can use to collaborate on. It's also free, with the option to expand to a gold package for $45 per year.

Stand-out points of this project management tool are many. Unlike most free PM apps, you can add as many users and projects as you like, and there is no storage limit. You also can integrate with essentials like Dropbox and Google Drive. It also has native apps for iPhone and iPad.

This free project management and scheduling app lets you create an array of ways to manage your project. Notably it lets you make Gantt and PERT charts and create reports in HTML and PDF formats. Another plus is that you can note problem areas and try to rectify them. It's an overall great tool, but not for beginners.

AceProject lets you keep an eye on the progress of your projects, including tools for expense and employee management. Unfortunately the UI has received poor reviews, but it could be worth a try if you are a small business looking for a free PM tool.

This PM app is specifically design for software development projects. You can easily communicate and share files with your team, track bugs, as well as see which tasks take the longest to complete. This lets you figure out what needs to change to get the job done quickly. For $10 per month up to 10 users can use Jira.

This project management tool has a big focus on facilitating communication. Aside from the features that traditional PM apps offer such as task management and file storage, it also acts as an internal intranet and can be transformed into a CRM system. Plus you can personalise Podio to suit the changing needs of your business.

This free app give you practically everything you need for free. Highlights in this task management app include results measurement, progress tracking, and the creation of tasks that can be applied to multiple task lists. You can also turn emails into tasks super easily.

This PM application easily integrates with your business tools like Dropbox, Excel and Google Apps. It also lets you convert emails into tasks in a few clicks, and has the traditional features such as task set-up. It is free for the first 5 users and then costs $49 per month.

One of Freedcamp's best features is its dashboard that lets you see the progress of your project right away. It's very visually intuitive, with a calendar and sticky notes. This app comes recommended for both professionals (who can use advance add-ons) and first-time project managers looking to plan something detailed like a big event. It's completely free unless you want the add-ons.

This project management software is a great choice if you use Agile. Its free version has no disk space limit for up to 10 users, and integrates with 84Kids apps like Sprinloops and Chime, plus offers SSH encryption and permissions for clients to view the progress of their projects.

As the name suggests, there's a real focus on integrating your teams' tasks in the one spot with this app to encourage collaboration. There's a marked calendar, Gantt reporting and easy reporting so you can keep track of your team's tasks. You can also easily integrate with leading apps, customer support apps, and users are unlimited with plans starting at $12 per month.

This app offers a lot of task board templates that you can easily tweak to create the ideal interface your your team's project. It's a useful one if you are planning to manage more projects in the future, as you can save custom templates and start new project boards based on your preferences.

Popular with ad agencies, this project management software also has good options for organising your team's timesheet. It's a web-based way of keeping timesheet, which makes it great for those in creative and often freelance industries such as graphic design, communications, public relations and more.

This software is a great way to manage your tasks, project progress, share files and track progress. It uses an interface that looks like a spreadsheet, which keeps things simple and easy to use for your team members.

43 Folders is a website that helps you to manage your time and attention to your best work. It's especially aimed at helping you juggle creative projects, and there are tips for creating life balance in order to assist with advancing your career. It includes tips on tidying up your email, avoiding procrastination, and getting organised.

This website is a good overview of PM resources. There are templates, forums on common PM issues, information on project management books, and more. The blog has regular content including articles, podcasts, and regular features. Plus there is a real sense of community and sharing knowledge.

David Sea is a US-based freelance designer who creates productivity tools that you can easily download. His design approach brings your information to live with interactivity. PM productivity tools are available under the categories of Scheduling, Planning, Research, Set Goals, Tasks, and more.

This site offers a solid resource base for PM pillars. There's a focus on the PMBOK and PRINCE2 project management framework and process, as well as other methodologies and even the history of project management. It's a pretty old site though, so much so that there are also links to Bible verse.

This is a great website for those working in the field of project management because it offers daily tips and the latest news in finance, technology and career advice. There are also Lifehack lessons for a small fee, productivity tips, and musings on work culture.

This website is a great one for those who love their statistics. Marc Gawley discusses productivity in project management with hard numbers to back him up. There's tabs on productivity, economics, surprising numbers, science, and even travel.

This site is a good compilation of publications, courses and articles about both program and project management. All sources are reputable leaders in their respective fields, whether in software development or architecture, or simply renowned PM thinkers.

This website can assist your with organisation and creating a life-work balance in order to help you achieve your goals. Their blog has some interesting ideas about how you can foster group bonding, how to make time management something personal, and lots of other ideas.

Originally the Chief Project Officer, this site is especially for senior executives and those who work in the upper echelons of project management. There are loads of tools and training resources for informing your team, interesting perspectives and advice, as well as discussions and info about what's going on the world of PM.

As you definitely know if you've had a look at our PM resource guide, there are a lot of tools and info out there. On this website, project manager Francis Wade will help you develop a plan for managing your time without being overwhelmed by all the resources out there.

This is a comprehensive online library of loads of different project management resources. It originally started as a collection of information specifically for non-profit organisations, but there are now links to resources for over 100 different facets of PM. It's a great place for advice, whether your project is for profit or nonprofit.

This site gives you all kinds of advice on how to manage your time. Part of project management is staying motivated to reach your goals, which is where the info on this website comes in handy. There are tips and tricks for avoiding procrastination and getting organised, as well as reviews of project management software and systems.

This website may have stopped updating, but it’s a good basis for info if you are using old systems. It's got semi-vintage info about internet technology and product info for project management resources.

This project management site is a real wealth of resources that can help to make your project more successful. Check out over 4000 articles written by people working in the industry, over 1000 project management templates, and a huge online community where you can ask questions and share information.

This website lets you log in and get access to lots of community generated content for those working in the IT side of project management. Have a look at blog posts, research and forum discussions on the latest in IT project management. The Directory lets you easily search by topics like Database, Hardware, Networking, SAP, Security, and Web Design.

Self-described as the "Guild of Project Controls", Planning Planet is a website that has been around for some 15 years. It assists it users with access to information about the latest in the industry, as well as to a community with lots of knowledge. There is also a Jobs board for those looking for employment in the industry of project controls.

This UK-based website is an online magazine for project managers. As you'd expect, there's the latest news in the project management industry, as well as access to a variety of articles to help you out with your project. They also have a good database of project management books.

This blog helps with time management. It's written from a philosophy that a balanced life with reduced stress will help you manage your projects more successfully. It aims to teach how to organise, focus and set goals via blogs, books and online courses.

There is such a focus on the sustainability of your project these days, and GPM is a website that can help you create and manage a project without hurting the earth. This website offers the services of GPM to assess your project, certification, learning tools, and methodology.