Project Management Metrics, KPIs, and Dashboards: A Guide to Measuring and Monitoring Project Performance

by Harold R. Kerzner

Harold Kerzner’s essential strategies on measuring project management performance

With the growth of complex projects, stakeholder involvement, and advancements in visual-based technology, metrics and KPIs (key performance indicators) are key factors in evaluating project performance. Dashboard reporting systems provide accessible project performance data, and sharing this vital data in a concise and consistent manner is a key communication responsibility of all project managers. 

This third edition of Kerzner's groundbreaking work, Project Management Metrics, KPIs, and A Guide to Measuring and Monitoring Project Performance, helps functional managers gain a thorough grasp of what metrics and KPIs are and how to use them. Plus, this edition includes new sections on processing dashboard information, portfolio management PMO and metrics, and BI tool flexibility.

•  Offers comprehensive coverage of the different dashboard types, design issues, and applications

Provides full-color dashboards from some of the most successful project management companies, including IBM, Microsoft, and others Aligns with PMI’s PMBOK® Guide and stresses value-driven project management PPT decks are available by chapter and a test bank will be available for use in seminar presentations and courses Get ready to bolster your awareness of what good metrics management really entails today—and be armed with the knowledge to measure performance more effectively.

Genres: Business, Management, Nonfiction, Design

736 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kerzner’s writing makes project management not as terrible as it might be. How’s that for for a ringing endorsement? In all honesty, his style is easy to read and sometimes funny, which is fortunate for those of us who are taking project management classes out of necessity rather than desire. I believe I have one more Kerzner tome left in my next class, so we’ll see how it goes.

[Sam Motes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kerzner is well-recognized as a thought leader in the field of Project Management and he shows it in this work. He builds the case for getting to know all your stakeholders, finding out what is important to them for the success of the given project, quantifying that somehow, building KPIs and metrics to drive dashboards to convey the status clearly to them, and then executing on an appropriate cadence for communication on the dashboards. Being flexible to the different stakeholders with targeted and actionable content without getting into a reporting nigh mare to try to keep up with the amount of data needed is the critical balancing act to be reached that should be weighted towards stakeholders with the most power to impact the project to keep things moving when conflict arises. The triple constraints are table stakes today. Managing perceived value of the deliverable by managing the stakeholder’s expectations and execution is the key to success. Kerzner does a good job of discussing the different type of KPIs to help drive to a measurable KPI since if things are measured you can’t truly manage them.

[Petrov · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found it useful

Seeking info on measurement of project activities I found some practical advice. Second half and Chapter 8 is particularly interesting, but first 25% of the book is not.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great!

[catechism · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not exactly riveting reading, but there's a lot of good information and examples.

[Mattheus Guttenberg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dense, dry text on project management measurement and tools.