Painless Project Management. A Step-by-Step Guide for Planning, Executing, and Managing Projects

A twenty-first-century update to the modern business classic . . . For more than fifteen years, this handy guide has provided entrepreneurs and small business owners with a simple, step-by-step plan for buying or selling a business-without their own special team of lawyers and accountants. Written by leading business attorney Robert Klueger, this up-to-date guide now includes everything you need to know about recent tax law changes, as well as an entirely new chapter on limited liability companies. It answers all your critical questions, covering everything from the valuation of a business through the negotiation stages to closing the deal. Packed with the kind of real-world guidance you can only get from a professional, Buying & Selling a Business, Second Edition shows you how to: * Choose a business that's right for you * Evaluate the business, determine why the seller is selling, analyze the seller's operations, and analyze balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow * Negotiate effectively-including negotiating for price, timing, stock and asset agreements, noncompetitive agreements, and more * Buy a franchise-key considerations that make a franchise different * Ensure a hassle-free closing with no surprises

The quick and easy way to manage money and achieve financial goals The recent economic meltdown has left people in terrible financial shape with little idea of how to turn things around. Using Morningstar's time-tested strategies and sensible approach to money management, Morningstar's 30-Minute Money Solutions: A Step-by-Step Guide to Managing Your Finances breaks down important financial tasks into do-able chunks, each of which can be accomplished in 30 minutes or less. The practical, no-nonsense book Lays out the tools to get organized, including how to create a filing and bill paying system Details how to find the best uses for one's money, as well as how to properly invest for savings, college, and retirement Other titles by Benz: Morningstar® Guide to Mutual Funds: Five Star Strategies for Success These are uncertain times. Morningstar's 30-Minute Money Solutions provides expert guidance on all aspects of personal money management, and it does so in quick, easily digestible steps.

Few business activities can match Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) in terms of the potential for reward and for danger. A successful merger or acquisition can allow a mid-tier company to leap into the top tier, bringing rich rewards to that company, and its employees and shareholders. The failure of a merger can, on the other hand, have a devastating impact, resulting a loss of credibility, destruction of value and in some cases bringing the parties to ruin. Depending on how you measure it, between 50% and 80% of M&A deals fail to attain their objectives, before or even after the deal is done. Practical M&A Execution and Integration is all about maximising your chances of success. Merging, de-merging, acquiring or acquired, if your organisation is involved, or likely to be involved, you will need to manage the process, and following this Handbook will give you a clear, simple framework to get the job done and help your organisation move on and attain the benefits and promise of the deal. The book covers the following core topics: Fundamentals of M&A; the reasons for M&A, types of M&A deals and the challenges they present M&A Regulation Successful M&A, covering M&A power and providing a detailed look at the processes and people involved Delivering M&A The unique issues of Banking M&A, which differs significantly from other types of M&A deals. The final section consists of document templates and suggested tables of contents which are designed to be used alongside the advice in the book, thus making Practical M&A Execution and Integration the complete guide to constructing a successful M&A deal.

How-to guidance for defining and implementing a complex project performance environment Sharing his forty-five years of project management experience, best-selling author and industry guru Robert Wysocki presents a straightforward, enlightening, and pragmatic guide to help senior managers make the transition to an organization that profits and thrives on complexity. The first book to discuss practical project management mitigation strategies, Executive's Guide to Project Management presents easy-to-implement infrastructures and processes that will ensure the continued success of your organization and maximize your investment of every project. Collects in one resource all the relevant information for understanding and creating an environment for improved complex project performance A must-read for every member of your senior management team Shows you how to regain responsibility, take action, and skillfully handle complexity to mitigate risk and increase return on project investments It's time for your senior management team to take back control of your investments in projects and programs. Executive's Guide to Project Management shows you how to cultivate your part of the organization so that it can respond to a changing project environment with the infrastructure to support the project and program investment decisions.

A pragmatic approach to project management Many projects fail to deliver on time or on budget, or even to deliver a workable product that satisfies the customer. While good project management goes a long way towards ensuring success, managers often fail to follow the plans they implement. This unique guide helps you understand and successfully handle project management, once and for all. Covering practical ways to solve problems you'll typically face when managing actual projects, this pragmatic book takes you through a full project management lifecycle. You'll find ample tips, tricks, and best practices–all richly illustrated with real case studies. Find out how to plan for risk, get wayward projects back on track, manage a whole portfolio of projects, and much more. Each topic in the book is mapped to the exam topics of the PMP® Certification Exam, so PMP certification candidates can also use this book for test prep. The book's companion web site offers downloadable forms, templates, and checklists. Explains project management for the real world using a pragmatic approach that includes field-tested techniques, case studies to illustrate concepts, helpful tips and tricks, and downloadable content Guides you to project management success by providing friendly advice, as if you had a friend or project management consultant at your side, discussing issues Explores how to run successful meetings, how to get wayward projects back on track, planning for risk, and how to manage multiple projects Manage your next project with a personal consultant: your own copy of Your Project Management Coach: Best Practices for Managing Projects in the Real World. (PMP is a registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.)

Previous Praise for Winning Grants Step by Step «Warning: this book works. It provokes you to ask the right questions, hand-holds you through practical exercises, and offers a map that includes paths to develop strategic relationships with funders.» —E. Eduardo Romero, Nonprofit Roundtable «Winning Grants Step by Step is a very practical A-to-Z resource that speaks to the importance of staying focused on your mission every step of the way. The third edition is artfully updated with words of wisdom from grantmakers themselves, as well as updates on the latest processes and buzzwords all grantseekers need to know.» —Heather Iliff, Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations «With solid advice and clear examples, nonprofit leaders will find it a page turner!» —Clarence Hauer, senior director, strategy and organizational development, St. Louis Nonprofit Services Consortium «Winning Grants Step by Step is a gift to nonprofit organizations. The valuable insights and hands-on tools will instantly make any proposal more competitive.» —Alex Carter, Your Nonprofit Coach «Developing great grant proposals is essential for nonprofit leaders. Winning Grants Step by Step provides important guidance to those who are new to fundraising as well as to anyone who needs a refresher. This new edition of Winning Grants brings updated tips and vivid examples. As an experienced fundraising consultant, I believe it will help my clients and colleagues alike.» —Maria Gitin, CFRE, Maria Gitin & Associates «As an executive director, fundraising is on my mind every day. It's great to have a resource like Winning Grants Step by Step to use and share with my board, staff, and peers.» —Deborah Menkart, executive director, Teaching for Change

Learn proven project management strategies as you master the world's #1 project management software Here's a winning combination: a series of successful project management strategies that cover every phase of the process AND an insider's guide to the most powerful and versatile project management software available anywhere. That's what you'll find in Managing Projects with Microsoft Project 2000. A synchronized learning system helps you get with the program Microsoft Project 2000 brings 21st-century power to this already formidable tool. Whether you're an experienced user preparing to upgrade to Microsoft Project 2000 or an aspiring project manager who needs to understand the big picture as you gain control of the details, this remarkable one-stop guide helps you make the most of this outstanding new program. It puts you in control of every new feature and enhanced capability, including how to: SCHEDULE TASKS AND TRACK PROGRESS using task calendars, deadline dates, estimated durations, baseline and interim plans, and more MANAGE RESOURCES FOR BETTER TASK SCHEDULING with new methods that let you vary resource availability, specify material resources, and set task priorities for resource leveling MODEL PROJECTS GRAPHICALLY WITH NETWORK DIAGRAM VIEW, which offers flexible viewing and formatting of program information in a graphical layout of tasks MANAGE TASKS AND RESOURCES ACROSS A WORKGROUP with Microsoft Project Central-a Web-based companion to Microsoft Project 2000 that allows for task delegation up and down organizational lines, task progress reporting, and narrative status reporting WORK FASTER AND SMARTER by jump-starting new products with templates, grouping tasks and resources, creating your own work breakdown structure numbering scheme-and much, much more

A Step-by-Step Guide to Implementing a Successful ANTI-BullyING Program Bullying can be found in every school system, school, and classroom. It is destructive to the well-being of students, creates unsafe schools, and impacts learning. School personnel, parents, and others are increasingly realizing the importance of putting effective anti-bullying strategies and policies in place that will create safe, caring, and peaceful schools where all students feel a sense of belonging and acceptance. Based on Allan L. Beane's proven Bully Free7reg; Program, Bullying Prevention for Schools is a step-by-step guide to implementing an anti-bullying program in individual schools or throughout a district. In Bullying Prevention for Schools, Dr. Beane details how to: Implement training for school personnel and volunteers and awareness sessions for students, parents, and the community Establish policies, rules, behavioral expectations, discipline rubrics, and response plans Prepare intervention and prevention strategies Develop a plan to actively include, involve, and empower students, parents, and the community And much more Bullying Prevention for Schools also contains a wealth of reproducible documents and forms, such as surveys, statement sheets, and intervention questionnaires.

Trading is a business and, and as with any business, those businesses who survive and thrive have a business plan in place. Smart Trading Plans guides readers through defining and documenting a trading plan which applies to their individual trading business. Smart Action Steps and example plan elements are included to guide readers through and illustrate the process of developing a plan. Smart Trading Plans guides readers through the following: Creating a trading system Developing a trading routine Selecting the right trading tools Entries, exits and trade management Understanding risk and money management Developing a profitable mindset Strategies for trading Complete with useful trading tips and bonus planning templates (available at www.smarttrading.com.au), Smart Trading Plans is essential reading for all savvy traders.

Bridge the achievement gap with proven strategies for student success Breakthrough Principals debunks the myth of the 'superhero' principal by detailing the common actions and practices of leaders at our nation's fastest-gaining public schools. Based on the authors' Transformational Leadership Framework, which they developed through in-depth study of more than 100 high-gaining, high-poverty schools, the book distills findings into a practical, action-focused plan for diagnosing school needs and implementing structures, systems and practices that accelerate student achievement. Brought to life by case studies of principals who have led dramatic gains in student achievement, the book is a how-to guide for increasing the quality of teaching and learning; improving school culture; attracting and supporting high-performing teachers; and involving parents and community to help students achieve. You'll learn how breakthrough principals make the school's mission a real part of both strategy and practice, and set up sustainable systems that support consistent, ongoing improvement. High-impact practices are organized into five broad categories: learning and teaching, school-wide culture, aligned staff, operations and systems, and personal leadership. The primary job of school leadership is to help students succeed. It begins with first recognizing and prioritizing areas of need, then finding and implementing the most effective solutions. Whether you work in a turn around environment, or want to make a good school better, this book will give you a set of concrete practices—illustrated through examples of real principals in real schools—that have been proven to work. Discover the primary drivers of student achievement Work toward the school's vision in staffing, operations, and systems Set the tone for all relationships and practices with good leadership Closing the achievement gap is a major goal of educational leadership, and principals are forever searching for viable methods that help them better serve their students. Breakthrough Principals unveils the details behind the success stories from across the nation to provide a roadmap to transformative gains.