Master the People Side of Project Management

Every project has a plan. Not every project has buy-in. Stakeholder Management for Project Managers closes that gap—giving project managers, program directors, business analysts, and change leaders the frameworks, tools, and empathy-driven strategies they need to successfully engage people throughout every phase of a project.

Authored by Michelle Bartonico, a certified PMP and PROSCI-certified change practitioner with nearly two decades of experience leading enterprise initiatives in higher education and marketing, this practical guide bridges project management theory with the realities of working with people in organizations.

Key Features include:

• End-to-end stakeholder engagement framework aligned with PMBOK® principles
• Tools for stakeholder identification, mapping, and analysis (power/interest matrix, salience model, onion diagram, and more)
• Step-by-step guidance for building a Stakeholder Engagement Plan and Communications Management Plan
• Empathy-focused strategies: cognitive, emotional, and compassionate empathy applied to stakeholder relationships
• Change management models, including ADKAR, Kotter, and the change curve—with practical application to real project scenarios
• Downloadable resources: Project Charter, RACI Chart, Stakeholder Engagement Plan, and two Stakeholder Register templates

Whether you lead enterprise initiatives, manage client relationships, or drive organizational change, this book is your go-to guide for stakeholder engagement success. From identifying key stakeholders to navigating resistance and complex personalities, each chapter delivers practical techniques you can apply immediately—across industries, teams, and projects.

Key Features of the Book

• Clear introduction to Lean and Continuous Improvement
• Data-driven decision-making made practical
• Leadership principles to guide real-world change
• Essential CI tools and frameworks
• Culture, sustainability, and real-world stories

Learn how high-performing organizations think and create real, lasting improvement.

Continuous Improvement Essentials You Always Wanted to Know (Continuous Improvement Essentials) is a practical, experience-based guide to building better processes, stronger teams, and a culture of ongoing improvement. Instead of drowning you in jargon, author, distinguished industrial engineer, and Continuous Improvement (CI) consultant, Amine Nefzi, shows how CI and Lean thinking really look in day-to-day operations on the manufacturing floor, in project meetings, service environments, and growing businesses.

The book begins by clarifying what CI is and how it connects to Lean, value, and excellence. You’ll explore foundational concepts such as waste, process flow, and value creation before diving into data-driven decision-making. Through clear explanations of data types, input vs output data, sampling, Measurement System Analysis, and Gage R&R, you’ll learn how to trust the numbers you use.

A dedicated chapter on leadership outlines eight key characteristics of effective leaders, the importance of respect, and how to run great meetings that move improvement forward. From there, the book walks you through essential CI tools and frameworks: Voice of the Customer, value stream mapping, SIPOC, brainstorming, PDCA, DMAIC, Kaizen, and Six Sigma concepts related to variation and capability.

Later chapters focus on sustaining gains, developing Lean culture, understanding the Toyota Production System, and dealing with resistance to change. Real-world stories comprising of both successes and failures, bring concepts to life and help you see what works, what doesn’t, and why culture matters more than tools.

Written in an interactive and inspirational tone, Continuous Improvement Essentials is ideal for engineers, supervisors, managers, professionals, and leaders in manufacturing, services, technology, and operations. It is both a guide and a toolbox for anyone who wants to turn recurring problems into opportunities for long-term improvement.

• Holistic view of Operational Excellence and Lean
• Practical guidance on Continuous Improvement, PDCA, and creating standards and SOPs
• Strong focus on culture, leadership, and employee motivation
• Integration of quality, KPIs, and tools and strategies

Operational Excellence Essentials You Always Wanted to Know offers a structured, real-world guide to designing processes, empowering people, and aligning day-to-day operations with your organization’s strategic vision.

Drawing from over two decades of hands-on experience, author Mike Hammann presents Operational Excellence (OpEx) as an integrated system that links customer value, culture, leadership, processes, and change management . Readers gain a clear understanding of Lean Management, continuous improvement, PDCA, Kaizen, and standardization, and how these elements combine to create a robust improvement engine.

The book explores cultural transformation, change management, and top-management commitment, showing how to build an environment where employees are trained, engaged, and encouraged to identify and solve problems. Dedicated chapters on quality management, the “magic triangle” of quality–time–cost, and the role of accounting and controlling help leaders connect operational improvements with financial impact.

Hammann also addresses visual management, KPIs, and the integration of technology and innovation into OpEx. Case studies, fun facts, pro tips, and a practical toolbox of methods make this book an ideal reference for entrepreneurs, operations and OpEx leaders, Lean managers, and students preparing for senior management roles.

After reading this book, readers will be able to design and sustain a culture of continuous improvement in any type of organization.

• Complete coverage of Agile fundamentals 
• Practical Scrum framework implementation 
• Dedicated chapter on Agile in hybrid and remote settings
• Solved examples and practice exercises for concept reinforcement

Master Agile Project Management—From Fundamentals to Remote Team Leadership!

If you're looking to optimize workflows, adapt to changing requirements, and deliver projects faster, Agile Essentials You Always Wanted to Know (2nd Edition) is your complete guide to understanding and implementing Agile. 

Co-authored by Kalpesh Ashar (MBA, CSM, PMI-ACP, with more than 21 years of global experience) and Sandeep Rana (a product and program management professional who has worked with Apollo Global Management, PayU, Safran, and HSBC), the book balances clear theory with real-world insights.

The book progresses systematically from the Agile Manifesto to planning, execution, tracking, reporting, and leading teams. What sets this edition apart is the NEW Chapter 7: Agile in Remote Teams, which addresses the realities of hybrid work, distributed collaboration, accountability in virtual environments, and the need to maintain team trust and psychological safety.

Additionally, two complete case studies—including building a research access platform with Scrumban—provide practical application of key concepts.

After reading this book, you'll be able to:

• Apply Agile values and principles to diverse projects
• Implement Scrum roles, events, and artifacts
• Track progress and communicate using Agile reporting tools
• Lead high-performing Agile teams in co-located and remote settings

Part of Vibrant Publishers' Self-Learning Management Series, this book serves as an essential resource for beginners, project managers, and executives driving Agile transformation in modern, distributed work environments.

From raw data to actionable insights - journey through the essentials of data analytics.


Data Analytics Essentials You Always Wanted To Know is an approachable and captivating guide to understand the complicated world of data

Data analytics is becoming increasingly important in today's data-driven society, and so has the demand for data analysts. Data Analytics Essentials You Always Wanted to Know (Data Analytics Essentials) is a comprehensive yet succinct manual, perfect for you if you are trying to understand the fundamentals of data analytics. It gives a concise introduction to data
analytics and its current applicability.

Upon reading this book, you will get:

•  A fundamental comprehension of data analytics, including its types
• An understanding of data analytics processes, software tools, and a range of analytics methodologies
• A comprehension of what daily tasks and procedures the data analysts follow
• An investigation into the vast field of big data analytics, covering its possibilities and challenges
• An understanding of the existing legal frameworks, as well as ethical and privacy issues in data analytics
• Application-based learning using a variety of real-world case studies
  

This book is a great tool for professionals switching to a career in data analytics and for students who want to learn the basics of data analytics. It will give you a strong foundation by explaining everything in an easy-to-understand language.

Data Analytics Essentials goes beyond a theoretical manual and contains real-world case studies and fun facts to help you enhance your knowledge. The chapter summaries and self- assessment tests along with every chapter will help you test yourself as you move from one concept to the next.

After reading this book, you will be able to answer the following questions:

• What is Operations and Supply Chain Management and why is it important?
• What are the key functions within this field, and how do they interact with one another and the broader business?
• What are the responsibilities and decisions that managers in each functional area think about?
• How will disruptions in the Supply Chain impact the business world and our lives going forward?
• What are the practical applications of the knowledge gained around Supply Chain Operations?

A practical understanding of the dynamic, expanding, and evolving Supply Chains that make our daily lives possible.

Have you ever wondered what your peers meant by “Supply Chain” or “Operations”, or why either of these fields matter?
What about people that work in these roles – what do they actually do?
In Operations and Supply Chain Management Essentials, these questions and more will be answered.

This useful guide uses a hypothetical company and the consumer product they make, to explain how the various functions within the Supply Chain intertwine to bring a finished product to life for consumers in the market. You will understand the story of how new demands, changing preferences, and unforeseen circumstances force this fictional company to adapt in order to survive. Through this book, you will understand and appreciate how these activities, including logistics and warehouse management, make everyday products and services available at our disposal - and why this is increasingly important for companies to pay attention to. The simple format and non-technical language of this book will attract even laypersons looking for a quick, comprehensive overview of supply chain management.