Managing Projects in Telecommunication Services

Effective project management tailored to the needs of the telecommunications industry

"In our rapidly changing world, the information and communication technologies and services have an immense impact on virtually all aspects of our lives. . . . With his deep understanding of the telecommunication services, and his rich experiences in both standardization activities and teaching practice, [Dr. Sherif's] book provides a very clear analysis of development projects in telecommunication services. I believe the readers will find this book very useful and interesting."
—Houlin Zhao, Director, Telecommunication Standardization Bureau,International Telecommunication Union

"Dr. Sherif's book is an important contribution to the project management literature. With the domination of the service economy in recent years, the book addresses the unique features of telecommunication services, a critical pillar of the service sector. Development projects in telecommunications require combining good knowledge of the fundamentals of project management with clear understanding of the complexities arising from fast-changing technology, deregulations, standards, accountability, and supply chain management difficulties. This book addresses the much-needed integrative approach very well."
—Tarek Khalil, President, International Association for Management of Technology (IAMOT)

While there has been much written about project management, the vast majority of the literature focuses on industrial design and production. In Managing Projects in Telecommunication Services, Mostafa Hashem Sherif effectively demonstrates the unique requirements of projects in telecommunication services and, consequently, the benefits of an integrated approach to project management that is specifically tailored to the telecommunications industry.

Managing Projects in Telecommunication Services draws from a wide range of disciplines, including organizational management, motivation, quality control, and software engineering. All the theory and practical guidance that an effective telecommunications project manager needs is provided.

The text is divided into three main parts:

• Chapters 1 through 3 set forth the special characteristics of telecommunications projects, including technology life cycle, type of innovation, and project organization
• Chapters 4 through 10 cover the areas that the Project Management Institute has standardized in its publication A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), focusing on the issues specific to telecommunications. Chapters address scope, schedule and cost, information and communication, human resources, quality, vendor management, and risk
• Chapters 11 and 12 integrate and summarize all of the concepts for the planning and delivery of a project

Chapters are loaded with examples and case studies, many from the author's personal experience, that demonstrate the benefits of good project management and the consequences of poor project management. Each chapter includes a summary of key points. References are also provided to facilitate further research and study.

For project managers as well as students in telecommunications, this text is unsurpassed. It not only covers the theory and practice of effective project management, it also tailors its discussion specifically to the unique needs of the telecommunications industry.

(PMBOK is a registered mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.)

MOSTAFA HASHEM SHERIF, PhD, is a Certified Project Manager and internationally recognized as an expert on standards for packetized voice and digital signal processing in transmission equipment. He currently is a Senior Technical Specialist for AT&T and is the recipient of the AT&T Standards Recognition Award. Dr. Sherif holds several U.S. patents and is the Standards coeditor for IEEE Communications Magazine and the author of the bestselling book Protocols for Secure Electronic Commerce.