A volume in the ASPA Series in Public Administration and Public Policy
Series edited by Evan M. Berman, National Chengchi University, Taipei, Taiwan
Filling a gap in project management literature, Managing Public Sector Projects: A Strategic Framework for Success in an Era of Downsized Government supplies managers and administrators—
In line with the principles of Total Quality Management (TQM) and the PMBOK® (Project Management Body of Knowledge), David S. Kassel establishes a framework those in the public sector can follow to ensure the success of their public projects and programs. He supplies more than 30 real-life examples to illustrate the concepts behind the framework—including reconstruction projects in Iraq, the Big Dig project in Boston, local sewer system and library construction projects, and software technology.
This authoritative resource provides strategic recommendations for effective planning, execution, and maintenance of public projects. It also:
• Highlights the differences between managing projects in the public sector versus the private sector
• Explains how to scrutinize costs, performance claims, and the backgrounds of prospective contractors
• Presents key safeguards that should be included in all contracts with contractors, consultants, suppliers, and other service providers
• Details the basics of project cost estimation, design and scheduling, and how to hold contractors responsible for meeting established project standards
In an age of downsized government and in the face of a general distrust of public service, this book is a dependable guide for avoiding management practices that are common to projects that fail and for adopting the practices common to projects that succeed in terms of cost, schedule, and quality.
About the Author
David Kassel is a management consultant who previously worked as a journalist and later as an analyst with the Massachusetts House Post Audit and Oversight Committee and the Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General. He has taught at the McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies at the University of Massachusetts and at Clark University, and has written for Public Administration Review and CommonWealth magazine in Massachusetts. He has a Masters Degree in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
