Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book shows that successful project management is more than just the effective application of tools and techniques. It explains the nature of the personal competencies, and also shows how they can be developed and improved. The book explores the competence model of leadership, and reviews what has been written over the past eighty years about the traits and behaviours of effective leaders. It focuses on the competence school of leadership. The book shows how leadership applies to the managers of different types of project and describes a model for profiling the competency of effective leaders. It also describes different applications of leadership on projects in practice. The book examines a theory of project performance based on the leadership competencies of the project manager.