There's theory-then there's project management in action, where you need utterly pragmatic guidance beyond just knowing how to use Project 2007. With this book, you'll get gritty, real-world advice on how to apply the right tools to the most common and challenging scenarios you'll encounter. Microsoft Project expert Elaine Marmel helps sharpen your mastery of Project 2007, all in the context of managing real situations, in real time. Topics include planning project scope, including how to identify resources before you even have resources; structuring tasks and dependencies, and how different approaches impact results; guidance for more realistic cost- estimation and budgeting; taming budgets and schedules that want to go feral; communicating with your team and upper management; managing the complexities and curveballs in the typical work environment; and the special challenges of managing cross-project conflicts in large enterprises.