How to Measure Anything in Project Management

Decades of data show that, despite the development of many new tools and methods, projects still too often fail to meet objectives. Leading a successful project requires more than haphazard and idiosyncratic monitoring and measurement of KPIs and OKRs. You’ll need to know what metrics require your attention and how to accurately track them. But many popular project management measuring techniques not only fail to keep project leaders informed, but also contribute to overconfidence in your odds of success.

In How to Measure Anything in Project Management, a team of veteran management experts delivers an incisive and practical new approach to decision making and risk management in project management. The authors convincingly argue for the proposition that everything that matters to project management is measurable, and that these measurements address many of the perennial problems in project management.

The book leverages a broad and robust suite of research and practical examples demonstrating that―among other things―many of the measurement methods currently relied on by project managers amount to little more than a type of “analysis placebo.” It also offers a collection of hands-on, spreadsheet-based “power tools” that support the more technical aspects of quantifying project risk, forecasting outcomes, and conducting complex measurements.

How to Measure Anything in Project Management relies on the expansive Oxford Global Projects Database, containing thousands of studied projects conducted in a wide variety of disciplines, to bring you the most important measurements you should be making on every project you lead.

Perfect for executives, managers, entrepreneurs, founders, and other business leaders, this book will also prove invaluable to project managers, auditors, controllers, statisticians, consultants, and other practicing professionals interested in improving their decision making and risk management in the context of project management.

Praise for HOW TO MEASURE ANYTHING IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT

“Truly successful projects are not those that just meet predetermined metrics or outputs. Project professionals need to pursue the value critical stakeholders believe they’ve received from their efforts. How to Measure Anything in Project Management reiterates this critical nuance and provides a roadmap for those seeking to fuse data with perceptions. It reshapes how organizations make decisions, deliver end-to-end value, and build lasting resilience.”
―PIERRE LE MANH, President and CEO, Project Management Institute (PMI)

“A bold and timely book that redefines how we think about project success. By proving that anything that matters can be measured, the authors equip project professionals with tools to make smarter, evidence-informed decisions. This is a must-read for anyone serious about creating a world in which all projects succeed.”
―PROFESSOR ADAM BODDISON OBE, CEO, Association for Project Management (APM)

“As someone who has dedicated a career to advancing project management, I believe this book is one of the most important contributions to the field in recent years. And it comes at the right time, as AI, data science, and systems thinking converge to reshape how decisions are made.”
―RICARDO VIANA VARGAS, PMI Fellow and former Chair of the Board, Project Management Institute (PMI)

“To control projects, we need to measure what is important and not only what is easy to measure. This book lives up to its title. It provides practical guidance and useful tools to measure what matters in projects.”
―TOMAS CARLSSON, President and CEO, NCC