Check out a list of recommended books that offer valuable insights and expertise in the field of project management and development practices. Please note that these books are not published or authored by PM4NGOs, but have been carefully selected by our team for their relevance and contribution to the sector. To help you get a better sense of each book, we’ve included images sourced directly from Amazon. These recommendations are provided with the aim of enhancing your knowledge and skills in managing projects that make a difference in the world.

Entrepreneurship in International Development

By Oliver James Carrick

Entrepreneurship in International Development is a guide for business and commercial ventures in the context of international development. Guided by five key principles, it presents a step-by-step cycle for the design, implementation and management of entrepreneurial projects. Fully aligned with Project DPro, this guide is adaptable to entrepreneurial initiatives in the development sector and can be implemented without prior expertise or training.

Entrepreneurship in International Development is intended for anyone implementing entrepreneurial projects in development scenarios, and anyone training or mentoring entrepreneurs in the same context. Finally, local entrepreneurs, be they sole entrepreneurs or community organizations, can use the Entrepreneurship in International Development process to design and implement entrepreneurial initiatives themselves. This guide will therefore benefit all of the following organizations and people: International NGOs, National NGOs, Grassroots organizations, Cooperatives, Partnerships and Sole traders.

The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management

By Eric Verzuh

The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management: The Comprehensive, Easy to Read Handbook for Beginners and Pros, 6th Edition is a comprehensive guide to real-world project management methods, tools, and techniques. Practical, easy-to-use, and deeply thorough, this book gives you the answers you need now. You’ll find cutting-edge ideas and hard-won wisdom of one of the field’s leading experts, delivered in short, lively segments that address common management issues. Brief descriptions of important concepts, tips on real-world applications, and compact case studies illustrate the most sought-after skills and pitfalls you should watch out for.

The book teaches readers how to manage and deliver projects on-time and on-budget by applying the practical strategies and concrete solutions found within. Whether the challenge is finding the right project sponsor, clarifying project objectives, or setting realistic schedules and budget projections, The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management shows you what you need to know, the best way to do it, and what to watch out for along the way.

The Constraint Polygon

By Edson Marinho

The Constraint Polygon explores the key components and aspects of project management in a practical and visual way, expanding on the traditional concept of the Triple Constraint Triangle. Based on best practices promoted by the Project DPro, Program DPro, MEAL DPro, and Finance DPro guides, this book introduces the Constraint Polygon as an interactive and adaptable tool capable of integrating diverse dimensions such as scope, costs, schedule, communication, supply chain, risks, and assumptions, among others.

With a didactic and flexible approach, the book emphasizes the importance of comprehensive and interdependent monitoring, highlighting how the tool can facilitate analysis, planning, and decision-making. Readers will find detailed guidance on measuring and adjusting the sides of the Polygon, as well as practical examples illustrating its application in different scenarios and contexts.

Aimed at professionals and project management teams in the social development and humanitarian sectors, The Constraint Polygon is an essential reference for those seeking to improve processes, engage stakeholders, and achieve better results in their projects.

The Portable MBA in Project Management

By Eric Verzuh

The Portable MBA in Project Management covers the most pressing topics in project management and features all the leading thinkers in the field. While most project management books address only the techniques for managing individual projects, The Portable MBA in Project Management widens the scope to include insights for managing project-based organizations. In doing so, this comprehensive volume will help managers combine the power of individual project successes to drive the organization to new levels of productivity and customer responsiveness. Eric Verzuh, best selling author of The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management, brings together the leading lights of project management in this volume, including Robert G. Cooper, Randall Englund, Jack Meredith and Neil Whitten. In addition to his role as editor, Verzuh draws on his own expertise to address how and why project management is a strategic strength, how to integrate project management into your enterprise, and several other topics for which he is well-known. Together they effectively address the full spectrum of the issues in project management today.

Bedtime Stories for Project Managers: And others with trouble

By Marisa Silva

Once upon a time there was a project. Each project is a story to be told, with its own characters, a more or less complex plot, a couple of usual (or unusual!) setbacks and the moral of the story to remember for future projects. But what could the stories of ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ or ‘The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing’ possibly have to do with the world of project management? The answer is that sometimes you need to take a step back and remember the basics to be able to gain a fresh perspective on a theme too familiar. Aimed at Project Managers, executives, PMO members, trainers, facilitators, or anyone interested in acquiring a new perspective on project management, this book establishes relationships, challenges concepts and starts conversations, evoking key project management concepts and leading the reader to new sources of information in such a fascinating domain.

Análise de Valor Agregado
(Portuguese)

By Ricardo Vargas

Como avaliar o desempenho de seu projeto? Como garantir o cumprimento de prazos e custos?

O livro aborda de forma aprofundada diversos temas fundamentais para a análise de valor agregado em projetos. Entre os tópicos discutidos estão a terminologia específica da área, a avaliação dos índices de desempenho, as técnicas de previsões e forecasting, e a aplicabilidade prática da metodologia. Além disso, são apresentados os principais termos e referências relacionados ao Valor Agregado conforme o PMBOK® Guide – 6ª Edição. A obra também explora o uso do Microsoft Project 2016 como ferramenta de apoio na aplicação da técnica e inclui estudos comparativos sobre diferentes modelos de projeção de custos finais do projeto.

Cómo Gerenciar Evaluaciones para Proyectos de Desarrollo Social: 10 Pasos Prácticos
(Spanish)

By José Chacón

Este cuaderno metodológico está dirigido a quienes deben liderar o gerenciar un proceso de evaluación para un programa de desarrollo social. Sobre todo, porque La evaluación es el momento clave cuando valoramos si la vida de las personas con las que trabajamos está cambiando (o no) de acuerdo a los objetivos que nos planteamos. Puede ser que un cambio en el contexto, como lo es la pandemia Covid 19 en este momento histórico, haga necesario evaluar si los supuestos con los que el programa fue diseñado siguen siendo válidos o no; y si la Teoría de Cambio aun es válida o no. Por lo tanto, las evaluaciones pueden convertirse en procesos claves para el re-diseño de los proyectos sociales.

【正版】《用项目管理释放社工的力量——一本给社工的项目管理工具书》

(Chinese)

《用项目管理释放社工的力量——一本给社工的项目管理工具书》一书是依托20多年项目管理经验，1000余次社会工作服务项目评估经验累积总结撰写出来、书中案例来源于我们服务中遇到的实例，真实且便于快速理解。

Agile: Una guía esencial sobre la gestión de proyectos Agile, el proceso Kanban y el Lean Thinking + Una guía completa sobre Scrum
(Spanish)

By James Edge

La palabra Agile se usa mucho en los círculos de desarrollo de software, pero ¿qué implica exactamente? Probablemente usted haya visto pizarras blancas llenas de notas adhesivas en algún lugar, ya sea en imágenes o programas de televisión. ¿Alguna vez se preguntó para qué se utilizan en un entorno de producción? Este libro le dará una visión general de las metodologías Agile y cómo puede usarlas para acelerar el desarrollo e impulsar la satisfacción del cliente.

Dos manuscritos en un libro:

• Agile: Una guía para la Gestión de Proyectos Agile con Scrum, Kanban y Lean.
• Scrum: Cómo utilizar el esquema llamado Scrum para obtener mayor producción mientras aumenta la calidad.