Book excerpt: This Handbook was the first APM Body of Knowledge Approved title for the Association for Project Management. Over the course of five editions, Gower Handbook of Project Management has become the definitive desk reference for project management practitioners. The Handbook gives an introduction to, and overview of, the essential knowledge required for managing projects. The team of expert contributors, selected to introduce the reader to the knowledge and skills required to manage projects, includes many of the most experienced and highly regarded international writers and practitioners. The Fifth Edition has been substantially restructured. All but two of the authors are new, reflecting the fast-changing and emerging perspectives on projects and their management. The four sections in the book describe: ¢ Projects, their context, value and how they are connected to organizational strategy; ¢ Performance: describing how to manage the delivery of the project, covering scope, quality, cost, time, resources, risk and sustainability ¢ Process: from start up to close down ¢ Portfolio: the project and its relationship to the organization The discrete nature of each chapter makes this Handbook a wonderful source of advice and background theory that is easy to consult. Gower Handbook of Project Management is an encyclopaedia for the discipline and profession of project management; a bible for project clients, contractors and students.