Project Management is like driving. It’s one of those disciplines in which you think you know more than you actually do. Everyone thinks they are above average. This cognitive bias is called the Dunning–Kruger effect and it leads people of low ability to suffer from illusory superiority, mistakenly assessing their ability for a particular task as greater than it is.
But enough with the fancy words. You don’t need to worry about that, at Teamweek we are here to help. We’ve spent hours collecting, curating and reading Project Managements books so you don’t have to.
If you are a looking for project management books for beginners, you’ve come to the right place. And if you are an advanced Project Manager, then don’t run. We have 8 recommendations you might enjoy. I guarantee there’s one you’ll love.
- 11 Project Management Books For Beginners
- 8 Advanced Project Management Books
- 24 Classical Management Theory Books
- 20 People Management Books
- 11 Personal Productivity
- 4 Design Project Management Books
- 12 Software Development Project Management Books
- 6 Construction Management Books & Engineering Project Management Books
- 4 Product Management Books
Before you dive in
This is not an article with subjective reviews. Rather, it’s a library of curated resources, carefully selected and categorized. I suggest you use the Index above, or take advantage of the Cmmd+F (or Ctrl+F) magic to find what you are looking for.
If you want easier access to this list, here’s a helpful spreadsheet with the entire library. Simply make sure to Make a copy before working on it.
Our Top Picks
Great lesson on wow adding more resources won’t necesa, and why less is better.
Hilarious, and full of practical tips. Focused on software development, but a fantastic read for other areas.
A must-read for everyone interested in working when and where they are the happiest and most productive.
The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done
A classic. You can’t miss this if you manage people on a daily basis.
Advanced Project Management: A Structured Approach
According to our research, this is the go-to book for advanced Project Managers practitioners. If you’ve been in the trenches but are looking to step up your game, this one’s for you.
11 Project Management Books For Beginners
- The Lazy Project Manager: How to Be Twice As Productive and Still Leave the Office Early by Peter Taylor
- The Deadline: A Novel About Project Management by Tom DeMarco
- Project Management: From Beginner to Professional Manager and Respected Leader by Timothy Short
- Project Management: Absolute Beginner’s Guide by Greg Horine
- Project Management Lite: Just Enough to Get the Job Done… Nothing More by Juana Clark Craig
- Project Management JumpStart by Kim Heldman
- Project Management For You: How to Turn Your Ideas Into Reality, Deliver On Your Promises, and Get Things Done by Cesar Abeid
- Project Management for the Unofficial Project Manager by Kory Kogon
- Project Management for Non-Project Managers by Jack Ferraro
- Making Things Happen: Mastering Project Management by Scott Berkun
- Introduction to Agile Methods by Kristin Runyan & Sondra Ashmore
8 Advanced Project Management Books
- The Project Manager Who Smiled: The Value of Fun in Project Management by Peter Taylor
- The Heretic’s Guide to Best Practices: The Reality of Managing Complex Problems in Organizations by Paul Culmsee and Kailash Awati
- Rescue the Problem Project: A Complete Guide to Identifying, Preventing, and Recovering from Project Failure by Todd C. Williams
- Mastering Project Management: Applying Advanced Concepts to Systems Thinking, Control & Evaluation, Resource Allocation by James P. Lewis
- Brilliant Project Management: What the best project managers know, do, and say by Stephen Barker
- Agile Change Management: A Practical Framework for Successful Change, Planning and Implementation by Melanie Franklin
- Advanced Project Management: A Structured Approach by Frederick Harrison
- 100 Things Project Managers Should Do Before They Die by Rita Mulcahy
24 Classical Management Theory Books
- Virtual Freedom: How to Work with Virtual Staff to Buy More Time, Become More Productive, and Build Your Dream Business by Chris Ducker
- The Toyota Way: 14 Management Principles from the World’s Greatest Manufacturer by Jeffrey K. Liker
- The New Rules of Management: How to Revolutionise Productivity, Innovation and Engagement by Implementing Projects The Matter by Peter Cook
- The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management by Eric Verzuh
- The Essential Drucker by Peter F. Drucker
- The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done by Peter F. Drucker
- The Amazon Way: 14 Leadership Principles Behind the World’s Most Disruptive Company by John Rossman
- The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals by Sean Covey and Chris McChesney
- Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
- Strategic Project Management Made Simple: Practical Tools for Leaders and Teams by Terry Schmidt
- Remote: Office Not Required by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier
- Project Management: Strategic Design and Implementation by Davd L. Cleland
- Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling by Harold R. Kerzner
- On the Edge: Leadership Lessons from Mount Everest and Other Extreme Environments by Alison Levine
- Kanban: Successful Evolutionary Change for Your Technology Business by David J. Anderson
- Just Start: Take Action, Embrace Uncertainty, Create the Future by Leonard A. Schlesinger & Charles
- Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t by Jim Collins
- Good Strategy Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters by Richard Rumelt
- Critical Chain by Eliyahu M. Goldratt
- Creativity: The Psychology of Discovery and Invention by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
- Creativity Inc by Amy Wallace & Edwin Catmull
- Berkshire Beyond Buffett: The Enduring Value of Values by Lawrence A. Cunningham
- Be Fast or Be Gone: Racing the Clock with Critical Chain Project Management by Andreas Scherer
- Alpha Project Managers: What the Top 2% Know The Everyone Else Does Not by Andy Crowe
20 People Management Books
- Yes, And: How Improvisation Reverses “No, But” Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration by Kelly Leonard
- Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization by Dave Logan and John King
- The Plugged-In Manager: Get in Tune with Your People, Technology, and Organization to Thrive by Terri L. Griffith
- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni
- The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni
- Stop Workplace Drama: Train Your Team to have No Complaints, No Excuses, and No Regrets by Marlene Chism
- Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek
- Project Retrospectives: A Handbook for Team Reviews by Norman L. Kerth
- Leadership in Project Management: Leading People and Projects to Success by Mohit Arora and Haig
- Lead Inside the Box: How Smart Leaders Guide Their Teams to Exceptional Results by Victor Prince and Mike Figliuolo
- Just Listen: Discover the Secret to Getting Through to Absolutely Anyone by Mark Goulston M.D.
- Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations by Clay Shirky
- Finding Allies, Building Alliances: 8 Elements that Bring—and Keep—People Together by Mike Leavitt and Rich McKeown
- Facilitator’s Guide to Participatory Decision-Making by Sam Kaner
- Delivering Bad News in Good Ways: Turn Difficult Conversations into Purposeful Dialogue, Positive Outcomes, & Focused Results in 3 Easy Steps by Alison Sigmon
- Cultivate: The Power of Winning Relationships by Morag Barrett
- Crystal Clear: A Human-Powered Methodology for Small Teams by Alistair Cockburn
- Becoming the Boss: New Rules for the Next Generation of Leaders by Lindsey Pollack
- Becoming The Boss: New Rules for the Next Generation of Leaders by Lindsey Pollak
- A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas by Warren Berger
11 Personal Productivity
- The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
- The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload by Daniel J. Levitin
- The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen Covey
- Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath
- Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen
- Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
- Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink
- Decide: Work Smarter, Reduce Your Stress, and Lead by Example by Steve McClatchy
- Curious: The Desire to Know and Why Your Future Depends On It by Ian Leslie
- Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
- Social Media for Project Managers by Elizabeth Harrin
4 Design Project Management Books
- User Story Mapping by Jeff Patton
- Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days by Jake Knapp
- Product Leadership: How Top Product Managers Launch Awesome Products and Build Successful Teams by Richard Banfield
- Design Is a Job by Mike Monteiro
12 Software Development Project Management Books
- Waltzing With Bears: Managing Risk on Software Projects by Tom DeMarco & Timothy Lister
- The Phoenix Project: A Novel About IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win by Gene Kim
- The Mythical Man-Month by Fred Brooks
- Rapid Development: Taming Wild Software Schedules by Steve McConnell
- Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams by Tom DeMarco and Tim Lister
- Managins Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager by Michael Lopp
- Managing the Unmanageable: Rules, Tools, and Insights for Managing Software People and Teams by Mickey W. Mantle and Ron Lichty
- Interactive Project Management: Pixels, People, and Process by Nancy Lyons
- Information Technology Project Management: Providing Measurable Organizational Value by Jack T. Marchewka
- Information Technology Project Management by Kathy Schwalbe
- Project Management for Engineering, Business and Technology by John M. Nicholas
- Essential Scrum: A Practical Guide to the Most Popular Agile Process by Kenneth S. Rubin
6 Construction Management Books & Engineering Project Management Books
- Project Management in Construction, Sixth Edition by Sidney M. Levy
- Project Management for the Design Professional: A Handbook for Architects, Engineers, and Interior Designers by David Burstein
- Engineering Project Management for the Global High Technology Industry by Sammy G. Shina
- Engineering Project Management by Nigel J Smith
- Construction Project Management – A Managerial Approach by JF McCarthy
- Construction Management JumpStart: The Best First Step Toward a Career in Construction Management by Barbara J. Jackson
4 Product Management Books
- The Lean Product Playbook: How to Innovate with Minimum Viable Products and Rapid Customer Feedback by Dan Olsen
- Product Roadmaps Relaunched: How to Set Direction while Embracing Uncertainty by Todd Lombardo
- Product Management in Practice: A Real-World Guide to the Key Connective Role of the 21st Century by Matt LeMay
- Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal
That’s all!
The Project Management world is constantly evolving, so if you come up with anything new, don’t hesitate to comment below or reach out on Twitter and we’ll update the list!
