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Best books for Project Managers
A practical project-management list for technical settings. The opening books cover the basics for people who run projects without the title, running software projects, why they run late and hard conversations. The build set covers people factors, estimation, constraint-based scheduling, Scrum and influence. The lead set covers leadership, negotiation and change.
12 books in 3 stages, about 3,320 pages (83 hours of reading). The notes are ours, with no ratings or sales claims.
How to choose your books
A short method, so you read the right book for where you are instead of the longest list.
Find your stage
Getting started · 4 books
The basics: running a project, understanding why software projects run late and holding hard conversations.
Jump to this stage ↓Doing the job · 5 books
Doing it well: team and environment factors, estimation, scheduling around constraints, agile delivery and influence without authority.
Jump to this stage ↓Senior and leading · 3 books
Leadership: distributing control, negotiating at higher stakes and leading change.
Jump to this stage ↓
If you are unsure, start one stage lower than you think. Books in a later stage assume the working knowledge the earlier ones give you.
Begin with one book
Our starting pick
Project Management for the Unofficial Project Manager
by Kory Kogon, Suzette Blakemore, James Wood · 2015
It is written for people who run projects without formal training, so it is a practical, low-jargon start.
See the book ↓Then pick by your situation
Choose the next book by the problem in front of you, not by its place in the list.
If your schedules are always optimistic
read Software Estimation (doing the job)
If you depend on people who do not report to you
read Influence Without Authority (doing the job)
If you want to lead teams that take ownership
read Turn the Ship Around! (senior and leading)
Check it against what Project Manager postings ask for
These skills come from our analysis of live Project Manager job postings. If one is new to you, its book list sits one click away.
Each step on the scale reflects how often live job postings name the skill, tool or credential, based on our analysis of those postings.
Set a time budget
| Stage | Books | Pages | Reading | At 3 hrs a week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Getting started | 4 | 1,280 | 32 hrs | 11 wks |
| Doing the job | 5 | 1,320 | 33 hrs | 11 wks |
| Senior and leading | 3 | 720 | 18 hrs | 6 wks |
| All 3 stages | 12 | 3,320 | 83 hrs | 28 wks |
Treat this as a ceiling, not a target. Read one book at a time, apply it, then move on; read reference-style books in sections.
Judge any book before you buy it
Age
This list runs from 1975 (The Mythical Man-Month) to 2016 (Never Split the Difference). Older books earn their place by teaching principles that do not change. For tools and platforms, buy the latest edition.
Level
Check the stage before the title. A book from a later stage will make sense only once you have faced the problems it solves.
Format
Some books suit reading start to finish; others work as references. Read the reference-style ones in sections, when a problem calls for them.
Fit
Ask what you will do differently the week after you finish. If you cannot answer, the book is for a different moment. Come back to it when the situation arrives.
Getting started
The basics: running a project, understanding why software projects run late and holding hard conversations.
- Start here
Project Management for the Unofficial Project Manager
by Kory Kogon, Suzette Blakemore, James Wood · 2015
~260 pages~7 hrs to read
An accessible guide to the five stages of a project, from defining scope to closing it out, aimed at people who manage projects without the title. A good first read if you are new to the work.
View book → 
Making Things Happen: Mastering Project Management
by Scott Berkun · 2005
~400 pages~10 hrs to read
A practitioner's view of scope, schedules, decisions and politics on real software and product projects. Read it early for realism about how projects actually go.
View book →
The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering
by Frederick P. Brooks · 1975
~320 pages~8 hrs to read
Classic essays on why adding people to a late project makes it later and why estimating software is hard. Read it to understand the limits of schedules and headcount.
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Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High
by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler · 2002
~300 pages~8 hrs to read
Teaches how to raise difficult issues with sponsors, vendors and team members without the conversation breaking down. Useful from the first escalation.
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Doing the job
Doing it well: team and environment factors, estimation, scheduling around constraints, agile delivery and influence without authority.
Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams
by Tom DeMarco, Timothy Lister · 1987
~250 pages~6 hrs to read
Argues that most project problems are about people and environment, not technology, with advice on staffing, teams and interruptions. Read it when you run a team for the first time.
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Software Estimation: Demystifying the Black Art
by Steve McConnell · 2006
~310 pages~8 hrs to read
Covers estimation techniques, uncertainty ranges and why estimates go wrong. Helps you give schedules you can defend.
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Critical Chain: A Business Novel
by Eliyahu M. Goldratt · 1997
~250 pages~6 hrs to read
A novel that introduces critical-chain scheduling, buffers and the effect of multitasking on project delivery. Read it when deadlines keep slipping despite padded estimates.
View book →Agile Project Management with Scrum
by Ken Schwaber · 2004
~190 pages~5 hrs to read
Case-based account of managing projects with Scrum, including how teams and managers adjust their roles. Useful if you move from plan-driven to agile delivery.
View book →Influence Without Authority
by Allan R. Cohen, David L. Bradford · 1990
~320 pages~8 hrs to read
A method for getting cooperation from people who do not report to you by understanding what each party values and trading accordingly. Core reading for cross-team project work.
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Senior and leading
Leadership: distributing control, negotiating at higher stakes and leading change.
Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders
by L. David Marquet · 2013
~240 pages~6 hrs to read
A submarine captain's account of pushing decisions down to the people who hold the information. Read it when you manage managers or a program of teams.
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Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It
by Chris Voss, Tahl Raz · 2016
~290 pages~7 hrs to read
A former FBI hostage negotiator's tactics for listening, labeling and calibrated questions. Useful for negotiating scope, timelines and vendor terms when you lead larger programs.
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Leading Change
by John P. Kotter · 1996
~190 pages~5 hrs to read
Sets out an eight-step model for leading organizational change and why change efforts stall. Helpful for program leads delivering projects that change how people work.
View book →
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Frequently asked questions
Which book should a Project Manager read first?
Project Management for the Unofficial Project Manager by Kory Kogon, Suzette Blakemore, James Wood. It is written for people who run projects without formal training, so it is a practical, low-jargon start.
Do I need to read all 12 books?
No. The list is a menu, not a syllabus. Find your stage (getting started: 4, doing the job: 5, senior and leading: 3), begin with one book (we suggest Project Management for the Unofficial Project Manager), then pick the next book by the problem you are facing at work. Come back to the others when the situation they cover arrives.
How long does it take to read these books?
All 12 books add up to about 3,320 pages, roughly 83 hours at 1.5 minutes a page. At three hours a week that is about 28 weeks; at six hours a week, about 14. The list is meant to be read over time, one book at a time, not in one run.
Are these books up to date?
They range from 1975 (The Mythical Man-Month) to 2016 (Never Split the Difference). Older titles are included because they teach principles that have not changed; for tools and platforms, we favour recent editions. Check the edition before you buy.
Related reading
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