Operations and Project Management

Master four essential management disciplines with this comprehensive Self-Learning Management Series bundle — designed for students, new managers, career switchers, and entrepreneurs.

Book 1: Continuous Improvement Essentials You Always Wanted to Know

• Explores Lean Thinking, Kaizen, PDCA, and Six Sigma frameworks for operational excellence
• Illustrates data-driven decision-making using Measurement System Analysis and Gage R&R
• Equips learners with Voice of the Customer (VOC), Value Stream Mapping (VSM), SIPOC, and DMAIC tools
• Develops culture change management and strategies for building a sustainable CI culture 

Book 2: Operations & Supply Chain Management Essentials You Always Wanted to Know

• Examines key functions across supply chain operations and how they interact
• Outlines manager responsibilities across procurement, logistics, and warehouse operations
• Explores supply chain evolution and contemporary operational challenges in the real world 

Book 3: Agile Essentials You Always Wanted to Know

• Covers the Agile Manifesto, Scrum framework, Agile planning, execution, tracking, and reporting
• Includes Agile Earned Value Management (EVM), Agile leadership principles, and team collaboration strategies
• Features solved examples, practice exercises in every chapter, and a complete Agile glossary to help you understand and use the most important terms and concepts

Book 4: Project Management Essentials You Always Wanted to Know

• Walks through the complete project lifecycle: Initiation, Planning, Execution, Monitoring, and Closure
• Covers essential tools such as WBS, CPM, budgeting, quality control, procurement, and stakeholder management
• Helps readers understand how to manage constraints, risks, changes, and project deliverables effectively

Each book includes chapter summaries, practice exercises, templates, and immediately applicable frameworks.

COMBO includes the following THREE books:

BOOK 1: Agile Essentials You Always Wanted To Know (ISBN-13: 978-1636510057)
The reader will gain an understanding of the following from this book:

• An overall understanding of Agile, its methodologies and common practices
• An introduction to Scrum, a key Agile methodology
• The various aspects of Agile planning as well as execution
• The applicability of Agile in development and operations
• The concepts and practices in Agile tracking and reporting
• An overview of Agile leadership and team practices

Click here to learn more about the book.

BOOK 2: Operations and Supply Chain Management Essentials You Always Wanted to Know (ISBN-13: 978-1949395242)
After reading this book, you will be able to answer the following questions:

• What is Operations and Supply Chain Management and why is it important?
• What are the key functions within this field, and how do they interact with one another and the broader business?
• What are the responsibilities and decisions that managers in each functional area think about?
• How will disruptions in the Supply Chain impact the business world and our lives going forward?
• What are the practical applications of the knowledge gained around Supply Chain Operations?

Click here to learn more about the book.

BOOK 3: Project Management Essentials You Always Wanted To Know: 4th Edition (ISBN-13: 978-1949395396)
This book provides the core information about how to manage the complexity of modern projects, including subjects such as:

• A project management overview
• Project Initiation - Constraints, Stakeholders, PMO, Life Cycles
• Project Planning - WBS, PERT/CPM, Budgeting, Risk
• Project Execution - Audits, HR, Communications
• Project Monitoring & Controlling - Tracking, Quality Control, Change Control
• Project Closure

Click here to learn more about the book.

COMBO includes the following TWO books:

BOOK 1: Agile Essentials You Always Wanted To Know (ISBN-13: 978-1636510057)
The reader will gain an understanding of the following from this book:

• An overall understanding of Agile, its methodologies and common practices
• An introduction to Scrum, a key Agile methodology
• The various aspects of Agile planning as well as execution
• The applicability of Agile in development and operations
• The concepts and practices in Agile tracking and reporting
• An overview of Agile leadership and team practices

Click here to learn more about the book.

BOOK 2: Project Management Essentials You Always Wanted To Know: 4th Edition (ISBN-13: 978-1949395396)
This book provides the core information about how to manage the complexity of modern projects, including subjects such as:

• A project management overview
• Project Initiation - Constraints, Stakeholders, PMO, Life Cycles
• Project Planning - WBS, PERT/CPM, Budgeting, Risk
• Project Execution - Audits, HR, Communications
• Project Monitoring & Controlling - Tracking, Quality Control, Change Control
• Project Closure

Click here to learn more about the book.

Practical Six Sigma Guide for Beginners that Delivers Results

Six Sigma is one of the most powerful process improvement methodologies globally—and often misunderstood. It’s commonly taught through dense statistical manuals, surface-level certification guides, or slide decks filled with acronyms and lacking depth. Six Sigma Essentials adopts a completely different approach.

Written by Priyank Awasthi, a Six Sigma Master Black Belt with 18 years of experience across IT, manufacturing, and services, this book is ideal for anyone who wishes to understand and apply Six Sigma concepts in real time. 

• At its core, it offers a guided journey through the DMAIC framework  Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, and Control. Each chapter covers a phase, including key overviews, summaries, quizzes, and tollgates that showcase how Six Sigma operates on real projects.
• You’ll learn the tools practitioners actually use, such as VOC analysis, CTQ Trees, SIPOC diagrams, Project Charters, Fishbone Diagrams, Hypothesis Testing, FMEA, and Control Charts.
• A comprehensive case study at the end of the book and two bonus cases in the online resources connect each phase, illustrating how DMAIC delivers measurable results in real organizational settings.

These are explained clearly, encouraging hands-on implementation, and reinforced with solved examples, ready-to-use templates, and quizzes designed to enhance recall and real-world application of key concepts.

Whether you're preparing for a Green Belt project, supporting a process improvement initiative, or simply curious about how top organisations reduce defects and improve customer satisfaction, this book offers a practical starting point for your Six Sigma journey.

Start implementing real-world, measurable improvements that matter with Six Sigma Essentials!

Struggling with inefficient processes, delays, or rising operational costs? Learn how to streamline workflows, eliminate waste, and deliver more value—without increasing resources.

Lean Management Essentials is a practical, beginner-friendly guide to understanding and applying Lean thinking in real-world business environments. Designed for managers, entrepreneurs, and process improvement professionals, it takes you from Lean fundamentals to implementing Lean tools and driving continuous improvement.  Featuring a recurring Hair Salon case study that runs throughout the book, this guide demonstrates how Lean concepts and tools work together in practice. With clear explanations, practical examples, and templates, it helps you confidently apply Lean thinking to real operational challenges.

Key Features include:

• Clear explanation of Lean principles and the continuous improvement mindset
• Step-by-step guidance on Value Stream Mapping (VSM), from concept to application
• A structured “Lean Toolbox” covering 5S, Poka-Yoke, 5 Whys, Kaizen, Standardized Work, and Visual Management
• A consistent case study in a service environment for practical understanding
• Exercises, quizzes, and templates for hands-on learning

Whether you're in manufacturing, services, or operations, this guide helps you improve efficiency, optimize processes, and deliver better outcomes.

Part of Vibrant Publishers’ Self-Learning Management Series, this book offers a clear and practical roadmap to continuous improvement.

• Holistic view of Operational Excellence and Lean
• Practical guidance on Continuous Improvement, PDCA, and creating standards and SOPs
• Strong focus on culture, leadership, and employee motivation
• Integration of quality, KPIs, and tools and strategies

Operational Excellence Essentials You Always Wanted to Know offers a structured, real-world guide to designing processes, empowering people, and aligning day-to-day operations with your organization’s strategic vision.

Drawing from over two decades of hands-on experience, author Mike Hammann presents Operational Excellence (OpEx) as an integrated system that links customer value, culture, leadership, processes, and change management . Readers gain a clear understanding of Lean Management, continuous improvement, PDCA, Kaizen, and standardization, and how these elements combine to create a robust improvement engine.

The book explores cultural transformation, change management, and top-management commitment, showing how to build an environment where employees are trained, engaged, and encouraged to identify and solve problems. Dedicated chapters on quality management, the “magic triangle” of quality–time–cost, and the role of accounting and controlling help leaders connect operational improvements with financial impact.

Hammann also addresses visual management, KPIs, and the integration of technology and innovation into OpEx. Case studies, fun facts, pro tips, and a practical toolbox of methods make this book an ideal reference for entrepreneurs, operations and OpEx leaders, Lean managers, and students preparing for senior management roles.

After reading this book, readers will be able to design and sustain a culture of continuous improvement in any type of organization.

Key Features of the Book

• Clear introduction to Lean and Continuous Improvement
• Data-driven decision-making made practical
• Leadership principles to guide real-world change
• Essential CI tools and frameworks
• Culture, sustainability, and real-world stories

Learn how high-performing organizations think and create real, lasting improvement.

Continuous Improvement Essentials You Always Wanted to Know (Continuous Improvement Essentials) is a practical, experience-based guide to building better processes, stronger teams, and a culture of ongoing improvement. Instead of drowning you in jargon, author, distinguished industrial engineer, and Continuous Improvement (CI) consultant, Amine Nefzi, shows how CI and Lean thinking really look in day-to-day operations on the manufacturing floor, in project meetings, service environments, and growing businesses.

The book begins by clarifying what CI is and how it connects to Lean, value, and excellence. You’ll explore foundational concepts such as waste, process flow, and value creation before diving into data-driven decision-making. Through clear explanations of data types, input vs output data, sampling, Measurement System Analysis, and Gage R&R, you’ll learn how to trust the numbers you use.

A dedicated chapter on leadership outlines eight key characteristics of effective leaders, the importance of respect, and how to run great meetings that move improvement forward. From there, the book walks you through essential CI tools and frameworks: Voice of the Customer, value stream mapping, SIPOC, brainstorming, PDCA, DMAIC, Kaizen, and Six Sigma concepts related to variation and capability.

Later chapters focus on sustaining gains, developing Lean culture, understanding the Toyota Production System, and dealing with resistance to change. Real-world stories comprising of both successes and failures, bring concepts to life and help you see what works, what doesn’t, and why culture matters more than tools.

Written in an interactive and inspirational tone, Continuous Improvement Essentials is ideal for engineers, supervisors, managers, professionals, and leaders in manufacturing, services, technology, and operations. It is both a guide and a toolbox for anyone who wants to turn recurring problems into opportunities for long-term improvement.

After reading this book, you will be able to answer the following questions:

• What is Operations and Supply Chain Management and why is it important?
• What are the key functions within this field, and how do they interact with one another and the broader business?
• What are the responsibilities and decisions that managers in each functional area think about?
• How will disruptions in the Supply Chain impact the business world and our lives going forward?
• What are the practical applications of the knowledge gained around Supply Chain Operations?

A practical understanding of the dynamic, expanding, and evolving Supply Chains that make our daily lives possible.

Have you ever wondered what your peers meant by “Supply Chain” or “Operations”, or why either of these fields matter?
What about people that work in these roles – what do they actually do?
In Operations and Supply Chain Management Essentials, these questions and more will be answered.

This useful guide uses a hypothetical company and the consumer product they make, to explain how the various functions within the Supply Chain intertwine to bring a finished product to life for consumers in the market. You will understand the story of how new demands, changing preferences, and unforeseen circumstances force this fictional company to adapt in order to survive. Through this book, you will understand and appreciate how these activities, including logistics and warehouse management, make everyday products and services available at our disposal - and why this is increasingly important for companies to pay attention to. The simple format and non-technical language of this book will attract even laypersons looking for a quick, comprehensive overview of supply chain management.

• Simplified explanation of concepts
• Chapter Summaries
• Solutions to Practice Exercises
• Practical approaches for application
• Best Practices
• Project Management Templates

A short, simple, and practical guide to understanding how to manage all kinds of projects! 

As employees move into a project management role, they need to learn new skills. These would include management of several different dimensions of a project to deliver the project successfully. Project Management Essentials You Always Wanted to Know: 5th Edition provides the core information about how to manage the complexity of modern projects with improved easy-to-understand explanations, a new WBS template and a new chapter on Agile. The new edition, includes topics such as:

• Project management overview
• Project Initiation - Constraints, Stakeholders, PMO, Life Cycles
• Project Planning - WBS,CPM, Budgeting, Quality, Resources, Communications, Risk, Procurement, Stakeholders
• Project Execution - Audits, Resources, Communications
• Project Monitoring & Controlling - Tracking, Quality Control, Change Control
• Project Closure
• Agile Overview (new)

• Complete coverage of Agile fundamentals 
• Practical Scrum framework implementation 
• Dedicated chapter on Agile in hybrid and remote settings
• Solved examples and practice exercises for concept reinforcement

Master Agile Project Management—From Fundamentals to Remote Team Leadership!

If you're looking to optimize workflows, adapt to changing requirements, and deliver projects faster, Agile Essentials You Always Wanted to Know (2nd Edition) is your complete guide to understanding and implementing Agile. 

Co-authored by Kalpesh Ashar (MBA, CSM, PMI-ACP, with more than 21 years of global experience) and Sandeep Rana (a product and program management professional who has worked with Apollo Global Management, PayU, Safran, and HSBC), the book balances clear theory with real-world insights.

The book progresses systematically from the Agile Manifesto to planning, execution, tracking, reporting, and leading teams. What sets this edition apart is the NEW Chapter 7: Agile in Remote Teams, which addresses the realities of hybrid work, distributed collaboration, accountability in virtual environments, and the need to maintain team trust and psychological safety.

Additionally, two complete case studies—including building a research access platform with Scrumban—provide practical application of key concepts.

After reading this book, you'll be able to:

• Apply Agile values and principles to diverse projects
• Implement Scrum roles, events, and artifacts
• Track progress and communicate using Agile reporting tools
• Lead high-performing Agile teams in co-located and remote settings

Part of Vibrant Publishers' Self-Learning Management Series, this book serves as an essential resource for beginners, project managers, and executives driving Agile transformation in modern, distributed work environments.

Master the People Side of Project Management

Every project has a plan. Not every project has buy-in. Stakeholder Management for Project Managers closes that gap—giving project managers, program directors, business analysts, and change leaders the frameworks, tools, and empathy-driven strategies they need to successfully engage people throughout every phase of a project.

Authored by Michelle Bartonico, a certified PMP and PROSCI-certified change practitioner with nearly two decades of experience leading enterprise initiatives in higher education and marketing, this practical guide bridges project management theory with the realities of working with people in organizations.

Key Features include:

• End-to-end stakeholder engagement framework aligned with PMBOK® principles
• Tools for stakeholder identification, mapping, and analysis (power/interest matrix, salience model, onion diagram, and more)
• Step-by-step guidance for building a Stakeholder Engagement Plan and Communications Management Plan
• Empathy-focused strategies: cognitive, emotional, and compassionate empathy applied to stakeholder relationships
• Change management models, including ADKAR, Kotter, and the change curve—with practical application to real project scenarios
• Downloadable resources: Project Charter, RACI Chart, Stakeholder Engagement Plan, and two Stakeholder Register templates

Whether you lead enterprise initiatives, manage client relationships, or drive organizational change, this book is your go-to guide for stakeholder engagement success. From identifying key stakeholders to navigating resistance and complex personalities, each chapter delivers practical techniques you can apply immediately—across industries, teams, and projects.

• Complete information about the product management role
• A seamless guide to the product journey—from identifying product opportunities to its launch and marketing 
• Practical tools and strategic models used by top PMs to guide decision-making 
• Skills needed to become a top-tier product manager 
• Actionable tips on how to transition into product management and ace your PM interviews

Product Management Essentials You Always Wanted to Know is a clear and practical guide for anyone looking to kickstart their career in product management or strengthen their understanding of the role. Whether you're just starting out or exploring a career shift, this book offers a solid introduction to what product managers do and how they add value to both startups and large organizations.

You'll learn about the key responsibilities of a product manager, what a typical day looks like, and the skills needed to succeed. The book also highlights the cross-functional nature of the role, showing how PMs work across teams—from engineering to marketing—to bring products to life and deliver real impact.

By reading the book, you will get an understanding of the following: 

• Product manager roles and responsibilities and the day in the life of a product manager
• How to identify product opportunities and work cross-functionally across different departments to launch a product into the market
• Frameworks commonly used by product managers to make strategic decisions for the product as well as the overall organization
• Different product management specializations and how to become a top-tier product manager
• How to get into a product management role and crack PM interviews

• Agile Manifesto Principles and Values
• Scrum Pillars, Roles, and Artifacts
• Agile Planning and Execution
• Agile Project Management

A blueprint to understanding agile methodologies and mastering agile project management.

Agile Essentials You Always Wanted To Know is a complete, compact and easily understandable guide for anyone wanting to learn the fundamentals of Agile.

Agile methodology can be greatly beneficial for many projects and organizations. But what exactly is Agile and is it always beneficial? Agile Essentials You Always Wanted To Know provides a primary understanding of the Agile development methodology, when it is appropriate to use it, and the commonly used Agile practices. By understanding Agile through this book, you will be able to adapt to the changing project requirements and complete your projects faster. If you want to optimize the workflow and learn to efficiently manage the various stages of a project, this book is the resource you need.

You will gain an understanding of the following concepts from this book:

• An overall understanding of Agile, its methodologies and common practices
• An introduction to Scrum, a key Agile methodology
• The various aspects of Agile planning as well as execution
• The applicability of Agile in development and operations
• The concepts and practices in Agile tracking and reporting
• An overview of Agile leadership and team practices