Project management is a logical and proven method to plan and guide the project process right from the beginning till the end. In another words, we can say the project starts from definition of project and ends with goal achievement. It can be art or science or may be considered as both. The science consists of a systematic approach using a standard methodology. The art consists of “soft skills” including leadership, trust, credibility, problem solving, and managing expectations. This scientific technique helps in smooth and error less execution of the project.

The book “Basics of Project Management” has been written to address the need of students appearing for UPSC Engineering Services Exam (ESE). Most of the books on this subject have been written too extensively and with a particular branch of engineering in focus, which makes most of the part of the book irrelevant for the exam. In this book we have tried to cover all the relevant topics pertinent to the exam and have introduced important information in boxes to attract special attention and to clarify important concepts. Objective questions have been introduced at the end for practice and to discover the extent of students’ knowledge.