The Most Common Problems in Project Management as Perceived by Project Managers in Abu Dhabi in 2011
Chapter 1
Introduction
Project Management is not something new in today’s world as it has been practiced since the early civilization by early architects and engineers such as Vitruvius, a Roman writer, architect and engineer, Christopher Wren, Thomas Telford and Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Though it has been used before, organizations started to apply systematically the project management tools and techniques to complex project in the 1950s.
No matter what the size of the organization is, there is always a need to have project management that is involved in new endeavors such as the development of a new product or service; establishment of a new production line; a public relations promotional campaign or even a major building program. Project management has been changing as time goes by like in 1980s, project management dealt with quality. After a decade, in 1990s, project management was about globalization. In the advent of the year 2000, it started to deal with velocity. This evolution in project management happens because of the continuous and changing demands in the market. According to records, the modern project management method originated in two parallel yet different problems of planning and control in projects in the United States. 1. U.S. Navy case which had the concerns with the control of contracts for its Polari Missile Project. The contracts were about research, development work and manufacturing of parts that were unique and had not been used previously. This specific project was of high uncertainty as completion times were based on probabilities and time estimates were based on optimistic, pessimistic and most likely. A mathematical assessment was made to determine the probable completion date of the project. This assessment was called Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT) which is still being used today as it suits best for projects with a high degree of uncertainty. 2. E.I du Pont de Nemours Company case. This is a private
Introduction
Project Management is not something new in today’s world as it has been practiced since the early civilization by early architects and engineers such as Vitruvius, a Roman writer, architect and engineer, Christopher Wren, Thomas Telford and Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Though it has been used before, organizations started to apply systematically the project management tools and techniques to complex project in the 1950s.
No matter what the size of the organization is, there is always a need to have project management that is involved in new endeavors such as the development of a new product or service; establishment of a new production line; a public relations promotional campaign or even a major building program. Project management has been changing as time goes by like in 1980s, project management dealt with quality. After a decade, in 1990s, project management was about globalization. In the advent of the year 2000, it started to deal with velocity. This evolution in project management happens because of the continuous and changing demands in the market. According to records, the modern project management method originated in two parallel yet different problems of planning and control in projects in the United States. 1. U.S. Navy case which had the concerns with the control of contracts for its Polari Missile Project. The contracts were about research, development work and manufacturing of parts that were unique and had not been used previously. This specific project was of high uncertainty as completion times were based on probabilities and time estimates were based on optimistic, pessimistic and most likely. A mathematical assessment was made to determine the probable completion date of the project. This assessment was called Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT) which is still being used today as it suits best for projects with a high degree of uncertainty. 2. E.I du Pont de Nemours Company case. This is a private
Bibliography: 1. Clear, J. (2011) 7 Common Project Management Problems (and How to Solve them) 7. John Reh, F. (n.d.) Project Management 101 Part 1. Retrieved April 17, 2011 from 10. Project Smart (2011). History of Project Management Retrieved 17 April 2011 from http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/history-of-project- management.html 12. Yager, S. (2001) Top 10 Project Management Problems. Retrieved April 21, 2011 from http://dssresources.com/papers/features/yager10032001.htm 13. Yatim, F. et.al. (2009). Investigating the deployment of project management: A new perspective based on the concept of certification