What is Project Management?
The Business School
Advanced Project Management
What is project management?
Amy Callanan
Total word count: 1055
What is project management?
As the nature of project management continues to change over time, it has been difficult to define project management (Shepherd and Atkinson 2011). This paper aims to identify various definitions and factors which form project management in order to create a suitable definition of what project management is in today’s dynamic business environment.
Original definition:
The process of planning and organising resources in order to achieve a predetermined goal, on time and within budget.
I have identified common themes in the literature on project management with a possible definition to include: the monitoring and controlling of skills, tools and techniques used to produce agreed benefits and meet project requirements (Association for Project Management 2006; Murray-Webster and Simon 2007; Uppal 2008; Darnall and Preston 2010). These themes coincide with my first definition in which I have also also touched upon aspects from the Iron Triangle; however, I did not identify quality as a defining factor.
I have found that using a set standard of conditions to measure project success, for example: achieving a result to a set standard, within budget and within a certain timeframe (Burton and Michael 1997; Olsen 1971 cited by Atkinson 1999; Association for Project Management 2006) will not suffice in the current business climate.
Can Project Management be defined?
Although people have attempted to define project management, is it possible to have one universal definition that encompasses project management?
It was only in the latter half of the 20th century that project management became a well-known term (Weaver 2007); since then, project management has continued to change due to more regulations within projects and an increased demand for formal project training (ESI International 2009) and with this, the
Advanced Project Management
What is project management?
Amy Callanan
Total word count: 1055
What is project management?
As the nature of project management continues to change over time, it has been difficult to define project management (Shepherd and Atkinson 2011). This paper aims to identify various definitions and factors which form project management in order to create a suitable definition of what project management is in today’s dynamic business environment.
Original definition:
The process of planning and organising resources in order to achieve a predetermined goal, on time and within budget.
I have identified common themes in the literature on project management with a possible definition to include: the monitoring and controlling of skills, tools and techniques used to produce agreed benefits and meet project requirements (Association for Project Management 2006; Murray-Webster and Simon 2007; Uppal 2008; Darnall and Preston 2010). These themes coincide with my first definition in which I have also also touched upon aspects from the Iron Triangle; however, I did not identify quality as a defining factor.
I have found that using a set standard of conditions to measure project success, for example: achieving a result to a set standard, within budget and within a certain timeframe (Burton and Michael 1997; Olsen 1971 cited by Atkinson 1999; Association for Project Management 2006) will not suffice in the current business climate.
Can Project Management be defined?
Although people have attempted to define project management, is it possible to have one universal definition that encompasses project management?
It was only in the latter half of the 20th century that project management became a well-known term (Weaver 2007); since then, project management has continued to change due to more regulations within projects and an increased demand for formal project training (ESI International 2009) and with this, the
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