Evolution Of Project Management

Emergence and Evolution of the Field of Project Management:

The theoretical aspects and application of systematic tools and techniques for project management have developed during the past five decades (Kwak & Anbari, 2005). The theory and practice of project management has evolved over time, into what is now as the two approaches to project management; The traditional and the modern approach. PMBOK (2004) defines the traditional project management as 'a set of techniques and tools that can be applied to an activity that seeks an end product, outcomes or a service'.

The traditional approach towards project management was being used before the 1950’s. The traditional approach made use of basic management techniques and methods which were developed

There were two major reasons for this. Firstly, the projects increased in scope and complexity. Secondly, around the same time, there was an emergence of new technologies and disciplines such as software development. Other advancements included advanced mathematical convergence models, statistical probability – risk, development of Operations management, the software program databases of clients to payrolls being used in various offices and industries, interactive communications. Sophisticated tools and methods to administer monitor and implement projects were also created, which revolutionized the way projects could be monitored.

Eras of Modern Project Management:

The need for modern project management has emerged with the increase in the development of information technology and software industry. The basis of modern project management emerged from highly industrialized countries in the early 1950’s. Kerzner (1998), Snyder and Kline (1987) pointed out that the basic management methods and techniques were no longer sufficient to effectively administer and implement projects.

Modern approach to project management can be categorized into four different

These tools are now considered as the core of project management. The critical path method was developed by Dupont Corporation. CPM is a technique used to predict project duration by analyzing which sequence of activities has the least amount of scheduling flexibility. Dupont designed it to address the complex process of shutting down chemical plants for maintenance, and then with maintenance completed restarting them. The United States Department of Defense's US Navy Special Projects Office developed PERT as part of the Polaris mobile submarine. PERT is a method for analyzing the tasks involved in completing a project, especially the time needed to complete each task and identifying the minimum time needed to complete the total project. This period was of major technological advancements within ICT, such as the discovery of silicon chips, their usage in mainframe computers and rise of the internet etc. The computer industry developed very rapidly. Centers of innovation such as Silicon Valley in California arose. The dynamic and fast paced change in the working environment led to many software companies springing