Evolution of Project Management
Project management has gone a long way.Considering all of the things that have been built in the history of civilization, we have thousands of years of project experiences to learn from.It is generally believed that project management is a product after World War II, and a management method mainly established for post-war reconstruction as well as national defense projects during the Cold War.The evolution of project management can be basically divided into two phases: traditional project management phase and modern project management phase with 1980s as the dividing point.
Traditional Project Management Phase
From the middle of 1940s to 1960s, project management was primarily applied for national defense construction and industrial/civil engineering construction for developed countries.At that time, traditional management methods were used for project budget, project designing, and project objectives accomplished through general methods on operations management.
During World War II in the mid-1940s, the atomic bomb Manhattan project and other complex military programs that followed added much insight into methods for completing this class of endeavor.In the period of following World War II, these methods were translated into formalized and documented approaches.Military projects continued to push the technology envelope into the 1950s and pressure to improve technical project management continued.Many credited the activities surrounding the successful design and implementation of the highly complex contractor developed Polaris nuclear submarine project management.This was reflected in the popularization of well known network management methods such as Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) and Critical Path Method (CPM), which have proliferated into all industries since this time.These early planning and control models were initially used only in large organizations because high-priced computing resources were required to manipulate the models.Until the 1980s, traditional project management was mainly concerned with time, cost and quality management of a project, and applied to a narrow application field focused around engineering construction project.
Modern Project Management Phase
It arrived at this phase after the 1980s.With the fierce global competition, widening and more complicated project activities, the increasing number of projects, the expanding size of project teams, the enhancement of interest conflict among stakeholders, and the growing stress of reducing project costs, plenty of manpower and material resources were devoted to studying the basic principles of project management, and to developing and utilizing specific management methods by government departments or enterprises as project owners, customers or executors.With the advent of information system engineering, network engineering, software engineering, large-scale construction engineering, high-tech development and research programs, the improvement of theories and methods on project management has been ongoing and up-to-date.Meanwhile, application fields of project management during this period rapidly expanded into every walk of life, and project management has been playing a more important role in strategic business development and management by exception.Generally speaking, the 1990s can be viewed as a period of maturation and proliferation of information tools, techniques, and user literacy.Small and powerful desktop devices solved the modeling capability issue and the Internet solved many of the information distribution constraints.
Different from traditional project management, modern project management area expanded greatly from engineering construction to information system integration, scientific study, new product development, national defense, etc.The knowledge body of project management extends beyond time, cost and quality management, to include nine major areas with the focus on customer satisfaction.
The rapid development of project management at this phase is mainly manifested in two aspects.
Professionalization Development of Project Management
A series of professional posts were formed with the division refinement of project management, such as manager for professional projects, cost engineer, supervising engineer, master builder and so on.Furthermore, some certification systems for professional qualification came up at this stage, like Project Management Institute (PMI), International Project Management Association (IPMA), Association of American Cost Engineers (AACE) and Royal Institute of Charted Surveyor (RICS), all of which gave a great push to the refinement and professionalization of project management.
Academic Development of Project Management.
The academic development of project management mainly consisted in educational systems established for project management, and study on theories and methods of project management At this phase, many universities around the world successively set up educational systems for both undergraduate students and postgraduate students majoring in project management.The US established master’s degree for project management, which even showed the tendency to replace MBA.In addition, lots of research institutes regarding project management were set up to conduct the study on theories and methods of project management with worldwide professional associations for project management, such as Project Management Body of Knowledge(PMBOK),Total Cost Management (TCM), Earned Value Management (EVM), and Partnering Management (PM) proposed by PMI and AACE at this stage.Besides, based on PMBOK Guide, ISO 10006 was set by International Standardization Organization (ISO) which made much progress in the theories and methods of project management.
Exercises
I.Decide whether the following statements are true(T) or false(F) according to the passage.
1.A project refers to a temporary endeavor undertaken to make a unique product, service, or result.
2.Stakeholders are individuals or organizations that can not be impacted by the project.
3.Even though the deliverable does not meet its quantifiable quality criteria, it means that project can be considered complete.
4.Project scope management includes the processes required to make sure that the project includes all the work required, and only the work required to finish the project successfully.
5.Project scope management hardly refers to defining and controlling what is or is not included in the project.
6.As projects have become more complex there is growing recognition that a skilled PM works as “glue” to integrate these elements.
7.Desktop tools such as Microsoft’s Word, Excel, and Access turning millions of computer enthusiasts into what looked like programmers, improved both the look of documentation and the underlying processes radically.
8.Since project management is triple-constrained, project manager can just focus on time, quality and cost in order to ensure projects’ success.
9.As a subset of project management, project integration management is only applied during the initiation phase to ensure that the various elements of the project are coordinated.
10.Project management is the applications of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities in order to meet or exceed stakeholder needs and expectations from the project.
II.Professional terms translation.
利益相关方 可交付物
范围管理 整体管理
项目经理人 进度管理
项目生命周期 项目管理
沟通管理 采购管理
III.Fill in the blanks.
1.Regardless of its scope or complexity, every project goes through four stages during its life—_____stage,_____stage,_____stage and_____stage.
2.A project is a_____endeavor undertaken to create a_____product, service, or result.
3.It is in the_____phase that the actual project deliverables are produced.
4.Project scope management is primarily concerned with_____and_____what is or is not included in the project.
5.A subset of project management that includes the processes required to ensure that the various elements of the project are coordinated properly refers to project_____management.
6.Each project creates its own_____, which must meet standards of performance criteria.
7.PMBOK Guide is the abbreviation of_____ _____ _____of_____.
8._____,_____and_____are referred to as Core Three of project management.
9.Nowadays,_____ _____is both the starting point and goal of project management.
10.Once your team is in place, an initial meeting to discuss the project’s_____can be enlightening.
IV.Match the following words or expressions with their meanings.
V.The following sentences are given in a wrong order.Reorganize these sentences into a coherent paragraph.
( )This should be considered in the process of authorizing a project in competition with other such proposals based on factors like resource constraints, risks, capabilities, and so on.
( ) The Initiating process group is involved with the activities required to define and authorize a project or a project phase.
( ) After consideration of these factors by management, formal approval to move the project into a more detailed and formal planning phase is signaled by the issuance of a formal charter.
( )The project charter represents the formal authorization step and it formally communicates that management is behind the project.
( ) How does the vision support organizational goals and objectives?
( ) This step outlines the basic approval of the project and the constraints under which it is to be governed, and a project manager is formally designated at this point to move the effort forward.
( ) One of the most important aspects of the initiation process is the evaluation of the project vision from a business goal perspective.
VI.Paragraphs translation.
1.Projects exist in every type of human enterprise.They are unique, complex undertakings that create new products, facilities, services, and events; bring about major organizational and other desired changes or recovery from natural or manmade disasters.Projects have starting and ending points in time and progress through a number of life cycle phases.All of mankind’s greatest accomplishments, from building the great pyramids to discovering a cure for cancer, to putting a man on the moon, began as a project.
2.Project management has been becoming an increasingly important topic of discussion today because all organizations continually get involved in implementing a new business process, product, service, or other initiative.When we examine how organizations pursue changes, it invariably includes organizing a team of people with chosen skills to do the job.
3.Project management is quite often the province and responsibility of an individual project manager.Although this individual seldom participates directly in the activities that produce the end result, it is his duty that he strives to maintain the progress and productive mutual interaction of various parties in such a way that overall risk of failure is reduced, and ensures the success of the project.From this perspective, organizations need to build a better understanding of the role of a project manager and understand that this role is not the same as a technical manager.The project manager role is one of integrator, communicator and facilitator and it is of equal or more importance than the role of a technical manager.
VII.Sentences translation.
1.项目是在一定的时间、一定的资源和一定的预算内，由多人协作，为一个明确的预期目标共同完成的一次性工作。
2.项目管理是指在项目活动中运用一系列知识、技能、工具和技术，以满足或超过相关利益者对项目的要求和期望。
3.美国Standish Group对超过8400个IT项目的研究表明，只有16%的项目实现其目标，50%的项目需要补救，34%的项目彻底失败。
4.随着全球经济的一体化及科学技术的日新月异，项目管理作为一次性创造活动的管理模式，已成为适应新经济时代最具生命力的管理工具之一。
5.项目管理知识体系划分为九大知识领域：整合管理、范围管理、时间管理、成本管理、质量管理、人力资源管理、沟通管理、风险管理和采购管理。
6.项目范围管理包括项目范围的界定、范围的规划和范围的调整等。
7.项目集成管理是指为确保项目各项工作能够有机地协调和配合所展开的综合性和全局性的项目管理工作和过程。
8.项目管理九大知识领域相互联系，互相补充，相互促进，融为一体。
9.项目管理通过应用和综合诸如启动、规划、实施、监控和收尾等项目管理过程来进行。
10.项目管理是一种优化的管理模式，与传统的部门管理相比，注重于综合性管理和目标管理。
VIII.Discussion.
Topic One: Illustrate some projects to explore the similarities and differences between routine work and projects.
Topic Two: Discuss the four stages of a project life cycle.
Topic Three: Discuss how to become a qualified project manager.
IX.Project management treasury.
Project Management Institute
Created in 1969, Project Management Institute (PMI) is one of the world’s largest professional membership associations, with half a million members and credential holders in more than 185 countries.It is a not-for-profit organization that advances the project management profession through globally recognized standards and certifications, collaborative communities, an extensive research program, and professional development opportunities.
PMI’s worldwide advocacy makes it the global thought leader in this strategic organizational competency.
Certification
PMI offers five certifications that recognize knowledge and competency, including the Project Management Professional (PMP)®credential held by more than 370 000 practitioners worldwide.Salaries and career opportunities for credential holders show that employers recognize the value delivered by trained practitioners.
Global Standards
PMI’s 12 standards for project, program and portfolio management are the most widely recognized standards in the profession.They are developed and updated by thousands of PMI volunteers with experience in every type of project, and provide a common language for project management around the world.
Training and Education
PMI offers a wide range of professional development opportunities, from its Seminars World®and e-learning courses to PMI global congresses and other events.
You can also turn to more than 1400 Registered Education Providers (REPs) for project management training and continuing development.For those in college, the PMI Global Accreditation Center for Project Management Education Programs has recognized more than 60 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
Research
PMI Research Program, the most extensive in the field, advances the science, practice and profession of project management.It expands project management’s body of knowledge through research projects, symposiums and surveys, and shares it through publications, research conferences and working sessions.
Governance
PMI is governed by a 15 member volunteer Board of Directors.Each year PMI members elect five directors to three-year terms.Three directors elected by others on the Board serve one-year terms as officers.Day-to-day PMI operations are guided by the executive management group and professional staff at the Global Operations Center in Newtown Square, PA, USA.