The future of Project Management. Visionary papers and presentations on Project Management.

THE FUTURE OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT


The future of project management is frequently addressed in visionary papers and presentations. Here are some overview of studies in the last ten years.

Authors Main findings

Jaafari (1998) This paper makes a case for a fundamental shift in the preparation of the next generation project managers and in re-definition and registration of project managers. The traditional models of project management are increasingly inadequate in the highly turbulent and technology dependent world. There is an increasing trend to require project managers to accept part responsibility for the eventual facility and its commercial success. In order to do so project managers must be proficient in the core technology of their client’s operation, be capable of integration and addition of value to information, be IT literate and be capable of operating within a concurrent engineering/ construction environment. Preparation of such professionals will require skills in systems engineering and knowledge management.

Barnes (2000) This paper describes a new model for project management drawing upon experience of the last thirty years in a number of sectors. The new model is presented for debate. If accepted, it will make a significant difference to how project management is defined, taught and applied in the future. Its adoption will make application of project management in both traditional and new areas easier and more effective than it has been up to now. The paper begins with analysis of the key areas and proposals for components of the new model. It ends with a summary of the features of the new model.

Gorrino-Arriaga & Eraso (2000) This paper discusses the new processes and competencies that will be needed to cope with the future trends of project management. The study has been performed on the basis of substantial literature review.

Woollett (2000) The author argues that the project management now practiced is out of date and still stuck in the 1980s. Projects now exist in an environment of globalisation, free markets, borderless worlds, mobile capital, international benchmarks and momentous advances in technology and communication. How should the project management profession and individual practitioners reclaim the management of projects from accountants, lawyers, and charlatans that now seek to practice it.

Hartman (2001) The author argues that the next step for project management lies in the needs of organizations tomorrow. These needs are being defined by today’s trends and challenges. As part of an on-going project, this paper presents this year’s crop of trends, failures, successes and breakthroughs that point to where project management is going. The paper starts with some examples of what was predicted in the past and how accurate those predictions were. Some guesses were right, others were wrong. These are reviewed and the lessons learned are discussed. Based on this, the new predictions are made. Some of the trends and changes are then discussed and their contribution to the forecast of what is important in the future are presented. The paper uses the visible trends to present some of the impacts that these trends will have on project management. Project management is being used as the preferred way of implementing technological and other change in a growing number of businesses. The newest connection for project management is to management of enterprises as a whole so that they can remain competitive. Competitiveness today requires constant change. The ability of organizations - the way they are structured today-to absorb such rapid change is severely limited. The limitation lies in the static nature of the organizational model itself. The paper concludes with some of the implications of the next generation of organization - the dynamic one. These organizations will be founded on a variant of project management.
The paper closes with some future picture of what this evolution of project management will look like and how we can prepare to take advantage of these changes.

The future of Project Management. Visionary papers and presentations on Project Management.