Introduction to Project Management

Project management is the practice of applying knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to complete a project according to specific requirements. Proper execution of this practice comes down to identifying the problem, creating a plan to solve the problem, and then executing that plan until the problem has been solved. That may sound simple, but there is a lot that goes into it at every stage of the process. With the proper management plan, the project will be completed on time and within budget. The roots of project management can be traced as far back as the building of the Pyramids in Giza and the Great Wall of China. However, the modern development of this practice began in the 19th century when railway companies purchased tons of raw materials and employed thousands of people to work on the transcontinental railroad. By the early 20th century, Frederick Taylor applied PM concepts to the workday, developing strategies for working smarter and improving inefficiencies, rather than demanding laborers work harder and longer. Henry Gantt, an associate of Taylor’s, took those concepts and used bars and charts to graph when certain tasks, or a series of tasks, were completed, creating a new way to visualize project management. During World War II, military and industrial leaders were employing even more detailed management strategies, eventually leading to more standardized processes like the critical path method. These practices grew in popularity across industries and, in 1965 and 1969, the International Project Management Association and PMI were founded, respectively. In 2001, Agile project management methodologies were codified by the creation of the Agile Manifesto.