It was not until the 20th century that modern project management was refined and developed, with notable milestones such as:
+ In 1911, Frederick Taylor published “Principles of Management Science,” introducing the principles of division of labor and performance optimization.
+ In 1917, Henry Gantt developed the Gantt chart, a simple planning and progress control tool still used today.
+ In 1957, Dupont introduced the application of the Critical Path technique.
+ In 1958 and 1962, the US Department of Defense implemented the Program Review and Evaluation (PERT) technique and the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) technique.
+ In 1986, SCRUM (a term referring to the method of restarting a game in American football) was used to name a type of flexible project management.
+ In 1989, Earned Value Management (ERM) was introduced to evaluate the effectiveness and performance of projects.
+ Also in 1989, the Central Computing and Telecommunications Authority (CCTA) of the UK government developed the PRINCE2 (Projects in Controlled Environment) project management methodology to improve project management and administration.
+ In 1997, Eliyahu M. Goldratt developed and introduced the Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM) methodology.
+ In 2001, the Agile Manifesto was drafted by 17 software developers to establish a more efficient software development methodology. Based on this, the Agile project management methodology was developed.
+ Since 2012, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has successively issued the ISO 21500:2012 Guidelines for Project Management, ISO 21504:2015 Guidelines for Project Portfolio Management, and ISO 21503:2017 Guidelines for Project Program Management.
So, what is a project, the subject of project management?
A project, as defined in ISO 21500, is a timed effort to achieve one or more defined objectives; while, according to the Project Management Institute (PMI), it is a timed effort to produce a unique product, service, or outcome.
Thus, a project has a start date, an end date, objectives to be achieved, and specific outputs upon completion.
Project management, as defined in ISO 21502, is the coordinated activities to direct and control the achievement of agreed-upon objectives; while, according to PMI, it is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to achieve project requirements.
According to ISO 21500 standards, projects are implemented to realize the strategy set by the organization or business.
The project is implemented through three main process groups: Project management processes; deliverables management processes; and support processes.
Project management processes are specific to project management, defining how the selected activities for the project are managed.
Delivery processes are processes outside the scope of project management and are related to the development of technical specification documents, creating a specific product, service, or outcome. They vary depending on the specific deliverable of the project.
Support processes are processes outside the scope of project management and provide necessary support to project management and deliverables management processes, such as: finance & financing, accounting, and logistics.
According to the ISO 21500 standard, project management processes are divided into the following five groups:
Preparation process group: used to initiate a project phase or a project, define the objectives of the project phase or project, and empower the project manager to implement the project.
Planning process group: used to develop a detailed plan and create baseline plans as benchmarks for managing project implementation and measuring and controlling project performance.
Execution process group: used to carry out project management activities and to support the formation of project deliverables that conform to the project plans.
Control process group: used to monitor, measure, and control project performance against the project plan; to propose corrective and preventive actions, as needed, to achieve project objectives.
The closing process group: used to formally confirm the completion of a project phase or project, and to provide lessons learned.