Business | Project management in the 21st century

By Alex Trengove Jones

If you are interested in this topic, take a look at our University of Cape Town Project Administration course.

What is project management? Why is this term so widely used in conversations across a broad spectrum of industries?

Project management is not a new term and yet people still struggle to define it.  Eric Verzuh, author of The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management, states that “project management is a discipline – a set of methods, theories and techniques that have evolved to manage the complexities of work that is unique and temporary”. In a nutshell, project management is a set of skills that is not industry dependent.

How can project management apply to you?
All workers, from personal assistants to business executives, can benefit from applying key project management tools and techniques.

No matter what your job description, project management skills are essential for planning, scheduling, monitoring and delivering specific goals within a given timeframe and budget. Everyone is a leader in some capacity, and being a leader requires leadership skills. Applying these techniques will make any project run smoother, quicker, cheaper and more enjoyably for all stakeholders.

So where is project management heading?
Traditional project management is a structured and deliberate discipline that follows a clearly defined project life cycle. Risks are planned for, work is broken down into bite-size portions and resources are managed with best practice tools, formal documentation and procedures. The 21st century is not structured and predictable. Major business decisions are often made over web conference, telephone or email, and virtual teams are not a thing of the future but of the present – crossing cultural and geographical boundaries. Business processes are complex, shifting away from traditional to project-orientated organisational structures.

The rapid speed in new technology development has also changed the pace of work: more can be done in one day – provided one has the right tools and skills to efficiently manage this increasing and ever-evolving workflow. The art of project management in turn must be increasingly agile, quick to adapt to change and leverage new technology to help structure, plan and monitor project progress. Technology has helped maintain control over projects: online project management applications centralise communication, milestones and task allocation.

Do not be left behind.  Make sure that your team is up to date and knows how to use the latest technology so that you can maintain your high performance and embrace the 21st century project management landscape.

Back to SmartyPants Newsletter - August 2010 Edition
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