Page 40 - Global Project Management Handbook

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2-2 STATE OF THE ART OF GLOBAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT
MANAGEMENT
STATE
GLOBAL
PROJECT
ART
OF
THE
OF
THE PROJECT: A SOCIAL CONSTRUCT
In project management research, as well as in the practice of project-oriented companies,
various project definitions are used. This is important inasmuch as different perceptions
of projects lead to different project management approaches.
The definition of projects as tasks rather than as temporary organizations and as social
systems results in a different understanding of the objectives of project management, of
the project management tasks, of the objects of consideration of project management, and
of the project management methods used.
Perception of Projects as Tasks with Special Characteristics
Traditionally, projects are defined as tasks with special characteristics. The special char-
acteristics of projects are the “complexity” of the content, the relative uniqueness, the
high risk, and the high strategic importance for the project-oriented company. Projects are
understood as goal-oriented tasks because the objectives in terms of the scope, the sched-
ule, the required resources, and the costs are planned, agreed on, and controlled.
Typical representatives of this project understanding are, for example, the Project
Management Institute (PMI), the American Project Management Institute (APMI), and the
German Society for Project Management (GPM), whose project definitions are cited
below. The GPM defines a project as “. . . an undertaking which is basically characterized
by the uniqueness of conditions, e.g., objective, temporal, financial, personnel and other
limitations, boundaries against other undertakings, project specific organization.” Project
management is “. . . the entirety of management tasks, management organization, manage-
ment techniques and tools for the performance of a project.” 1
The PMI defines a project as “a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique
product or service. . . . Projects are undertaken at all levels of the organization. They may
involve a single person or many thousands. Their duration ranges from a few weeks to
2
more than five years.” Project management is “the application of knowledge, skills,
tools and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements.” 3

Perception of Projects as Temporary Organizations

According to organizational theory, projects can be perceived as temporary organizations
for the performance of business processes that are limited in time. As with other organi-
zations, a project has a specific identity that is characterized by its specific project objec-
tives, project organization, project values, and project environment relationships.
A project is a temporary organization. Through this temporary character, the estab-
lishment of the project in the project start process, as well as the dissolution of the project
in the project close-down process, attains a special meaning.

Perception of Projects as Social Systems

The perception of projects as temporary organizations also makes it possible to view
them as social systems. According to social systems theory, organizations, and therefore
also projects, can be viewed as social systems that have clear boundaries to differentiate
themselves from their environments. However, they are also related to those environ-
ments. The specific characteristics of social systems, such as their social complexity,
dynamics, and self-reference, are management topics in projects as well.