Project Management Systems July 17, 2008

Projects have been managed for, as long as there have been projects.Only till recently has project management been recognized as a science, which could be defined.Project management is a growing profession, which is quickly becoming understood and respected as a necessity in the ever-changing landscape.Much of what is accomplished in today’s world, both public and private, is project driven.Project management can be executed in a variety of industries, occupations and situations.

Understanding that project management is here to stay, there is a need for a set of requirements as they relate to a project management system.A project management system is a:

“A complex set of interconnected elements, technical and human, that organizes and interacts, both formally and informally, in order to transform resources into outputs and outcomes such that a common goal or objective is achieved. (Kerzner 2001) (Keating 2001) (SEF 2001).”

Requirements for a project management system in this instance are identified as the essential topics that should be established in a system in order to accomplish the system goal(s).In addition to the project management system requirements there is a need to understand the guiding principles of a project management system.

Projects by their nature are complex systems and can be extremely dynamic.Therefore any project management system should not be considered static, but it should be understood that the system is constantly growing and evolving. As a result of this volatility the requirements may not be neatly applied uniformly across all project management systems.Experience and practice can play a large part in the managing projects.

The establishment of a project management system provides a set of common understanding in which professionals will be able to communicate freely in a common language.It is important to note that a set of project management system requirements presented does not ensure project success.There are a variety of influences that determine project success.

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