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Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2025 8:39 am
Project management is all about change because project scope, team members and budget are not set in stone.
The best project managers are flexible in managing constant change, not just on individual projects but throughout their entire careers.
Further training and certifications provide invaluable knowledge, but can never replace the most important component: actual experience .
History of Project Management
With this in mind, we contacted long-standing project managers and asked them how they think project management has changed in recent decades, particularly with regard to agile project management, distributed teams and the development of new software tools for project management , and what we can expect in the future. Most of the participants have been successfully working in project management for more than ten years.
The History of Project Management
Project management actually existed in the days of the Egyptian pyramids and the Great Wall of China, but its more recent form began with the development of Gantt charts in the early 20th century.
Three methods led to new developments in the 1950s: the critical path method , Lockheed's revolutionary medium-range missile project , and the PERT network planning technique developed by the US Navy.
In the 1960s, project management was largely based on the waterfall model , which made the first moon landing possible and ensured the astronauts returned safely to Earth.
Since then, however, the world has become increasingly complex and project management has also adapted over time.
History of Project Management - Old Times
Project Management in Earlier Days
1. The Agile Revolution?
When project managers are asked what the biggest change has been in the last 30 years, the first thing most people think of is agile project management.
"The more complex projects became, the more flexible project management had to be," recalls long-time project manager Crystal Richards, principal and owner of the Mosaic Resource Group . Changes are even welcome here as part of a vision or a roadmap.
However, this method was used long before it had a name. "The agile approach is currently changing software development, but its roots go back more than 30 years," explains Alan Zucker, Founding Principal of Project Management Essentials, LLC . The Deming Circle, for example, dates back to the 1950s.
Chuck Chobb, author of a book on agile management and who has been working in project management for 15 years, notes that fundamentally little has changed since the space race.
“Project management has become a mature discipline and we are able to deliver larger and more complex projects with more predictable outcomes, but it is all based on a traditional plan-driven approach,” he notes.
What has changed, however, is the extent to which roles are defined.
2. Project manager became a recognized profession
Alan Zucker from Project Management Essentials remembers his beginnings in project management, which at the time had little in common with today's field of work:
“In 1987, my career in project management began… I was a project owner, business analyst and project manager all at the same time.”
However, project management was not a recognized profession in which one could pursue a career.
"In 1987, there were 'project managers', but no systematized processes, procedures and tools like today. Most of us were self-taught and career changers."
There is now an entire industry dedicated to training and certifying project managers. The reason: professional project management can be extremely lucrative and lead to a successful career.
Alan Zucker explains:
Although the Project Management Institute was founded in 1969, it was not until 1986 that 43 people took the first certification exam. Today, there are almost 750,000 certified project managers and the institute offers eight different certifications, from risk management to agile to program management. There are also 136 master's programs in this field at universities."
Over time, training became increasingly important as technological advances took hold and led to changes in the projects supported and the personnel.
3. Distributed teams
Thirty years ago, a project manager would connect with his team in person or perhaps over italy telegram data the phone. Video chat, messaging and collaboration software have now taken that place.
Dmitriy Zaitsev from Devexperts explains:
"Distributed teams enable a new kind of flexibility and access to fresh talent. But project managers also need to have extensive knowledge in areas as diverse as collaboration tools, cross-border and cross-cultural communication, motivation, hiring new employees and coaching. You also have to think and act across multiple time zones."
As teams moved to more and more locations and communication became increasingly digital, humanity became the focus of successful projects.
4. People came to the fore
As projects became more digital and less tangible, it also became clear how important it is not to forget the human factor in all of this.
Todd Williams, author of “Rescue the Problem Project: A Complete Guide to Identifying, Preventing, and Recovering from Project Failure , ” states:
"Projects were mainly about physical results: buildings, roads, pyramids. But today, it is often about business processes that are not aimed at the paying customer, but at internal users who should use a new process, but can also decide not to. Adaptation, involvement and motivation are the decisive factors here."
The best project managers are flexible in managing constant change, not just on individual projects but throughout their entire careers.
Further training and certifications provide invaluable knowledge, but can never replace the most important component: actual experience .
History of Project Management
With this in mind, we contacted long-standing project managers and asked them how they think project management has changed in recent decades, particularly with regard to agile project management, distributed teams and the development of new software tools for project management , and what we can expect in the future. Most of the participants have been successfully working in project management for more than ten years.
The History of Project Management
Project management actually existed in the days of the Egyptian pyramids and the Great Wall of China, but its more recent form began with the development of Gantt charts in the early 20th century.
Three methods led to new developments in the 1950s: the critical path method , Lockheed's revolutionary medium-range missile project , and the PERT network planning technique developed by the US Navy.
In the 1960s, project management was largely based on the waterfall model , which made the first moon landing possible and ensured the astronauts returned safely to Earth.
Since then, however, the world has become increasingly complex and project management has also adapted over time.
History of Project Management - Old Times
Project Management in Earlier Days
1. The Agile Revolution?
When project managers are asked what the biggest change has been in the last 30 years, the first thing most people think of is agile project management.
"The more complex projects became, the more flexible project management had to be," recalls long-time project manager Crystal Richards, principal and owner of the Mosaic Resource Group . Changes are even welcome here as part of a vision or a roadmap.
However, this method was used long before it had a name. "The agile approach is currently changing software development, but its roots go back more than 30 years," explains Alan Zucker, Founding Principal of Project Management Essentials, LLC . The Deming Circle, for example, dates back to the 1950s.
Chuck Chobb, author of a book on agile management and who has been working in project management for 15 years, notes that fundamentally little has changed since the space race.
“Project management has become a mature discipline and we are able to deliver larger and more complex projects with more predictable outcomes, but it is all based on a traditional plan-driven approach,” he notes.
What has changed, however, is the extent to which roles are defined.
2. Project manager became a recognized profession
Alan Zucker from Project Management Essentials remembers his beginnings in project management, which at the time had little in common with today's field of work:
“In 1987, my career in project management began… I was a project owner, business analyst and project manager all at the same time.”
However, project management was not a recognized profession in which one could pursue a career.
"In 1987, there were 'project managers', but no systematized processes, procedures and tools like today. Most of us were self-taught and career changers."
There is now an entire industry dedicated to training and certifying project managers. The reason: professional project management can be extremely lucrative and lead to a successful career.
Alan Zucker explains:
Although the Project Management Institute was founded in 1969, it was not until 1986 that 43 people took the first certification exam. Today, there are almost 750,000 certified project managers and the institute offers eight different certifications, from risk management to agile to program management. There are also 136 master's programs in this field at universities."
Over time, training became increasingly important as technological advances took hold and led to changes in the projects supported and the personnel.
3. Distributed teams
Thirty years ago, a project manager would connect with his team in person or perhaps over italy telegram data the phone. Video chat, messaging and collaboration software have now taken that place.
Dmitriy Zaitsev from Devexperts explains:
"Distributed teams enable a new kind of flexibility and access to fresh talent. But project managers also need to have extensive knowledge in areas as diverse as collaboration tools, cross-border and cross-cultural communication, motivation, hiring new employees and coaching. You also have to think and act across multiple time zones."
As teams moved to more and more locations and communication became increasingly digital, humanity became the focus of successful projects.
4. People came to the fore
As projects became more digital and less tangible, it also became clear how important it is not to forget the human factor in all of this.
Todd Williams, author of “Rescue the Problem Project: A Complete Guide to Identifying, Preventing, and Recovering from Project Failure , ” states:
"Projects were mainly about physical results: buildings, roads, pyramids. But today, it is often about business processes that are not aimed at the paying customer, but at internal users who should use a new process, but can also decide not to. Adaptation, involvement and motivation are the decisive factors here."