Generally giving a definition and boundary for project management is very difficult! Even giving a definition for management is very challenging. I just want to talk about some reflection about project management content as an insider.
The term project management is used a lot for describing the management of activities which are done for assignments and works in the format of projects. But I have recognized that a lot of this area referred to as project management body of knowledge is actually based on the construction industry practices. It does not mean that project management in construction industry is more advanced than the other industries but because of certain characteristics of this industry the project management practices in this industry is more standardized and formalized. For example earned value, CPM, change control systems are very applicable in construction industry than in NPD or software development. This is also recognizable in how PMI and APM is promoting this knowledge area. Both PMI and APM body of knowledge are biased to construction industry. Looking to International Journal of Project management you can also see the large proportion of publications related to construction indutry while other industries are not much present.
In fact the imbalance toward construction industry can only be attributed to differences in types of operations. Construction is low technology, labor intensive and require large capital. It is very difficult for project workers for example in software development to use the same methods used in construction. Fundamentally it is very difficult to plan very rigidly(as it is in construction
) in software development. Software development is high technology, complex and include many uncertainties.
We see in many non-construction industries that the managers demand their employees to deploy project management methods while PM body of knowledge is not actually designed for them. Project management is a fascinating general term but actually it is not in content!
